A influência do efeito de borda e fragmentação na comunidade de plantas no Parque Ambiental de Belém: Subsídios para a conservação da biodiversidade

Abstract

Forest fragmentation in tropical regions results in a variety of physical and biological effects, and this fragmentation appears to increase the vulnerability of vegetation to extrinsic changes that influence the distribution of plant species. This work aims to determine the variation in richness, diversity, structure and dynamics of the plant community in forest fragments in the Belém Environmental Park. Forest fragments were sampled in plots located at the edge and inside the forest. There was a significant difference in the density of trees, dead trunks, vines, dead trees and saplings, which were higher at the forest edge than inside the fragments. The density of seedlings at the forest edge is significantly lower than in the interior, while the density of saplings and damaged trees in the edge samples was not significantly different from the samples obtained in the forest interior. To date, the results of this study corroborate most studies conducted in tropical regions that report the large magnitude of the edge effect in forest fragments in the tropical region. This implies that urban fragments should be monitored so that the edge effect does not compromise their conservation function.