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Habitat fragmentation and the future structure of tree assemblages in a fragmented Atlantic forest landscape

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Abstract

The biodiversity value of human-modified landscapes has become a central question in the tropical forest conservation biology, yet the degree to which plant populations and communities are restructured in response to environmental change remains unclear. Here, we address tree species density in a fragmented Atlantic forest landscape to test the hypothesis that tree assemblages inhabiting edge-dominated forest habitats approach typical conditions of early successional systems. Seedlings and adults from 141 tree species were sampled across 39 0.1-ha plots: 19 in small fragments (<100 ha) and 20 in mature forest stands within the interior of the largest forest remnant of the study landscape (3500 ha). A total of 5448 seedlings and adults were recorded, with >55 % of all tree species exhibiting higher densities in small fragments than in mature forest, particularly pioneers (>60 % of all species). Seedlings and adults of these proliferating species differed from species exhibiting population declines in terms of wood density and seed size, respectively. Additionally, pioneers were more abundant than shade-tolerant species, as were hardwood species in the case of seedlings. Tree species showing highest population increases consisted largely of long-lived, light-demanding canopy species bearing soft or hardwood and small-to-medium-sized seeds. Tree assemblage structure also differed in terms of forest habitats with small forest fragments supporting few rare species, whereas the most rapidly proliferating species were much more widespread and abundant in fragments. However, 60 % of all adult pioneer species recorded in small fragments were not recorded as seedlings in this habitat type, although both seedling and adult assemblages were dominated by pioneer species. Edge-dominated tree assemblages are likely to experience long-term shifts toward greater dominance of long-lived, pioneer canopy species.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Alexandre Grillo (in memoriam), Marcondes Oliveira and Eleno José de Araújo (in memoriam) for plant identification and for making their adult tree database available to us. The Centro de Pesquisas Ambientais do Nordeste (CEPAN) and Usina Serra Grande provided infrastructure and logistic support. We also thank Conservation International—Brazil, Conselho Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (CNPq) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for research grant to MT, and Fundação de Amparo a Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco (FACEPE) for doctorate fellowship to EESS (process 0455-2.05/09). Finally, we thank CAPES for a doctorate “sandwich” scholarship to EESS (process 17547/12-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, S/N, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE, 50670-901, Brazil

    Edgar E. Santo-Silva & Marcelo Tabarelli

  2. Unidade Acadêmica de Serra Talhada, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Gregório Ferraz Nogueira, S/N, José Tomé de Souza Ramos, Serra Talhada, PE, 56909-535, Brazil

    Edgar E. Santo-Silva

  3. Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, 38400‐901, Brazil

    Wanessa R. Almeida

  4. School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR47TJ, UK

    Carlos A. Peres

Authors
  1. Edgar E. Santo-Silva
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  2. Wanessa R. Almeida
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  3. Marcelo Tabarelli
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  4. Carlos A. Peres
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Correspondence to Marcelo Tabarelli.

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Communicated by Philip Ladd.

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Santo-Silva, E.E., Almeida, W.R., Tabarelli, M. et al. Habitat fragmentation and the future structure of tree assemblages in a fragmented Atlantic forest landscape. Plant Ecol 217, 1129–1140 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-016-0638-1

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