In a previous study near the summit of Mt. Cuscuzeiro (Ubatuba, SP) (820-1270 m), on the SE Brazilian coast, we found two floristically different forests, one above 1120 m, that appears to have a number of features typical of cloud forests, and another on the lower altitude slopes below. Taking these two forests as reference points, we addressed two questions: (1) What are their floristic relationships with other Atlantic forest subtypes in S-SE Brazil?; (2) Do the cloud forests in this region constitute a particular floristic-phytogeographic formation or are they a subset of their surrounding community? Species from 109 surveys (including Mount Cuscuzeiro) of 83 locations in S-SE Brazil were compiled into a binary (presence-absence) floristic matrix. Analyses of similarity among these samples using clustering (UPGMA, TWINSPAN) and ordination (DCA, PCO and CA) methods were performed. The surveys were divided into six main groups: (1) Cloud Forests; (2) ''Salesópolis'' group (3) Coastal Forests, subdivided between (a) Slope Forests and (b) Coastal Plain (''Restinga'') Forests and Mountaintop Forests (not included in the Cloud Forests group); (4) Araucaria Forests; (5) Inland Seasonal Forests (from below ca. 700 m); and (6) Inland Montane Forests (from above ca. 700 m). The preferential and indicator species of the Cloud Forest group produced by TWINSPAN are presented. The Mount Cuscuzeiro forests from above and from below 1120 m were clustered with the Cloud Forests and the coastal Slope Forests groups, respectively. We concluded that Cloud forests comprise a distinct phytogeographic formation in Brazilian S-SE region.
Interspecific interactions are considered to be important structuring forces in early successional vegetation. Whereas competition seems to prevail in less severe environments, facilitation tends to increase in importance in harsh environments. Hence, facilitation is expected to play an important role in degraded tropical areas with high irradiance, heat loads, and evapotranspiration, where conditions are far from optimum for most forest species. We planned a restoration project on the southeastern Brazilian coastal plain to compare growth and survival of tree seedlings planted at two densities (isolated or aggregated) in a factorial experiment with nutrient addition. We monitored survival, height, ground level diameter, and crown projection of 4132 saplings from 19 species that ranged along a successional gradient, over an 18-month period. We used mixed-effect models to analyze the relationship between species performance and treatments, and Akaike's information criterion (AIC) to select the models. The best model showed higher survival in aggregated plantations (indicating facilitation) for non-pioneer (slower growing) species. In contrast, we found lower diameter growth in aggregated plantation (indicating competition). Fertilizer addition did not affect survival in clusters, but, surprisingly, it had a negative effect on isolated plants of both pioneer and non-pioneer species. Fertilizer addition had a positive effect on diameter and crown projection growth in aggregated plantations (reducing competition), especially for pioneer species. Thus, whether facilitation or competition was the predominant interaction depended on the effect analyzed. As establishment of non-pioneer species in disturbed sites can be challenging, restoration designs could take advantage of higher survival rates in clusters and use resource addition to ameliorate growth and decrease competition for limited resources. Zusammenfassung
Minas Gerais; Eugenia rotula was collected in rocky fields from the Bahian hinterland; Myrcia clavata and Myrciaria alagoana are from the Atlantic Rainforest of the northeastern state of Alagoas, and Myrcianthes riparia grows in riverine habitats in the highlands of the southern Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Additionally, there are proposed the rehabilitation of the name Eugenia astringens and the new name Myrcia neopauciflora, based on Aulomyrcia pauciflora.
This analysis presents a revised distribution for Ocotea curucutuensis J.B. Baitello in southeastern Brazil. Because of its strong similarity with Ocotea spixiana (Nees) Mez this species remained unrecognized for over a hundred years after the first collection by A.
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