of neotropical pioneer and early secondary tree species. Biota Neotrop. 9(1): http://www.biotaneotropica.org. br/v9n1/en/abstract?article+bn01109012009. Abstract:The increased forest cover loss in the tropical and subtropical regions has stimulated the development of restoration methods through tree plantations. Based on the successional model of forest development the use of different successional groups can be seen as a strategy to accelerate the re-composition of forests and an attempt to recover ecological conditions prior to disturbance. Tree species have particular growth rates and ecological needs, and this knowledge is important in the development of high diversity models of forest restoration. The objective of this study was to compare the initial growth and litterfall of native pioneer versus early secondary tree species in a mixed plantation system, and to determine the relationships between guilds and measurements. The comparison among species and guilds was made based on dendrometric and allometric parameters, and in terms of annual litterfall. The study was carried out in the Guarita Indian Area, Tenente Portela, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Dendrometry of seven species was evaluated, including the pioneer tree species Mimosa scabrella Bentham, Trema micrantha (L.) Blume, Schinus molle L., Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong, and the early secondary tree species Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub., Cedrela fissilis Vell. and Tabebuia alba (Cham.) Sandwith. The litterfall was quantified for the first six species. The pioneer tree species exhibited higher average height, stem diameter and crown width than the early secondary tree species. The pioneer species (except E. contortisiliquum) showed also higher values of average annual litterfall. A positive interspecific correlation between stem diameter and annual litterfall was observed. The data indicate that the choice of the species and guilds is significant to the quality of the restoration. Nevertheless, the aboveground architecture may depend on species-specific allometric characteristics and a distinction among guilds was not observed. Keywords: restoration ecology, secondary succession, allometry, successional guilds.BENVENUTI-FERREIRA, G., COELHO, G.C., SCHIRMER, J. & LUCCHESE, O.A. Dendrometria e produção de serapilheira de espécies arbóreas neotropicais pioneiras e secundárias iniciais. Biota Neotrop. 9(1): http:// www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v9n1/pt/abstract?article+bn01109012009.Resumo: A perda de cobertura florestal em regiões tropicais e subtropicais tem motivado o desenvolvimento de modelos de restauração florestal através do plantio de espécies arbóreas. Tendo como base o modelo sucessional, o uso concomitante de espécies de diferentes categorias sucessionais pode ser visto como uma estratégia no sentido de acelerar o retorno a condições prévias à perturbação. As espécies arbóreas têm ritmos de crescimento e necessidades ecológicas diferentes e este conhecimento é importante para o desenvolvimento de modelos de restauração floresta...

The knowledge of structure and composition of forest strata contributes to understanding the conservation status and dynamics of plant communities. The study of forest understory is important to the knowledge of the succession process. The Seasonal Subtropical Forest remnant named Mato do Silva (27º 55'26" S and 53º 53'15" W) was studied aiming to describe the structure of understory in the late successional forest (LF) and in the young secondary forest (SF), an 11 years old post-agricultural site with canopy dominance of Ateleia glazioveana Baill. The phytosociological survey was carried out through the point quarter method and included individuals of tree and shrub species from 0.5 to 3.0 m of height. The sampling consisted of 384 individuals in LF (67 species) and 284 individuals in SF (20 species). A total of 79 species were observed, and only eight species occurred in both areas. The specific diversity (H') was 3.45 and 2.42 nats in the understory of LF and SF, respectively. The Pielou's evenness index (J) was 0.85 to LF and 0.80 to SF, respectively. Cupania vernalis Camb. and Psychotria leiocarpa Müll. Arg. were the prominent species in the LF while A. glazioveana and Solanum mauritianum Scop. were outstanding in the SF understory. Shade-tolerant and late secondary tree species occurred in large proportion in the LF forest, while pioneers and early secondary tree species predominated in the SF. In addition, certain dominant species in the understory of the SF were absent in the LF understory, such as A. glazioveana, Solanum compressum L. B. Sm. & Downs, Helietta apiculata Bentham and Gledtisia amorphoides (Griseb.) Taubert, which indicates that such species are associated to early stages of forest succession. G. amorphoides is considered an endangered species, and the early successional stages could be necessary for conservation of this species. A decrease in the pH and mineral nutrient levels in the soil was linked to the successional process, indicating the transference of nutrients to the aboveground biomass.

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