Structure and floristic diversity of remnant semideciduous forest under varying levels of disturbance

Abstract

The perturbation of Neotropical forests generates large disturbances in biological communities. The species that suffer least from the resulting habitat fragmentation are the pioneers, because they possess greater ability to inhabit disturbed environments. Therefore, it is expected that species diversity will be greater in areas subjected to intermediate disturbance, such as the opening of gaps, because a large number of pioneer species will develop and coexist with species of more advanced successional stages. This study aimed to compare two forest remnants that differed in size and disturbance intensity, in order to determine the effects of disturbances on species diversity and the size ratios of individual trees. This was accomplished with comparative analyses of diversity, richness and diameter ratios obtained for 10 plots at two semideciduous forest sites. We recorded a total of 85 species, of which 70 were in the private nature reserve Fazenda Santa Maria, 58 were in Iguaçu National Park, and 43 were at both sites. Diversity was greater in the more disturbed remaining forest, because this area showed higher species richness, which is in accordance with some premises of the intermediate disturbance theory. There was also an increase in the number of pioneer individuals, and the less disturbed area showed individuals with larger diameters, which is likely attributable to the removal of large individuals from the more disturbed area during the anthropogenic process of forest modification.

Keywords

• Intermediate disturbance
• species richness
• Neotropical forest
• tree communities