ABSTRACT
The contribution of managed ecosystems for biodiversity conservation has been highlighted by recent studies. Tree species diversity was investigated in Cabruca (a traditional agroforest with cocoa and native trees) of ten cocoa farms in central- Southern Bahia state to quantify the remnant tree diversity and to verify if it is influenced by the size of the farm and the size of the Cabruca. A total of 273 trees, 55 trees species and 20 plant families were recorded. From these, 89% of plant species and 73% of trees were native species. In average, 23 to 60 tree species and 40 to 236 individuals per hectare were registered. The Shannon-Wiener (H') index varied from 1.3 to 2.5. The mixture coefficient of Jentsch (QM) obtained was two individuals per species. A high heterogeneity was observed among the Cabrucas studied. Tree diversity was not correlated, however, with the total area of the farms or the area of Cabruca on the farms. Our results indicate that Cabruca are variable in tree density and diversity. Additionally, management performed by cocoa farm owners is the main factor that influences the tree community attributes in this agroforestry.
Keywords:
Agroforestry systems; Atlantic forest; cocoa tree; managed ecosystem; native species