Home Garden Agrobiodiversity Differentiates Along a Rural—Peri–Urban Gradient in Campeche, México
Home Garden Agrobiodiversity Differentiates Along a Rural—Peri–Urban Gradient in Campeche, México. Agrobiodiversity in tropical home gardens is thought to decline with increasing urbanization, but information in this regard is scarce. We characterized livelihoods and compared attributes of home gardens of rural, semi–rural, and peri–urban families in Campeche, México. We hypothesized a decline of agrobiodiversity of cultivated trees and shrubs, its native component, and the diversity of uses from rural to peri–urban livelihoods, and increases for cultivated herbs. We registered all cultivated species in 12 randomly selected home gardens in each condition, and determined species’ origin and use. Total and average observed species richness of trees and shrubs in rural and semi–rural home gardens was similar and higher than in peri–urban home gardens, but equally sized samples all had similar richness. Tree density and basal area were largest in semi–rural home gardens. Total observed and average species richness of herbs increased along the rural—peri–urban gradient, and richness of equally sized samples of herbs was higher in peri–urban than in rural and semi–rural home gardens. Peri–urban home gardens had the highest richness of equally sized samples of all plants. Differences in richness were associated with a shift in livelihoods, influencing plant uses, and hence species composition along the gradient: peri–urban families combined some fruit trees with a large diversity of ornamental herbs. Rural and semi–rural families maintained tree and shrub species of distinct uses, cultivated less ornamental species and a larger native component than peri–urban home gardens. We conclude that agrobiodiversity does not decline along the rural—peri–urban gradient, but differentiates.
La agrobiodiversidad en huertos familiares diferencía a lo largo de un gradiente rural—peri–urbano en Campeche, México
La agrobiodiversidad en huertos familiares diferencía a lo largo de un gradiente rural—peri–urbano en Campeche, México. Se piensa que la agrobiodiversidad en huertos familiares tropicales disminuye conforme avanza la urbanización, sin embargo, la información al respecto es escasa. Caracterizamos los medios de vida y comparamos atributos de huertos familiares de familias rurales, semi–rurales y peri–urbanos en Campeche, México, hipotetizando una reducción de la agrobiodiversidad de árboles y arbustos cultivados, de su componente nativo, y de la diversidad de usos de medios de vida rurales hacia peri–urbanas, e incrementos con respecto a herbáceas cultivadas. Se registraron todas las especies cultivadas en 12 huertos seleccionados al azar en cada condición, y se determinó el origen y uso de las especies. La riqueza total observada y media de árboles y arbustos en huertos rurales y semi–rurales era similar y mayor que en huertos peri–urbanos, sin embargo, en muestras de igual tamaño de las tres condiciones la riqueza fue similar. La densidad arbórea fue mayor en los huertos semi–rurales. La riqueza total y media de especies herbáceas fue mayor en huertos peri–urbanos que en los rurales y semi–rurales. Huertos peri–urbanos tenían la mayor riqueza de muestras de igual tamaño de todas las plantas. Diferencias en riqueza estaban asociadas con variaciones en los medios de vida, al influir sobre los usos de las plantas, y con ello sobre la composición de especies a lo largo del gradiente: familias peri–urbanas combinaban algunos árboles frutales con una gran diversidad de herbáceas ornamentales. Familias rurales y semi–rurales mantenían especies arbóreas y arbustivas de distintos usos, cultivaban menos especies ornamentales, y un componente nativo más grande que huertos peri–urbanos. Concluimos que la agrobiodiversidad no disminuye a lo largo del gradiente rural—peri–urbano, sino que diferencía.
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Poot–Pool, W.S., van der Wal, H., Flores–Guido, S. et al. Home Garden Agrobiodiversity Differentiates Along a Rural—Peri–Urban Gradient in Campeche, México. Econ Bot 69, 203–217 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-015-9313-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-015-9313-z