Heterogeneity of fern communities in riparian forest remnants from the South Brazilian Campos (Pampa).

Heterogeneity of fern communities in riparian forest remnants from the South Brazilian Campos (Pampa). Braz J Biol. 2019 Dec 02;: Authors: Silva VL, Orlandi CR, Funck L, Winhelmann MC, Schmitt JL, Fior CS, Freitas EM Abstract Riparian forests present biotic and abiotic factors that influence environmental dissimilarity, which reflect specific fern distribution. The purpose of this this study was to evaluate the environmental heterogeneity associated to the terrestrial fern communities in riparian forest remnants in the grasslands southern half of Rio Grande do Sul state . We sampled ten 5×5 m plots in each site (AI, AII and AIII), totaling 30 plots. In each plot, fern species were inventoried and vegetative, microclimatic and edaphic parameters were collected. A total of 24 species were surveyed in the three riparian forest remnants, distributed in 19 genera and 10 families. The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) showed that plots of AI had the highest temperature and aluminum values, while humidity was the lowest, which was reflected in the decrease of ferns richness. Soil moisture and air humidity were variables more related to the plots of AII and AII, indicating that these plants were favored in these environments. The floristic identity characteristic of each site suggests that many species are dependent to certain local environmental conditions. In this sense, even in very geographically close sites, riparian remnants deserve...
Source: Braz J Biol - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: Braz J Biol Source Type: research