Abstract
Abstract Temporal and spatial changes in floristic composition over a 15-year period in an Atlantic tropical forest in Brazil were analyzed. The data were recorded in five 0.5-ha (50 × 100 m) plots within a 22,000-ha forest reserve. In each plot, all stems ≥10 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) were repeatedly inventoried. The overall number of species among all plots was steady over time but changed within a given plot. In all plots, the proportion for the disappearance of species was 7 percent and that for immigration of new species into the plots was 9.5 percent. Approximately 65 percent of the disappearance occurred between 1986 and 1989, and 74 percent of the immigration happened after 1986. The observed changes in composition evidently were due to natural disturbance and climatic events, such as an unusual four-month drought. Disappearance of species from the plots did not denote regional extinction of those species, because they persisted elsewhere in the forest reserve. The changes in species comp...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
