The relationships between soil properties, topography and tree species distribution were analysed in a tropical riverine forest at the margins of the Rio Grande, in Bom Sucesso, state of Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. The forest was sampled by three 0.18 ha plots, with each plot made up of eight contiguous 15 m X 15 m quadrats, four of which were placed at the river margin and the remaining four in the forest interior. A canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the species' density distribution was significantly correlated with some soil chemical characteristics and topographical features. The soils of the three sample plots showed statistically significant differences for the levels of Ca, Mg, K and pH, with the fertility (expressed by the cation exchange capacity) increasing from Plot I to Plot III. These variations were mainly explained by the first canonical axis while the second was strongly correlated with topographical variables, separating the quadrats into two groups: those of the higher and steeper sites from those of the lower sites. The only soil property that was significantly different in lower and upper sites was the concentration of phosphorus. No significant difference in tree species distribution was found between river margin and interior quadrats, certainly because this forest sector lies on the outer side of a curve of the river where erosion is currently building high and steep river banks and forcing the forest to retreat. A tentative ecological classification of the 30 most abundant species according to their habitat preference in terms of soil fertility and topographical sites, and to their growth strategy in the forest dynamics, is presented. It is suggested that these factors play an important role in promoting the coexistence of tree species in this type of forest.RESUMO. As relacpes entre caracteristicas do solo, topografia e distribui^ao de especies arboreas foram analisadas em um trecho de floresta riparia nas margens do Rio Grande, em Bom Sucesso, sul de Minas Gerais, Brasil. A floresta foi amostrada por tres blocos de oito parcelas contiguas com 15 m x 15 m, quatro das quais situadas na margem do no e as demais no interior da floresta. Uma analise de correspondencia canonica indicou que a distribuicao da densidade das especies estava significativamente correlacionada com certas propriedades qufmicas do solo e com a topografia. Os solos dos tres blocos mostraram diferen$as significativas, nos ni'veis de Ca, Mg, K e pH, com a fertilidade (expressa pela capacidade de troca cationica) crescendo do Bloco I para o Bloco III. Estas variac,6es foram explicadas principalmente pelo primeiro eixo de ordenac,ao, enquanto o segundo eixo expressou principalmente as variaveis topograficas, discriminando as parcelas em dois grupos: si'tios mais altos e inclinados e sitios mais baixos. A unica caracteristica dos solos que mostrou-se significativamente diferente nos sitios altos e baixos foi a concentrac,ao de fosforo. Nenhuma diferen^a significativa foi encontrada entre parcelas da ma...
The interrelationships between the distribution of woody species and environmental variables were investigated in an area of deciduous dry forest in Santa Vitöria, central Brazil. This is the first study of a vanishing type of dry forest which grows on base‐rich soils originating from the basalt bedrocks of southern Goiás and western Minas Gerais. A survey of topography, soil properties, canopy gaps and woody plants (≥5 cm diameter at the base of the stem) was conducted in 50–15 × 15 m quadrats. The soils were classified into the following soil series: Hapludolls → Haplustolls → Haplustolls → Ustropepts → Rhodustalfs. This series corresponded to a gradient of increasing elevation and effective soil depth and decreasing slope gradient, soil organic matter and total exchangeable bases. A canonical correspondence analysis and a detrended correspondence analysis indicated that plant species’abundance distribution was significantly correlated with both the relative area of canopy gaps in the quadrats and the soil‐topography gradient. Presumably, the critical factors involved in these two gradients are, respectively, light and ground water regimes. The influence of canopy gaps (i.e., light) was surprising and has not been documented previously for tropical deciduous dry forests.
Qualitative and quantitative descriptions of the woody flora and soil analyses are provided for six areas of montane semideciduous forest in the upper Rio Grande region, southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Comparisons are made of the floristic composition of these six areas and 24 other forest areas of southeastern Brazil using ordination by detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and hierarchical classifications, both agglomerative (upgma) and divisive (twinspan). The variation in community structure of five of the six forest areas was analysed using a two-way table yielded by twinspan. The floristic analyses indicated the strongest link between the forests of the upper Rio Grande region and other montane forest formations of southeastern Brazil as well as secondary links with the gallery forests that extend into the cerrado domain and the submontane semideciduous forests of the Rio Parana basin. Variations in community structure among the five forest areas were apparently associated mainly with riverside effects and soil fertility.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether variations in tree community structure and soil properties were interrelated in a fragment of semideciduous forest in Martinho Campos, south-eastern Brazil. The forest was sampled by ten plots, each of which was made up of four contiguous 15×15m quadrats (total 0.9ha). Plots were randomly distributed in the fragment with the help of grid-line coordinates. Soil samples were collected from each quadrat for chemical and textural analyses, and the soil of each quadrat was classified in conformity with the US Soil Taxonomy System. All trees with diameter at the base of the stem ≥5cm were identified and measured (circumference and height). Three soil groups were recognized: Ustifluvent, Ustropept, and Dystropept. A principal component analysis independently discriminated the soil groups in terms of their chemical and textural properties, indicating the consistency of the soil classification. Significant differences among the soil groups were also found for most soil properties. Tree community physiognomy was significantly different in Ustropept soil habitat, where trees showed more pronounced slenderness. A detrended correspondence analysis indicated that tree community structure also responded to the three soil habitats. A canonical correspondence analysis, together with Spearman's rank correlations, demonstrated that species' abundance distributions were significantly correlated with the soil properties. Differences in soil nutrient content (particularly Ca2+ and K+) and in ground water regime are apparently the leading factors determining tree species distributions within the fragment.
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