Epífitas vasculares em diferentes estágios sucessionais de um fragmento urbano de floresta estacional semidecidual

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest presents intensely fragmented with remaining in different successional stages. The forest regeneration of these sites is related to various forms of life, such as arboreous, herbaceous, liana and epiphytes. Epiphytes have important ecological role by positively influence the environmental heterogeneity, the colonization of new environments and at the maintenance of ecosystems. Starting from the hypothesis that the epiphytic component responds directly to local environmental quality along the secondary succession, the objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the different levels of regeneration and epiphytic community found. For this purpose were carried out analysis of the floristic composition, horizontal and vertical distribution and biological and taxonomic diversity in three areas of a fragment of semideciduous forest, located in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. The fragment was previously occupied by a coffee farm, whose form of activity influenced for the current formation of the mosaic of forest conditions, developed through natural regeneration following abandonment. The sample was 10 plots of 20 x 20 meters, randomly allocated to each of the three areas (bosqueamento, palmital and secondary forest). In each plot were analyzed all trees with DBH > 5 cm, and the phorophytes were examined for stratification. Were registered 42 species of epiphytes distributed in 31 genera and 12 families. The richest family was Polypodiaceae (9 spp.), followed by Moraceae (8 spp.), Orchidaceae (7 spp.) and Bromeliaceae (4 spp.). The results demonstrate that the composition of epiphytic community differs qualitatively from all areas, with a predominance of seven species found in common in three sections, which are: Billbergia horrida; Billbergia zebrina; Catasetum hookeri; Microgramma squamulosa; Pleopeltis astrolepis; Pleopeltis hirsutissima and Portea Petropolitana. The initial hypothesis was confirmed with the most advanced place in succession (palmital) presenting the highest richness, diversity and evenness of the epiphytic community. As the history of use of the areas, the tree layer had great influence in the epiphytic community, mainly related to the size and species of trees. Piptadenia gonoacantha, species historically used in the shading of farming, was the main species of phorophytes, being relevant to the better regeneration of the epiphytic community in the areas of palmital and bosqueamento.