Introduction:

The páramo grassland ecosystem is an important center of plant diversity and endemism. However, human activities, such as burning and livestock grazing, are altering the plant composition of the páramos. These changes may be associated with an increase in the abundance of shrubby species and a corresponding decrease in native grass cover.

Objective:

To evaluate the effects of human disturbance on the composition of woody plant species in páramo habitats.

Methods:

We conducted 36 transects across the páramo landscape of the Macizo del Cajas Biosphere Reserve in Southern Ecuador between April 2017 and November 2019, recording woody plant species (e.g., bushes and shrubs) along each transect. To explore variations in woody plant composition, we employed non-metric multidimensional scaling, using the proportion of disturbed area, páramo grassland, and elevation as predictor variables.

Results:

We recorded a total of 13 377 woody plants. The proportion of disturbed areas has an influence on the composition of the woody plant species. Shrubby species such as Diplostephium ericoides, Hypericum quitense, Valeriana microphylla, and Valeriana hirtella are more prevalent in transects with a greater proportion of disturbed areas.

Conclusion:

There was a greater presence of fast-growing woody plant species in response to human-induced disturbance. This suggests that native herbaceous species are gradually being replaced by woody encroachment, particularly in human-accessible páramos. Conservation and restoration efforts should take this phenomenon into account to prevent the accelerated spread of woody encroachment and enhance the availability of páramo grassland habitats.