Changements de la structure du paysage et richesse spécifique des fragments forestiers dans le sud-est du Brésil

Abstract

We used the Hallé and Oldeman's groups of the present and of the future, as obtained by an architectural analysis of trees, in order to test the hypothesis that the group of young (or potential) trees is more sensitive to parameters of present landscape structure than the group of old trees. The landscape structure and the tree species richness of 11 remnant forest fragments, located in the riparian corridor of the Jacaré-Pepira river (S.E. Brazil), were studied. The results showed that the tree species richness may not be linked to the landscape structure changes that have been occurring since 1962 (date of the oldest aerial photographs from the region). The studied communities are probably still responding to the main landscape structure changes that occurred during the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century as a consequence of the expansion of coffee plantations. Furthermore, the group of the future presented significant correlations with a greater number of landscape indices, confirming the initial hypothesis of greater sensitivity of the younger trees to the present landscape structure. It appears also that the richness of the group of the future is mainly affected by the present landscape structure while the richness of the group of the present results from interactions with present and past landscape structures.