Abstract

LEITE, Samuel Jorge  and  SANTOS LOPES, Frederico. Local abundance and regional distribution of tree species of forest fragments in Brazil: A test of models. Rev. biol. trop [online]. 2001, vol.49, n.2, pp.489-500. ISSN 0034-7744.

Patterns of local abundance and regional distribution of tree species were analyzed on three spatial scales and compared with those predicted by Hanski's 1982 original core-satellite model, Brown's 1984 nichebased model, and Tokeshi's 1992 model. Data were collected in seven forest fragments dispersed over approximately 7200 km², remnants of a former continuous forest in the south of Mato Grosso do Sul state, southwestern Brazil. Fifty-six east-west-oriented 10 m ¥ 150 m plots were randomly demarcated in those fragments from 1994 to 1996. In each plot all trees having DBH > 0.15 m were recorded and measured. The smallest scale was that of the fragments themselves and the greatest was that of the entire region. No evidence was found of the bimodality predicted by Hanski's 1982 model on any scale. On all scales, an unimodal pattern was found whose mode was on the left side (satellite mode) of the distribution. This pattern was in best agreement with the predictions of Tokeshi's 1992 model.

Keywords : Abundance; biogeography; core-satellite hypothesis; spatial distribution.