Dynamics and diversity of flooded and unflooded forests in a Brazilian Atlantic rain forest: a 16-year study

Background: Disturbance and small-scale variation in environmental conditions are potential factors that influence structure and diversity in tropical forest communities. In the coastal lowland vegetation in Brazil, forests that differ in flooding regimes could differ in these metrics, although long-term data are usually lacking. Aims: Our aim was to determine if a stand in an unflooded forest and a stand in a flooded forest had distinct structural characteristics and patterns of change over a 16-year period. Methods: Individuals ≥4.44 cm in diameter at breast height were recorded on two 0.3-ha plots in 1991 and 2007. The differences in stem density, species richness, community-level mortality and recruitment, and stem growth rates were assessed. Results: The unflooded forest plot had a higher density of smaller individuals, but a substantially lower basal area than the flooded forest plot. Basal area increased by 4% and 20% over 16 years in the flooded and unflooded plots, respectively. Species richness ...