ENVIRONMENTAL HETEROGENETY AND FLORISTIC-STRUCTURAL VARIATION IN A ARAUCARIA FOREST FRAGMENT IN COXILHA RICA, SANTA CATARINA STATE

The present study aimed to verify the relationships between tree species organization and environmental variables in a fragment of Araucaria Forest. To do so, in the locality of Coxilha Rica, in the region called "Planalto Sul Catarinense" region, a total of 50 plots of 200 m(2) were allocated in a forest fragment, where all living trees with CAP (circumference at breast height, measured at 1.30 m above ground) greater than or equal to 15.7 cm were sampled, measured and identified. Environmental variables related to the terrain, canopy cover and soil chemical and physical properties were obtained for each plot. Phytosociological estimators were calculated and the plots ordinated in function of species abundance by NMDS analyze (Nonmetric multidimensional scalling). Then, the environmental variables were fitted to the produced ordination, being those significant variables (p <= 0.01) plotted as vectors. A total of 1,447 individuals, distributed in 69 species were sampled. Myrcia guianensis (Aubl.) DC. was the most relative important species (10.43% of IV). Drimys brasiliensis Miers stood out in steeper areas, with higher elevation and with less fertile soils, with greater values of OM, Al and Na. Sebastiania commersoniana (Baill.) LB Sm & Downs and others stood out in flat areas, with more fertile soils and low content of OM, Al and Na. We concluded that terrain and soil chemical properties represent an important source of floristic-structural heterogeneity in the study fragment.