ABSTRACT - (The phytosociological study of the semideciduous mesophytic forest in the John Kennedy Bosque, Araguari, MG, Brazil). A phytosociological survey of the species of trees was carried out in a semideciduous mesophytic forest in the John Kennedy Bosque (48°11'19''W and 18°38'35''S), Araguari, western Minas Gerais, Brazil. This area is located in the urban perimeter, and has 11.2 ha occupied mostly by forest. One thousand eight hundred and twenty seven (1827) individuals trees were recorded in 1.2 ha, belonging to 46 families, 88 genera and 113 species, and Shannon's diversity index was 3.75 nats/individual. The phytosociological parameter of IVI show that the most important species are Licania apetala, Micrandra elata, Copaifera langsdorffii, Astronium nelson-rosae and Alchornea glandulosa, and the most important families are Chrysobalanaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Caesalpinaceae, Mimosaceae and Anacardiaceae. The occurrence of some species in the John Kennedy Bosque which are known to be gap colonizers (Alchornea glandulosa and Piptocarpha macropoda) or secondary (Didymopanax macrocarpum and Maprounea guianensis) shows the existence of gap areas in this forest, but the comparison between plots of intact forest and gap forest indicates that the specific structure remains unchanged.
Urban semideciduous mesophytic forest; phytosociology; gaps
