Structure in a Deciduous Forest fragment in the High Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize the structure of a Deciduous Forest, located in the northern region of Rio Grande do Sul. Were demarcated five tracks of 10 x 100 m was raised all plants with diameter at breast height (DAP) ? 5 cm. In total up sampled 2.172 individuals belonging to 65 species and 21 families. The Fabaceae family had the highest richness, followed by Myrtaceae, Meliaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Lauraceae. The species with the highest importance value (IV) were Actinostemon concolor, Trichilia claussenii and Sorocea bonplandii. The Shannon diversity index and Pielou evenness were respectively 2.93 nats ind-1 and 0.70. The diameter distribution tended to negative exponential, which is characterized by having a higher concentration of individuals in the smaller diameter classes.