ABSTRACT - (Treefall gaps colonization in the southern Brazil coastal forest). The natural plant colonization was analyzed in 23 treefall gaps (34-256 m²) of two forest sites in the Atlantic coast southern Brazil. In both plots, small gaps (< 150 m²) were more abundant, comprising the largest area covering this type of disturbance (100-66%). Treefall gaps shown a common colonization pattern, where shade tolerant species were more abundant and frequent than shade intolerant ones. Relationships between gap area, guild composition and abundance of dominant species were not observed. The results suggest that the Atlantic forest has a reduced richness of shade intolerant species, mainly the large pioneer ones. The gap area is not the best predictor of floristic and ecological composition in treefall gaps.
Treefall gaps; colonization; diversity; Atlantic forest
