Paramo vegetation was quantitatively surveyed in 192 samples on altitudinal gradients in twelve sites in Ecuador. Thirty-one communities were identified, comprising 348 vascular plant taxa (voucher specimens deposited at Kew and QCA, Quito).
These communities could be assigned to eight general types of paramo vegetation located between the upper forest limit and the snow-line: Shrubby Sub-paramo, High Altitude Dwarfshrub Pdramo, Tussock Paramo, Bamboo Paramo, Espeletia Paramo, Cushion Paramo, Rainshadow Desert Paramo and High Altitude Desert Paramo.
Community types were more closely related to altitude than to other variables such as burning, trampling, grazing and pH.
The species were assigned to ten defined growth form categories. The distributions of these categories in 192 paramo vegetation samples were described. Twelve growth form communities were identified. Field temperature measurements of plant parts demonstrated that some plants maintained day and night temperatures several degrees Celsius above ambient levels.
The effect of fire on cyclical and successional processes within paramo vegetation
were described. Two experimental paramo fires reached temperatures in excess of 400°C in the upper tussock canopy, while the tussock bases were mostly below 65°C. In a quantitative study, the majority of plant-by-plant replacements soon after a paramo fire did not depart from those expected by chance, though some trends were observed and described.
Field trials in Central Ecuador provided net aboveground grassland community
productivity estimates for five sites. Estimates ranged from 1,359 g m 2 yr-1 at 3,100 m to 512 g m 2 yr-1 at 3,950 m.
In greenhouse experiments, tussock grasses from Calamagrosth spp. at three altitudes in the paramo were grown in a diallel design under two watering regimes. In both regimes, the grass from the lower altitude yielded more and had a higher relative yield than that from the higher altitude. RYTs in the wettest treatment lay between 1.2 and 2.5, those of the drier treatments were not greater than 1.0.