Flora and Structure of Mata Santa Elisa: an Environmental Patrimony in Campinas, SP

Tropical forests include remnants that should be characterized and monitored for long-term conservation. With this in mind, we performed a survey of the floristic composition and structure of the Mata Santa Elisa (Campinas, SP), and compared it to other fragments of semi-deciduous seasonal forest in the municipality. In Mata Santa Elisa, 506 living arboreal specimens were found, belonging to 100 species, 75 genera and 32 families. At the time of this work, the fragment was well-preserved and contained exclusive species and those of economic interest or potential, highlighting its importance in the region.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES
Tropical forests have great biodiversity, containing between 70% and 90% of all plant species; they are among the most complex, fragile and threatened ecosystems in the world (Mittermeier et al., 2005). As such, the conservation of tropical forests is of particular interest.
Maintaining well-preserved large areas is essential to mitigating the loss of biodiversity. However, consideration should also be given to preserving small, fragmented areas that may contain relatively high levels of local biodiversity (Arroyo-Rodriguez et al., 2009). These fragments are inserted in different matrices, and they are usually understudied, despite their biological importance due to a high concentration of the remaining information of the Atlantic Forest (Ribeiro et al., 2009).
Mata Santa Elisa (Campinas, SP) is an urban remnant of semi-deciduous seasonal forest, registered in 1991 and defined as a municipal environmental patrimony. This municipality has native vegetation cover consisting of fragments of forest, cerrado and small stretches of rock vegetation (Torres et al., 2014), which has been reduced to 2.55% of its total area. In 1988 and 1994, fires were recorded in Mata Santa Elisa, and invasive exotic species such as Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) B. K. Simon & S. W. L. Jacobs and Urochloa decumbens (Stapf) R.D.Webster, respectively known as "capim-colonião" and "braquiária, " increased in the border and neighborhood of the fragment after this occurrence (personal observations). Studies of the flora and structure of 15 different areas in Campinas, with the same physiognomy as the Mata Santa Elisa, found 47 to 151 tree species (H' diversity of 2.47 to 4.06). However, to date, studies of Mata Santa Elisa have not been conducted. Thus, the objective of this work was to characterize the arboreal component of Mata Santa Elisa and to verify its conservation status, given its importance in relation to the flora of the municipality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The Mata Santa Elisa (Figure 1), located in the Centro Experimental Central of the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC), has a total area of 14.81 ha (Souza et al., 2015). The municipality has two climates: subtropical hot with dry winter (Cwa) and subtropical hot without dry season (Cfa) (Rolim et al., 2007). The forest, as well as most of the municipality, is categorized under the Cwa climate, with an dead trees, with breast height diameters (DBH) greater or equal to 4.8 cm were plated. Specimens were numbered, after having measured all the multiple stems that met the minimum diameter for inclusion.
Collection, processing of botanical material and incorporation into the IAC Herbarium collection followed the usual standards for this type of study. We made the identifications following the pertinent literature, comparisons with herbarium collections and expert consultations.
average annual rainfall of 1.381 mm (Ferreira et al., 2007). The local relief is smooth wavy to wavy, with an altitude of about 670 m, and predominantly typical dystrophic Red Latosol (Ferreira et al., 2007). Prior to this study, the last fire to occur in Mata Santa Elisa was in 1994.
We established fifty 10 × 10 m (0.5 ha; Figure 1) plots for a floristic and phytosociological survey. This survey was conducted between 2008 and 2009, approximately 15 years after the last recorded fire. All individuals, including standing  We checked species for valid names, spelling and authors in Flora do Brasil 2020, and organized them by family according to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV classification system (2016), with an indication of subfamilies in Fabaceae (LPWG, 2013). We classified native species as pioneers or not pioneers, and exposed them to a dispersion syndrome (Barbosa et al., 2015). When no classification was found for a particular species, we investigated the standard and used it at the generic level.
We analyzed the usual phytosociological parameters, Shannon's diversity index (H') and the Pielou equability index (J). We performed the calculations using FITOPAC 2.0 (Shepherd, 2008). And compared the results to 15 other forest fragments (Table 1) of semi-deciduous seasonal forest in the city of Campinas at 600-700 m altitude.
We verified the species names and revised their identifications when the material was available in the herbarium and a possible identification problem had been detected. Morphospecies were considered, since there was no possibility of dubiety with species in the other considered surveys (Coccoloba sp) (Cielo Filho & Martins, 2016;Santos et al., 2007). For species with undefined identifications ("cf." or "aff."), we considered them to be the species mentioned, provided that it was not mentioned in the survey itself.
We constructed a presence/absence matrix for species demonstrating at least three occurrences. We also built a quantitative data matrix (absolute density) for the 45 species with the highest Importance Value Index (IVI), or with the highest coverage value index (CVI) in the absence of frequency. We used Principal Coordinates Analysis as the ordering method, simple Euclidean distances for qualitative data and Bray Curtis coefficients for quantitative data (Felfili et al., 2011). We used the Mantel test, within the PC-ORD program, to verify the correlation between floristic composition
The matrix based on absolute density data consisted of 199 species (https://figshare.com/s/b5b304a83795bd3afb04). The ordering analysis resulted in a 42% explanation of the first two axes (Figure 4) and 11% of the third axis (figure not shown). Through this analysis, it was possible to observe separation between the studied remnants. The Mata Santa Elisa showed greater similarity with the Bosque dos Alemães,   Table 1.
Although the Mantel test indicated a positive association between geographic distance and density matrices (r = 0.2046; Z observed = 0.1738E+00; t = 1.6986), the p value was high (p = 0.09), indicating that the association was not significant. Thus, we must assume that the floristic similarity between the areas is not determined by the proximity between them.

DISCUSSION
Mata Santa Elisa was subject to disturbance factors, including fires, which could have decharacterized its vegetation. Fabaceae, which was the richest and had the second highest IVI, is cited as one of the most important in terms of number of species in other states in the southeast (Bernacci et al., 2006;Medeiros et al., 2016;Pennington et al., 2009). The other families that have been highlighted by their number of species (Meliaceae, Rutaceae, Lauraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Myrtaceae and Malvaceae) or their IVIs (Euphorbiaceae, Lecythidaceae, Malvaceae and Meliaceae) are frequently observed in inventories of semi-deciduous seasonal forest (Oliveira-Filho & Fontes, 2000).
Croton piptocalyx, the most abundant species with a high IVI, as well as Piptadenia gonocantha, Guazuma ulmifolia and C. floribundus, are pioneers; they are generally heliophytes (Tabarelli, 1997) and function to recover disturbed environments, as is the case for this studied fragment (Rodrigues, 1995). Centrolobium tomentosum and Machaerium stipitatum, also abundant and with high IVI values, are both early secondary species, related to the intermediate stage of succession (Gandolfi et al., 1995). The two "jequitibás" species (Cariniana legalis and C. estrellensis) are characteristic of mature forest areas (Gandolfi et al., 1995). In this successional mosaic, the high density of pioneer species indicates young forest stretches (Gandolfi et al., 1995). On the other hand, the survival and longevity of large trees, such as "jequitibás, " allows for the occurrence of reproductive events and increases the possibility of maintaining these populations in the area.
Still, it should be noted that two exotic invasive species are among the species with the highest IVIs in the Mata Santa Elisa, and the occurrence of both species represents anthropic interference in the forest. The occurrence of Mangifera indica may be due to humans discarding their seeds, since all the sampled individuals were close to local trails. Schizolobium parahyba was planted in the area by IAC researchers between 2006 and 2008. Although they have not been studied since, Schizolobium parahyba have developed in the forest (Dr. Wilson Barbosa, CEC Director, Fazenda Santa Elisa, 2007-2012. The species that correlated with the PCO axes were abundant in all or most of the similar fragments from the Mata Santa Elisa (Bosque dos Alemães, Bosque dos Jequitibás, Reserva Santa Genebra etc.), but were not abundant in the other fragments of the environmental protection area of Campinas in general. However, some of these species were not sampled in Mata Santa Elisa, namely: Trichilia clausseni, Esenbeckia leiocarpa, Copaifera langsdorfii, Ocotea corymbosa, Leucochloron incuriale, and Syagrus romanzoffiana. All are zoocorous species except for Leucochloron incuriale, which can be reintroduced or their populations increased in the area.
Schizolobium parahyba was abundant only in the Mata Santa Elisa, which is another indication that it is not a native species. This species has been at risk and caused conflict with neighboring municipalities due to the fall of branches or plants (personal observation), whereas surveys (Abreu et al., 2014) show that the species is invasive in areas of semi-deciduous seasonal forest, displacing successional forest species and modifying the composition and structure of the vegetation; this justifies the suppression of "guapuruvu" individuals, as well as "mangueira" and other exotic species, in Mata Santa Elisa.
Among the compared fragments, Annona mucosa, Celtis pubescens, Terminalia triflora, Croton rottlerifolius, Albizia polycephala, Inga striata, Tachigali denudata, Piper claussenianum and Matayba juglandifolia were sampled exclusively in the Mata Santa Elisa. In addition, the forest also contained noble wood species (e.g. Cedrela fissilis, Hymenaea courbaril) with economic, medicinal and aromatic potentials, among other properties (Perigo et al., 2016;Souza et al., 2015). Thus, this highlights the importance of Mata Santa Elisa in terms of species of interest and general biodiversity. Even small fragments of forest can be good representatives of local biodiversity and, in addition, preserve a good percentage of regional biodiversity (Arroyo-Rodriguez et al., 2009).
In Mata Santa Elisa, we observed patterns of abundant concentration of a few species and the occurrence of a large number of species represented by few individuals. These patterns are observed in inventories of semi-deciduous seasonal forests (Oliveira- Filho & Fontes, 2000) and in tropical forests; species have preferential environments and their abundance increases in the places where most of their biotic and abiotic requirements are met (Kreft & Jetz, 2007).
Through the H' and J indices, we confirmed that the tree community has high diversity and low dominance. Index values were close to those of well-preserved areas of the region, such as Ribeirão Cachoeira Forest and Fazenda São Vicente. In the histogram distribution of diameters, the lowest class contained the highest frequency of individuals, and in general, the number of individuals decreased as the diameter classes increased, following a typical distribution for tropical forests (Felfili et al., 2011).
Based on the floristic and vegetation parameters at the time of this study, we would categorize Mata Santa Elisa as being at an advanced stage of regeneration, according to the CONAMA No. 1 (1994) legislation. Main diameter was the only evaluated parameter that was lower than that established for advanced stage regeneration. Analysis of satellite images indicated the advanced regeneration of Mata Santa Elisa from 1991 to 2011 (Andrade & Sanches, 2011); these images showed that forest cover had increased in comparison to 1991 (the tipping point), even with the fire in 1994.
Mata Santa Elisa is located in the State of São Paulo, administered by the Secretariat of Agriculture, which includes sustainability in its mission (Veiga et al., 2006). In addition, the use of forest fences is a key factor in the prevention of forest fires. After this study, a new fire hit Mata Santa Elisa, possibly caused by the fall of lantern balloons, and affected about half of its area (Campinas, 2014). In 2015-2016, financial difficulties hampered the maintenance of firebreaks, which compromised fire protection and relief to the forest. Fortunately, since 2017, the change of the Municipal Secretariat for Public Works, in the vicinity of the forest, has made this maintenance possible (personal observation).
The remaining fragments of semi-deciduous seasonal forest account for only 7.1% of the original cover in the state (Ribeiro et al., 2009), further highlighting the importance of Mata Santa Elisa. These forest fragments are fundamental in the qualitative recovery of the landscape, with an aim towards sustainability and quality of life for the population. Data presented here can act as an important reference for new studies of the composition and structure of Mata Santa Elisa, which are expected to occur momentarily.

CONCLUSIONS
In 2007, the Mata Santa Elisa fragment had high diversity and low dominance, as well as species of economic interest or potential. The conservation of the remnant represents a refuge for species that found adequate conditions to establish themselves and develop stable populations, contributing to the preservation of the flora of the region. The relative protection of the area due to its tipping and its location on state property did not prove to be sufficiently effective, as it did not prevent the occurrence of fires in the area. As such, there is a need for other fire prevention measures, such as environmental education for the local community, trained personnel, and equipment for fire control to guarantee its long-term sustainability. In this study, we observed the urgency of monitoring forest dynamics and the suppression of invasive alien species to increase the preservation of the native vegetation of this valuable forest fragment.