Form Submission: Participation Entry

Montane pine-oak forests provide key economic and ecosystem services to local communities in subtropical areas around the world, but these systems remain poorly understood compared to their northern temperate counterparts. The lack of research is especially striking in Mexico, which is a center of diversity for both the Quercus and Pinus genera. This study examines the floristic dynamics of pine and oak species in a community-managed forest in the Sierra Norte, Oaxaca, Mexico. We found 32 tree species, over half of which were either pine (eight) or oak (ten). We use ordination and cluster analyses to delineate these species into five floristic assemblages that differentiate primarily along an altitudinal gradient, and then with edaphic and topographical factors. Within each community, we suggest that multiple oak species are able to co-exist through temporal niche partitioning, as each of the sympatric oaks shows alternate fruiting synchrony for either the dry or rainy season.