Structure and Floristic Composition of Forest Management Systems Associated with the Edible Fruit Tree Oecopetalum mexicanum in the Sierra de Misantla, Veracruz, Mexico

Natural system management that favors one or a group of plant species for the benefit of humankind is one of the main factors promoting landscape change. However, depending on the focal species, management practices can promote plant diversity and contribute to the subsistence of local human populations. In this study, we identify and describe three management systems (conserved forest [CF], shade-grown coffee plantation [SGC], and enriched forest [EF]) associated with the edible fruit Oecopetalum mexicanum (Icacinaceae). The study area is in an anthropized landscape in Sierra de Misantla in central Veracruz, Mexico, where this species is of particular economic and cultural value. Three questions were addressed: 1) What is the structure and floristic diversity in each of the three identified management systems? 2) How do the management practices affect the floristic regeneration potential? and 3) How do the management systems differ in relation to the number of useful native or introduced species? In each management system, we quantified the diversity, structure, composition, physiognomy, and presence of useful species. The diversity metrics reveal a gradient in which CF is the most diverse system, followed by EF and SGC. This was observed in the groups of adult plants and in those undergoing regeneration. The EF presented the highest number of useful plants. In CF, and particularly in EF, we found a high frequency and abundance of O. mexicanum seedlings as a result of management practices that favor the germination and growth of this species. In addition, CF and EF presented analogous physiognomic characteristics. Our study demonstrates the manner in which applied management practices can determine floristic diversity, in this case reducing diversity while increasing the proportion of useful species. Furthermore, the results show that the application of management practices, especially those related to key species, can promote the conservation of natural landscape and cultural components that are of importance to the subsistence of local human populations.