DIVERSITY AND PHYTOSOCIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF A TOPOGRAPHIC GRADIENT IN SEASONAL SEMIDECIDUAL FOREST OF MATA MUMBAÇA, MG

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the floristic diversity and phytossociological structure of trees in a topographic gradient of lower montane semideciduous forest (Mata do mumbaça), municipality of Dionísio-MG (19 º 48’S and 42 º 31’W). All woody individuals with diameter at breast height (1.3m) ≥ 10cm were measured on 1.2 ha distributed in 120 plots 10 × 10m in order to include four topographic units (Low Ramp, Lower Slope Upper Slope and top). It was sampled 2990 individuals with a total of 132 species belonging to 92 genera, represented in 38 families. The Upper Slope and the Top showed higher numbers of individuals, 870 and 822, respectively. The tracks with higher levels of basal area were Lower Slope 24, 60 m²/ha-1 and Top 19, 36 m²/ha-1. Only Casearia arborea and Anadenanthera peregrina were present among the ten most important species in the four tracks, but some species occupie prominent positions in the different areas studied as A. peregrina and Xylopia aromatica on Top, Myrcia fallax and Dalbergia nigra in the Upper Slope, Tapirira guianensis and Hortia arborea in Lower Slope and Apuleia leiocarpa and  Siparuna guianensis in Low Ramp.