PHYTOSOCIOLOGY OF SEASONAL DECIDUOUS FOREST FRAGMENTS IN SANTA CATARINA STATE - BRAZIL

This study aimed to evaluate the species composition and structure of Seasonal Deciduous Forest in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, including the tree/shrub component and the natural regeneration. We also compared the floristic composition between the components and discussed about the conservation condition of forests. The study was based on sample plots established by the Floristic and Forest Inventory of Santa Catarina state. Tree/shrub component was sampled by 78 plots placed systematically with 4,000 m(2) of sample area each, were individuals with DBH (diameter at breast height) >= 10 cm was measured. Regeneration (DBH <10 cm and height >1.50 m) was sampled in subplots of 100 m(2) each. Structure and diversity of sample plots were analyzed in both components; species were classified by their ecologic group. To test the association between components was made a Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMSD) and Mantel test. We sampled 245 species, among them 215 in the tree/shrub component (79 of them exclusive), 165 species in the natural regeneration (30 exclusive ones) and 136 species common to the two components. The association between components was confirmed with NMSD and Mantel test (r = 0.34; p = 0.001). Species with major importance value were mostly early secondary species that emphasizes the consequences of long term exploitation and degradation of Seasonal Deciduous Forest in Santa Catarina.