Dinâmica da comunidade arbórea de uma floresta nebular na Serra de Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais

Abstract

The present study aimed to characterize the structural changes in the abundance, biomass and species composition over 10 years in a cloud forest remnant, located in the Serra de Ibitipoca in the municipality of Lima Duarte, MG. For this we sought to answer the following questions: (i) There are changes in the standards community as basal area and number of individuals? (ii) These standards derive from typical habitats (edge and interior)? In 1995 was performed the first phytosociological tree community in 48 plots of 200 m² (10 × 20m), with a total sample area of 0.96. All trees alive with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 3 cm received numbered labels of aluminum and were measured in circumference and height. In 2000 and 2005 the surviving individuals were remeasured, counted the dead individuals and incorporated recruits. As the temporal changes of the tree community were evaluated according to analyzes of abundances of individuals and basal areas, which were performed to obtain the dynamic rates. The fragment showed high richness and diversity of species, being higher at the edge compared to the inside.The first interval monitoring showed high recruitment rates and basal area gain, while the second showed high rates of mortality and loss of basal area, which is probably due to the presence of bamboo in the area. The edge had lower rates of mortality, recruitment and turnover in relation to the inside, contradicting the results found for most formations. Showing that it is a natural border. Already the highest rates of mortality and recruitment in the inside may be related to increased exposure to wind and slope in this habitat.