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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

How much do we know about the endangered Atlantic Forest? Reviewing nearly 70 years of information on tree community surveys

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Author(s):
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de Lima, Renato A. F. [1] ; Mori, Danilo P. [1] ; Pitta, Gregory [1] ; Melito, Melina O. [1] ; Bello, Carolina [2] ; Magnago, Luiz F. [3] ; Zwiener, Victor P. [4] ; Saraiva, Daniel D. [5] ; Marques, Marcia C. M. [4] ; de Oliveira, Alexandre A. [1] ; Prado, Paulo I. [1]
Total Authors: 11
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
[3] Univ Fed Lavras UFLA, Dept Biol, Setor Ecol & Conservacao, BR-37200000 Lavras, MG - Brazil
[4] Univ Fed Parana UFPR, Dept Bot, Setor Ciencias Biol, BR-81531980 Curitiba, PR - Brazil
[5] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Inst Biociencias, Programa Posgrad Bot, BR-91501970 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: Biodiversity and Conservation; v. 24, n. 9, SI, p. 2135-2148, SEP 2015.
Web of Science Citations: 34
Abstract

The structure of the Atlantic Forest (AF) has been studied for almost 70 years. However, the related existing knowledge is spread over hundreds of documents, many of them unpublished and/or difficult to access. Synthesis initiatives are available, but they are restricted to only a few parts or types of the AF or are focused on species occurrence. Here, we conducted an extensive review to compile quantitative tree community surveys on all types of the AF until 2013 and to study where and how these surveys were conducted. We found 1157 relevant references, containing 2441 forest surveys published since 1945. These surveys corresponded to 2.24 million trees and 1817 ha of forests sampled. This total sampled area represents only 0.01 % of the AF remnants, showing how limited our knowledge is on AF structure. For Paraguay and the Brazilian states of Bahia and Mato Grosso do Sul this proportion was much smaller. The same was true for evergreen rainforests, Brejos de altitude and deciduous forests and most probably for the rare cloud, swamp, Caxetal and Mussununga forests for which no accurate remnant estimates were found. Since the 1980s, the amount of AF area sampled each year has increased continuously, but approximately 100 years will be necessary to sample at least 1 % of the AF. Thus, we urgently need an enormous amount of high-quality quantitative data to overcome our limited knowledge of the AF and to support conservation programs aiming to safeguard this threatened biodiversity hotspot. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/08722-5 - The role of functional diversity in structuring tropical tree communities: a model-based approach
Grantee:Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 13/22492-2 - Linking defaunation to carbon storage ecosystem services in Atlantic rainforests
Grantee:Laura Carolina Bello Lozano
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)