Resumo

BITTENCOURT, Shanna; CORTE, Ana Paula Dalla  e  SANQUETTA, Carlos R.. Structure of the Pteridophyta Community in a Mixed Araucaria Forest in Southern Paraná, Brazil. Silva Lus. [online]. 2004, vol.12, n.2, pp.243-254. ISSN 0870-6352.

A study was undertaken of the fern community within the remnants of a mixed Aurocarian forest at São João do Triunfo municipality, Paraná State, Brazil. Four sites were evaluated, where 64 sample plots of 2 m x 2 m were established to record the species occurence, their size, and habit - either terrestrial or epiphyte. The epiphyte species were also registered in terms of presence or absence in vertical strata of the phorophyts. A herbarium was prepared in order to identify the botanical material. In total, 810 individuals, belonging to six families and 12 genera were recoded in the study area. Most plants recorded showed terrestrial habit. Ferns tended to show greater density in sites disturbed by agriculture. No remarkable difference was noticed among sites in relation to species richness. Height distribution of the whole community was typically J-shaped, indicating that the forest floor is the preferable ecologial niche of ferns. The distribution of epiphyte species along the phorophyts' profile showed that most ferns prefer positions over 7 meters above ground. It was concluded that ferns density and richness are lower than those of the seedlings of flowering species. Three species categories were identified: the generalists, the specialists, and those without preference.

Palavras-chave : phytossociology; mixed-Araucaria forest; Pteridophyta; ferns; non-flowering plants.

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