Fern communities after removal of <i>Pinus Elliottii</i> in southern Brazil.xlsx

These data are part of the manuscript titled "Natural regeneration of fern communities after removal of Pinus Elliottii in southern Brazil". The study was conducted in Canela National Forest (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), spanning 557.50 ha and featuring Araucaria Forest (43% of the area) and exotic/native plantations. The planted forests cover 317.4 ha, divided into plots with planting of Pinus elliottii, Araucaria angustifolia and Eucalyptus sp. However, there are four plots of P. elliottii that have already suffered total suppression in 2004 and 2014. The area remained without new planting, allowing the environment to regenerate naturally. The climate of the study area can be described as humid temperate, with a temperate summer (Cfb) (Pell et al, 2007) and mean annual temperature and rainfall of 15.75ºC and approximately 2,400 mm, respectively (INMET, 2018). The soil is classified as humic cambisol, with accumulated organic matter, aluminum and acid, varying from well-drained to imperfectly drained, depending on the position it occupies in the landscape, in association with dystrophic litholic neosol and hypochromic alysol (Streck et al, 2008). Two sites in the area were selected for the study. The first site, composed of native vegetation of the Araucaria Forest (AF) with 19.5 ha (29°19'18.10"S and 50°49'1.90"W), approximately 70 years old without record of interference. The second site, Regenerating Forest (RF) after removal of Pinus elliottii, with 19.7 ha (29°19'16.50"S and 50°48'36.50"W), with approximately 15 years without that there was pine management. One plot of 1 ha (100x100m) was demarcated, approximately 100m apart the edge, subdivided into subplots of 100 m² (10x10 m), following which 12 of these units were randomly selected at each site. For each subplot, all species of terrestrial ferns were recorded and their coverage area was measured with measuring tape. Taxonomic identifications were accomplished using specialist bibliographic references and by comparison with specimens deposited in a herbarium. The phytosociological parameters were based on absolute and relative coverage and frequency determining the Importance Value Index (IVI), which resulted from the mean of relative coverage and frequency, according to Vuono (2002) adapted by Condack and Sylvestre (2009). Hemispheric photos were taken at the sites from the center of each subplot, for determination of the proportion of the canopy that was open. In each sampling subplot were surveyed all trees with a diameter at breast height (dbh) larger than 5 cm to estimate height, density and basal area. Araucaria and Pinus individuals were always identified. At both study sites, soil moisture and depth of the litter layer were measured at three points within each plot on the same days during summer and winter. Soil moisture content was measured using an AT Delta-T Device HH2 version 4.0 Moisture Meter. Litter depth was measured using a rule with a centimeter scale. The soil was collected on the same day to avoid differences due to climatic variations. Soil samples (300 g) were collected from the A horizon in the center of all the subplots at a depth of 20 cm and then placed in sealed plastic bags. The physical and chemical analysis was carried out following the methodologies proposed by Tedesco et al. (1995), at the Feevale Analytical Center. For the similarity analysis of the two sites studied, a binary matrix was constructed, representing the species' presence or absence in each subplot. A grouping analysis was carried out using the Unweighted Pair-Group Method with Arithmetic Averages (UPGMA) and the Sorensen index (BRAY-CURTIS) with a cophenetic correlation of 0,99 (Gotelli & Ellison 2001), in the Paleontological Statistical Program Statistics - PAST (Hammer et al, 2001). In order to test if there were significant differences in floristic composition between the fern communities of the two sites, a non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordering and an ANOSIM similarity analysis were performed using species presence, absence and coverage data. To recognize the species with the greatest distribution and the similarity between the subplots of each site, as well as the dissimilarity within the different groups of the NMDS order, a Similarity Percentage (SIMPER) analysis was performed. These were performed in the software PRIMER-E (Clarke and Gorley 2005). The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to verify the normality of the biotic and abiotic data from the AF and RF. Student's t-test was used when the normality of the data was assumed. When the hypothesis of normality was ruled out, data were compared using the Mann-Whitney nonparametric test (U), to 5% probability. These analyzes were conducted using Biostat statistical software. A Principal Component Analysis (variance-covariance matrix) was performed with litter (cm), soil moisture (%), area of open canopy (%), total basal área (m2) and tree height (m) in the 24 subplots to verify the segregation between the sites and to identify the variables most strongly correlated to the groups. In the same way, a PCA was performed with soil physico and chemical data from the SN and SR. These analysis was performed using data converted into a logarithmic base and the PAST software (Hammer et al, 2001). Figure 1. Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) of sample subplots in the Regenerating Forest (RF) site (□) and the Araucaria Forest (AF) site (○) in the Canela National Forest, southern Brazil. This analysis was performed using the PAST software (Hammer et al, 2001). Figure 2. Graphical representation of the ordering resulting from non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) based on the cover of the fern species of sample subplots in the Regenerating Forest (RF) site (□) and the Araucaria Forest (AF) site (○) in the Canela National Forest, southern Brazil. Stress = 0.11. These were performed in the software PRIMER-E (Clarke and Gorley 2005). Figure 3. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of sample subplots in the Regenerating Forest (RF) site (□) and the Araucaria Forest (AF) site (○) in the Canela National Forest, southern Brazil, and their relationships with Canopy Openness (CA), Litter Height (LH), Soil Moisture (SM), Total Basal Area (TBA), and Tree Height (TH). This analysis was performed using the PAST software (Hammer et al, 2001). Figure 4. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of sample subplots in the Regenerating Forest (RF) site (□) and the Araucaria Forest (AF) site (○) in the Canela National Forest, southern Brazil, and their relationships with clay, sand, organic matter (OrMa), pH, aluminum (Al), copper (Cu) and nitrogen (N). This analysis was performed using the PAST software (Hammer et al, 2001).