Abstract
This study aimed to map phytophysiognomies of an area of Ombrophilous Dense Forest at Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar and characterize their floristic composition. Photointerpretation of aerial photographs in scale of 1:35,000 was realized in association with field work. Thirteen physiognomies were mapped and they were classified as Montane Ombrophilous Dense Forest, Alluvial Ombrophilous Dense Forest or Secondary System. Three physiognomies identified at Casa de Pedra streamlet's basin were studied with more details. Riparian forest (RF), valley forest (VF), and hill forest (HF) presented some floristic distinction, as confirmed by Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and Indicator Species Analysis (ISA) conducted here. Anthropic or natural disturbances and heterogeneity of environmental conditions may be the causes of physiognomic variation in the vegetation of the region. The results presented here may be useful to decisions related to management and conservation of Núcleo Santa Virgínia forests, in general.
Highlights
The Atlantic Forest covered, originally, more than 1,300,000 km2 of Brazilian territory, which represents about 15% of the total
This study aimed to realize the mapping of vegetation covering in an area of Ombrophilous Dense Forest at Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, São Paulo State, Brazil, and to characterize the floristic composition of the tree component of some physiognomies identified, and answering the following question: Are physiognomies studied characterized by distinct floristic groups?
Phytophysiognomic mapping - Thirteen physiognomies were identified by photointerpretation
Summary
The Atlantic Forest covered, originally, more than 1,300,000 km of Brazilian territory, which represents about 15% of the total. Distributed along the coastal region, its boundaries covered areas of 17 States and portions of Argentina and Paraguay (Fundação S.O.S. Mata Atlântica & INPE 2008). This area has great biological diversity and high rates of endemism (Mori et al 1981) and is reduced to about 7.5% of. The devastation of Atlantic Forest dates back to the history of colonization of Brazilian territory, and economic activities such as agriculture and industry and the urban expansion are among its main causes (Morellato & Haddad 2000). The largest remaining forests are located in areas where destructive economic activities were not developed due to the rugged topography, such as Serra do Mar (Câmara 1990, Leitão‐Filho 1994), these areas are still under constant threat because of the proximity to large urban centers or areas of economic interest (Dean 1996, Morellato & Haddad 2000)
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