Comparative phytosociology of tree sinusiae between contiguous forests in different stages of succession

Abstract

The Baturité Mountain Range, located in the State of Ceará (BRA), displays on its highest levels a vegetation viewed as a disjunction from the Atlantic Forest in the East of Brazil. Among the various attributes associated with this vegetation, the abundance of water resources and a high biodiversity have a more outstanding relevance. However, in view of the current accelerated deforestation process, those attributes may be threatened in a near future. Therefore, the present work is a comparative study with its focus on vegetal community organization (tree sinusiae) and the floristic similarity and the phytodiversity of two areas in different successive stages, preserved and deforested 24 years ago. The aim of that intent was to obtain information that could essentially shed light on the deforestation effects on tree vegetation and which could suggest scientific support regarding urgent projects of habitat reconstruction. The methodology used folowed the model utilized for rain forest, i.e. consisting of a random distribution of 10 × 20 m plots surveying the living woody species with DBH > or = 5 cm. The results obtained suggest that a possible new physiognomy type is emerging on the Baturite Mountain Range because of deforestation. The Myrtaceae and Mimosaceae families were the ones that contributed most significantly to species richness, being the most outstanding for Areas 1 and 2, respectively. The deforestation which occurred in Area 2 eliminated 28 species and gave birth to a current densely distinct floristic composition.