Seedling Community in a Patchy Tropical Vegetation Under the Influence of Bamboos

As a group adapted to invade disturbed sites, bambooscan dominate extensive areas and, thus, alter vegetation structure and dynamics. However, the effect of bambooexpansion associated to human activity on seedlingcommunities in tropical forestsremains poorly known. We investigated the correlation of the native bamboo Guaduatagoara presence for a year on the abundance, richness, diversity, dominance, evenness, emergence, mortality, and growth of the first months of the native seedlingsestablishment in an Atlantic forest area, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Bamboopresence favored the initial establishment of the palm Euterpe edulis seedlingsbut altered seedlingcommunity structure as a whole. Species richness did not differ between bambooand nonbamboo dominated habitats, but abundance, diversity, and evenness did. Bamboohabitats showed higher seedlingabundance, emergence, and mortality than in habitats without bamboos. However, diversity was lower in these habitats. Our results shed light on the role o...