improve: The intensifying human use of dry forest resources and changes in management in recent decades have significantly modified the woody plant structure and composition (NAME_1 et NAME_2., 2016; Hirota et NAME_2., 2011). While logging and fires have reduced woody plant density, intensive grazing and fire exclusion, along with elevated atmospheric CO2, have led to massive increases in the abundance of woody plants in many arid ecosystems across America (Báez & NAME_3, 2008; NAME_4 et NAME_2., 2014; NAME_5 NAME_6, 2009), Africa (Buitenwerf et NAME_2., 2012; NAME_7 & NAME_8, 2013) and Australia (NAME_9 et NAME_2., 1990; NAME_10 & NAME_11, 2008), with adverse ecological and economical impacts on these ecosystems (NAME_12 et NAME_2., 2005; NAME_13 et NAME_2., 2012). Because the density and composition of the woody overstory layer is the key driver of the understory plant community (NAME_14 et NAME_2., 2001; NAME_15 et NAME_2., 2008), the ongoing changes in abundances and species composition of the woody layer in dry forests are likely to influence the understory vegetation significantly. However, despite there is a large body of literature on dry forest vegetation and its threats caused by human activities (e.g. NAME_1 et NAME_2., 2016; NAME_16 et NAME_2., 2017; Sanaphre-NAME_17 et NAME_2., 2017; Valdez-NAME_18 et NAME_2., 2014), a vast majority of the existing studies focuses only on woody vegetation, often completely omitting herbaceous plants, which remain understudied.