Floristic Composition in Chronosequence in Atlantic Rainforest Fragments

Abstract

Secondary forests play an important role in tropical landscapes and have important ecological functions such as the ability to accumulate biomass. Although the literature points to the convergence between primary and secondary forests, however there are few studies in Atlantic Rainforest in a chronosequence to show it. This study aimed to characterize the changes of floristic composition in a chronosequence (5, 16, 24, 30 years of regeneration and mature forest) in the Atlantic Rainforest. In each forest 30 plots of 10 × 10 m were installed for canopy sampling, and within these 100 m2 were installed plots of 5 × 5 m for sampling the woody sub-forest at the lower left corner. The growth habits analyzed were arboreal (diameter at breast height, DBH ≥ 5 cm), shrubs (DBH < 5 cm and stem diameter at ground level > 1 cm), herbs, epiphytes and climbing plants. The results suggest that from 16 young forests tended to converge with the mature forest in terms of the proportion of growth forms.