The dynamic of shade trees in cocoa agrosystems

The presence of diverse shade trees in cocoa agrosystems allows for the creation of suitable habitats for wildlife species, enabling them to thrive within the plantation environment. The objective of this research is to calculate the similarity indices of shade trees used in cocoa agrosystems in the region of Comalcalco, Tabasco, Mexico. Field sampling was carried out to collect data on breast height diameter, canopy diameter and canopy height, these variables were used to calculate the Sorensen and Morisita-Horn similarity indices. The similarity between the study sites, Sorensen's qualitative index shows that SA 1 -SA 2 are the most similar in species composition, SA 1 -SA 2 with 27.46% similarity, followed by SA 2 -SA 3 with 27.27 %, while SA 1 -SA 3 are the sites with a less similar structure of 26.52%. The role of shade trees in cocoa agrosystems is significant as it can serve as a variable in assessing and predicting the quality of available habitats for wildlife conservation, including birds, reptiles, and arboreal mammals, using ecological niche modeling techniques.