Expansion of tree-shrub vegetation in upper-montane open areas adjacent to forest fragments, in "Planalto Sul Catarinense" region/Expansao da vegetacao arbustivo-arborea em areas abertas alto-montanas adjacentes a fragmentos florestais, no Planalto Sul Catarinense

• Published in: Ciência florestal 2019-01, Vol.29 (1), p.130
• Main Authors: Dallabrida, Juliana Pizutti, da Silva, Ana Carolina, Higuchi, Pedro, Larsen, Janaina Gabriela, Santos, Guilherme Neto, Lima, Carla Luciane, Rodrigues, Luiz Carlos, Jr, Machado, Felipe Domingos, Cruz, Aline Pereira, Nunes, Amanda da Silva
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• ISSN: 1980-5098
• DOI: 10.5902/1980509825998

The study aimed to understand the dynamic patterns of natural regeneration of shrub-tree species and determine whether these patterns are influenced by environmental variables, in three open areas in natural regeneration (diameter at breast height < 5 cm), in contact to upper-montane Araucaria Forest fragments, located in the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina state. Three 20x100 m transects, subdivided into sub-plots of 10x10 m, were installed in each area, perpendicular to the edge of the fragments with their length covering the grassland area. All shrub-tree regenerating individuals greater than or equal to 20 cm height were sampled. In each sub-plot, the environmental data were collected: soil physicochemical properties, the degree of soil compaction and the altimetric quota. One year after the first inventory, the dynamics rates were obtained for the three community and populations, and the found patterns related to environmental variables. The data were analyzed through Kruskal-Wallis tests, multiple comparison tests, chi-square test, applied to a contingency table, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and linear mixed models. The results demonstrated that during the evaluated period, the natural regeneration process of the shrub-tree component is found in an early stage and it was characterized by abundance increment, richness stability, spatial independency between mortality and recruitment, and recruitment limitation in function of low soil natural fertility and high Al availability. Keywords: Highlands Araucaria Forest; Dynamic patterns; Environmental analysis O objetivo deste estudo foi conhecer os padroes demograficos da regeneracao natural do componente arbustivo-arboreo e determinar se esses sao influenciados pelas variaveis ambientais, em tres areas abertas em regeneracao natural (diametro na altura do peito < 5 cm), em contato com fragmentos florestais de Floresta Ombrofila Mista Alto-Montana, no Planalto Sul Catarinense. Foram instaladas tres transeccoes, uma por area, de 20 x 100 m, subdividas em subparcelas de 10 x 10 m, perpendiculares a borda dos fragmentos, com sua extensao cobrindo a area de campo. Amostraram-se todos os individuos regenerantes arbustivo-arboreos com 20 cm ou mais de altura. Em cada subparcela, foram coletados os seguintes dados ambientais: propriedades fisico-quimicas dos solos, grau de compactacao dos solos e cota altimetrica. Um ano apos o inventario, foram obtidas as taxas de dinamica para as tres comunidades e par