Secondary forests of the Parque Estadual da Cantareira, São Paulo State, SP, Brasil: Floristic and structural variations

ABSTRACT

The Parque Estadual da Cantareira, in the Atlantic Forest biome, was created from the expropriation of coffee farms for the protection of water sources for São Paulo city in 1877. Since then, few human activities have taken place in its interior. Here, we compare the composition and the successional stages of different fragments of near forests (<0.5 km of each other); 0.6 ha were raised, divided in three areas of 0.2 ha each, with trees reaching PAP ≥ 15 cm, being sampled, identified and measured for diameter and height. The succession stage of the species was determined and a profile of each area was drawn in scale. A total of 1,020 individuals of 45 families and 115 species was sampled. The fragments varies in number of individuals (300-399 individuals), families (N = 26-32) and species (N = 54-68), height and successional stages, indicating high heterogeneity within a continuous forest, from the mature successional stages to the first ones. These discoveries have implications for conservation management and the ecosystem service they provide.

Keywords:
Atlantic Rainforest; Phytosociology; Sucession