Leguminosae tree species diversity in coastal forests of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

This study investigated the current Leguminosae tree species composition in coastal forests over lithosoil soil or sandy plains in the eastern and central portion of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. A comparative study between the Atlantic Forest areas of the Southeast Region of Brazil was conducted to evaluate the influence of environmental variables on floristic differentiation. A total of 34 areas of the Southeast Region was selected from the NeoTropTree platform and the Leguminosae species in these areas were the basis for a similarity analysis. The Jaccard Similarity Index and the UPGMA method were applied for grouping analysis. The relationships between the Leguminosae species composition and the environmental variables were investigated via Cannonical Correspondance Analysis (CCA). The cluster analysis showed that the Leguminosae tree species group of this portion of Rio de Janeiro coastline share floristic affinity with seasonal forests, a result confirmed by CCA. This floristic differentiation is sustained by an exclusive group of Leguminosae species established over lithosoils or sandy plains, and signals that the extent of dry forests in Rio de Janeiro state might be larger than currently stated. The results justify distinct conservation actions in view of the floristic singularities of these areas.

Tree structure and composition of a coastal remnant of the Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro

“…Borém and Oliveira-Filho 2002;Dan et al 2010;Gandra et al 2011;Cysneiros et al 2015). One of the reasons that P. gonoacantha occurs more frequently on edges than in the interior of SET maybe because the tree is a pioneer species, fastgrowing, and very common in secondary vegetation (Carvalho 2004;Machado et al 2021). In contrast, G. integrifolia is found more in dense forest interiors than in secondary vegetation and prefers deep, humid, and fertile soils (Lorenzi 1992).…”