FLORISTIC AND STRUCTURE OF THE TREE COMPONENT OF AN ATLANTIC RAINFOREST IN SANTA CATARINA STATE, BRAZIL

To enlarge the knowledge of an Atlantic rainforest in Santa Catarina State, a floristic and phytosociological study of the tree component was carried out. In this study, the quadrant-point method (250 points) was used, including all the individuals with minimum DBH (diameter at breast height) of 5 cm. The floristic composition resulted in a total richness of 102 species. The tree total density was 2,034 individuals. ha(-1). The families with the highest number of species were Myrtaceae, Lauraceae, Fabaceae, and Annonaceae, and among species with highest importance value are Euterpe edulis Mart. and Ficus adathodifolia Schott ex Spreng. The tree species classification in ecological groups showed a slight predominance of the late secondary species (56%) over species of early succession, indicating that the vegetation is in the advanced stage of ecological succession. Zoochory was the most frequently observed syndrome (77%), followed by anemochory (15%). The results will contribute to further studies on remnant of Atlantic Rainforest in Santa Catarina State dynamic and to environmental management, preservation and recovery programs.