Floristic composition of Melastomataceae between reforested and natural areas in the Recife Atlantic Forest, Pernambuco, Brazil

Jefferson Rodrigues Maciel,Yuri De Souza Vieira Couceiro

doi:10.5007/2175-7925.2021.e77751

Jefferson Rodrigues Maciel, Yuri De Souza Vieira Couceiro

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2021.e77751

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Abstract

Local extinction of native Atlantic Forest flora species occurs mainly due to habitat fragmentation. Reforestation and natural regeneration can mitigate these factors. The present study attempts to understand whether floristic composition and dispersal processes are being reestablished in an area of lowland Atlantic Forest, eight years after its reforestation. The study area was an old pasture set between two urban fragments in the city of Recife that was reforested in 2011. Melastomataceae species were collected in this area and the morphology of their fruits was compared with the species of the family recorded in the adjacent fragments. Miconia prasina, M. albicans, M. affinis, Clidemia hirta, and C. capitellata have been found in the reforested area. Although there are species with larger fruits in the adjacent fragments, there was no statistically significant difference between the means of the two areas. The fruit morphology indicates that the species found in the area are dispersed by birds and small mammals. It is possible to conclude that the reforested area already presents the expected ecological processes for a corridor between two fragments. Thus, the two adjacent areas serve as vectors for the colonization of native Atlantic Forest species in the reforested area.

Highlights

Forest fragmentation is one of the main processes responsible for species extinction and the destruction of ecosystems (RIBEIRO et al, 2009), and is defined as the process of reducing a continuous landscape into subunits that differ from their matrix (FAHRIG, 2003)
The fruits in the RA and MC areas are a fleshy berry type adapted to zoochoric dispersion
In the RA, all species were classified as pioneer (PI), typical of the Species Clidemia capitellata(Bonpl.) D.Don

Summary

Introduction

Forest fragmentation is one of the main processes responsible for species extinction and the destruction of ecosystems (RIBEIRO et al, 2009), and is defined as the process of reducing a continuous landscape into subunits that differ from their matrix (FAHRIG, 2003). During the natural regeneration process, a gradual replacement of small fruit species with larger fruit species is expected (TABARELLI; PERES, 2002). Areas with a short recovery time present a predominance of species with fruit size that is considered small (on average 0.6 cm) and, as the area matures, there is a gradual substitution with larger fruit species (on average 1.5 cm) (TABARELLI; PERES, 2002). Based on these premises, one might expect that recently reforested areas present a predominance of small-fruited pioneer species in the understory

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