RESUMO

A key issue in large-area inventories is defining a suitable sampling design and the effort required to obtain reliable estimates of species richness and forest attributes, especially in species-diverse forests. To address this issue, data from 418 systematically distributed 0.4 ha plots were collected. Estimators of nonparametric species richness were employed to assess the floristic representativeness of data collected in three forest types in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The sampling sufficiency of forest attributes was evaluated as a function of sample size. Altogether, 831 tree/shrub species were recorded. The data acquired through the systematic sampling design were representative of both species richness and basal area. The confidence intervals’ length would not substantially decrease by using more than 70 % of the reference sample (n = 364), thereby reaching a length of ∼5 % of the sample mean. Nevertheless, reliable estimates of species richness for diverse forests demand a thorough sampling approach far more exacting so as to achieve acceptable population estimates of forest attributes. Though the study area is regarded as a biodiversity hotspot, the forest stands showed diminished species richness, basal area, stem volume and biomass when compared to old-growth stands. As regards species richness, the data provided evidence of contrasting great γ-diversity (at the forest type level) and small α-diversity (at the forest stand level). Amongst anthropic impacts, illegal logging and extensive cattle grazing within stands are undoubtedly key factors that threaten forest conservation in the study area.

Assuntos

RESUMO

A key issue in large-area inventories is defining a suitable sampling design and the effort required to obtain reliable estimates of species richness and forest attributes, especially in species-diverse forests. To address this issue, data from 418 systematically distributed 0.4 ha plots were collected. Estimators of nonparametric species richness were employed to assess the floristic representativeness of data collected in three forest types in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The sampling sufficiency of forest attributes was evaluated as a function of sample size. Altogether, 831 tree/shrub species were recorded. The data acquired through the systematic sampling design were representative of both species richness and basal area. The confidence intervals length would not substantially decrease by using more than 70 % of the reference sample (n = 364), thereby reaching a length of ∼5 % of the sample mean. Nevertheless, reliable estimates of species richness for diverse forests demand a thorough sampling approach far more exacting so as to achieve acceptable population estimates of forest attributes. Though the study area is regarded as a biodiversity hotspot, the forest stands showed diminished species richness, basal area, stem volume and biomass when compared to old-growth stands. As regards species richness, the data provided evidence of contrasting great γ-diversity (at the forest type level) and small α-diversity (at the forest stand level). Amongst anthropic impacts, illegal logging and extensive cattle grazing within stands are undoubtedly key factors that threaten forest conservation in the study area.(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze is a native tree species of major importance in southern Brazil. It is a regional symbol due to its iconic shape and stature in the landscape; its wood was once economically important and its seeds are an important source of food for the fauna and are presently used in regional cuisine. Despite its importance and apparent abundance, the species is facing extinction mainly as a result of unregulated exploitation and deforestation. This study catalogued the remaining individuals in order to add to the body of knowledge available on A. angustifolia, a species that has become rare across its historic range. The circumference at breast height (1.30 m), the total height, and the tree volume were measured (3,529 araucarias). We catalogued trees with a large diameter measuring them in loco over three years involving a journey of more than 6,800 km. The volumes of these old trees are very large, ranging from 38.2 m3 to 106.6 m3. The largest A. angustifolia individual is located in the state of Santa Catarina and measures 3.25 m in diameter. The giant araucarias with > 2.00 m in diameter are rare and only 13 individuals could be found in southern Brazil; a priority action at the governmental level is to recognize and preserve these monumental trees and together with a need for a public policy of drawing up specific inventories of large trees.

RESUMO

Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze is a native tree species of major importance in southern Brazil. It is a regional symbol due to its iconic shape and stature in the landscape; its wood was once economically important and its seeds are an important source of food for the fauna and are presently used in regional cuisine. Despite its importance and apparent abundance, the species is facing extinction mainly as a result of unregulated exploitation and deforestation. This study catalogued the remaining individuals in order to add to the body of knowledge available on A. angustifolia, a species that has become rare across its historic range. The circumference at breast height (1.30 m), the total height, and the tree volume were measured (3,529 araucarias). We catalogued trees with a large diameter measuring them in loco over three years involving a journey of more than 6,800 km. The volumes of these old trees are very large, ranging from 38.2 m3 to 106.6 m3. The largest A. angustifolia individual is located in the state of Santa Catarina and measures 3.25 m in diameter. The giant araucarias with > 2.00 m in diameter are rare and only 13 individuals could be found in southern Brazil; a priority action at the governmental level is to recognize and preserve these monumental trees and together with a need for a public policy of drawing up specific inventories of large trees.(AU)

RESUMO

The premise of this study is to present the collection of the FURB herbarium, its collection area and type specimens, as well as its projects and contributions to the flora of the Subtropical Atlantic Forest. The FURB herbarium currently has nearly 41,000 records of vascular plants and has the largest collection of lycophytes and ferns in Southern Brazil, with more than 8,000 records. More than 4,500 scanned images of 4,436 species are available online, and it is expected that the whole collection will be scanned in less than one year. There are 198 families of angiosperms, 33 of ferns, three of lycophytes and six of gymnosperms. All collections of the Floristic and Forest Inventory of Santa Catarina project are recorded in FURB, which represents almost 35,000 herbarium specimens. The families with the largest number of species are: Cyperaceae (109 species), Rubiaceae (129), Solanaceae (131), Poaceae (155), Melastomataceae (157), Myrtaceae (257), Orchidaceae (288), Fabaceae (323), and Asteraceae (426), between angiosperms. Among the ferns and lycophytes are: Hymenophyllaceae (30), Thelypteridaceae (31), Aspleniaceae (32), Dryopteridaceae (43), Pteridaceae (54) and Polypodiaceae (60). There are five type specimens among them: one holotype, one isotype and three paratypes. To date, the FURB herbarium has donated 19,521 herbarium duplicates for identification or expansion of other herbaria.