Abstract
ABSTRACT The edge effect makes forest communities more susceptible to changes and may cause changes in different ecosystem characteristics such as litter production. The objective of this work was to evaluate the edge effect on the contribution of litter and its temporal variation in a Semi-Deciduous Seasonal Forest fragment located in Vitoria da Conquista, BA, Brazil. Four sampling ranges were delimited in the forest fragment: edge (0-10 m from the edge), transition 1 (40-50 m from the edge), transition 2 (80-90 m from the edge) and interior (400-410 m from the edge). The produced litter was collected monthly. The main litter components were leaves and branches in all sampling ranges. The contribution of the other fractions obeyed different orders at the edges (bark > reproductive structures) and interior (reproductive structures > bark). The edge effect did not influence the contribution of total litter and its temporal variation, only manifesting in the production of reproductive structures.
Highlights
AND OBJECTIVESThe intense use of natural resources has historically led to reducing areas of native vegetation and a consequent increase in the occurrence of isolated forest fragments devoid of ecological corridors
The objective of this work was to evaluate the edge effect on the contribution of litter and its temporal variation in a Semi-Deciduous Seasonal Forest fragment located in Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brazil
Four sampling ranges were delimited in the forest fragment: edge (0-10 m from the edge), transition 1 (40-50 m from the edge), transition 2 (80-90 m from the edge) and interior (400-410 m from the edge)
Summary
AND OBJECTIVESThe intense use of natural resources has historically led to reducing areas of native vegetation and a consequent increase in the occurrence of isolated forest fragments devoid of ecological corridors. Among the Brazilian biomes, the Atlantic Forest is certainly one of the most affected. Most of its forest remnants are fragmented, especially dispersed in heavily cultivated, heavily disturbed, little-known and precariously protected landscapes (Silva et al, 2016). In Bahia, the situation of the Atlantic Forest does not differ from that observed elsewhere in the country, occupying only 6% of its original area in the state’s territory (Numa, 2015). One of the phytophysiognomies most affected by fragmentation within this biome is the Semi-Deciduous Seasonal Forest, being the predominant forest formation in Planalto da Conquista, BA. Its remnants are divided into fragments and under heavy pressure from expanding agriculture and urban centers. This territory is constantly reducing, this forest formation is still little studied
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