Changes in the composition and diversity of urban trees in Linares, Nuevo León

Abstract

Urban trees offer important environmental services in cities, which is why their establishment and study has increased in recent years. In this work, the change in the composition and diversity of urban trees was evaluated in the small city of Linares, Nuevo León in a period of 26 years (1995 2021). For this, crown coverage was measured, and the Shannon diversity and Morisita-Horn similarity indices were obtained. As results, 62 species (22 native and 40 introduced) belonging to 56 genera and 29 tree families were recorded throughout the evaluated period. The best represented families were Fabaceae with 9 species, Fagaceae, Oleaceae and Rutaceae with 4 and Apocynaceae and Moraceae with 3. An increase in the density of introduced trees was observed from 1995 to 1999, while by 2021 those of native origin increased significantly as was the case with Quercus fusiformis and Fraxinus udhei. The highest species similarity was recorded in the 1995-1999 period (69,2 %) with shared species such as the exotic Ficus benjamina and Ligustrum japonicum. The current arboreal flora in the public areas of Linares is probably the result of a greater knowledge of the ecology of both native and introduced species by society, as well as the academic and governmental institutions of Linares, Nuevo León.