Inventory survey of the structure and floristic composition of the urban trees of the city of Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador

Abstract

Estimating tree species richness and abundance is key in environmental ecological strategies. The objective of this study was to develop an inventory of the tree structure and floristic composition of the urban in the city of Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Ecuador. The research was carried out within the city, specifically in the parishes of Santo Domingo, Chiguilpe, Río Verde, Bombolí, Zaracay and Abraham Calazacón, belonging to the urban area. During the year 2023, an inventory of plant species was carried out, through in situ surveys in each green space of public areas. We accounted for the area of ​​the urban parishes with plants present, number of individuals, common name, scientific name and growth habit. Trees were identified to different taxonomic levels, inlcuding the scientific name, family, genus, species, and origin. Dominance, diversity and equity indices were calculated. We identified a total of f 4 243 plant individuals , with the Abraham Calazacón (36.98 %) being the parish with most individuals. The more abundant tree species were Spathodea campanulata (46.59 % -tree), Syzygium paniculatum (85.28 % -shrub) and Inga edulis (28.37 % -fruit tree). When relating the prevalence of plant species, according to the evaluated parishes and plant components and their occupied area, it was known that the Rio Verde and Bombolí parishes have a greater prevalence of trees, when calculating the dominance, diversity and equity indices of the species. We determined that the Río Verde, Bombolí and Chiguilpe parishes presented the most favorable indices within the city.