Vegetation structure of coastal dunes in Paraiso, Tabasco

Objective: conducted with the objective of identifying the diversity and structure of the flora present in the coastal dunes of Paraíso, Tabasco, Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: The present research was using the Canfield line method, four monitoring sites were established with six repetitions of 20 linear meters each, where plant species intersecting the line were recorded, taking into account height, diameter, and length. Floristic richness and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index were calculated. Results: A total of 98 species belonging to 36 botanical families were recorded. Of these, 17 were erect herbs, 10 were vines, 7 were shrubs, one was a tree, and one was a palm. The botanical families Fabaceae and Asteraceae were the most abundant. Findings/Conclusions: The lowest diversity index was 1.770, recorded at site one, while the highest index was 3.88, observed at site two. The remaining sites showed intermediate values. Due to their coverage, the most dominant species were Ipomoea pes-caprae and Ipomoea stolonifera.