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The campo rupestre sensu lato is a vegetation type that occurs in South American mountains, supports a distinctive flora characterized by high rates of endemism, high herbaceous species richness and often-neglected but also species-rich of the arboreal stratum. We aimed to investigate how environmental factors and elevation are associated with the distribution and diversity of woody species in different rupestrian vegetation types across South America. Using a database of 2,049 woody species from 185 sites across four vegetation types within the campo rupestre, we assessed how the vegetation types were grouped according to their floristic composition and number of shared indicator species, as well as by using different beta diversity indices. The most important variables from a set of 27 variables (e.g. altitude, geo-edaphic and climatic) explaining species distribution were identified using redundancy analysis (RDA) and variation partitioning methods. The distribution of vegetation types was related to both environmental and spatial fractions, with a set of 17 variables retained (e.g. rockiness, grass cover and temperature seasonality as the most important variables). There was an association between the floristic composition of each vegetation type and the elevation range. Although the identified vegetation types are floristically related, they are distinguished by exclusive and habitat-specialist woody species. This uniqueness of vegetation types should be considered in terms of complementarity for the conservation of campos rupestres.

AimWe used a phylogenetic approach to group assemblages of woody plant into major vegetation units in the Atlantic Forest, thus for the first time incorporating information on species evolutionary relationships into a bioregionalization of this critical hotspot. A phylogenetic regionalization will provide a spatially explicit framework for answering many basic and applied questions in biogeography, ecology and conservation.LocationAtlantic Forest.TaxonAngiospermsMethodsOur data set comprises 614 genera and 116 families, spread over 1,755 assemblages. To place assemblages in a multivariate evolutionary composition space, we used a phylogenetically informed ordination analysis, and to determine what the main phylogenetic groups of assemblages were, we used K‐means clustering based on phylogenetic dissimilarity of assemblages. To quantify how well environmental variables distinguish the phylogenetic groups found, we implemented classification tree approaches. Then, to explore the evolutionary turnover between the phylogenetic groups, we calculated phylogenetic beta diversity. Finally, we determined the lineages that are most strongly associated with individual phylogenetic groups using an indicator analysis for lineages.ResultsOur analyses suggest that there are seven principal groups, in terms of evolutionary lineage composition, in the Atlantic Forest. The greatest turnover of phylogenetic lineage composition separates tropical evergreen rain forest and semideciduous assemblages from subtropical and highland assemblages. The mixed subtropical forest showed the lowest phylogenetic compositional similarity values with other groups. Tropical rain forest had the highest number of significant indicator lineages, and the highest values of the indicator statistic for lineages.Main conclusionsWe found that the most pronounced evolutionary division separates southern and highland tree assemblages from those occurring under more tropical climates and at lower elevations. Our phylogenetic analyses point to an environmentally driven compositional division, likely based on the regular occurrence of freezing versus non‐freezing temperatures. Precipitation and edaphic regimes that assemblages experience had less definitive effects on their evolutionary lineage composition.

Studying community phylogenies along elevation gradients can inform us about the influences of environmental conditions on the structuring communities, and therefore allow predictions on how future environmental changes may affect them. The aim of the work was to evaluate the processes that govern tree communities along an altitudinal gradient in an upper montane Atlantic Forest in the Mantiqueira Range, southeastern Brazil. To do so, we analyzed the phylogenetic structure of angiosperm tree communities in four elevations (ranging from 1500 to 2100 m) and verified if it varies significantly with altitude. We also analyzed the phylogenetic beta diversity among local angiosperm tree communities along the altitudinal gradient. Further, we evaluated the soil and temperature influences over these communities. The results showed tendency of increasing phylogenetic clustering with the elevation. We also verified that the phylogenetic lineages of the tree communities are replaced along the altitudinal gradient influenced by changes in temperature and soil, indicating phylogenetic niche conservatism. This suggest that these communities could move to higher altitudes in a global warming scenario, and that would change their species composition and abundance due to changes in soil along the altitudinal gradient. Thus, the highest areas would be threatened as they would not have higher altitude locations to migrate to. In addition, phylogenetic lineages which only occur, or occur in their large majority, at highest altitudes (i.e., Cunoniaceae and Winteraceae) would be locally extinct by the current (or future) climatic scenario.

Our work aimed to test the hypothesis that soil microscale heterogeneity act as a community ecological driver, increasing diversity and promoting structural shifts on the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) tree community. We evaluated the relationship between microscale edaphic variations and floristic–structural patterns of tree communities in a SDTF fragment located in the southern end of the Brazilian Caatinga domain. Vegetation and soil data were obtained through 27 sample units of 400 m2 (20 m × 20 m), within each one we measured and identified at species level all arboreal individuals with Circumference at the Breast Height greater or equal to 10 cm, and also collected the soil samples. Through the data we evaluated soil variation influence on the tree community structural and floristic patterns trough generalized linear models. Soil explained the small-scale structural and floristic variations, contributing significantly to biomass, sprouting and to floristic relationships between sample units. It was also observed a possible relation of the result with the Caatinga domain biogeographic history, due the presence of Sedimentary Caatinga species, which are not expected for the study region. Soil plays an important role in driving small-scale complexity and diversity of SDTF, but we also suggest that Caatinga biogeographic events have influence on the high heterogeneity patterns.

The Atlantic Forest in Brazil is a biodiversity hotspot, yet its diverse ecosystems and species are becoming increasingly threatened by habitat loss and extreme habitat fragmentation. Most habitat patches of Atlantic Forest are dispersed across agricultural landscapes (e.g., grazing and cropping) in relatively small and isolated fragments (80% < 50 ha). Forest fragments < 1 ha, scattered trees in pastures, tree lines on trenches and fences, and remnant riparian forest, collectively called here Small Landscape Elements (SLEs), are very common in this context. While these SLEs make up much of the Atlantic Forests footprint, very little is known about their role or impact on the persistence and conservation of species. In this study, we investigate the role of SLEs on landscape configuration, particularly their contribution toward landscape connectivity of individual species and the genetic flow of species between larger forest fragments. We randomly selected 20 buffers of 707 hectares within a 411,670 hectare area of the Atlantic Forest that was completely covered by forest in the past located in the south of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The forest cover randomly varied between these buffers. We used graph theory to measure landscape connectivity as the probability of connectivity for different disperser movement types between landscape knots (habitat patches). We used three estimated dispersal distances in the models: pollen disperser insect (50 m), low-mobility seed disperser bird (100 m) and high-mobility seed disperser bird (760 m). The SLEs together increased the probability of connection by roughly 50%, for all model dispersers, if compared to a theoretical baseline landscape containing no SLEs. Of all SLEs, riparian forests contribute the most toward enhancing landscape connectivity. In these highly fragmented landscapes, such as the Atlantic Forest (>70%), the position of SLEs within the landscapes was more important than their respective areas for connectivity. Although the landscapes were deeply fragmented, we showed that the presence of SLEs can increase connectivity and reduce further biodiversity loss in the Atlantic Forest.

The campo rupestre sensu lato is among the most species-rich vegetation in the world, harbouring a high proportion of endemic species. We aimed to identify the processes that could generate a high level of phylogenetic diversity (PD) in campo rupestre for woody species and point out biodiversity hotspot areas which may provide additional information for conservation planning. We compiled a database of 2049 woody species from 185 community inventories. We calculated the evolutionary history using species richness (SR), PD, mean pairwise phylogenetic distance between species (MPD), the mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD) and their equivalents standardised (ses.PDss, ses.MPD, ses.MNTD), evolutionary distinctiveness (ED), and biogeographically weighted evolutionary distinctiveness (BED). Cloud dwarf-forests had the highest SR, PD, MPD and ses.MPD and lowest MNTD, while rupestrian cerrado presented the highest ses.PD and ses.MNTD. All areas are important for conservation, but the intersections between the hotspots should receive special attention in future conservation actions. The grids identified as hotspots by three or more metrics were localized mainly in Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais State and a further expansion of protected areas is required. Moreover, the intersections between the hotspots obtained by mean ED and ses.PD are concentrated in the rocky dwarf forest and rupestrian cerrado, with considerable conservation gaps. The degree of protection of campo rupestre was low with unprotected areas comprising 56% of the species. Our results show an urgent need for increasing protected areas of campo rupestre in order to avoid the loss of valuable, endemic species with unique evolutionary history.

The Paraguayan territory and region, in the centre of South America, is a huge transition area with a succession of various vegetation types. However, this area has received little attention from researchers, with few works published on its flora and its delimitations. We aimed to identify the most important environmental driving forces and delimit floristic patterns in this region, since understanding the forces that drive floristic variations in this ecotonal region could help comprehend the distribution of vegetation not only in this region but throughout South America. We obtained 1234 tree species occurrence records, 205 geographic coordinates and 23 environmental variables and altitude from the ‘NeoTropTree’ database and verified the influence and contribution of environmental factors through variance partition. We tested the floristic consistency of the different vegetation types using dendrogram, indicator species and ordination analyses. We also constructed multiple linear models to check the correlation between species distribution and environmental variables. We found eight consistent vegetation types. The spatial variables coupled with environmental variables were more important than individual environmental or spatial variables. Among the environmental variables, the aridity index was the most important. Despite the importance of spatial factors, due to environmental heterogeneity, we found a gradient related to climate and edaphic variables related to tree flora. The results confirm that the Paraguayan territory and region can be considered to be a diversified and important ecotone area in South America with respect to tree flora.

Understanding the phylogenetic structure provides evidence about the importance of the different processes that shape an ecological community. We addressed the following questions: i) What is the intensity of the role of the phylogenetic component on variations in the tree species composition in a large biogeographic transition zone in the Neotropics? ii) Have forest and savanna habitats similar answers to the above questions? We built an ultrametric phylogenetic tree for 2475 tree species and obtained eigenvectors for each site using the PCPS method (Principal Coordinates of Phylogenetic Structure). We used a variation partitioning framework coupled with Moran’s Spectral Randomization with three explanatory tables - a novel methodological approach - from canonical models expecting that the phylogenetic component would better explain the floristic variation than spatial and environmental components. The model containing the selected phylogenetic, spatial and environmental predictors explained 18.98 % of the floristic variation; the explanation provided by the phylogenetic component, after partitioning out the influence of spatial and environmental factors, accounted for 17.61 % of the total variation. The predominance of phylogenetic component was also found at other spatial levels (habitats and vegetation types). Variations in species composition in tree communities are thus strongly influenced by phylogenetic structure, and this pattern is consistent for both savanna and forest habitats. We confirmed that evolutive relationships are a synthetic indicator that can be correlated with patterns of floristic variation. This approach is unprecedented for tropical communities and brings promising contributions not only to understanding beta diversity in biogeographic transitions, but to the most varied ecological groups.

This study aimed to document variation in the composition and structure of regenerating woody vegetation along an altitudinal gradient of a rupestrian grassland and to describe the relationship between species and characteristics of the soil. All woody plants with a diameter at ground height of ≤1 cm were collected in seven sampling sites at altitudes between 800 and 1400 m in Serra do Cipo (Minas Gerais State, Brazil). Phytosociological parameters and the Shannon diversity index were calculated and compared using Hutcheson’s t test. Floristic composition was evaluated by nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination with analysis of variance as a confirmatory analysis, in which the response variables were the axis of the NMDS. Correlation between soil characteristics and vegetation patterns was evaluated with multiple regression models and canonical redundancy analysis. For all analyses, we performed analysis of variation partitioning to decompose the explanation of spatial, soil, and altitudinal variation. A total of 809 individuals of 127 species belonging to 26 families were sampled. Species richness and structure varied among altitudes. Species diversity followed an altitudinal pattern and was higher at lower altitudes. Some soil variables, such as remaining phosphorus, base saturation, and structural components, were more strongly correlated with species distribution than the others. Although variation in altitude leads to changes in the composition of the regenerating woody species, variation in plant communities was determined by a combination of environmental factors, of which soil properties played an important role.

Studies that provide support for the conservation of transitions between biogeographic regions should be encouraged, given the ecological and evolutionary specificities of these environments. Investigations on evolutionary history may, for example, influence the prioritization of areas for biological conservation, as they enable a better understanding of the processes that shape communities in space and time. We used the occurrence data of tree species available for 87 sites of the Cerrado-Amazon Transition from the NeoTropTree database, together with 73 environmental variables, and investigated the phylogenetic structure (overdispersed, clustered, or randomly distributed communities) and diversity in this region. We evaluated the relationship between phylogenetic metrics and environmental variables using generalized least squares models. Our results demonstrated a predominant pattern of phylogenetic overdispersion, as well as high phylogenetic diversity. Phylogenetic metrics were strongly influenced by bioclimatic variables. Our study demonstrates that the Cerrado-Amazon Transition plays a fundamental role in the conservation of the regional flora both in terms of phylogenetic structure and diversity, but the protected areas in this region harbor only a restricted portion of this high diversity. These results not only confirm that transitional environments are areas of high biological diversity, but, unprecedentedly, this observation occurs from phylogenetic analyses of communities and to a biogeographic region so widely distributed and highly impacted by anthropogenic actions. Such findings point to the urgent need to take varied dimensions of biodiversity in establishing new areas of environmental protection in transition zones into account.

In South America the biogeographic history has produced different biomes with different vegetation types and distinct floras. As these vegetation types may diverge in evolutionary histories, we analysed how alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity vary across them and determine the main drivers of variation in phylogenetic diversity. To this end, we compiled a list of 205 sites and 1222 tree species spread over four biomes and eight vegetation types in central South America. For each site we evaluated six measures of evolutionary alpha diversity (species richness, phylogenetic diversity sensu stricto and the standardized effect size of phylogenetic diversity, mean phylogenetic distance and mean nearest taxon distance) and beta diversity (phylogenetic Sorensen's similarity). We checked the influence of spatial and environmental variables using generalized least squares models. The greatest phylogenetic differentiation was found between west and east of central South America, mainly between the Chaco communities and the other vegetation types, suggesting that species found in this biome come from different lineages, comparing with the others vegetation types. Our results also showed a clustered phylogenetic structure for the Dry Chaco woodlands, which may be associated with harsh environmental conditions. In addition to historical process, climatic conditions are the main drivers shaping phylogenetic patterns among the distinct vegetation types. Understanding patterns of phylogenetic diversity and distribution can greatly improve conservation planning and management since it allows the conservation of unique biome characteristics.

The southern portion of South America, which encompasses high and exceptional lineage diversity, is well-suited to studies addressing the interaction between biogeography and local environmental conditions and how this historical process and environmental variables affect distribution patterns. We here assessed the role of environmental variables and spatially autocorrelated processes in driving tree species distribution patterns in the whole southern South America forests. We compiled a dataset containing 110,087 occurrence records of 3183 species distributed into 742 sites across six countries and 13 biomes. We modeled the influence of both environmental and spatial variables related to geographic distribution limitations on the variations of species composition through partial canonical redundancy analysis. We built such models for each of our four datasets: the whole extratropical area of South America; Atlantic and Pampa Biomes; dry communities east of the Andes; and communities west of the Andes. Both spatial and environmental variables affect tree species composition in the southern region of South America, although a major role is played by the “pure” spatial fraction. This greatest significance of spatial structures reinforces the importance of historical process for this region and the floristic dissociation existing between the tropical and extratropical portion of South America. We argue that the southern South American forests (especially their temperate portion) should not be lumped into the Neotropical Floristic Province, an idea of utmost importance for the conservation of these high-diversity austral forests.

The biogeographic history of southern South America has led to a markedly distinct flora within the frame of the Neotropics, which is also particularly heterogeneous in terms of its eco-geographic distribution. This environmental complexity is at the base of the many and controversial classification systems that have been proposed for the vegetation of the so-called Cono Sur region (Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Brazil and Bolivia). In this study, we aimed to assess the floristic consistency of the main vegetation types that inhabit the region. Our dataset consisted of 116,130 occurrence records of 3662 species of shrubs and trees in 781 sampling sites spread over six countries and eight phytogeographic domains: Atlantic Forest, Pampa, Gran Chaco, Patagonia, Southern Andean, Mediterranean Chile, Temperate Pacific, and Pacific Islands. We performed a cluster analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination analysis of this dataset followed by multi-response permutation procedures and permutational multivariate analysis of variance and taxonomic distinction index and indicator species. The greater differentiation took place among the phytogeographic domains and leaf flush regimes (evergreen, deciduous, and semideciduous) though there was also a remarkable latitudinal gradient. Our analyses showed that the pre-defined vegetation types were consistent in terms of woody flora composition and have a considerable number of indicators, many of which endemic. In terms of conservation prioritization, Atlantic Rain Forest therefore has importance because of its high species richness while temperate and mediterranean forests west of the Andes should not be ignored given that they show much higher endemism than would be expected given their species richness.

Altitude is one of the major environmental variables influencing the distribution of tree taxa around the world, and can be a useful parameter for the development of conservation strategies. Our objectives were to obtain an overview of the conservation status of taxa from the Atlantic semideciduous seasonal forests of southeastern Brazil and check, among the floristically consistent altitudinal zones, which had the largest number of endemic, threatened and indicator species. To accomplish this, we used species occurrence and geo-climatic data from the ‘NeoTropTree’ database. First, we checked which zones were floristically consistent using an ordination method (non-metric multidimensional scaling, NMS) followed by an analysis of variance. Then, we conducted an indicator species analysis, estimated species richness, calculated the taxonomic distinctness index for all zones and evaluated important aspects for conservation, such as endemism and threat of extinction. Taxa richness, and number of endemic and threatened species decreased with increasing altitude, while the amount of indicator species for each zone increased with altitudinal elevation. These variations related to the altitudinal gradient should be considered when developing conservation strategies. We also should prioritise the conservation of the entire gradient and, whenever possible, include endemic and endangered species in forest recovery programs.

The use of well-sampled regions and insightful environmental gradients can provide important theoretical knowledge for understanding the drivers of tropical forest patterns and processes, which are necessary for biological conservation. We investigated the variation in tree species composition across a vegetation gradient in the Subtropical Atlantic Forest, as well as various predictors that could impact such patterns. The exploratory and confirmatory analyses included 178 sampling units distributed among 13 different forest types containing binary occurrence records for 935 species from 25,546 trees. Confirmatory analyses were conducted considering spatial autocorrelation, a well-known factor responsible for type I error inflations. The floristic heterogeneity of the study area was revealed by clear patterns of floristic differentiation between vegetation types, as well as by the significant improvements in local models (GWR—geographically weighted regressions) over global models (OLS—ordinary least squares). We found that the observed floristic variation has most likely been driven by humidity from the Atlantic Ocean, low temperature extremes and geographic distance. The latter was revealed by the high contribution of spatial components to the partial models. These results from a shrinking biological hotspot, particularly those concerning the importance of temperature extremes, represent crucial data for identifying conservation priorities, especially considering the seriousness of the temperature shifts predicted by global climate change scenarios.

AimWe aimed to assess the contribution of marginal habitats to the tree species richness of the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest) biodiversity hotspot. In addition, we aimed to determine which environmental factors drive the occurrence and distribution of these marginal habitats.LocationThe whole extension of the South American Atlantic Forest Domain plus forest intrusions into the neighbouring Cerrado and Pampa Domains, which comprises rain forests (“core” habitat) and five marginal habitats, namely high elevation forests, rock outcrop dwarf-forests, riverine forests, semi deciduous forests and restinga (coastal white-sand woodlands).MethodsWe compiled a dataset containing 366,875 occurrence records of 4,431 tree species from 1,753 site-checklists, which were a priori classified into 10 main vegetation types. We then performed ordination analyses of the species-by-site matrix to assess the floristic consistency of this classification. In order to assess the relative contribution of environmental predictors to the community turnover, we produced models using 26 climate and substrate-related variables as environmental predictors.ResultsOrdination diagrams supported the floristic segregation of vegetation types, with those considered as marginal habitats placed at the extremes of ordination axes. These marginal habitats are associated with the harshest extremes of five limiting factors: temperature seasonality (high elevation and subtropical riverine forests), flammability (rock outcrop dwarf-forests), high salinity (restinga), water deficit severity (semi deciduous forests) and waterlogged soils (tropical riverine forests). Importantly, 45% of all species endemic to the Atlantic Domain only occur in marginal habitats.Main conclusionsOur results showed the key role of the poorly protected marginal habitats in contributing to the high species richness of the Atlantic Domain. Various types of environmental harshness operate as environmental filters determining the distribution of the Atlantic Domain habitats. Our findings also stressed the importance of fire, a previously neglected environmental factor.

The Atlantic Forest encompasses a high level of biodiversity, endemism and degradation; hence, it is a biome of particular interest for biological conservation. We aimed to investigate the actual geographic distribution of tree species and, among the indicator species of each vegetation type, the conservation status and potential distribution of each species along a vegetation gradient of the Subtropical Atlantic Forest. We analysed the species’ relative constancy to determine their actual distribution, obtained 21 indicator species of the different vegetation types and modelled their potential distribution using the maximum entropy algorithm. The potential distribution models were pooled to yield a single map, which was used to predict the distribution of climatic suitability for these species in South America. Our results showed that the actual geographic distribution is restricted for most species (~72 %). Araucaria angustifolia and Euterpe edulis were categorized as threatened species. The sum of the indicator-species maps showed reduced climatic suitability across most of South America. The southern region of Brazil and the southeastern Brazilian highlands, as well as a few areas of seasonal forests on higher elevations of the Bolivian Chiquitania and Andean Piedmont, exhibited the best climatic suitability. Elevation was the most important variable in our models. Given the concerning level of forest degradation and the presence of endangered and geographic restricted species, our results are a relevant contribution to biodiversity conservation in the Subtropical Atlantic Forest areas, highlighting their floristic and environmental uniqueness and, therefore, the urgent necessity of preserving their biological heritage.

RESUMO O estado de Minas Gerais vem sofrendo com a exploração de minério desde o começo da colonização no Brasil. Apesar disso, ainda hoje é o estado que mais possui reservas minerais, o que gera um embate entre produção mineral e conservação ambiental, uma vez que a extração do minério gera desmatamento e outros impactos ambientais. O objetivo desse trabalho foi obter um panorama sobre a expansão da mineração e os impactos resultantes dessa atividade ao longo dos anos no estado. Os resultados mostraram que nas últimas décadas houve um grande aumento da expansão de minas no estado, bem como impactos ambientais e de saúde pública nas cidades que abrigam minerações mais antigas. Assim, conclui-se que por ser uma fonte de economia importante para o Brasil, é preciso rever a política ambiental das grandes minerações, bem como aumentar a fiscalização por parte dos órgãos públicos para que possamos assegurar as fontes de minério, bem como qualidade ambiental para as futuras gerações.

A utilizacao de trilhas e um dos principais objetivos dos visitantes das Unidades de Conservacao, e vem se tornando cada vez mais constante. Porem, essa procura pode causar diversos impactos a essas areas protegida. O presente trabalho visou levantar os principais pontos positivos e negativos do uso das trilhas na Unidades de Conservacao do Brasil atraves de uma revisao da literatura existente. Foi encontrado diversos impactos causados aos fatores bioticos e abioticos, como alteracoes no solo, luz e temperatura, relacionados a abertura ou uso das trilhas, o que pode provocar alteracoes a biodiversidade local, alem de prejudicar os servicos ecossistemicos gerados por essas areas. No entanto, o uso de ferramentas de Educacao Ambiental, o planejamento da manutencao e a fiscalizacao por parte do gestor da Unidade de Conservacao pode minimizar esses impactos e assim gerar beneficios para a populacao local e para os visitantes no geral, atraves do aprendizado de praticas conservacionistas. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Ecoturismo. Educacao Ambiental. Uso Publico de Unidades Conservacao THE CHALLENGES OF THE TRACKS OF USE IN STORAGE UNITS ABSTRACT The use of trails is one of the main objectives of the visitors of the protected areas, and is becoming more and more constant. However, this demand can cause several impacts to these protected areas. This paper examines the main strengths and weaknesses of the use of trails in Brazil's protected areas through a literature review. It was found several impacts to biotic and abiotic factors, such as changes in the soil, light and temperature, related to opening or use of trails, which can cause local biodiversity changes, in addition to affecting the ecosystem services generated by these areas. However, the use of environmental education tools, maintenance planning and review by the Conservation Unit manager can minimize these impacts and generate benefits for local people and visitors in general, through learning practices conservationists. KEYWORDS: Ecotourism. Environmental Education. Public Conservation Units Use LOS RETOS DE LAS PISTAS DE USO EN UNIDADES DE ALMACENAMIENTO RESUMEN El uso de los senderos es uno de los principales objetivos de los visitantes de las areas protegidas, y se esta convirtiendo cada vez mas constante. Sin embargo, esta demanda puede causar varios impactos en estas areas protegidas. Este documento examina las principales fortalezas y debilidades de la utilizacion de senderos en las areas protegidas de Brasil a traves de una revision de la literatura. Se encontro varios impactos a factores bioticos y abioticos, tales como cambios en el suelo, la luz y la temperatura, relacionados con la apertura o el uso de senderos, que pueden causar cambios locales de la biodiversidad, ademas de afectar a los servicios de los ecosistemas generados por estas areas. Sin embargo, el uso de herramientas de educacion ambiental, la planificacion de mantenimiento y revision por parte del responsable de la Unidad de Conservacion puede minimizar estos impactos y generar beneficios para la poblacion local y visitantes en general, a traves de practicas de aprendizaje conservacionistas. PALABRAS CLAVE: Ecoturismo. Educacion Ambiental. Unidades de Conservacion de Uso Publico

Palavras-chave Variaveis ambientais, Flora ameacada de extincao, distribuicao de especies

(Trails and their ecological role: what have we learned and what are the prospects for restoration of ecosystems?). We aimed at reviewing the ecological role of the trails and inserting this theme into restoration ecology projects. For a comprehensive understanding of this ecological role, we addressed the applicability of trails to Environmental Education (EE) projects and their impacts on vegetation. We showed that trails are suitable places to practice EE programs. On the other hand, we point out a number of potential concerns arising from the use and opening of trails as, for example, soil compaction and changes in the composition, structure, and diversity of adjacent vegetation. Hence, we indicate that trails can be addressed in restoration projects of ecosystems. We conclude by suggesting some questions that can guide future works on trails and vegetation, including their connections with restoration ecology.Keywords: Environmental Education, forest fragmentation, human impacts, soil compaction, species diversityRESUMO - (Trilhas e seu papel ecologico: o que temos aprendido e quais as perspectivas para a restauracao de ecossistemas?). Nosso objetivo foi revisar o papel ecologico das trilhas e inserir essa tematica nos projetos de restauracao ecologica. Para uma compreensao abrangente desse papel ecologico, abordamos tanto as possiveis aplicacoes das trilhas para projetos de Educacao Ambiental (EA) quanto seus impactos sobre a vegetacao. Mostramos que as trilhas ecologicas constituem espacos adequados para a pratica de programas de EA. Por outro lado, apontamos uma serie de potenciais problemas advindos da abertura e utilizacao de trilhas, como, por exemplo, compactacao do solo e alteracoes na composicao, estrutura e diversidade da vegetacao adjacente, para entao indicarmos que e possivel abordar as trilhas nos projetos de restauracao de ecossistemas. Concluimos sugerindo algumas perguntas que poderao nortear os futuros trabalhos sobre trilhas e vegetacao, incluindo suas conexoes com a restauracao ecologica.Palavras-chave: compactacao do solo, diversidade de especies, Educacao Ambiental, fragmentacao florestal, impactos antropicos

Nesta dissertação realizamos uma análise quantitativa da distribuição geográfica das espécies arbóreas do estado de Santa Catarina de forma a investigar suas ocorrências e pontos de riqueza no estado, examinando os fatores bióticos e geográficos que podem influenciar nessa distribuição, bem como as áreas mais importantes para conservação. Noprimeiro capítulo, Esforço amostral e riqueza de espécies das angiospermas e gimnospermas arbóreas de Santa Catarina, Brasil, avaliamos as áreas de maior riqueza no estado de Santa Catarina, e a suficiência amostral desse estado. Utilizamos o estimador Chao 2.No segundo capítulo,Variáveis climáticas e espaciais predizem a distribuição de espécies arbóreas em um gradiente fisionômico na Floresta Atlântica sul, Brasil?,o principal objetivo foi investigar a variação na composição da flora arbórea correlacionada com 28 variáveis ambientais e geográficas na Floresta Atlântica Subtropical catarinense. Efetuamos análises de agrupamento, ordenação, regressão e partição de variância. O terceiro capítulo,Distribuição geográfica de espécies arbóreas em trecho da Mata Atlântica Sul, Brasil: restrição por fatores abióticos e consequências para a conservação da biodiversidade, investigamos a distribuição real e potencial das espécies arbóreas do estado de Santa Catarina e sua possível área de distribuição na América do Sul. Realizamos análises de espécies indicadoras e modelos de distribuição potencial usando o algoritmo Maxent. Nossos resultados evidenciaram a elevada heterogeneidade ambiental encontrada no estado de Santa Catarina e a importância das variáveis de temperatura e altitude nos padrões florísticos das espécies arbóreas do estado. A maioria das espéciesapresenta distribuição restrita e reduzida adequabilidade climática para maior parte da América do Sul. Muitas das espécies estudadas são adaptadas a condições ambientais específicas, ressaltando a necessidade de se preservar essa região. A Floresta Pluvial Perenifólia foi a mais rica em espécies. Porém,as ecounidades menos amostradas, como, por exemplo, as Nanoflorestas Costeira e Nebular necessitam de novos esforços amostrais. Assim, a presente Dissertação gerou informações essenciais para o conhecimento sobre a distribuição de espécies ao longo de um gradiente fitofisionômico da Floresta Atlântica Subtropical, as quais podem ser utilizadas no direcionamento de futuras pesquisas e de esforços voltados à conservação da biodiversidade nessa região.