Padrões estruturais de florestas montanas sob influência de um empreendimento hidrelétrico no sul do Brasil

Abstract

Plant communities are affected by topography in different spatial scales, acting as an environmental filter to species distribution and abundance. This influence is prominent in montane ecosystems. In southern Brazil, steep slopes of the Pelotas river watershed has important montane forest remnants, despite the pressure exerted by anthropic historical logging, agriculture, forestry, and in recent decades, hydroelectric exploitation. The damming of rivers is one of the most prominent impacts on freshwater ecosystems, with impacts on the riparian vegetation. The hydroelectric reservoir construction in a montane river with narrow valleys like those of the Pelotas river watershed causes the artificial increase of river water level and the groundwater affecting the riparian vegetation located above the new level of rivers. So, are expected structural differences between slope forest bordering Barra Grande hydroelectric reservoir and control areas. This study was carried out in slope forests of the three tributaries of Pelotas river in Campo Belo do Sul, SC. Were installed 90 sample plots (0.9 ha) on slope forests bordering the reservoir and control areas. We sampled all trees and shrubs alive with DBH ≥ 5 cm. The sample design allowed us to compare topography, forest structure and species composition (separately) between rivers, and the effect of the dam treatment through univariate and multivariate analysis of variance. It was also used an indicator species analysis to determine indicator species to each slope. Species richness was compared using rarefaction curves based on the sample. In this study we used the concept of effective number of species (true diversity) to calculate trees diversity. We sampled 1233 trees of 87 species and 40 families. Statistical analysis revealed topographic heterogeneity among the slopes, which was reflected in forest structure and species composition. These differences were also observed in each of the rivers for the effect of the dam treatment. Richness and true diversity proved relatively homogeneous. Our results support the role of environmental heterogeneity on forest communities. The forest structure and species composition differences observed for the effect of the dam treatment suggest effects on vegetation. On the other hand, multiple factors may have causal relationships with these differences, and therefore further studies are needed.