Floristic evolution in an agroforestry system cultivation in Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT Bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella Bentham) is an important pioneer tree species in Ombrophylous Mixed Forest of Brazil and is widely used as an energy source. In traditional agroforestry systems, regeneration is induced by fire, then pure and dense stands known as bracatinga stands (bracatingais) are formed. In the first year, annual crops are intercalated with the seedlings. At that time the seedlings are thinned, then the stands remain at a fallow period and cut at seven years old. The species is very important mainly for small landowners. We studied the understory species that occur naturally during the succession over several years in order to manage them rationally in the future and maintain the natural vegetation over time. Three to 20 year-old Bracatinga stands were sampled between 1998 and 2011. All tree species with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm were measured.The floristic evolution was assessed with respect to Sociability Index, the Shannon Diversity Index and the Pielou Evenness Index. Graphs of rank/abundance over different age groups were evaluated using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. We identified 153 species dispersed throughout the understory and tend to become aggregated over time.

Upper Triassic Palaeobotany of Biobío river valley, Chile: Filicopsida Class.

The Upper Triassic (Carnian-Norian) Filicopsida fossils present in the marine and continental outcrops, informally nominated as Santa Juana formation in the Biobío Region of Chile (37ºS/73ºS), are described. The taphoflora includes ten species, out of which eight are first registers for this area: Gleichenites quilacoyensis Leppe and Moisan sp. nov., Asterotheca rigbyana rigbyana Herbst, Rienitsia colliveri Herbst, Dictyophyllum fuenzalidai Herbst, Dictyophyllum (Thaumatopteris) rothi Frenguelli, Chansitheca argentina Herbst, Cladophlebis kurtzi Frenguelli and Todites baldoni Herbst ; three are new records for the Chilean Upper Triassic: Rienitsia colliveri Herbst, Gleichenites quilacoyensis Leppe and Moisan sp. nov., and Chansitheca argentina Herbst. The fern species found represents an 18% of the total specific diversity of plants in the Upper Triassic rocks from Biobío and help to understand the complicate floristic evolution of the communities in Gondwana. The Triassic rocks from Biobío are situated in the context of the Southwestern Extratropical Gondwana. The assemblage was developed in a continental environment with strong marine influence, under a rainy seasonal weather and displays age affinities with the argentinian Florian stage (Norian-Rhaetian). On an evolutionary point of view, the paleoflora was involved into the long Triassic/Jurassic mass extinction process, that means the end of the 'Dicroidium Flora' and the start of several elements that will dominate during the Jurassic.