RESUMO -(Florística e fitossociologia do componente arbóreo de uma floresta ribeirinha, arroio Passo das Tropas, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil). Florestas ribeirinhas são caracterizadas por alta heterogeneidade ambiental, onde diferentes fatores físicos e bióticos regulam o mosaico vegetacional. Embora sejam áreas prioritárias à conservação, devido a sua fragilidade e importância, poucos estudos vêm sendo desenvolvidos nestes ambientes, em especial no Rio Grande do Sul. O objetivo do presente estudo é caracterizar a composição florística e a estrutura fitossociológica de um trecho de floresta ribeirinha em Santa Maria, RS. Para o levantamento, foram demarcadas 100 parcelas de 10×10m cada, dispostas paralelamente ao curso do rio, onde todos os indivíduos arbóreos PAP ≥ 15cm foram amostrados. Foram amostrados 2.195 indivíduos vivos e mais 137 mortos ainda em pé. Os indivíduos vivos pertencem a 57 espécies de 47 gêneros distribuídos em 26 famílias. As espécies com maiores valores de importância foram Gymnanthes concolor Spreng, Sebastiania commersoniana (Baill.) Smith & Downs, Eugenia uniflora L., Plinia rivularis (Camb.) Rotman e Sebastiania brasiliensis Spreng. O índice de diversidade (H') foi de 2,73 nats/indivíduos e a equabilidade (J') 0,69 nats/indivíduos, valores considerados intermediários em comparação a outros levantamentos. A maioria das espécies amostradas (57%) provém do oeste do Estado, características das bacias do Paraná-Uruguai, enquanto que 41% são de ampla distribuição e apenas uma espécie provém do corredor atlântico. Palavras-chave: estrutura da comunidade, florestas ribeirinhas, fitogeografia, rota de migração de plantasABSTRACT -(Floristic composition and structure of arboreal species in a riverine forest, Passo das Tropas River, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil). Riverine forests have great environmental diversity, where many factors, physical and biotical, play a role on the vegetation mosaic. Although riverine forests are hot spots for conservation, because of their fragility and ecological importance, few studies has been made in these areas, especially in Rio Grande do Sul State. The aim of this work is to determine the floristic composition and the vegetation structure of arboreal species in a riverine forest in Santa Maria municipality. All individuals with PBH ≥ 15 cm were sampled within 100 plots, each one 100m 2 . A total of 2,195 living and 137 standing dead individuals were sampled, belonging to 57 species and 26 botanicals families. The species with the largest importance values are Gymnanthes concolor Spreng, Sebastiania commersoniana (Baill.) Smith & Downs, Eugenia uniflora L., Plinia rivularis (Camb.) Rotman and Sebastiania brasiliensis Spreng. The diversity index (H') was 2.73 nats/individuals and the equability (J') 0.69 nats/individuals, which are considered intermediates values when compared with others works. More than half of the species (57%) belong to the eastern migratory group, characteristic of the Paraná-Uruguai basin, while 41% of the species have a large distribution in the Sta...

Regional species assemblages have been shaped by colonization, speciation and extinction over millions of years. Humans have altered biogeography by introducing species to new ranges. However, an analysis of how strongly naturalized plant species (i.e. alien plants that have established self-sustaining populations) affect the taxonomic and phylogenetic uniqueness of regional floras globally is still missing. Here, we present such an analysis with data from native and naturalized alien floras in 658 regions around the world. We find strong taxonomic and phylogenetic floristic homogenization overall, and that the natural decline in floristic similarity with increasing geographic distance is weakened by naturalized species. Floristic homogenization increases with climatic similarity, which emphasizes the importance of climate matching in plant naturalization. Moreover, floristic homogenization is greater between regions with current or past administrative relationships, indicating that being part of the same country as well as historical colonial ties facilitate floristic exchange, most likely due to more intensive trade and transport between such regions. Our findings show that naturalization of alien plants threatens taxonomic and phylogenetic uniqueness of regional floras globally. Unless more effective biosecurity measures are implemented, it is likely that with ongoing globalization, even the most distant regions will lose their floristic uniqueness.

RESUMO -(Espectro e distribuição vertical das estratégias de dispersão de diásporos do componente arbóreo em uma floresta estacional no sul do Brasil). A dispersão de diásporos é um evento de elevada importância para as espécies vegetais, que dispõem de diversas estratégias para este fim. O presente estudo teve por objetivos conhecer e caracterizar o espectro das diferentes estratégias de dispersão do componente arbóreo em uma floresta estacional de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil (próximo às coordenadas 53º54'W e 29º38'S) e, a partir desses dados, investigar sua relação com os estratos verticais da floresta. Foram amostrados todos os indivíduos com perímetro à altura do peito ≥ 15 cm, em 100 unidades amostrais de 10×10 m. A caracterização das estratégias de dispersão foi realizada por meio de observações a campo de frutos e potenciais dispersores, e consulta à bibliografia especializada. Foram amostradas 58 espécies pertencentes a 26 famílias botânicas. Dessas espécies, 74% apresentaram estratégia de dispersão zoocórica; 24%, estratégia de dispersão anemocórica e apenas Gymnanthes concolor Spreng. apresentou a estratégia autocórica. Analisando-se a proporção das estratégias de dispersão por meio da densidade relativa, verificou-se que 80% dos indivíduos são zoocóricos, 12% anemocóricos e 8% autocóricos. Para a floresta analisada foram encontradas diferenças significativas nos padrões de distribuição vertical das espécies agrupadas de acordo com a estratégia de dispersão. A zoocoria ocorreu em espécies de todos os estratos, enquanto a autocoria ficou limitada ao sub-bosque. Já a anemocoria foi mais importante entre as espécies com indivíduos emergentes. Palavras-chave: estratégias de dispersão, estrutura vertical, dispersão de sementes, zoocoria, espectro de dispersãoABSTRACT -(Spectrum and vertical distribution of diaspore dispersal modes in a seasonal forest in Southern Brazil). Diaspore dispersal is presumed to have great fitness for plants, which could be enhanced by different dispersal modes. Our aim was to generate a dispersal spectrum and to seek for analyze relative ecological importance of tree-species dispersal modes in a seasonal forest in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (approximately 53º54'W and 29º38'S) and, with these data, to investigate the relationship between vertical structure of the forest and dispersal strategies. The tree survey included all individuals with perimeter at breast height ≥ 15 cm, in 100 sample units (10×10 m). We classified dispersal modes by diaspores and potential dispersers in the field, and when necessary through specialized bibliography. Fifty-eight tree species from 26 families were sampled. Of these species, 74% are zoochoric, 24% anemochoric and only Gymnanthes concolor Spreng. is autochoric. By analyzing the proportion of dispersal strategies based on relative density, we found that 80% of the trees are zoochoric, 12% anemochoric and 8% autochoric. In the study area, we found significant differences in vertical distribution patterns of species grouped b...

Woody encroachment threatens several ecosystems around the world. In general, management of grasslands includes regulation of fire and grazing regimes. Changes in these two types of disturbances are potential drivers of woody encroachment. Here we assessed how the traditional management carried out by local landholders affects a highland grassland ecosystem in southern Brazil. We hypothesized that grasslands converted to protected areas undergo fast woody encroachment. To reconstruct changes in vegetation, we interviewed former and current landholders and coupled their knowledge with an analysis of aerial and satellite images. During the first 11 years without fire and cattle, woody encroachment in grasslands increased exponentially. Woody encroachment occurred mostly by the replacement of grasslands by shrublands. Meanwhile, grasslands under traditional management remained almost unchanged for the last 40 years. The management of fire by local landholders has been part of their traditional practices for decades. Such management prevents largescale wildfires and maintains natural highland grasslands. The quick pace of shrub encroachment in such grasslands threatens its exclusive diversity, human well-being and regional cultural heritage. Thus, conservation policies are needed to regulate and instruct about the use of fire as a management tool in highland grasslands of southern Brazil. Extensive vegetation change can have important consequences in ecosystem functioning and economy 1. For instance, woody encroachment (or woody plant encroachment), which is the increase in density, cover and biomass of shrubs or woody vegetation in grasslands 2 , has been reported around the world 3. Woody encroachment is caused by several factors such as shifts in climate and biogeochemical cycles, changes in disturbance regimes (e.g. fire and grazing), or modification in ecological succession by introduction of non-native species or predator removal 2-5. Woody encroachment alters fundamental ecological processes of ecosystems, including global carbon balances, reduction of water flow or groundwater recharge and the loss of biodiversity 4,6,7. Because woody encroachment tends to negatively affect herbaceous vegetation, it constitutes a major threat to savanna and grassland ecosystems. Control of woody encroachment is a key concern in rangelands. Woody encroachment reduces forage production, creates habitat for ectoparasites, and hampers animal handling 4. Woody encroachment concerns land managers and methods for control and eradication include either fire, cutting trees, grazing, or a combination of these three methods 8,9. Woody encroachment has been reported all over the world, e.g., southern Ethiopian savanna 8 , North American savanna, shrub-steppe and grasslands ecosystems 10 , southeastern South American savanna 11 ('Campos' 6), and Brazilian savanna ('Cerrado' 12). In highland grasslands of southern Brazil, extensive cattle grazing is part of the traditional management employed for centuries 13. In addition, local ranchers c...

Although detected long ago, latitudinal disparity in species richness lacks a consensus regarding its underlying mechanisms. We evaluated whether the main predictions derived from the tropical niche conservatism hypothesis help to explain differences regarding species richness and turnover of species and lineages between forests located in tropical and subtropical climates. If tropical niches are retained, we predict that only a subset of tropical lineages disperses and establishes outside the tropics; tip‐level phylogenetic clustering increases outside the tropics; and the climatic variation drives species richness indirectly via constraints to the distribution of lineages. We compiled 58 checklists along tropical and subtropical sites of riparian forests in southeastern South America. We tested the frequency of niches shifts for species and lineages and the abundance of taxa in each climate. Next, we checked the likelihood of pathways linking climatic and spatial predictors directly with species richness and via phylogenetic clustering estimates. Several lineages only occurred in the tropics, and the number of species and lineages that occurred in both climates was lower than expected by chance. Conversely, few lineages were exclusively subtropical and diversified in the subtropics. Phylogenetic clustering increased in subtropical sites and was correlated with decreasing species richness. An interaction between mean temperature of coldest quarter and precipitation seasonality explained most variation in species richness via increases in phylogenetic clustering. These results support an important contribution of climatic niche conservatism to explain richness disparities between tropics and subtropics, mainly because of the inability of most lineages to colonize the subtropics, which is very likely related to cold intolerance. Since niche conservatism likely drives most of the variation in tree species richness in the region, it provides a mechanistic interpretation of the observed patterns, thus fostering the understanding of richness disparities between these tropical and subtropical tree communities.