SPECIES–ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION IN THE INTERIOR AND ON THE EDGE OF A SEMI-DECIDUOUS SEASONAL FOREST FRAGMENT

Abstract

This study aimed at analysing the distribution of 40 tree species with the highest absolute density within a semi-deciduous seasonal forest fragment located in the municipality of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, Brazil. There were 39 plots allocated for the study, consisting of 27 on the edge and 12 inside the fragment. The environmental variables used were: aluminium saturation, base saturation, soil moisture, leaf area index (LAI) and average slope. Canonical correspondence analysis using the CANOCO 2.1 program was applied to analyse the species–environment interactions on the edge and inside the fragment. Although the most striking heterogeneity in the fragment was related to the LAI and the land slope, the species showed the highest correlation with the soil characteristics (base saturation and aluminium saturation), suggesting that these species have generalist behaviour in relation to the availability of solar radiation in the environment and seek to establish their niche in the soil gradient. The results are helpful in increasing our understanding about the interactions between the species and the environmental variables involved in the study, enabling a more effective indication of them in forest restoration projects.