Floristic composition of Melastomataceae between reforested and natural areas in the Recife Atlantic Forest, Pernambuco, Brazil

Local extinction of native Atlantic Forest flora species occurs mainly due to habitat fragmentation. Reforestation and natural regeneration can mitigate these factors. The present study attempts to understand whether floristic composition and dispersal processes are being reestablished in an area of lowland Atlantic Forest, eight years after its reforestation. The study area was an old pasture set between two urban fragments in the city of Recife that was reforested in 2011. Melastomataceae species were collected in this area and the morphology of their fruits was compared with the species of the family recorded in the adjacent fragments. Miconia prasina, M. albicans, M. affinis, Clidemia hirta, and C. capitellata have been found in the reforested area. Although there are species with larger fruits in the adjacent fragments, there was no statistically significant difference between the means of the two areas. The fruit morphology indicates that the species found in the area are dispersed by birds and small mammals. It is possible to conclude that the reforested area already presents the expected ecological processes for a corridor between two fragments. Thus, the two adjacent areas serve as vectors for the colonization of native Atlantic Forest species in the reforested area.