Local-scale tree community ecotones are distinct vegetation types instead of mixed ones: a case study from the Cerrado–Atlantic forest ecotonal region in Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the vegetation identity of local-scale ecotones and its importance to landscape biodiversity in a transition between savanna and forest vegetation types in Brazil. We surveyed the tree community (diameter at breast height ≥5 cm) within 25 plots of 400 m2 across three core vegetation types and two ecotones among them (totalling five vegetation types). We then evaluated similarities in species composition, community structure and phylogenetic diversity across the transitions in order to assess the relationship between the ecotones and the core areas. Ecotones were distinct floristic units with a high number of unique species and floristic and phylogenetic clustering, and hence these environments are additional vegetation types in relation to the core areas. Some species showed maximum abundance in ecotones, which harboured distinct ecological patterns, demonstrating the importance of the ecotones in the overall ecosystem. Results are related to the distribution of the species present in the regional pool across local-scale microhabitats, with ecotones being a product of a distinct environmental conditions resulting from the distinct adjacent biomes (savanna and forest), which enable the maintenance of biological diversity.