Phylogenetic community structure reveals differences in plant community assembly of an oligotrophic white-sand ecosystem from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

ABSTRACT Mussununga, an oligotrophic sandy savanna ecosystem, comprises distinct physiognomies along fire, water and nutrient availability gradients. Grasslands and woodlands are constrained at the opposite poles of these gradients, with grasslands occurring in areas with poorer soils and higher levels of both water-stress and fire intensity. According to the stress-dominance hypothesis, one might expect the importance of competition for community assembly to increase from grasslands to woodlands. Assuming conservation of ecological niches within evolutionary lineages, this should increase phylogenetic overdispersion from grasslands towards woodlands. To test this, we calculated phylogenetic diversity and community structure using different null models as well as the phylogenetic signal of life form as a proxy of niche space. All indices indicate phylogenetic clustering for grasslands and phylogenetic overdispersion for woodlands. Considering that most life-forms showed a significant phylogenetic signal, findings indicate that competition and further density dependent factors may play a larger role in community assembly of physiognomies in less harsh positions along the gradient, while environmental filtering dominates the harsher positions. Our results indicate that the entire gradient should receive conservation priority in order to guarantee the effective conservation of this endangered ecosystem, including its species richness and ecological processes such as community assembly

Composição florística do estrato arbóreo de floresta Atlântica Interiorana em Araponga - Minas Gerais Tree strtum floristc composition of an Inland Atlantic forest in Araponga - MG

Os objetivos deste trabalho foram determinar a composição florística de um fragmento de Floresta e analisar a sua similaridade com outras áreas de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual e Floresta Ombrófila Densa, com o intuito de classificar a tipologia florestal da área de estudo. O levantamento foi realizado em uma trilha interpretativa na Pousada Serra D'Água (20º41'24"S e 42º29'47"W, 1.100 m de altitude), região de entorno do Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro (PESB), Município de Araponga, MG. A listagem florística foi obtida a partir do levantamento fitossociológico, no qual foram demarcados 150 pontos quadrantes. Foram relacionadas 147 espécies, 98 gêneros e 50 famílias. As famílias com maior número de espécies foram: Melastomataceae (14), Leguminosae (11), Myrtaceae (10), Rubiaceae (8), Annonaceae (7), Flacourtiaceae (7), Lauraceae (7) e Meliaceae (6). Os resultados da análise de agrupamento revelaram que os aspectos de proximidade geográfica e altitude são os principais responsáveis pela similaridade florística de muitas áreas. A vegetação da área de estudo pode ser classificada como Floresta Estacional Semidecidual Montana, pelo fato de a sua composição florística mostrar alta similaridade com outras áreas dessa mesma tipologia.<br>The objective of this work was to determine the floristic composition of a forest fragment and to analyze its similarity with other areas of the Semideciduous Seasonal Forest and Dense Ombrophylous Forest, in order to classify the forest typology of this area. The survey was carried out in an interpretative trail at the Pousada Serra D'Água (20º41'24"S and 42º29'47"W, 1100 m altitude), in the region around the Serra do Brigadeiro State Park (PESB), municipality of Araponga, MG. The floristic list was obtained from the phytosociological survey in which 150 quarter-centered-points were established. A total of 147 species, 98 genera and 50 families were found. The families with the greatest number of species were: Melastomataceae (14), Leguminosae (11), Myrtaceae (10), Rubiaceae (8), Annonaceae (7), Flacourtiaceae (7), Lauraceae (7) and Meliaceae (6). The results of the cluster analysis showed that the aspects of geographic proximity and altitude are the main factors responsible for the floristic similarity of many areas. The vegetation of the studied area can be classified as Montane Semideciduous Seasonal Forest, since its floristic composition shows a great similarity with other areas of the same typology