Phytosociological evaluation of an urban forest fragment in a Cerrado - Amazon Forest transition

We aim to evaluate the floristic composition of an urban open ombrophilous forest fragment located in transition between Cerrado and Amazon Forest. The study was carried out in an urban open ombrophilous forest fragment located in the state of Maranhao, Northeast Brazil. Fourteen 10 x 50 m plots were established: seven edge plots and seven core plots. We surveyed 394 trees with diameter at breast height >= 10 cm, belonging to 55 species and 26 families. The most representative families were Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Malvaceae, Annonaceae, and Bignoniaceae. Attalea speciosa occurred in all plots. The cluster analysis suggesting a reasonable similarity between the edge and core plots. Our results show that the fragment contains a transitional plant community of the Cerrado and Amazon Forest. Our findings suggest the plant community is in early to intermediate successional stage.