Tree community variation in a tropical continental island according to slope aspect and human interference
An. acad. bras. ciênc
;
90(1): 17-30, Mar. 2018. tab, graf
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: biblio-886891
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Associating description of unrecorded tropical tree community structure to sampling approaches that can help determine mechanisms behind floristic variation is important to further the comprehension of how plant species coexist at tropical forests. Thus, this study had the goals of (i) evaluating tree community structure on the continental island of Marambaia (23°4'37.09"S; 43°59'2.15"W) and (ii) testing the prediction that there are local scale changes in a tropical tree community structure between slopes facing different geographic orientation and with distinct human interference history. We established 60 (0.6 ha) sampling units in three different slope sites with distinct predominant geographic orientation and human interference. We sampled all woody trees with diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥ 5 cm. We found a total of 1.170 individuals representing 220 species, 120 genera and 50 families. The overall tree community structure and structural descriptors (abundance of individuals, basal area, species richness and diversity) varied extensively between the sites. The evidence presented here supports that local scale topography variations and human interference history can be important factors contributing to the known floristic heterogeneity of the Atlantic Rainforest. Future work on the study area should focus on disentangling effects from distinct causal factors over tree community variation and species occurrence.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Trees
/
Biodiversity
/
Rainforest
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Brazil
Language:
English
Journal:
An. acad. bras. ciênc
Journal subject:
Science
Year:
2018
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Brazil's National Institute for Amazon Research/BR
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS