Structure and ecological groups of an urban, recently disturbed, forest remnant in Uberlândia, MG

Abstract

The goal of this work was to evaluate the biological diversity in an urban forest remnant to better understand the structure of the community and ecological processes that are important for the conservation of these fragile ecosystems. The study was carried out in a fragment of seasonal semideciduous forest, with a long history of human disturbance, which is located in an urban area of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. Samples from 25 (20x20m)plots were assessed, which included all individuals with a circumference at breast height (CBH) > 15cm. The species were classified based on successional group and dispersal syndrome. A total of 958 trees, from 69 species and 35 families, were recorded. The group of early secondary species presented higher values for all of the phytosociological parameters, followed by the late secondary species. The results suggest that the fragment is in an intermediate stage of successional development. Frequent and intense anthropogenic disturbance caused by the periodic removal of litter and tree, shrub and herb seedlings, to maintain an area for recreation, is compromising the regeneration of the species in this forest and thus hindering the slow process of regeneration of the remnant towards more mature stages of succession.

Keywords

• Floristic diversity
• Forest fragmentation
• Phytosociology
• Seasonal Semideciduous Forest
• Successional groups