The identification of preferential habitats of species which spontaneously colonize disturbed areas can constitute elements to improve ecological restoration techniques. Therefore, Clidemia urceolata DC stands out for colonizing those environments and presenting wide distribution in the watershed of Paraíba do Sul River. The objective of this study was to evaluate ecological preferences of C. urceolata in the watershed of Barra Mansa River, RJ (22º 32'40" 22º 40'60"S and 44º 12' 44º 06'20"W). The species nuclei were delimited and classified according to the following environmental factors: terrain feature, relative position on toposequence, exposition face, slope and altitude. It was sampled 26 nuclei, totalizing 0.005 ha from 6.839 ha of total area. Species distribution was more frequent on the following conditions: a) medium and inferior thirds of the toposequence. b) concave face of the terrains. c) southeastern, southern and southwestern exposure faces. d) slope between 8 and 45%. e) altitudes between 432 and 525 m, being the four last factors the most determinant. The conjunction of this information ploted for the watershed of Barra Mansa River indicate that 30% of area present more favorable conditions for the establishment of C. urceolata, what can demonstrate an environmental restoration potential.
Disturbed areas; Rustic species; Ecological restoration
