Changes in paramo vegetation along an elevation gradient in southern Ecuador

The characteristics of shrub and grass paramo communities were examined at a site in Podocarpus National Park, southern Ecuador. Forty-one 3 X 2 m plo ts were established within these montane communities (3250-3385 m elevation ) to determine how the composition and structure of the vegetation vary alo ng an elevation gradient. Detrended Correspondence Analysis was used to exa mine plant community patterns and the environmental factors associated with them. Three vegetation communities were recognized in the ordination analy ses: grass paramo, shrub paramo, and high-elevation patches of shrubs. Alth ough the majority of herbaceous species occurred in a wide range of habitat s, the distribution of woody species varied markedly with elevation. Becaus e this site is located further south than paramo communities described prev iously, it contains an unusual combination of species. Nearly 120 species o f vascular plants occurred, the majority of which are locally rare. Many of the families and genera, however, are common throughout the Neotropical hi ghlands.