Plant Community Structure, Fire Disturbance, and Recovery in ...

Contributions to the Study of Biological Diversity Vol. 3
were transported to the CSBD for any final
drying, sorting, and processing for export
permits.
Where possible, photographs were taken of
species collected in the area. Copies of selected
slides and image files are held by the
Smithsonian Institution and by the CSBD. It is
planned to use those photographs as part of an
illustrated listing of plant species in a separate
volume.
Plant Identification, Classification and
Distribution
Plants were identified using available
botanical keys, most notably treatments from
the Flora of the Guianas (Görts-van Rijn 1985
- 2006) and the Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana
(Steyermark et al. 1995 - 2005). As neither of
these are complete, numerous other publications
were also utilized (e.g., various regional floras
and guides (Gentry 1993; Lanjouw 1964-;
Lasser 1964-1992; Pulle 1932-; Ribeiro et al.
1999), botanical journal articles, and botanical
monographs). The U.S. National Herbarium at
the Smithsonian Institution (US) was a valuable
reference for confirming determinations and
resolving problems. In several cases,
identifications were provided by specialists in
particular plant families.
Following identification, name data were
added to the Smithsonian’s Biological Diversity
of the Guianas Shield’s (BDG) plant collection
database, labels were produced for all duplicate
specimens, and the specimens were distributed.
The first duplicate sheet of all collections was
returned to the University of Guyana’s (BRG),
and the second duplicate was mounted for the
US National Herbarium. Any additional sheets
were distributed to various herbaria in the United
States, South America, and Europe. Collection
and identification information were included
with specimens returned to the CSBD.
Plant nomenclature was standardized and
synonyms obtained from the Smithsonian’s
Biological Diversity of the Guiana Shield
Program (BDG) database for the Checklist of
the plants of the Guiana Shield, on which
Boggan et al. (1997) and Hollowell et al. (2001)
were based.
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Plant Species List
Species were placed on the Waini Peninsula
plant species list if they were collected or
observed in the study area (west of 59° 30' W).
Cultivated plants were not included in most
instances, except if they were considered
dominant in sizable areas of the vegetation or if
they were naturalized or likely to become
naturalized. Authors of plant names were listed
following the Latin name and were standardized
according to Brummitt and Powell (1992).
Synonyms included with species lists were
obtained from the Checklist of the Plants of the
Guiana Shield database (Boggan et al. 1997;
Hollowell et al. 2001), as well as from the Flora
of the Venezuelan Guayana (Steyermark et al.
1995 - 2005) and nomenclatural databases
(Missouri Botanical Garden 1995-present; Plant
Names Project 1999-present). Synonyms are
listed alphabetically by genus and specific
epithet, along with the currently accepted name
of that species.
Plant Communities
The vegetation on the Waini Peninsula was
classified into four basic types, from the coast
to the Waini River: 1) Beaches, 2) Coastal
Mangrove swamps, 3) Mixed Freshwater
swamps, and 4) Riverine Mangrove swamps.
Most of the vegetation of the Waini Peninsula
was dominated by typical beach, mangrove, and
freshwater swamp species of the Neotropics.
That dominance was presumably influenced by
both the limiting factor of salinity and the high
availability of fruits and seeds dispersed by the
ocean. In that setting, the characteristics of
available plant species were also important in
determining community composition and
zonation. A previous estimate of plant
communities on the Waini Peninsula was given
in the Preliminary Vegetation Map of Guyana
(Huber et al. 1995), adapted in Figure 1.8. Here,
those boundaries have been refined through
interpretation of Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic
Mapper plus (ETM + ) imagery and fieldwork,
including GPS georeferenced plant collections
and notes made during transects across the
Peninsula.
Burned Area Delineation
A post-burn Landsat ETM + scene with little