| Ecological theory predicts that, in mature ecosystems, species richness, the number of individuals and the biomass of individuals will remain in a relatively stable state of equilibrium. The aim of this study was to test that theory. In 2001 and 2010, we conducted censuses of all trees with a circumference at breast height > 10 cm in a one-hectare plot in a seasonal semideciduous old-growth forest in southeastern Brazil. We compared the two censuses in terms of species richness and diversity, computing growth, recruitment and mortality rates, as well as gains and losses of basal area. Between 2001 and 2010, species richness declined from 224 to 218 species and the basal area increased from 37.86 to 40.16 m² ha-1. Overall turnover (the mean... |
