Rare canopy species in communities within the Atlantic Coastal Forest in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil |
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Authors: | Rejan Rodrigues Guedes-Bruni Ary Gomes da Silva Waldir Mantovani |
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Institution: | 1. Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Le?o 915, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 22460-030, Brazil 2. Rua Comissário José Dantas de Melo, Centro Universitário Vila Velha, 21, Boa Vista, Vila Velha, ES, CEP 29102-770, Brazil 3. Escola de Artes Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de S?o Paulo, Avenida Arlindo Betio 1000, Ermelino Matarazzo, Sao Paulo, SP, CEP 03828-000, Brazil
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Abstract: | Rare species are one of the principal components of the species richness and diversity encountered in Dense Ombrophilous Tropical
Forests. This study sought to analyze the rare canopy species within the Atlantic Coastal Forest in Rio de Janeiro State,
Brazil. Six different communities were examined: Dense Ombrophilous alluvial Forest; Dense sub-montane Ombrophilous Forest;
Dense Montane Ombrophilous in Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira. In each area the vegetation was sampled within forty
10 × 25 m plots alternately distributed along a linear transect. All trees with DBH (1.3 m above ground level) ≥5 cm were
sampled. The canopy was characterized using the allometric relationship between diameter and height, and included all trees
with BDH ≥10 cm and height ≥10 m. A total of 64 families, 206 genera, and 542 species were sampled, of which 297 (54.8%) represented
rare species (less than one individual per hectare). The percentage of rare species varied from 34 to 50% in each of the different
communities sampled. A majority of these rare trees belonged to the Rosidae, and a smaller proportion to the Dilleniidae.
It was concluded that there was no apparent pattern to rarity among families, that rarity was probably derived from a number
of processes (such as gap formation), and that a great majority of the rare species sampled were consistently rare. This indicates
that the restricted geographic distribution and high degree of endemism of many arboreal taxa justifies the conservation of
even small fragments of Atlantic Forest. |
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Keywords: | Atlantic Coastal Forest Brazilian hotspot Canopy Community ecology Ombrophilous Dense Atlantic Forest Floristic Rarity Rare trees |
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