Phytosociological study in a forest fragment in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul state

For the current study, 10 plots measuring 20x50 meters were created in the city of Frederico Westphalen, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. All plants within these plots with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of = 5 cm were identified, resulting in a total of 1,461 plants per hectare. The floristic composition revealed 79 species belonging to 31 families and 69 genera. The Fabaceae was the richest family in this study, having 14 species. Other families which presented a great number of species were the Myrtaceae (8), Meliaceae (6), Euphorbiaceae (5), Sapindaceae (5), Rutaceae (4) and Salicaceae (4). The species with the greatest importance values (IV) were the Gymnanthes concolor

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, Nectandra megapotamica

, Trichilia claussenii

and Chrysophyllum marginatum

. The Shannon Diversity index and the Pielou Equability index were 3.49 nats. ind.^-1 and 0.79, respectively. A Twinspan classification analysis indicated three floristic subgroups in the forest patch. From these three groups, one was physionomically distinct because of its lower canopy and the predominance of tree fern species. The other two ones were characterized by tree species such as the Trichilia claussenii and Gymnanthes concolor, which are responsible for the large physiognomic group that characterized advanced secondary succession forests.