Forest fragmentation creates forest edges, and the effect of those edges increases as the size of forest fragments decreases. Edge effects include changes to microclimatic conditions at the forest edge, which affect vegetation structure. No previous studies have directly tested the relationship between microclimate and vegetation structure (for instance, basal area, trees mean height, dead trees and damage trees) at the edge of forest fragments in the Atlantic Forest domain. We tested the following three hypotheses: (i) the microclimatic conditions differ between the edge and the interior of the forest, (ii) the forest structure differs between the edge and the interior of the forest and (iii) changes to microclimatic conditions at the forest edge negatively affect vegetation structure at the edges. Our results demonstrate that edge habitats are significantly more susceptible to strong winds, lower humidity and higher air temperatures than forest interiors. The Communicated by Jefferson Prado, Pedro V. Eisenlohr and Ary T. de Oliveira-Filho.Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (microclimate may be considered the principal factor that explains the difference between the vegetation structure of the forest edge and the forest interior. Our results suggest that even large forest fragments in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest may be impacted by negative edge effects.

Tropical forests store vast amounts of carbon and are the most biodiverse terrestrial habitats, yet they are being converted and degraded at alarming rates. Given global shortfalls in the budgets required to prevent carbon and biodiversity loss, we need to seek solutions that simultaneously address both issues. Of particular interest are carbon-based payments under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism to also conserve biodiversity at no additional cost. One potential is for REDD+ to protect forest fragments, especially within biomes where contiguous forest cover has diminished dramatically, but we require empirical tests of the strength of any carbon and biodiversity cobenefits in such fragmented systems. Using the globally threatened Atlantic Forest landscape, we measured above-ground carbon stocks within forest fragments spanning 13 to 23 442 ha in area and with different degrees of isolation. We related these stocks to tree community structure and to the richness and abundance of endemic and IUCN Red-listed species. We found that increasing fragment size has a positive relationship with above-ground carbon stock and with abundance of IUCN Red-listed species and tree community structure. We also found negative relationships between distance from large forest block and tree community structure, endemic species richness and abundance, and IUCN Red-listed species abundance. These resulted in positive congruence between carbon stocks and Red-listed species, and the abundance and richness of endemic species, demonstrating vital cobenefits. As such, protecting forest fragments in hotspots of biodiversity, particularly larger fragments and those closest to sources, offers important carbon and biodiversity cobenefits. More generally, our results suggest that macroscale models of cobenefits under REDD+ have likely overlooked key benefits at small scales, indicating the necessity to apply models that include finer-grained assessments in fragmented landscapes rather than using averaged coarse-grained cells.

RESUMO -(Estrutura fitossociológica de um trecho de vegetação arbórea no Parque Estadual do Rio Doce -Minas Gerais, BrasilO tamanho das populações e sua distribuição pelo ambiente foram os fatores decisivos para o destaque apresentado por essas espécies, com exceção de P. contorta, que esteve representada por poucos indivíduos, contudo de grandes dimensões. As distribuições diamétricas e de alturas evidenciaram poucos indivíduos de grande porte, fato que aliado ao histórico do local, que registra um incêndio em 1967, e à baixa ocorrência de espécies associadas a ambientes climácicos, sugere que o trecho de floresta estudado encontra-se em estádio médio de sucessão secundária. . In order to sample the tree component, the point-centered-quarter method was employed according to two different protocols: in one including the dead individuals, and in the other excluding them. A total of 200 sampling points were allocated in 20 parallel lines, along a hillside. A total of 143 species, belonging to 109 recognized genera and 38 botanical families was found. The main species were Bixa arborea, Guatteria schomburgkiana, Joannesia princeps, Aparisthmium cordatum, Pseudopiptadenia contorta and Carpotroche brasiliensis. The size of the populations and their distribution throughout the environment determined the prominence of these species, with the exception of P. contorta, which was represented by few large individuals. The diameter and height distributions evidenced few individuals of great size, a fact probably linked to a history of burning a 1967. The fire history and the low occurrence of climax species suggest that the forest stand studied is in a medium stage of secondary succession. Palavras-chave -

Tropical forests store large amounts of carbon and high biodiversity, but are being degraded at alarming rates. The emerging global Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) agenda seeks to limit global climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the growth of trees. In doing so, it may also protect biodiversity as a free cobenefit, which is vital given the massive shortfall in funding for biodiversity conservation. We investigated whether natural forest regeneration on abandoned pastureland offers such cobenefits, focusing for the first time on the recovery of taxonomic diversity (TD), phylogenetic diversity (PD) and functional diversity (FD) of trees, including the recovery of threatened and endemic species richness, within isolated secondary forest (SF) fragments. We focused on the globally threatened Brazilian Atlantic Forest, where commitments have been made to restore 1 million hectares under FLR. Three decades after land abandonment, regenerating forests had recovered ~20% (72 Mg/ha) of the above‐ground carbon stocks of a primary forest (PF), with cattle pasture containing just 3% of stocks relative to PFs. Over this period, SF recovered ~76% of TD, 84% of PD and 96% of FD found within PFs. In addition, SFs had on average recovered 65% of threatened and ~30% of endemic species richness of primary Atlantic forest. Finally, we find positive relationships between carbon stock and tree diversity recovery. Our results emphasize that SF fragments offer cobenefits under FLR and other carbon‐based payments for ecosystem service schemes (e.g. carbon enhancements under REDD+). They also indicate that even isolated patches of SF could help to mitigate climate change and the biodiversity extinction crisis by recovering species of high conservation concern and improving landscape connectivity.

Summary1. Fragmentation of tropical forests is a major driver of the global extinction crisis. A key question is understanding how fragmentation impacts phylogenetic diversity, which summarizes the total evolutionary history shared across species within a community. Conserving phylogenetic diversity decreases the potential of losing unique ecological and phenotypic traits and plays important roles in maintaining ecosystem function and stability. 2. Our study was conducted in landscapes within the highly fragmented Brazilian Atlantic forest. We sampled living trees with d.b.h. ≥ 4.8 cm in 0.1 ha plots within 28 fragment interiors and 12 fragment edges to evaluate the impacts of landscape configuration, composition and patch size, as well as edge effects, on phylogenetic diversity indices (PD, a measure of phylogenetic richness; MPD, phylogenetic distance between individuals in a community in deep evolutionary time; and MNTD, phylogenetic distance between each individual and its nearest phylogenetic neighbour). 3. We found that PD and MPD were correlated with species richness, while MNTD was not. Best models suggest that MPD was positively related to edge density and negatively related to the number of forest patches, but that there was no effect of landscape configuration and composition metrics on PD or MNTD, or on standardized values of phylogenetic structure (sesPD, sesMPD and sesMNTD), which control for species richness. Considering all selected models for phylogenetic diversity and structure, edge density and number of forest patches were most frequently selected. 4. With increasing patch size, we found lower PD in interiors but no change at edges and lower sesMNTD regardless of habitat type. Additionally, PD and sesMNTD were higher in interiors than at edges. 5. Synthesis. Changes in MPD and sesMNTD suggest that extirpation of species at edges or in highly fragmented landscapes increases the dominance of species within a subset of clades (phylogenetic clustering), likely those adapted to disturbance. Smaller patch sizes are phylogenetically diverse and overdispersed, probably due to an invasion of edge-adapted species. Conservation must enhance patch area and connectivity via forest restoration; pivotally, even small forest patches are important reservoirs of phylogenetic diversity in the highly threatened Brazilian Atlantic forest.

Foi conduzido um estudo fitossociológico no Cerrado sentido restrito da Floresta Nacional de Paraopeba, comparando-se os resultados (qualitativos) com os de outras amostras. Foram estabelecidas 10 parcelas de 0,1 ha (20 x 50 m), sendo incluídas no estudo todas as árvores (C30 > 15,7 cm). Foram registrados 1.990 indivíduos/ha (densidade total) e 18,13 m²/ha (área basal total). Os valores de riqueza (73 espécies/38 famílias), de diversidade Shannon (3,57) e de uniformidade (0,83) indicaram grande heterogeneidade e baixa dominânica ecológica. Leguminosae e Vochysiaceae foram as famílias mais ricas em espécies. O grupo das árvores mortas alcançou o maior valor de importância, seguido por Qualea parviflora, Pera glabrata, Erythroxylum suberosum e Qualea grandiflora. A análise comparativa de composições florísticas de 11 cerrados indicou uma forte influência da flora de Floresta Atlântica em Cerrado marginal do interior de São Paulo. Houve influência da localização geográfica na similaridade do Cerrado de Palmas, TO, com as outras áreas.

RESUMO -(Regeneração de espécies nativas lenhosas sob plantio de Eucalyptus em área de Cerrado na Floresta Nacional de Paraopeba, MG, Brasil). A regeneração de sub-bosques em plantios homogêneos tem estreita dependência de florestas vizinhas. Outros fatores exercem influência, como a ecologia da dispersão da espécie, os efeitos de borda e clareiras. Diante disto, procurou-se conhecer a florística e a estrutura da vegetação lenhosa de espécies nativas sob plantio de Eucalyptus em área de Cerrado na Floresta Nacional de Paraopeba, MG, e verificar a variação da riqueza, da densidade e de indivíduos zoocóricos e anemocóricos da borda para o interior do talhão. Para tal, foram alocadas cinco parcelas de 5×40 m, subdivididas em parcelas 5×10 m. Foram encontradas 47 espécies e destas as que se destacaram foram Magonia pubescens A. St.-Hil.e Miconia albicans (Sw.) Triana, principalmente quanto à alta densidade. Das espécies amostradas 53% possuem dispersão zoocórica e 43% anemocórica. Verificou-se também a diminuição da riqueza, da densidade e da percentagem de indivíduos anemocóricos da borda para interior. Porém a percentagem de indivíduos zoocóricos aumentou no interior do talhão. A maior riqueza e densidade na borda dá-se pela dificuldade da dispersão de diásporos no interior do fragmento. O índice de diversidade (H'= 2,49) encontrado para este estudo foi próximo aos valores observados em estudos em regeneração sob Eucalyptus em áreas de Cerrado.Palavras-chave: dispersão, unidade de conservação, fitossociologia, composição florística e regeneração ABSTRACT -(Regeneration of wood natives species under Eucalyptus stand of Cerrado area in the Floresta Nacional of Paraopeba, Minas Gerais, Brazil). The regeneration of understory in homogeneous stands is closely dependent of neighbour forests. Others factures also have influency such as the species dispersion ecology, the border effects and clearings. Therefore, the objective of this work were to study the floristic and structure of native woody plant species growing under stands of Eucalyptus in the Cerrado area in the Flona (Floresta Nacional -National Forest) of Paraopeba, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and to determine the variations in richness, density and the zoochorous and anemochorous individual dispersions from the borders into the stand. To carry out this study five plots with 5×40 m, subdivided into subplots of 5×10 m were set up. A total of 47 species were found and among these two stood out mainly because of their high density: Magonia pubescens A. St.-Hil and Miconia albicans (Sw.) Triana. From the species sampled 53% have a zoochorous dispersion and 43% have an anemochorous dispersion. The decrease in richness, density and anemochorous dispersion species from the border into the stand were also observed. However the percentage of zoochorous dispersion individuals increase inside the stand. The large richness and density on the borders is due the propagule dispersion difficulty inside the fragment. The diversity index (H'=2.49) found in this study was close to the v...

Remote sensing by Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) is a dynamic evolving technology. UAS are particularly useful in environmental monitoring and management because they have the capability to provide data at high temporal and spatial resolutions. Moreover, data acquisition costs are lower than those of conventional methods such as extensive ground sampling, manned airplanes, or satellites. Small fixed-wing UAS in particular offer further potential benefits as they extend the operational coverage of the area under study at lower operator risks and accelerate data deployment times. Taking these aspects into account, UAS might be an effective tool to support management of invasive plant based on early detection and regular monitoring. A straightforward UAS approach to map invasive plant species is presented in this study with the intention of providing ready-to-use field maps essential for action-oriented management. Our UAS utilizes low-cost sensors, free-of-charge software for mission planning and an affordable, commercial aerial platform to reduce operational costs, reducing expenses with personnel while increasing overall efficiency. We illustrate our approach using a real example of invasion by Acacia mangium in a Brazilian Savanna ecosystem. A. mangium was correctly identified with an overall accuracy of 82.7% from the analysis of imagery. This approach provides land management authorities and practitioners with new prospects for environmental restoration in areas where invasive plant species are present.