1
|
Sun S, Zhang Y, Wang N, Yang W, Zhai Y, Wang H, Fan P, You C, Zheng P, Wang R. Changing effects of energy and water on the richness distribution pattern of the Quercus genus in China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1301395. [PMID: 38298826 PMCID: PMC10827969 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1301395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Climate varies along geographic gradients, causing spatial variations in the effects of energy and water on species richness and the explanatory power of different climatic factors. Species of the Quercus genus are important tree species in China with high ecological and socioeconomic value. To detect whether the effects of energy and water on species richness change along climatic gradients, this study built geographically weighted regression models based on species richness and climatic data. Variation partition analysis and hierarchical partitioning analysis were used to further explore the main climatic factors shaping the richness distribution pattern of Quercus in China. The results showed that Quercus species were mainly distributed in mountainous areas of southwestern China. Both energy and water were associated with species richness, with global slopes of 0.17 and 0.14, respectively. The effects of energy and water on species richness gradually increased as energy and water in the environment decreased. The interaction between energy and water altered the effect of energy, and in arid regions, the effects of energy and water were relatively stronger. Moreover, energy explained more variation in species richness in both the entire study area (11.5%) and different climate regions (up to 19.4%). The min temperature of coldest month was the main climatic variable forming the richness distribution pattern of Quercus in China. In conclusion, cold and drought are the critical climatic factors limiting the species richness of Quercus, and climate warming will have a greater impact in arid regions. These findings are important for understanding the biogeographic characteristics of Quercus and conserving biodiversity in China.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuxia Sun
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, United States
| | - Naixian Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Wenjun Yang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yinuo Zhai
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Peixian Fan
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Chao You
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Peiming Zheng
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Renqing Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Forest and Wetland Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Spatial non-stationarity in the distribution of fish species richness of tropical streams. COMMUNITY ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42974-022-00121-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
3
|
Ye C, An M, Shi J, Liu F, Zhang Y. Spatial distribution and its limiting environmental factors of native orchid species diversity in the Beipan River Basin of Guizhou Province, China. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9470. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chao Ye
- College of Forestry Guizhou University Guiyang China
| | - Mingtai An
- College of Forestry Guizhou University Guiyang China
| | - Jinzhu Shi
- College of Forestry Guizhou University Guiyang China
| | - Feng Liu
- College of Forestry Guizhou University Guiyang China
| | - Yang Zhang
- College of Forestry Guizhou University Guiyang China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Oliveira EVS, Alves DMC, Landim MF, Gouveia SF. Sampling effort and the drivers of plant species richness in the Brazilian coastal regions. Oecologia 2021; 195:163-171. [PMID: 33392791 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04805-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The causes of the gradients in species richness remain contentious because of multiple competing hypotheses, significant knowledge gaps, and regional effects of environmental and historical factors on species pools. Coastal zones are subject to particular sets of environmental constraints, thus identifying the drivers of species richness therein should shed light on the regional gradients of species diversity. Here, we investigate the geographic patterns and drivers of plant diversity across coastal regions while allowing for pervasive sampling deficiencies. Based on 142708 records of flowering plant occurrences, we mapped species richness and estimated the level of knowledge across the coastal zone of Brazil. Based on inventory completeness, we used linear regression models to test the predictive power of environmental variables that represent different environmental hypotheses. Few cells (25%) were well-surveyed, reflecting little knowledge about the distribution and diversity of flowering plants on the highly-populated Brazilian coast. Still, we found support for the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis as the best explanation of the variation in species richness of flowering plants in this region. Soil properties and water constraints are also important factors. Although our work emphasises the paucity of information on plant diversity in tropical and human-dominated areas, we show that knowledge limitations should not curb our capability of addressing hypotheses about species diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Vinícius S Oliveira
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil.
| | - Davi M C Alves
- Evolution and Conservation of Biodiversity (INCT-EECBio), National Institute of Science and Technology Ecology, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Myrna F Landim
- Department of Biology, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil
| | - Sidney F Gouveia
- Evolution and Conservation of Biodiversity (INCT-EECBio), National Institute of Science and Technology Ecology, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.,Department of Ecology, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Spatial heterogeneity of climate explains plant richness distribution at the regional scale in India. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218322. [PMID: 31220130 PMCID: PMC6586307 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Knowledge of species richness patterns and their relation with climate is required to develop various forest management actions including habitat management, biodiversity and risk assessment, restoration and ecosystem modelling. In practice, the pattern of the data might not be spatially constant and cannot be well addressed by ordinary least square (OLS) regression. This study uses GWR to deal with spatial non-stationarity and to identify the spatial correlation between the plant richness distribution and the climate variables (i.e., the temperature and precipitation) in a 1° grid in different biogeographic zones of India. Methodology We utilized the species richness data collected using 0.04 ha nested quadrats in an Indian study. The data from this national study, titled ‘Biodiversity Characterization at Landscape Level’, were aggregated at the 1° grid level and adjudged for sampling sufficiency. The performances of OLS and GWR models were compared in terms of the coefficient of determination (R2) and the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc). Results and discussion A comparative study of the R2 and AICc values of the models showed that all the GWR models performed better compared with the analogous OLS models. The climate variables were found to significantly influence the distribution of plant richness in India. The minimum precipitation (Pmin) consistently dominated individually (R2 = 0.69; AICc = 2608) and in combinations. Among the shared models, the one with a combination of Pmin and Tmin had the best model fits (R2 = 0.72 and AICc = 2619), and variation partitioning revealed that the influence of these parameters on the species richness distribution was dominant in the arid and the semi-arid zones and in the Deccan peninsula zone. Conclusion The shift in climate variables and their power to explain the species richness of biogeographic zones suggests that the climate–diversity relationships of plants species vary spatially. In particular, the dominant influence of Tmin and Pmin could be closely linked to the climate tolerance hypothesis (CTH). We found that the climate variables had a significant influence in defining species richness patterns in India; however, various other environmental and non-environmental (edaphic, topographic and anthropogenic) variables need to be integrated in the models to understand climate–species richness relationships better at a finer scale.
Collapse
|
6
|
Vieira TB, Pavanelli CS, Casatti L, Smith WS, Benedito E, Mazzoni R, Sánchez-Botero JI, Garcez DS, Lima SMQ, Pompeu PS, Agostinho CS, Montag LFDA, Zuanon J, de Aquino PDPU, Cetra M, Tejerina-Garro FL, Duboc LF, Corrêa RC, Pérez-Mayorga MA, Brejão GL, Mateussi NTB, de Castro MA, Leitão RP, de Mendonça FP, da Silva LRP, Frederico R, De Marco P. A multiple hypothesis approach to explain species richness patterns in neotropical stream-dweller fish communities. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0204114. [PMID: 30231064 PMCID: PMC6145546 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several hypotheses are used to explain species richness patterns. Some of them (e.g. species-area, species-energy, environment-energy, water-energy, terrestrial primary productivity, environmental spatial heterogeneity, and climatic heterogeneity) are known to explain species richness patterns of terrestrial organisms, especially when they are combined. For aquatic organisms, however, it is unclear if these hypotheses can be useful to explain for these purposes. Therefore, we used a selection model approach to assess the predictive capacity of such hypotheses, and to determine which of them (combined or not) would be the most appropriate to explain the fish species distribution in small Brazilian streams. We perform the Akaike’s information criteria for models selections and the eigenvector analysis to control the special autocorrelation. The spatial structure was equal to 0.453, Moran’s I, and require 11 spatial filters. All models were significant and had adjustments ranging from 0.370 to 0.416 with strong spatial component (ranging from 0.226 to 0.369) and low adjustments for environmental data (ranging from 0.001 to 0.119) We obtained two groups of hypothesis are able to explain the richness pattern (1) water-energy, temporal productivity-heterogeneity (AIC = 4498.800) and (2) water-energy, temporal productivity-heterogeneity and area (AIC = 4500.400). We conclude that the fish richness patterns in small Brazilian streams are better explained by a combination of Water-Energy + Productivity + Temporal Heterogeneity hypotheses and not by just one.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Bernardi Vieira
- Laboratório de Ictiologia de Altamira, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Altamira, Para, Brasil
- * E-mail:
| | - Carla Simone Pavanelli
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura (Nupelia), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brasil
| | - Lilian Casatti
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brasil
| | | | - Evanilde Benedito
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura (Nupelia), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brasil
| | - Rosana Mazzoni
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Jorge Iván Sánchez-Botero
- Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil
| | - Danielle Sequeira Garcez
- Instituto de Ciências do Mar - LABOMAR, Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceara, Brasil
| | - Sergio Maia Queiroz Lima
- Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande no Norte, Brasil
| | - Paulo Santos Pompeu
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | | | | | - Jansen Zuanon
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
| | | | - Mauricio Cetra
- Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Francisco Leonardo Tejerina-Garro
- Programa de Mestrado em Sociedade, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente, UNIEvangélica, Anápolis, Goiás Centro de Biologia Aquática, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brasil
| | - Luiz Fernando Duboc
- Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, Centro Universitário Norte do Espírito Santo (CEUNES), Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), São Mateus, Espirito Santo, Brasil
| | - Ruanny Casarim Corrêa
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | | | - Gabriel Lourenço Brejão
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Nadayca Thayane Bonani Mateussi
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura (Nupelia), Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Maringá, Paraná, Brasil
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil
| | | | - Rafael Pereira Leitão
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | | | | | - Renata Frederico
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Para (UFPA), Belém, Para, Brasil
| | - Paulo De Marco
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás Campus II (UFG), Goiânia, Goiás, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Geographic variation in the relationship between large-scale environmental determinants and bat species richness. Basic Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
8
|
Silva-Flores R, Pérez-Verdín G, Wehenkel C. Patterns of tree species diversity in relation to climatic factors on the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico. PLoS One 2014; 9:e105034. [PMID: 25127455 PMCID: PMC4134238 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Accepted: 07/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological diversity can be defined as variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial organisms, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes which they are part of. This includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems. Numerous diversity indices combine richness and evenness in a single expression, and several climate-based explanations have been proposed to explain broad-scale diversity patterns. However, climate-based water-energy dynamics appears to be an essential factor that determines patterns of diversity. The Mexican Sierra Madre Occidental occupies an area of about 29 million hectares and is located between the Neotropical and Holarctic ecozones. It shelters a high diversity of flora, including 24 different species of Pinus (ca. 22% on the whole), 54 species of Quercus (ca. 9-14%), 7 species of Arbutus (ca. 50%) and many other trees species. The objectives of this study were to model how tree species diversity is related to climatic and geographic factors and stand density and to test the Metabolic Theory, Productivity-Diversity Hypothesis, Physiological Tolerance Hypothesis, Mid-Domain Effect, and the Water-Energy Dynamic Theory on the Sierra Madre Occidental, Durango. The results supported the Productivity-Diversity Hypothesis, Physiological Tolerance Hypothesis and Water-Energy Dynamic Theory, but not the Mid-Domain Effect or Metabolic Theory. The annual aridity index was the variable most closely related to the diversity indices analyzed. Contemporary climate was found to have moderate to strong effects on the minimum, median and maximum tree species diversity. Because water-energy dynamics provided a satisfactory explanation for the patterns of minimum, median and maximum diversity, an understanding of this factor is critical to future biodiversity research. Quantile regression of the data showed that the three diversity parameters of tree species are generally higher in cold, humid temperate climates than in dry, hot climates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramón Silva-Flores
- Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Ciudad Universitaria, Durango, México
| | | | - Christian Wehenkel
- Instituto de Silvicultura e Industria de la Madera, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Ciudad Universitaria, Durango, México
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Eiserhardt WL, Svenning JC, Baker WJ, Couvreur TLP, Balslev H. Dispersal and niche evolution jointly shape the geographic turnover of phylogenetic clades across continents. Sci Rep 2013; 3:1164. [PMID: 23383367 PMCID: PMC3563030 DOI: 10.1038/srep01164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The turnover of phylogenetic clades across space is a fundamental biodiversity pattern that may depend on long-term evolutionary processes, and that has downstream effects on other aspects of diversity including species richness and community structure. Limited niche evolution and limited dispersal are two major processes causing spatial restriction, and thus turnover, of clades. We studied the determinants of clade turnover within the World's richest floristic kingdom, the Neotropics, using the palm family (Arecaceae) as a model. We show that continental-scale clade turnover is driven by a combination of limited niche evolution - with respect to temperature and soil tolerances - and limited dispersal. These findings are consistent with strong dispersal barriers within the Neotropics, and the observation that some palm lineages are most diverse in certain biomes or climates. The importance of such deep-time effects suggest that palms might be slow to adapt or disperse in response to anthropogenic climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wolf L. Eiserhardt
- Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity Group, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, Build 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, DK
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity Group, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, Build 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, DK
| | | | - Thomas L. P. Couvreur
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR DIA-DE, DYNADIV research group, 911, avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, F-34394 Montpellier cedex 5, France
- Université de Yaoundé I, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Laboratoire de Botanique systématique et d'Ecologie, B.P. 047, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Henrik Balslev
- Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity Group, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, Build 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, DK
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Joly CA, Assis MA, Bernacci LC, Tamashiro JY, Campos MCRD, Gomes JAMA, Lacerda MS, Santos FAMD, Pedroni F, Pereira LDS, Padgurschi MDCG, Prata EMB, Ramos E, Torres RB, Rochelle A, Martins FR, Alves LF, Vieira SA, Martinelli LA, Camargo PBD, Aidar MPM, Eisenlohr PV, Simões E, Villani JP, Belinello R. Florística e fitossociologia em parcelas permanentes da Mata Atlântica do sudeste do Brasil ao longo de um gradiente altitudinal. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2012. [DOI: 10.1590/s1676-06032012000100012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Este trabalho resume os dados de florística e fitossociologia de 11, das 14 parcelas de 1 ha, alocadas ao longo do gradiente altitudinal da Serra do Mar, São Paulo, Brasil. As parcelas começam na cota 10 m (Floresta de Restinga da Praia da Fazenda, município de Ubatuba) e estão distribuídas até a cota 1100 m (Floresta Ombrófila Densa Montana da Trilha do rio Itamambuca, município de São Luis do Paraitinga) abrangendo os Núcleos Picinguaba e Santa Virgínia do Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar. Na Restinga o solo é Neossolo Quartzarênico francamente arenoso, enquanto que na encosta o solo é um Cambisolo Háplico Distrófico argilo-arenoso, sendo que todas as parcelas apresentaram solo ácido (pH 3 - 4) com alta diluição de nutrientes e alta saturação de alumínio. Na Restinga e no sopé da encosta o clima é Tropical/Subtropical Úmido (Af/Cfa), sem estação seca, com precipitação média anual superior a 2.200 mm e temperatura média anual de 22 ºC. Subindo a encosta mantêm-se a média de precipitação, mas há um gradativo resfriamento, de forma que a 1.100 m o clima é Subtropical Úmido (Cfa/Cfb), sem estação seca, com temperatura média anual de 17 ºC. Destaca-se ainda que, quase diariamente, a parte superior da encosta, geralmente acima de 400 m, é coberta por uma densa neblina. Nas 14 parcelas foram marcados, medidos e amostrados 21.733 indivíduos com DAP > 4,8 cm, incluindo árvores, palmeiras e fetos arborescentes. O número médio de indivíduos amostrados nas 14 parcelas foi de 1.264 ind.ha-1 (± 218 EP de 95%). Dentro dos parâmetros considerados predominaram as árvores (71% FOD Montana a 90% na Restinga), seguidas de palmeiras (10% na Restinga a 25% na FOD Montana) e fetos arborescentes (0% na Restinga a 4% na FOD Montana). Neste aspecto destaca-se a FOD Terras Baixas Exploradas com apenas 1,8% de palmeiras e surpreendentes 10% de fetos arborescentes. O dossel é irregular, com altura variando de 7 a 9 m, raramente as árvores emergentes chegam a 18 m, e a irregularidade do dossel permite a entrada de luz suficiente para o desenvolvimento de centenas de espécies epífitas. Com exceção da FOD Montana, onde o número de mortos foi superior a 5% dos indivíduos amostrados, nas demais fitofisionomias este valor ficou abaixo de 2,5%. Nas 11 parcelas onde foi realizado o estudo florístico foram encontradas 562 espécies distribuídas em 195 gêneros e 68 famílias. Apenas sete espécies - Euterpe edulis Mart. (Arecaceae), Calyptranthes lucida Mart. ex DC. e Marlierea tomentosa Cambess (ambas Myrtaceae), Guapira opposita (Vell.) Reitz (Nyctaginaceae), Cupania oblongifolia Mart. (Sapindaceae) e as Urticaceae Cecropia glaziovii Snethl. e Coussapoa microcarpa (Schott) Rizzini - ocorreram da Floresta de Restinga à FOD Montana, enquanto outras 12 espécies só não ocorreram na Floresta de Restinga. As famílias com o maior número de espécies são Myrtaceae (133 spp), Fabaceae (47 spp), Rubiaceae (49) e Lauraceae (49) ao longo de todo gradiente da FOD e Monimiaceae (21) especificamente nas parcelas da FOD Montana. Em termos de número de indivíduos as famílias mais importantes foram Arecaceae, Rubiaceae, Myrtaceae, Sapotaceae, Lauraceae e na FOD Montana, Monimiaceae. Somente na parcela F, onde ocorreu exploração de madeira entre 1960 e 1985, a abundância de palmeiras foi substituída pelas Cyatheaceae. O gradiente estudado apresenta um pico da diversidade e riqueza nas altitudes intermediárias (300 a 400 m) ao longo da encosta (índice de Shannon-Weiner - H' - variando de 3,96 a 4,48 nats.indivíduo -1). Diversas explicações para este resultado são apresentadas neste trabalho, incluindo o fato dessas altitudes estarem nos limites das expansões e retrações das diferentes fitofisionomias da FOD Atlântica durante as flutuações climáticas do Pleistoceno. Os dados aqui apresentados demonstram a extraordinária riqueza de espécies arbóreas da Floresta Ombrófila Densa Atlântica dos Núcleos Picinguaba e Santa Virgínia do Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, reforçando a importância de sua conservação ao longo de todo o gradiente altitudinal. A diversidade desta floresta justifica também o investimento de longo prazo, através de parcelas permanentes, para compreender sua dinâmica e funcionamento, bem como monitorar o impacto das mudanças climáticas nessa vegetação.
Collapse
|