Structure, Biomass and Diversity of a Late-Successional Subtropical Atlantic Forest in Brazil

Abstract

The highly biodiverse Atlantic Forest has been heavily exploited and its remnant areas, which are mostly composed of secondary forests, cover less than 20% of its original extension. This study analyzed the structure, aboveground biomass (AGB) and species diversity of a secondary evergreen rainforest in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Individuals with diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm on 22 sample plots were measured, totalizing 3.49 hectares of sampled area. A mean AGB of 201.6 Mg ha -1 (standard deviation = 35.5) was found; Hyeronima alchorneoides and Miconia cinnamomifolia represented 29.1% and 7.6% of the community AGB ha -1 , respectively. A total of 153 species distributed in 107 genera and 55 families was observed; it was estimated that 121 species (95% confidence interval: [117, 125]) occurred in one hectare. These results highlight the importance of secondary forests for biodiversity restoration/conservation and carbon sequestration.

Resilience of Aboveground Biomass of Secondary Forests Following the Abandonment of Gold Mining Activity in the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon

“…Fabaceae is considered the most common family in tropical Amazonian forests [31] and the third largest family of angiosperms [101]. Due to symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Fabaceae species [102], they can drive early ecological succession [21,61] and they are important in secondary forest and successful restoration practices [103].…”

“…Recent studies in the Amazon have reported the ecological mechanisms of human activity influence on the recovery of species diversity, species composition, and AGB [24][25][26][27]. Many studies have shown that the stand forest age [28,29], species number [30], species diversity [31], species composition [32], and forest height [33] are positively correlated with AGB levels in secondary forests. In addition, a recent study showed that forest structure (e.g., forest height) conditions the effects of species richness on AGB accumulation [24].…”