ABSTRACT Backgrounds: Urban forests can provide citizens with various types and quantities of ecosystem services. However, the contribution of isolated forest fragments to this process and its value are not well understood. Therefore, our main goal was to analyze the patterns of ecosystem service delivery by three forest fragments along an urban-to-rural gradient. Carbon storage was estimated using three different models (general and local), with input variables such as diameter at breast height (DBH), total height, and wood density. Rainfall interception was assessed using water collectors placed inside the forest fragment, at the border, and outside, throughout the four seasons. Data were collected from three forest fragments of different types (urban, periurban, and rural), each covering an area of 1.0 hectare. Results: Isolated forest fragments did not significantly differ (p>0.01) in terms of carbon stocks compared to a protected area. The urban fragment had a carbon stock of 33.70 mg.ha-1, while the rural fragment had a carbon stock of 37.19 mg.ha-1. Regarding rainfall interception, there were no significant differences (p>0.01) among the forest fragments. The highest average rainfall interception percentage (58.65%) was observed during the summer. The capacity for rainfall interception changed from the border (lower) to the center of the fragment (higher) in a similar manner for both isolated and connected forest fragments. Conclusion: Isolated Forest fragments can provide ecosystem services (carbon storage and rainfall interception) in the same way as connected forest fragments in the periurban and rural places, like in protected areas. It highlights the importance of promoting the protection of forests fragments in cities.

RESUMO O entendimento dos fatores que determinam as distribuições geográficas de espécies arbóreas é um objetivo de grande importância na ecologia florestal. Por isso, neste trabalho investigamos os nichos ambientais para três espécies de Myrtaceae, da Floresta Atlântica Subtropical (BSAF), que faz parte de um hotspot global para conservação da biodiversidade. Com base em revisão de literatura selecionamos três espécies de Myrtaceae, em três importantes formações florestais nesta região: Floresta Ombrófila Densa, FOD (planícies litorâneas e serras associadas), Floresta Ombrófila Mista, FOM, e Floresta Estacional Decidual, FED (áreas planálticas continentais). As coordenadas geográficas foram obtidas a partir do banco de dados BIEN. Como variáveis explicativas, consideramos altitude, clima, cobertura de nuvens e classes de solos. O espaço ambiental ocupado por cada par de espécies foi sintetizado por meio de uma Análise de Componentes Principais (PCA), a partir do qual verificamos a sobreposição de nichos e calculamos estatísticas de similaridade e equivalência de nichos. As espécies selecionadas para FOD, FOM e FED foram, respectivamente, Myrcia splendens (Sw.) DC., Myrcia guianensis (Aubl.) DC. e Campomanesia xanthocarpa O.Berg. C. xanthocarpa apresentou distribuição geográfica mais restrita do que as duas espécies de Myrcia, que ocorrem desde a América Central, até o Sul do Brasil. A distribuição das espécies foi determinada fundamentalmente por gradientes de temperatura e de precipitação. Apenas C. xanthocarpa e M. guianensis, representativas das formações florestais planálticas, apresentaram equivalência de nicho. Como conclusão, observamos que ambas espécies de Myrcia apresentam maior amplitude de nicho, com C. xanthocarpa apresentando caráter mais subtropical, com distribuição mais restritiva ao Sul e Sudeste do Brasil.

ABSTRACT The understanding of factors determining species geographic distribution is a fundamental aim of ecology. We investigated the environmental niche for three Myrtaceae species in the Brazilian Subtropical Atlantic Forest (BSAF), part of a global conservation hotspot. Based on a literature review, we selected one representative Myrtaceae species in three important forest types in this region: Evergreen Rain Forest (coastal plains and associated mountains ranges); Araucaria Forest, and Seasonal Deciduous Forest (continental upland areas). Geographical coordinates of their distribution were obtained from the BIEN database. As explanatory variables, we considered altitude, climate, cloud cover, and soil classes. We summarized the environmental space occupied by each pair of species using Principal Components Analysis, determined niche overlaps, and applied statistical tests to verify niche equivalences and similarities. The selected species in Evergreen Rain Forest, Araucaria Forest, and Seasonal Deciduous Forest were Myrcia splendens (Sw.) DC., Myrcia guianensis (Aubl.) DC., and Campomanesia xanthocarpa O.Berg., respectively. C. xanthocarpa showed a more restricted geographic distribution than the two Myrcia species that occur from central America to southern Brazil. Species’ geographic distribution were fundamentally determined by temperature and rainfall regimes. Only C. xanthocarpa and M. guianensis, from uplands forest formations, showed environmental niche equivalence. In conclusion, we found that both species of Myrcia showed high climatic niche amplitudes occurring throughout the climatic gradient, while C. xanthocarpa was more subtropical, distributed mostly in the south and southeast of Brazil.

RESUMO Objetivou-se caracterizar a organização florístico-estrutural, a riqueza e a estrutura filogenética de comunidades arbóreas de fragmentos florestais altomontanos em diferentes estágios sucessionais, situados no Parque Nacional de São Joaquim em Urubici, Santa Catarina. Foram selecionados três fragmentos, dois em avançado estágio sucessional e um em estágio inicial, sendo cada um avaliado por meio de 20 parcelas de 10 x 10 m, distribuídas na forma de transecção de 20 x 100 m. Foram identificados e medidos todos os indivíduos arbóreos com DAP ≥ 5 cm. Os dados foram analisados por meio de rarefação, ordenação multivariada, análise de espécies indicadoras e métricas de estruturação filogenética. A riqueza encontrada em cada fragmento não apresentou relação com o estágio sucessional, uma vez que as áreas não difeririam quanto a este aspecto. A organização florístico-estrutural foi influenciada pela interação entre o estágio sucessional e as diferenças ambientais entre os locais. Na área em início de sucessão, foi observado o agrupamento filogenético das espécies, e nas áreas tardias, o padrão foi aleatório. Assim, os resultados evidenciaram variações na riqueza independentemente do estágio sucessional e que a sucessão florestal influenciou a composição florístico-estrutural e a estrutura filogenética das áreas.

ABSTRACT We aimed to describe the floristic-structural organization, the richness and the phylogenetic structure of tree components in highland forest fragments in different successional stages, at São Joaquim National Park, in the municipality of Urubici, Santa Catarina state. Three fragments were selected, two in an advanced successional stage and one in an initial successional stage, being each one evaluated by 20 10 x 10 m sampling plots, allocated as 20 x 100 m transects. All trees with dbh ≥ 5 cm were identified and measured. The data were analyzed through rarefaction, multivariate ordination, indicator species analysis and phylogenetic structure metrics. There was no relationship between the richness and the successional stage, once the studied areas did not differ in relation to the number of species. The floristic-structural organization was influenced by the interaction between the successional stage and the environmental differences among areas. Phylogenetic clustering of species was observed in the initial successional stage area and random phylogenetic pattern was observed in advanced successional stage areas. The results indicated independent variation in richness in relation to successional phase and, that the forest succession influenced the floristic-structural composition and phylogenetic structure of the study areas.