Tree community structure in a reserve area at the Federal Goiano Institute – Rio Verde Campus

Abstract

The Cerrado Biome is the second largest biome in Brazil, it has a rich diversity of fauna and flora, it no longer has its original coverage, even the protected reserves suffer from anthropic actions and invasive plants and animals. In addition, the cerrado has a diversity of habitats and numerous plant species that are at risk of extinction. Therefore, tools such as a floristic survey and a phytosociological study are used to study degraded areas that suffer from anthropic action and modified fragments. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the floristic composition and structure of the shrub-tree community in a reserve area located at Instituto Federal Goiano. Fifteen systematized plots of 20x20m were established, spaced 10m apart and distributed in four transects, totaling 0.6 ha of sampling. All tree individuals with CAP ≥ 10 cm were numbered using aluminum plates. Circumference measurements were obtained using a tape measure and height was estimated. Classic phytosociological parameters were calculated. A total of 618 individuals distributed in 21 families and 41 species were sampled. Six individuals were not identified. The Shannon diversity index was 2.56 and the Pielou evenness was 0.69. It is concluded that the diversity of species found within the plots is much lower than it should be, with low species variability and the distribution of individuals is disproportionate.