Brazilian savanna re-establishment in a monoculture forest: diversity and environmental relations of native regenerating understory in Pinus caribaea Morelet. stands

In this paper we analyze and compare natural regeneration in shrub-tree community in three areas below Pinus caribaea stands and a natural area (cerrado sensu stricto). We also analyze the influence of biophysical and environmental variables on the distribution of regenerating shrub-tree species. The areas were analyzed and compared in relation to dispersal syndromes as well, being zoochory and anemochory the prevailing syndroms in the four areas. The sites below P. caribaea show a heterogeneous regeneration with the number of species ranging from 18 to 42. We analyzed the influence of the biophysical and environmental variables performing a canonical correspondence analyses, being found significant values for variables distance from remnant and basal area. The species Siparuna guianensis, Miconia albicans, Xylopia aromatica, Sclerolobium paniculatum, Casearia sylvestris and P. caribaea were the most importante ones in the four areas.