The Estação Biológica de Caratinga is located in the Atlantic dominium, The climate is seasonal with a humid hot season (October-March) and a dry cold season (April-September). The soil is alic Yelowish-Red Latosol. The gap studied is located on the top of a hill, where there are small scattered trees, a large amount of dead bunches of Pteridium aquilinum, herbs, and saplings of tree species. The position of each individual was mapped, and its height and circunference were recorded in a plot of 500m2. Two samples were made by the same method, the first in October 1989, and the second in October 1990. A small variation in density (657 to 668 individuals, respectively) as well as in the composition of the species was verified. Mabea fistulifera (the specie with the highest density in both samples), Bauhinia fusco-nervis, Mikania sp. and a non-identified species of Gramineae increased in density, while Pteridium aquilinum (the second highest density), Ferdinandusa cf. rudgeoides e Vis mia sp. decreased in density. The presence of dead bunches of P. aquilinum, saplings of the species common to the sorrounding forests and the existence of P. aquilinum populations nearby all suggest that the gaps are in an intermediate stage between the decline of the population of P. aquilinum and the occupation of the area by the species od the forest.
gaps; regeneration; succession; Atlantic forest