Abstract
The Atlantic Forest is one of the largest and most biodiverse rainforests of South America but anthropogenic activities are drastically changing these landscapes. The invasion of alien or exotic species is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. There are few studies of invasive species in tropical Brazilian ecosystems. This research examines growth and ecological aspects of Syzygium cumini and Clitoria fairchildiana, two invasive tree species in the Pedra Branca State Park, an Atlantic Forest remnant in southeastern Brazil. Both species were successfully dated, indicating an average age of 58 and 31 years, respectively. A positive relationship between growth and precipitation of the previous growing season suggests an ecological adaptive strategy, which could be facilitating their invasion into the environment. Cumulative growth diameter curves indicate slow and fast growth rates for S. cumini and C. fairchildiana, respectively. Growth release episodes detected in the tree rings indicate increased anthropogenic disturbances over the last 50 years.
Highlights
The Atlantic Forest is one of the largest rainforests of South America, widespread over tropical to subtropical regions and ranging from sea level to ~ 3000 m with high biodiversity
Tree rings are characterized by alternating fiber and parenchyma bands in both C. fairchildiana (Fig. 3b) and S. cumini (Fig. 3c), but are better identified at lower magnification in C. fairchildiana samples because of apparent discontinuity of true tree ring boundaries
This study presents information to help fill the gaps regarding the behavior of two non-native, invasive species in southeastern Brazil
Summary
The Atlantic Forest is one of the largest rainforests of South America, widespread over tropical to subtropical regions and ranging from sea level to ~ 3000 m with high biodiversity It is considered one of the 25 world hotspots (Myers et al 2000; Tabarelli et al 2005; Forzza et al 2012). In Brazil, most of the Atlantic Forest region includes some densely populated cities and human disturbances have drastically changed natural landscapes This has resulted in significant habitat losses over past decades (Myers et al 2000; Tabarelli et al 2005; Zenni and Ziller 2011). Little is known of the ecological aspects of these exotics, and strategies to prevent or reduce invasiveness do not exist or are ineffective (Zenni and Ziller 2011; Gaertner et al 2017)
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