The objective of this study was to determine the structure and composition of an Atlantic Rain Forest tract with a land use history of banana plantation 50 year ago and evaluate the factors that influence its regeneration. Individual trees and shrubs with diameter at breast height (dbh) >5 cm were sampled within 25 plots of 10 x 10 m for a total sample size of 0.25 ha. We found 311 stems distributed across 92 species, 67 genera and 31 families, with a basal area of 34.18 m²/ha and a density of 1,244 ind./ha. The ten species with the highest importance value(IV) were the following: Aiouea saligna Meisn., Tachigali paratyensis(Vell.)H.C. Lima, Ficus insipida Willd., Bathysa gymonocarpa K. Schum, Chrysophyllum flexuosum Mart., Piptadenia gonoacantha (Mart.) J.F. Macbr., Piper rivinoides Kunth., Hyeronima alchorneoides Allemão, Miconia cinnamomifolia (DC.) Naudin and Guarea guidonia (L.) Sleumer. The high Shannon richness index and Pielou index (H'= 4.13 nats/ind. and J'= 0.91), are close to those of preserved forest stands of AtlanticRain Forest, suggesting a good recovery process for this stand, representing an intermediary stage of successional dynamics. The abandonment of the banana plantation created an environment of heterogeneous light conditions, allowing for the entry of species with different establishment strategies. The presence of a remnant tree of the Ficus genus, is related to a popular belief that ended up influencing the vegetation structure. Thus, the species sampled in this study reflected the past land use and the local culture.
Structure; Atlantic Rain Forest; Land use history; Banana plantation
