Topographical, soil and climatic influences in an Atlantic Forest remnant in Serra da Mantiqueira, Minas Gerais State

Abstract

Understanding the correlations among environmental variables and species distribution in a forest, including its dynamics and carbon storage, is one of the main goals in forest ecology. Therefore, the present study aimed to correlate aspects of vegetation to soil and climatic variables of a forest remnant in Bocaina de Minas, Serra da Mantiqueira, MG. Multivariate ordination techniques (PCA and CCA) and multiple regressions were used to represent these correlations. Altitude was highlighted as a synthetic environmental variable, comprising several gradients within the area (especially edaphic and conservation). This was the variable that best explained the distribution of species, forest dynamics and carbon stock in the area.