Nowadays, forests fragmentation is one of the main impacts in the natural communities and can lead to extinction of many species and modifications in many ecological processes. The present work aimed to evaluate the influence of the size and the edge of forest fragments in the production and accumulation of litter and in the canopy openness of four different-size forest fragments of the Atlantic Forest. The litter production was bigger in the larger fragment (8.90 t ha -1 year -1 in the interior and 8.76 t ha -1 year -1 in the edge) than in the three smaller fragments (7.29 t ha -1 year -1 in the interior and 7.27 t ha -1 year -1 in the edge), however the thickness of the litter layer deposited on the ground and the canopy openness of the forest had no relation with the size of the fragments. No difference was found in the production and accumulation of litter and canopy openness between areas of edge and interior. The dry season had a direct influence in the increase of the litter production. Concerning the fragment area, we can infer that the difference between litterfall and accumulation on the ground might be related with the greater decomposition rates in the larger fragment, due to the higher humidity. No relation between litter production and canopy openness was found, probably because of the great spatial heterogeity caused by the frequency of gap formation and structural complexity and deciduousness of the forest.302271280ALVAREZ-SÁNCHEZ, J., GUEVARA, S., Litter interception on Astrocaryum mexicanum Liebm. (Palmae) in a Tropical Rain Forest (1999) Biotropica, 31, pp. 89-92AYRES, M., AYRES JUNIOR., M., AYRES, D.L. & SANTOS, A.S.S. 2000. BioEstat versão 2. Sociedade Civil Mamirauá, BelémBENÍTEZ-MALVIDO, J., MARTINEZ-RAMOS, M., Impact of forest fragmentation on understory plant species richness in Amazonia (2003) Conservation Biology, 17, pp. 389-400BERNACCI, L.C., DURIGAN, G., CORREIA, G., ARBOCZ, G., CATHARINO, E. & METZGER, J.P.M. 2004. Composição florística e estrutura da vegetação em fragmentos florestais do Planalto de Ibiúna. Anexo 7. In Conservação da biodiversidade em paisagens fragmentadas no Planalto Atlântico de São Paulo (J.P. Metzger, ed.). Fapesp 99/05123-4 technical report n.4, Fapesp, São PauloBIANCHINI, E., PIMENTA, J.A., SANTOS, F.A.M., Spatial and temporal variation in the canopy cover in a tropical semi-deciduous forest (2001) Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology, 44, pp. 269-276BRUNA, E.M., Effects of forest fragmentation on Heliconia acuminata seedling recruitment in central Amazonia (2002) Oecologia, 132, pp. 235-243DIDHAM, R.K., LAWTON, J.H., Edge structure determines the magnitude of changes in microclimate and vegetation structure in Tropical Forest fragments (1999) Biotropica, 31, pp. 17-30DIDHAM, R.K., Altered leaf-litter decomposition rates in tropical forest fragments (1998) Oecologia, 116, pp. 397-406DRAKE, D.R., PRATT, L.W., Seedling mortality in Hawaiian rain forest: The role of small-scale physical disturbance (2001) Biotropica, 33, pp. 319-323EDWARDS, P.J., Studies of mineral cycling in a montane rain forest in New Guinea (1977) Journal of Ecology, 65, pp. 971-992FACCELLI, J.M., FACCELLI, E., Interactions after death: Plant litter controls priority affects in a successional plant community (1993) Oecologia, 95, pp. 277-282FACCELLI, J.M., PICKETT, S.T.A., Plant litter: Its dynamics and effects on plant community structure (1991) The Botanical Review, 57, pp. 1-32FONTOURA, S.B., GANADE, G., LAROCCA, J., Changes in plant community diversity and composition across an edge between Araucaria forest and pasture in South Brazil (2006) Revista Brasileira de Botânica, 29, pp. 79-91FOX, B.J., TAYLOR, J.E., FOX, M.D., WILLIAMS, C., Vegetation changes across edges of rainforest remnants (1997) Biological Conservation, 82, pp. 1-13GARCÍA-GUZMÁN, G., BENÍTEZ-MALVIDO, B., Effect of litter on the incidence of leaf-fungal pathogens and herbivory in seedling of the tropical tree Nectandra ambigens (2003) Journal of Tropical Ecology, 19, pp. 171-177GEHLHAUSEN, S.M., SCHWARTZ, M.W., AUGSPURGER, C.K., Vegetation and microclimatic edge effects in two mixed-mesophytic forest fragments (2000) Plant Ecology, 147, pp. 21-35HAINES, B., FOSTER, R.B., Energy flow through litter in a Panamanian forest (1997) Journal of Ecology, 65, pp. 147-155KAPOS, V., Efffects of isolation on the water status of forest patches in the Brazilian Amazon (1989) Journal of Tropical Forest, 5, pp. 173-185KAPOS, V., GANADE, G., MATSUI, E., VICTORIA, R.L., d 13C as an indicator of edge effects in tropical rainforest reserves (1993) Journal of Ecology, 81, pp. 425-432KAPOS, V., WANDELLI, E., CAMARGO, J.L., GANADE, G., Edge- related changes in environment and plant responses due to forest fragmentation in Central Amazonia (1997) Tropical forest remnants: Ecology, management, and conservation of fragmented communities, pp. 33-44. , W. F. Laurance & R.O. Bierregaard, eds, Chicago University Press, New York, pKÖPPEN, W., (1948) Climatologia, , Fondo de Cultura Económica, MéxicoKUNKEL-WESTPHAL, I., KUNKEL, P., Litter fall in a Guatemalan primary forest, with details of leaf-shedding by some common tree species (1979) Journal of Ecology, 67, pp. 665-686LAURANCE, W.F., SALICRUP, D.P., DELAMÔNICA, P., FEARNSIDE, P.M., D'ANGELO, S., JEROZOLINSKI, A., POHL, L., LOVEJOY, T.E., Rain Forest fragmentation and structure on Amazonian liana communities (2001) Ecology, 82, pp. 105-116LAURANCE, W.F., YENSEN, E., Predicting the impacts of edge effects in fragmented habitats (1991) Biological Conservation, 55, pp. 77-92MACDOUGALL, A., KELLMAN, M., The understorey light regime and patterrns of tree seedlings in tropical riparian forest patches (1992) Journal of Biogeography, 19, pp. 667-675MARTÍNEZ-RAMOS, M., ALVAREZ-BUYLLA, E., SARUKHÁN, J., PIÑERO, D., Treefall age determination and gap dynamics in a tropical forest (1988) Journal of Ecology, 76, pp. 700-716MATLACK, G.R., Microenvironment variation within and among forest edge sites in the Eastern United States (1993) Biological Conservation, 66, pp. 185-194MESQUITA, R.C.G., DELAMÔNICA, P., LAURENCE, W.F., Effect of surrounding vegetation on edge-related tree mortality in Amazonian forest fragments (1999) Biological Conservation, 91, pp. 129-134METZGER, J.P., SIMONETTI, C., UEZU, A., DIEDERICHSEN, A. & GOULART, W. 2002. Estrutura da paisagem em Caucaia do Alto (Planalto de Ibiúna, SP). Sub-projeto 1. Composição florística e estrutura da vegetação. Relatório Fapesp de acompanhamento anual do programa Biota/Fapesp: Biodiversity conservation in fragmented landscape at the Atlantic Plateau of São Paulo (Brazil). Processo No 99/05123-4MORAES, R.M., DELITTI, W.B.C., DE VUONO, Y.S., Litterfall and litter nutrient content in two Brazilian tropical forests (1999) Revista Brasileira de Botânica, 22, pp. 9-16MORELLATO, L.P.C., Nutrient cycling in two southeast Brazilian forests: Litterfall and litter standing crop (1992) Journal of Tropical Ecology, 8, pp. 205-215NASCIMENTO, A.C.P. 2005. Produção e aporte de nutrientes da serrapilheira em um fragmento de mata atlântica na Rebio União, RJ: efeito de borda. Dissertação de mestrado, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos GoytacazesNICOTRA, A.B., CHAZDON, R.L., IRIARTE, S.V.B., Spatial heterogeneity of light and wood seedling regeneration in tropical wet forests (1999) Ecology, 80, pp. 1908-1926OLIVEIRA FILHO, A.T., FONTES, M.A.L., Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate (2000) Biotropica, 32, pp. 793-810PARDINI, P., SOUZA, S.M., BRAGANETO, R., METZGER, J.P., The role of forest structure, fragment size and corridors in maintaining small mammal abundance and diversity in an Atlantic forest landscape (2005) Biological Conservation, 124, pp. 253-266READER, R.J., Control on seedling emergence by ground cover and seed predation in relation to seed size for some old-field species (1993) Journal of Ecology, 81, pp. 169-175ROGERS, H.M., Litterfall, decomposition and nutrient release in a lowland tropical rain forest, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea (2002) Journal of Tropical Ecology, 18, pp. 449-456ROSS, J.L.S., MOROZ, I.C., (1997) Mapa geomorfológico do Estado de São Paulo, escala, 1. , 1:500.000. Geografia-FFLCH-USP, IPT/ Fapesp, São Paulo, vPrograma de Conservação do Sistema Cotia. Relatório Conclusivo (tomo 3): Avaliação Ambiental (1997) Sabesp/Fundação Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável, , SABESP, São PauloSANTOS, S.L., VÁLIO, I.F.M., Litter accumulation and its effect on seedling recruitment in a Southeast Brazilian Tropical Forest (2002) Revista Brasileira de Botânica, 25, pp. 89-92SCARIOT, A., Seedling mortality by litterfall in Amazonian forest fragments (2000) Biotropica, 32, pp. 662-669SIQUEIRA, L.P., MATOS, D.M.S., PORTELA, R.C.Q., BRAZ, M.I.G., SILVA-LIMA, L., MATOS, M.B., Using the variances of microclimate variables to determine edge effects in small forest Atlantic Rain Forest fragments, South-Eastern Brazil (2004) Ecotropica, 10, pp. 59-64SIZER, N., TANNER, E.V.J., FERRAZ, I.D.K., Edge effects on litterfall mass and nutrient concentrations in forest fragments in central Amazonia (2000) Journal of Tropical Ecology, 16, pp. 853-863www.statsoft.com, STATSOFT. 2001. STATISTICA data analysis software system, version 6SYSTAT. 1998. SYSTAT 8.0 Statistics. SPSS, Sao Jose, CAUEZU, A., METZGER, J.P., VIELLIARD, J.M.E., Effects of structural and functional connectivity and patch size on the abundance of seven Atlantic Forest bird species (2005) Biological Conservation, 123, pp. 507-519VASCONCELOS, H.L., LUIZÃO, F.J., Litter production and litter nutrient concentrations in a fragmented Amazonian landscape (2004) Ecological Application, 14, pp. 884-892VIANA, V.M., TABANEZ, A.A.J., BATISTA, J.L., Dynamics and restoration of forest fragments in the Brazilian Atlantic Moist Forest (1997) Tropical forest remnants: Ecology, management, and conservation of fragmented communities, pp. 351-365. , W.F. Laurance & R.O. Bierregaard, eds, Chicago University Press, New York, pVITOUSEK, P.M., Litterfall, nutrient cycling and nutrient limitation in tropical forest (1984) Ecology, 65, pp. 285-298VON ENDE, C.N., Repeated-measures analysis: Growth and other time-dependent measures (1993) Design and analysis of ecological experiments, pp. 113-137. , S. M. Scheiner & J. Gurevitch, eds, International Thomson Publishing, New York, pWILLIAMS-LINERA, G., Vegetation structure and environmental conditions of forest edges in Panama (1990) Journal of Ecology, 78, pp. 356-373ZAR, J.H., (1999) Biostatistical Analysis. 4 th, , Prentice Hall, New Jersey