PROTOCOL FOR SAMPLING TERRESTRIAL HERBACEOUS PLANTS IN RAPELD PLOTS

Abstract

Terrestrial herbs (ferns, lycophytes, and non-palm monocotyledons) play essential ecological roles in tropical ecosystems. However, there are still large gaps in knowledge about the ecology of this group. This method also aims to facilitate the assessment of biodiversity in tropical forests. In recent decades, several sampling methods have been applied to investigate the structure and distribution of terrestrial herbs. Among these methods, the RAPELD sampling method has among its objectives obtaining data comparable to those of other groups of plants and animals sampled in the same plots. In this article, we describe the RAPELD method for standardized sampling of terrestrial herbs and detail the criteria for conducting floristic inventories and how to measure species coverage using the point intercept method. Although it has been primarily used in the Amazon, this protocol can also be used as a tool, allowing the integration of ecological data from different ecosystems. It is expected that future inventories carried out with this protocol will contribute significantly to filling knowledge gaps on herbaceous plants and, more broadly, on tropical plant diversity.