Arboreal Diversity of the Atlantic Forest of Southern Brazil: From the Beach Ridges to the Paraná River

The Atlantic Forest (a hotspot for conservation) used to be the second largest tropical moist forest of South America (Oliveira-Filho & Fontes, 2000). It originally covered 20% (around 1.5 million km2) of the Brazilian territory and occupied highly heterogeneous environmental conditions (Ribeiro et al., 2009). Nowadays, however, the Atlantic Forest covers less than 1% of the country or 7.5% of remnants (Myers et al., 2000). When intermediate secondary forests and small fragments (< 100 ha) are included, this contribution increases, ranging from 11.4 to 16% (Ribeiro et al. 2009). The Atlantic Forest still comprises 20000 plant species, 8000 being endemic (Myers, 2000). For instance, in the 1950s, 40% of the Atlantic Forest still covered almost all the state of Parana in Southern Brazil (Fundacao SOS Mata Atlântica et al., 1998). During the following three decades, habitats that took thousands of years to evolve continued to be destroyed. What remains today covers an area 9.5 times smaller (10.58%) than the original area (Fundacao SOS Mata Atlântica & INPE, 2010). This coincided with a period when the government aimed at an “economic development”. However, this erroneous decision caused an irreparable loss of ecosystem functions (e.g. amount and quality of water, soil, carbon stocks, biodiversity, etc). Once more, immediate “development” led to the loss of a valuable ecosystem that had potential to bring true and sustainable development. The respect for the natural dynamics of ecosystems and species evolution is rarely presented in environmental discussions. Therefore it is timely to study biodiversity and to promote its management and restoration. This chapter aims at discussing tree diversity of different formations of the Atlantic Forest in Southern Brazil, using data from phytosociological studies carried out in the state of Parana. This study attempts to assess the following questions: What ecosystems are understudied in terms of phytosociological surveys? Are the tree species richness and diversity of the different formations of these Atlantic Forests sufficiently known? What are the tree species richness and the diversity when considering only individuals found in phytosociological surveys? What species are the most abundant in each ecosystem evaluated? What are the differences and similarities among these formations?


Introduction
The Atlantic Forest (a hotspot for conservation) used to be the second largest tropical moist forest of South America (Oliveira- Filho & Fontes, 2000). It originally covered 20% (around 1.5 million km 2 ) of the Brazilian territory and occupied highly heterogeneous environmental conditions (Ribeiro et al., 2009). Nowadays, however, the Atlantic Forest covers less than 1% of the country or 7.5% of remnants (Myers et al., 2000). When intermediate secondary forests and small fragments (< 100 ha) are included, this contribution increases, ranging from 11.4 to 16% (Ribeiro et al. 2009). The Atlantic Forest still comprises 20000 plant species, 8000 being endemic (Myers, 2000). For instance, in the 1950s, 40% of the Atlantic Forest still covered almost all the state of Paraná in Southern Brazil (Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica et al., 1998). During the following three decades, habitats that took thousands of years to evolve continued to be destroyed. What remains today covers an area 9.5 times smaller (10.58%) than the original area (Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica & INPE, 2010). This coincided with a period when the government aimed at an "economic development". However, this erroneous decision caused an irreparable loss of ecosystem functions (e.g. amount and quality of water, soil, carbon stocks, biodiversity, etc). Once more, immediate "development" led to the loss of a valuable ecosystem that had potential to bring true and sustainable development. The respect for the natural dynamics of ecosystems and species evolution is rarely presented in environmental discussions. Therefore it is timely to study biodiversity and to promote its management and restoration. This chapter aims at discussing tree diversity of different formations of the Atlantic Forest in Southern Brazil, using data from phytosociological studies carried out in the state of Paraná. This study attempts to assess the following questions: What ecosystems are understudied in terms of phytosociological surveys? Are the tree species richness and diversity of the different formations of these Atlantic Forests sufficiently known? What are the tree species richness and the diversity when considering only individuals found in phytosociological surveys? What species are the most abundant in each ecosystem evaluated? What are the differences and similarities among these formations?

Dense Rainforest
The Dense Rainforest, or Atlantic Forest sensu stricto (Oliveira-Filho & Fontes, 2000), is characterized by the dominance of large trees (25-30 m height) associated with many other biological forms, mainly epiphytes and woody lianas, that gives it its tropical appearance (Klein, 1979). Evergreen trees dominate the dense canopy (Veloso et al., 1991;IBGE, 1992). Different plant communities of this forest type are found from the beach ridges near the Atlantic Ocean to the upper montane ridges of the Serra do Mar (Sea Mountain Range) and its western slopes towards the ecotone with Araucaria Rainforest (Figure 1). The altitudinal gradient ranges from 1 to 1887 m a.s.l., resulting in this region in a decrease of 0.54 °C for every 100 m increase in altitude (Roderjan & Grodski, 1999). While the coastal plain formations are in soils derived from Cenozoic (mainly Quaternary) marine sediments, alkali granites, embedded in high-grade metamorphic terrains, form the mineral soil horizons of the upper portions of the landscape. According to Mineropar (2001), intrusive igneous rocks from Serra do Mar were originated nearly 550 million years ago in the Upper Proterozoic to Cambrian. Faults from the Brasiliano (or Pan African) Cycle (events of the end of the late Proterozoic) and the Ponta Grossa Arch, cut the landscape in the NE-SW and NW-SE axes, respectively. Therefore, the soils of the Dense Rainforest have a high variety in parent material, genesis, depth, horizons, layers, structure, texture and organic matter. The climate of the lower portions of the Dense Rainforest gradient, up to the transition between the Submontane and Montane formations, 600 -800 m a.s.l. (Blum, 2010), can be classified as Cfa, or meso-thermic, according to the Köppen classification system. Daily mean annual temperature is 21 ºC, the mean temperature in the coldest month is about 16 ºC and, in the warmest month is higher than 22 ºC, with hot and wet summers (December-March), and a no-pronounced dry season. Maack (2002) considered the region as having a transitional tropical climate (Af). The climate of upper portions, above 700 m a.s.l., is classified as Cfb (humid subtropical, meso-thermic, with cool summers, frequent frosts and no pronounced dry season). The mean temperature of the coldest month (July) in the region is less than 16 ºC (reaching 12.5 ºC) and of the warmest month (February) is less than 22 ºC (20.5 ºC). Measurements in the coastal region exceed 2000 mm of rain per year, and on the slopes of the mountains these values reach 3500 mm of rain per year (Caviglione et al., 2000;Maack, 2002). As a result of the high environmental variety the Dense Rainforest is the most heterogeneous, complex and rich forest ecosystem of Southern Brazil (Leite & Klein, 1990). A compiled list of the tree flora of the Dense Rainforest of Southern Brazil, using data of the botanical collection of the Barbosa Rodrigues Herbaria, revealed 708 species. More than 50% of those species occur exclusively in this type of Atlantic Forest (Leite & Klein, 1990). Dense Rainforest communities in the advanced stages of succession cover an area of 3937.5 km 2 or 51,5% of the original distribution area as interpreted from satellite images from 1999 (Pires et al., 2005). Forward we present the five cattegories of the Atlantic Rainforest.

Submontane formation
This ecosystem comprises the lower portions of slopes of the mountain ranges and the Ribeira River Valley. According to IBGE (1992), this formation occurs between 30 and 400 m a.s.l.. However, Roderjan et al. (2002) adapted the upper limit of the Submontane formation to 600 m a.s.l., considering the regional scale. Results of a survey performed by Blum & Roderjan (2007) agree well with this limit. The Submontane Atlantic Rainforest generally occurs on Argisols, Oxisols and Cambisols, mainly in colluvial fans . The dense canopy varies between 25 and 30 m in height and is characterized by high tree diversity and richness. Virola bicuhyba, Sloanea guianensis, Aspidosperma pyricollum, Cedrela fissilis, Cariniana estrellensis, Pseudopiptadenia warmingii and Schyzolobium parahyba are frequent in the canopy. Bathysa australis, Pausandra morisiana, Euterpe edulis, Geonoma gamiova and Psychotria nuda are common in the dominated strata (Leite & Klein, 1990;Maack, 2002;Roderjan et al., 2002;Pires et al., 2005;Blum, 2006). This formation presents the highest floristic diversity of Southern Brazil due to the combination of factors like soils with good physical support and nutritional capacity, higher temperatures and well distributed rainfalls (Leite & Klein, 1990;Roderjan et al., 2002). These features also promote the development of dense and large-sized arboreal communities, associated with terrestrial and epiphytic strata, extremely rich and abundant (Blum, 2010).

Montane formation
The forest communities distributed over the intermediate slopes of the mountain ranges at elevations above the Submontane limits are classified as Montane formations. According to Roderjan et al. (2002) and Blum (2006), in the state of Paraná these communities are situated between 600 and 1200 m a.s.l.. It is noteworthy that the upper limit is also variable depending on specific soil and climate and, in many cases, the Upper Montane formation can already occur below 1200 m a.s.l. (Pires et al., 2005). Floristic differences are observable in relation to the lower level, but structurally and physiognomic, the Montane and Submontane formations are similar Pires et al., 2005). Cambisols (with no textural gradient) and Entisols are very common in the Montane belt (Schorn, 1992;Roderjan, 1994, Blum, 2006. The main environmental factors that affect the differentiation between the Montane and Submontane formations (Lower Montane Forests) are the climate, the topography and the soils. In the Montane Atlantic Forest it can occur occasional frosts, which are extremely limiting for many typical species of Submontane formation, that are subject to milder climate. It should be noted that the geomorphological differences result in distinct pedologies. The Montane terrains are steep and dissected while the Submontane sites are usually understated Pires et al., 2005;Blum, 2006; (IBGE, 1992;Roderjan, 1994;Blum et al., 2001;Roderjan et al., 2002;Pires et al., 2005;Blum, 2006).

Upper Montane formation
In the state of Paraná, faults belonging to the Brasiliano (or Pan African) Cycle and the Ponta Grossa Arch currently confine the Upper Montane Rainforests (or Cloud Forests), allowing such vegetation to reach areas close to the main tops of the Sea Mountain Range (Scheer et al., in press b). This formation generally occurs from 1200 m a.s.l , even though it can be found at 900 m a.s.l., in small isolated mountains due to geomorphological conditions and the "Massenerhebung effect" (Grubb, 1971). In larger mountains, such as the Paraná Peak, the typical Upper Montane Rainforest ranges from 1400 to 1850 m a.s.l.., interspersed with high altitude grasslands. The changes in vegetation from forests to grasslands are abrupt and include ecotonal areas with "dwarf forests" or shrubby physiognomy with species of both formations across a gradient of a few meters (2-5 m).

Araucaria Rainforest
Also called "Mixed Ombrophilous Forest" (IBGE, 1992), this forest physiognomy is characterized by merging elements from two distinct flora origins: the Tropical Afro-Brazilian and the Temperate Austro-Brazilian (Veloso et al., 1991). Classified as a Subtropical Forest, this ecosystem occurs mainly in the First and Second Plateaus of Paraná (mainly in the Center and the South of the state) at altitudes generally varying between 800 and 1000 m a.s.l. (Figure 1). In this region, temperatures are relatively low and frosts are common. In many locations, these formations share the landscape with natural grasslands.
According to Köppen System, the climate of the Araucaria Rainforest region is Cfb, with annual average temperatures between 16 and 18 ºC and average annual rainfall generally between 1400 and 1600 mm (Caviglione et al., 2000). This forest formation shows structural variations related to environmental diversification, varying from dense formations with trees of ca. 25 to 35 m tall, to stunted formations consisting of variable density of trees and shrubs, associated with terrestrial ferns and bamboos (Leite & Klein, 1990). According to Maack (2002), Araucaria angustifolia, commonly known as the "Brazilian pine" or "Paraná pine" is the dominant tree of this region, distinguishing this landscape. A compiled list of the Araucaria Rainforest tree flora of Southern Brazil, using data of the botanical collection of the Barbosa Rodrigues Herbaria, revealed 352 species. Almost 50% of those species occur exclusively in this type of Atlantic Forest (Leite & Klein, 1990). Castella & Britez (2004) analyzed satellite images from 1998 and concluded that Araucaria Rainforest communities at intermediate or advanced succession stages still covered 13420.6 km 2 of the state of Paraná, representing about 16.2% of the original cover (Castella & Britez, 2004). However, primary remnants are much less representative. Two formations are presented in this section: Alluvial and Montane Araucaria Rainforests.

Alluvial formation
The Alluvial Araucaria Rainforest is associated mainly with the Montane formation and is easily distinguished by its typical physiognomy. This is a riparian forest that always occupies alluvial lands adjacent to watercourses (IBGE, 1992;Roderjan et al., 2002). The physiognomy is structurally characterized by a high density of medium and small individuals, with the canopy ranging between 10 and 20 m in height. Communities can present different degrees of development. In the fairly homogeneous associations, subject to soils with considerable hydromorphy, such as some Fluvisols and Gleysols, Sebastiania commersoniana is the most relevant species. In more developed associations Vitex megapotamica, Schinus terebinthifolius, Allophylus edulis, Luehea divaricata, Symplocos uniflora, Blepharocalyx salicifolius, Myrrhinium atropurpureum, Myrciaria tenella and Daphnopsis racemosa are present. Even Araucaria angustifolia can be observed where lower hydromorphy allows its growth (Leite & Klein, 1990;Roderjan et al., 2002;Barddal, 2002;Pires et al., 2005).

Semideciduous Seasonal Forest
The Semideciduous Seasonal Forest region in the the state of Paraná occurs mainly in the Third Plateau (almost the entire North and West of the state) in altitudes generally between 200 and 600 m a.s.l. . According to the Köppen system, the climate can be classified as Cfa, or meso-thermic, wet. Daily mean temperatures in the coldest month are under 18 ºC and the mean temperature of the warmest month is over 22 ºC (Maack, 2002). However, in this ecosystem the year can be divided into two distinct seasons: one tropical with intense summer rainfalls and short dry periods, and another subtropical with low winter temperatures and scarce precipitation. During this unfavorable cold and dry period, between 20 and 50% of the canopy trees are deciduous (Veloso et al., 1991;IBGE, 1992). In very specific locations this forest has as ingrown ecosystem the Savanna (Cerrado), which reaches its austral limit in this specified region, covering otherwise a major part of Brazil's Mid-West (Figure 1). The Semideciduous Seasonal Forest shows succinct variations ranging from the evergreen to deciduous trees, which reach heights close to 30-40 m without forming a continuous superior canopy. This feature allows a great deal of sunlight to reach the forest ground, turning possible the development of a vigorous lower stratum (Silva & Soares Silva, 2000). There are also shrubs, lianas and epiphytes, although in lower abundance and richness compared to rainforests (Leite et al., 1986;Lamprecht, 1990;Leite & Klein, 1990;Roderjan et al., 2002). A compiled list of the tree flora of the Semideciduous Seasonal Forest of Southern Brazil, using data of the botanical collection of the Barbosa Rodrigues Herbaria, presents at least 213 tree species (Leite & Klein, 1990 (SEMA, 2002). Some forests of the northern region were reduced to less than 1% in Maringá and 0.8% in Assaí municipalities (IPARDES, 1986). Forward are presented the characterizations for the Alluvial and Submontane formations of this forest type.

Alluvial formation
This formation is distributed over riverine floodplains and some islands in the Paraná river, and also around some of its tributaries. The Alluvial formation occurs predominantly in soils with considerable hydromorphy, such as some Fluvisols, Entisols (Quartzipsamments) and Gleysols . The Alluvial Semideciduous Seasonal Forest is characterized by a canopy about 15 to 20 m height and lower floristic diversity. Among the main species are Cecropia pachystachya, Triplaris americana, Calophyllum brasiliense, Gallesia integrifolia and Chrysophyllum gonocarpum. Sebastiania commersoniana, Anadenanthera colubrina, Acrocomia aculeata and Inga uruguensis are also common (Leite et al. 1986;IBGE, 1992SEMA, 2002;Costa Filho et al., 2006).

The studied Atlantic Forest formations 4.1 Analysis of the sampled sites in the Atlantic Forests
Among the 58 sites, comprising 29 ha of plots and 36627 sampled individuals, selected from 39 studies, the Dense Rainforest has the highest number of sampled sites (29 out of a total of 58) and the highest number of tree individuals found (Table 2). This great amount of data available is due to the high number of Upper Montane Dense Rainforest sampled sites, which present relatively many areas with primary and well preserved vegetation. In spite of the relatively smaller sampled area, small-sized trees present in high abundance make up for a high number of individuals found. On the other hand, the Alluvial formation of the Dense Rainforest is the least sampled one ( Table 2). The lack of phytosociological studies conducted in this formation may be related to its actual small cover area (representing only 0.89% of the remnants of Dense Rain Forest) (Pires et al., 2005), and also to its level of degradation, which make the search for typical and representative remnants difficult. According to this data, the studied area is almost six times smaller than the area of the neighbor Lowland formation. Therefore, this understudied vegetation needs more studies. The low number of studied sites in the Semideciduous Seasonal Forest in the state of Paraná is also remarkable, especially when the great covering area (Figure 1) and the considerable latitudinal extension (22º 30' -26º 30' S) of this ecosystem are considered. The lack of studies is related to the advanced stage of degradation of this forest type. In a few decades this ecosystem was reduced to scarce and fragmented remnants, generally in bad conservation conditions. We did not find phytosociological surveys in the Southwestern region of the state of Paraná, where the Semideciduous Forest is also found ( Figure 1). Moreover, forest structure studies are not available even in the most representative remnant of the Submontane Semideciduous Forest of Southern Brazil, located in the Iguaçu National Park, a protected area of approximately 1852.6 km 2 . This fact points out to the urgency of knowing better this important ecosystem and its resources. Besides the similar sampled areas shown by the three Atlantic Forest types (Table 2), and highest number of studied sites for the Dense Rainforest, the sum of the 10 sites of the Semideciduous Forest comprises the largest sampled area (11.8 ha). The two most extensively sampled formations are the Montane Araucaria Rainforest and the Submontane Semideciduous Forest. However, these sampling areas are very small compared to the sampling area of other surveys in different ecosystems. As an example, a single study in the Amazonian Dense Forest, could easily cover an area of 20 ha (Pitman et al., 2002;Laurance et al., 2010).

Alfa diversity
In the 58 selected phytosociological surveys, 700 species, 256 genera and 83 families were sampled (Table 2). Of the total number of species, 10 taxa represent groups with www.intechopen.com undetermined species at the family level and 58 taxa represent groups with undetermined species at the genus level. It is important to mention that the Atlantic Forest is habitat for many other tree species that were not found due to the criterion of inclusion, or due do the area needed to sample, that neither checklists can cover completely. Among the Atlantic Forest types analyzed in this study, the Dense Rainforest is the richest in tree species (469). These species are distributed in 174 genera and 72 families. This tropical forest presents the highest tree diversity according to the Shannon-Wiener index, being its Montane and Submontane formations the most diverse (Table 2; Figure 3). Even though the analysis shows the highest diversity value in the Montane formation, according to many studies, the Submontane formation shows a tendency of being the most diverse (Guapyassú, 1994;Roderjan, 1994;Jaster, 1995;Athayde, 1997;Blum, 2006). Tabarelli & Mantovani (1999)   The higher richness when compared with the Araucaria Rainforest is due to some distinct environmental conditions, such as lower altitude, which result in higher temperatures. On the other hand, the restriction imposed by the seasonal climate, especially by the unfavorable dry season, prevents the Seasonal Forest to reach values of species richness similar to those observed in the Dense Rainforest (i.e. 66% higher). A lower difference (31%) in this parameter between these two types of forest was observed by Oliveira Filho & Fontes (2000) in floristic surveys in Southeastern Brazil. The Submontane formations present the highest richness of tree species, followed by the Montane formations ( Figure 3). The Lowland, Upper Montane and Alluvial formations present lower richness. From the data available, the Alluvial Dense Rainforest has the lowest number of species. However, this is certainly related to the lack of inventories in this type of forest. Due its proximity and environmental similarity with the coastal Lowland formation, it is probable that the real values of tree species richness of both forests are similar. Therefore, among the Atlantic Forest formations, the Alluvial Araucaria Rainforest can be considered the least rich in tree species. This is due to two important environmental factors: the milder climate, with frequent frosts; and the hydromorphic feature of its soils, with high susceptibility to flooding during the rainiest periods. According to Table 3, Myrtaceae, Fabaceae and Lauraceae are the families with the highest tree species richness of the Atlantic Forest, making up to 40% of the measured Rainforest species and 35% of the Semideciduous Seasonal Forest species. Myrtaceae presents the highest number of tree species in the two Rainforests, reaching 112 species in the Dense Rainforest, while Fabaceae is the richest family of the Semideciduous Forest. Some tree families, such as Fabaceae, Moraceae, Sapotaceae and Meliaceae, show a tendency of preferring warmer environments. On the other hand, Aquifoliaceae, Asteraceae and Myrsinaceae present comparatively high floristic expression in the Rainforest environments. In addition, Melastomataceae presents high species richness only in the Dense Rainforest. According to Gentry (1995) and Oliveira-Filho et al. (2000), with increasing altitude there is a decrease in Fabaceae richness and an increase in Aquifoliaceae and Asteraceae richness. At the genus level, Eugenia is the richest in the tropical forests (mainly in the Dense Rainforest), even though the Araucaria Rainforest (subtropical) presents many species of this taxon. Oliveira- Filho et al. (2000) observed the same tendency in an extensive survey on floristic differentiation patterns among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil. The richness of Eugenia is relatively higher in slope rain forests, and its relative position is reversed with Myrcia in lowland (including alluvial) and plateau (Araucaria Rainforest) formations.
Marlierea has a considerable number of species in Lowland and Submontane formations of the Dense Rainforest, whilst Myrceugenia has many species in Upper Montane and Montane formations of both rainforests (Table 4).
Ocotea is among the three genera with the highest number of tree species in the three Atlantic Forest types in the state of Paraná. Ilex and Myrceugenia have a considerable number of species in the two rainforests, whilst Trichilia and Cordia have many species in the Semideciduous Forest (Tables 3 and 4).  The most abundant species found in phytosociological studies in the Atlantic Forest formations in the state of Paraná are given in Table 5. Except for the Alluvial, the sampling for all the other formations can be considered very representative of what can be found in these forests. This compilation obtained data for at least 2800 individuals and four sites for each formation, whereas phytosociological studies for the Semideciduous Seasonal forest in the Southwest of the state of Paraná cannot be found.

Beta diversity of Atlantic Forest formations
According to the Venn diagrams (Figure 4)  share 24.5% of the total species. The two Rainforests share 19.6% of the species and the Semideciduous Seasonal Forest share 16.2% of the species with the Dense Rainforest. These values differ from those found by Oliveira- Filho & Fontes (2000), in which Dense Rainforest and Semideciduous Forest of Southeastern Brazil shared a high proportion of tree species in their checklists: 50% and 66% respectively. The comparatively high floristic similarity within the Southeastern region than in the Southern region, can be related to the absence of Araucaria Rainforests between these two tropical forests further north. In the group of the Dense Rainforest, "slope forests" were separated from the "coastal and alluvial plain" forests ( Figure 5). The second main group divided the Araucaria Rainforest and the Semideciduous Seasonal Forest. Pair wise comparisons of the Sorensen's similarity coefficients show values ranging from 0.09 between the Alluvial Semideciduous Forest and the Upper Montane Dense Rainforests to 0.61 between the two formations of the Semideciduous Forest. The dendrogram based on abundance data ( Figure 6) shows some different results as compared with the dendrogram based on the Sorensen's similarity. In the first group are the two Semideciduous Forests, while in the second are all studied Rainforests. This group is divided in two subgroups: one presenting the highest tree species richness and diversities (Shannon-Wiener index) among the rainforests analyzed and other with the lowest richness and diversities. The first axis resulting from the CCA (eigenvalue = λ = 0.637) showed a gradient associated with altitude on one hand and annual temperature an rainfall on the other, separating Montane Rainforests (on the left) and Lowland and Alluvial Rainforests (on the right) (Figure 7). Oliveira- Filho & Fontes (2000) and Scudeller et al. (2001)  The second axis (λ = 0.425) shows the Semideciduous Seasonal Forest tree species and their abundance change with increasing the distance from the ocean, and decreasing rainfall (and probably increasing rainfall seasonality). The opposite occurred with Submontane, Alluvial and Lowland Dense Rainforests. The relatively high eigenvalues found (> 0.3), indicate considerable abundance and species turnover along gradients mainly in axis 1 and 2. As also found by Scudeller et al. (2001), the low variance explained by the first axis indicates that other variables not investigated or methodological restrictions in this study probably influenced the abundance distribution.

Final considerations
The literature review and the data compilation resulted in an important database to understand how the Atlantic Forest is being studied in terms of forest structure and tree diversity. The most abundant tree species of this compilation probably corroborate with those found in studies on the Atlantic Forest further South in Brazil (including the state of Santa Catarina), and in Southeastern Brazil (e.g. São Paulo state formations). However, studies analyzing these relationships are needed. Although many formations are relatively well studied in this respect, some formations such as the alluvial forests, mainly in the Dense Rainforest domain, are understudied. The same situation can be observed for the entire Semideciduous Seasonal Forest. Even more interesting is the lack of phytosociological data about this forest type in the Southwestern region of the state of Paraná. Therefore, future research is needed to build up a database for other and more specific studies. Knowing the species that share (or should share) the environment with ourselves is crucial to those who want to observe the habitat, interpret it and to promote conservation, preservation and true sustainable development. Driven by the increasing necessity to define the biological diversity frame of widespread, endemic and threatened species, as well as by the stimulating chance to describe new species, the study of the evolutive and spatial dynamics is in constant execution. Systematic overviews, biogeographic and phylogenic backgrounds, species composition and distribution in restricted areas are focal topics of the 15 interesting independent chapters collected in this book, chosen to offer to the reader an overall view of the present condition in which our planet is.

How to reference
In order to correctly reference this scholarly work, feel free to copy and paste the following: Maurićio Bergamini Scheer and Christopher Thomas Blum (2011). Arboreal Diversity of the Atlantic Forest of Southern Brazil: From the Beach Ridges to the Paraná River, The Dynamical Processes of Biodiversity -Case Studies of Evolution and Spatial Distribution, PhD. Oscar Grillo (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-772-7, InTech, Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/the-dynamical-processes-of-biodiversity-case-studies-ofevolution-and-spatial-distribution/arboreal-diversity-of-the-atlantic-forest-of-southern-brazil-from-the-beachridges-to-the-parana-riv