Local abundance and regional distribution of tree species of forest fragments in Brazil: A test of models

Abstract

Patterns of local abundance and regional distribution of tree species were analyzed on three spatial
scales and compared with those predicted by Hanski’s 1982 original core-satellite model, Brown’s 1984 nichebased
model, and Tokeshi’s 1992 model. Data were collected in seven forest fragments dispersed over
approximately 7200 km2, remnants of a former continuous forest in the south of Mato Grosso do Sul state,
southwestern Brazil. Fifty-six east-west-oriented 10 m ¥ 150 m plots were randomly demarcated in those
fragments from 1994 to 1996. In each plot all trees having DBH ≥ 0.15 m were recorded and measured. The
smallest scale was that of the fragments themselves and the greatest was that of the entire region. No evidence
was found of the bimodality predicted by Hanski’s 1982 model on any scale. On all scales, an unimodal pattern
was found whose mode was on the left side (satellite mode) of the distribution. This pattern was in best
agreement with the predictions of Tokeshi’s 1992 model.