Dynamics of natural regeneration in a remnant of araucaria forest

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the dynamics of vertical distribution of natural regeneration in a remnant Mixed Ombrophilous Forest. Two surveys were conducted for the study, in 2012 and subsequently in 2017, in a remnant forest area that has not been interfered for decades and is located in Santa Catarina (SC), Brazil. The experimental area comprised 20 circular plots of 2.5 m radius, where was it performed where the quantification of the regenerants, measurement of individual tree heights, and identification of the ecological group that each surveyed species belonged. We found natural regeneration in the remnant forest showed decreasing density values with the advancement of altimetric classes. In the survey carried out in 2012, the altimetric classes I, II and III recorded 48, 17 and 8 species, respectively. In the subsequent survey in 2017, the aforementioned classes recorded 60, 29 and 7 species, respectively. The distribution of regeneration guilds according to height classes revealed a predominance of individuals demanding light and a reduction in shade tolerants during the studied period. This result was probably influenced by specific disorders that occurred in the area during the study.