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Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:33:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-01-01 The time for flowering and fruiting in plants is mainly influenced by environmental factors. Plant species that are subject to different environmental conditions, but phylogenetically close, such as forest and savanna congeneric species pairs growing in forest-savanna transitions in the Neotropics, can be comparatively studied to isolate the effects of the environment from phylogenetic influences. Thus, we performed a comparative study of flowering and fruiting start and duration, as well its relationships with dispersal modes and canopy phenology, analyzing herbarium data for 25 congeneric species pairs from different families, each containing at least one savanna and one forest species. We examined species phenological patterns using digitized specimens from one of the most comprehensive digitized plant datasets in Brazil, the SpeciesLink. We found savanna species having shorter flowering duration (2–5 months) in comparison with forest (3–8 months) congeneric species. Congeneric pairs presented similar reproductive phenological responses for all other studied traits. We found that dispersal mode played an important role in determining fruiting start and duration, while flowering and fruiting start were explained by leaf deciduousness. Although there were many phenological similarities between savanna and forest species, there were differences in flowering duration between savanna and forest species in some congeneric pairs. Departamento de Engenharia Ambiental Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Rodovia Presidente Dutra, Km 137,8, Eugênio de Melo Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donatto Castellane S/N, Vila Industrial Departamento de Engenharia Ambiental Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Rodovia Presidente Dutra, Km 137,8, Eugênio de Melo Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donatto Castellane S/N, Vila Industrial

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T11:07:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-04-01 The ecological impact of lianas in the edges of tropical forest areas is widely recognised; however, the edge influence on the liana community and its relationship with trees in biomes of open vegetation require further evaluation. We compared the following parameters between edges and interiors in a remnant of woody cerrado: (i) the structure of liana and tree communities (abundance, basal area and species richness and composition); (ii) the influence of microenvironmental factors on the abundance and basal area of lianas and trees; and (iii) the relationship between lianas and their host trees. We collected data from plots placed in the edge and interior (100 m distance from the edges) at two cardinal orientations (south and east) of our study site. Our results showed that (i) lianas had greater absolute and per tree host abundances in the edges, while the trees showed greater abundance and lower basal area in the interiors; (ii) there was a positive edge effect on the diversity of lianas but not of trees, with a greater diversity of lianas in the edges, while the interiors showed only a subset of the liana species recorded at the edges; (iii) the edge effect was more pronounced (less tree abundance with a larger basal area and greater abundance of lianas) on the south-facing than on the east-facing edges; and (iv) the microenvironmental factors analysed did not influence the general pattern of abundance and the basal area of trees and lianas. We conclude that, in the remnant of cerrado studied, the edges influenced the liana community, increasing the species richness, abundance and host occupancy. The impact of the greater diversity and abundance of lianas in the edges should be considered in the management and conservation plans of woody cerrado ecosystems. Department of Forest Sciences “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias 11 Department of Biology Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde de São Paulo, Rua Carlos Petit, 401 Laboratório de Fenologia Departamento de Botânica Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Núcleo de Ecologia Instituto de Botânica, C. Postal 68041 Laboratório de Fenologia Departamento de Botânica Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:10:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-02-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Although the outer bark is important for protecting the inner tissues of stems of woody plants, especially from fire, the variation of outer bark in environments with different water availability, wind intensities, and solar radiation is little understood. Here, we examined the outer bark structure of Moquiniastrum polymorphum (Asteraceae) and Zanthoxylum rhoifolium (Rutaceae), co-occurring species in cerrado sensu stricto, cerradão, semi-deciduous seasonal forest and rainforest. Cerrado sensu stricto is a savanna with relatively intense solar radiation and winds. Cerradão, semi-deciduous seasonal forest and rainforest are progressively more closed and humid. We tested if trees in cerrado sensu stricto have relatively thicker outer and total bark than trees in the other three environments. For individuals of each species from each habitat, we described the morphological and anatomical features of the outer bark, including the origin of the first periderm. We compared the relative thickness of outer and total bark among habitats by means of ANOVA. In both species, we observed no qualitative differences in the morphological and anatomical features of the outer bark; therefore, these features are diagnostic for each species. For all habitats, the deep-seated origin of the first periderm and formation of a rhytidome in M. polymorphum produce a grooved bark with a loose appearance, whereas the subepidermal origin and formation of a single periderm in Z. rhoifolium produce a more uniform and smooth-appearing bark. Zanthoxylum rhoifolium trees in cerrado sensu stricto and cerradão have a thinner periderm, whereas M. polymorphum trees do not vary in rhytidome thickness among the habitats. In summary, trees from cerrado sensu stricto did not have relatively thicker outer bark and total bark than trees in cerradão, semi-deciduous seasonal forest and rainforest, suggesting that seasonal drought, intense solar radiation and winds do not seem to affect the total thickness of the outer bark. UNESP - São Paulo State University Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas Departamento de Ciência Florestal Laboratório de Anatomia da Madeira, Avenida Universitária, 3780 UNESP - São Paulo State University Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu Departamento de Botânica, Distrito de Rubião Junior UNESP - São Paulo State University Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas Departamento de Ciência Florestal Laboratório de Anatomia da Madeira, Avenida Universitária, 3780 UNESP - São Paulo State University Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu Departamento de Botânica, Distrito de Rubião Junior FAPESP: 2015/14954-1 CNPq: 304396/2015-0

Coleoptera order in Brazil presents 105 families with approximately 28,000 species. The life cycle and diversity of Coleoptera are strongly influenced by climate and vegetation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the seasonality and distribution of Coleoptera families in an area of the Cerrado in the Federal District (DF) of Brazil. The insects were collected monthly, between June 2015 and May 2016, using a light trap activated only in nights with a new moon, in an area of cerrado sensu stricto in Planaltina/DF, Brazil. The data were correlated with climatic variables. A total of 21,100 Coleoptera specimens belonging to 34 families were collected, with Melolonthidae (n = 11,075), Carabidae (n = 2,522), Scarabaeidae (n = 2,506), Bostrichidae (n = 1,196), and Chrysomelidae (n = 1,086) being the most abundant. Coleoptera were significantly more abundant in the first half of the rainy season. There was a significant and positive correlation between the abundance of Coleoptera and the climatic variables temperature and precipitation. The data presented in this study are related to an atypical year under the strong influence of the El Niño phenomenon, which may influence the abundance of Coleoptera. Circular analysis revealed that Coleoptera, and the most abundant families, presented seasonality throughout the year with a grouped distribution at the beginning of the rainy season (October to December). This study demonstrates that the richness and abundance of the Coleoptera order, in the Cerrado, is strongly influenced by the characteristic climatic seasons of the biome.

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T11:12:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-02-16 Flowering patterns are crucial to understand the dynamics of plant reproduction and resource availability for pollinators. Seasonal climate constrains flower and leaf phenology, where leaf and flower colors likely differ between seasons. Color is the main floral trait attracting pollinators; however, seasonal changes in the leaf-background coloration affect the perception of flower color contrasts by pollinators. For a seasonally dry woody cerrado community (Brazilian savanna) mainly pollinated by bees, we verified whether seasonality affects flower color diversity over time and if flower color contrasts of bee-pollinated species differ between seasons due to changes in the leaf-background coloration. For 140 species, we classified flower colors based on human-color vision, and for 99 species, we classified flower colors based on bee-color vision (spectral measurements). We described the community’s flowering pattern according to the flower colors using a unique 11 years phenological database. For the 43 bee-pollinated species in which reflectance data were also available, we compared flower color diversity and contrasts against the background between seasons, considering the background coloration of each season. Flowering was markedly seasonal, peaking at the end of the dry season (September), when the highest diversity of flower colors was observed. Yellow flowers were observed all year round, whereas white flowers were seasonal, peaking during the dry season, and pink flowers predominated in the wet season, peaking in March. Bee-bluegreen flowers peaked between September and October. Flowers from the wet and dry seasons were similarly conspicuous against their corresponding background. Regardless of flowering season, the yellowish background of the dry season promoted higher flower color contrast for all flower species, whereas the greener background of the wet season promoted a higher green contrast. Temporal patterns of flower colors and color contrasts were related to the cerrado seasonality, but also to bee’s activity, visual system, and behavior. Background coloration affected flower contrasts, favoring flower conspicuousness to bees according to the season. Thus, our results provide new insights regarding the temporal patterns of plant–pollinator interactions. Phenology Laboratory Department of Biodiversity Biosciences Institute São Paulo State University (UNESP) Phenology Laboratory Department of Biodiversity Biosciences Institute São Paulo State University (UNESP)

Quando áreas naturais são fragmentadas, ocorre a formação de bordas. Nessas áreas, que estão sujeitas a distúrbios e perturbações, as plantas tendem a ocupar microhábitats específicos que oferecem condições ótimas de obtenção de recursos. Diferenças de luminosidade são um dos principais fatores que afetam o desempenho e a distribuição de algumas espécies, e podem provocar modificações funcionais e fenotípicas no decorrer do desenvolvimento das plantas. Além das modificações morfológicas, diferenças na exposição à luz solar podem também representar um aumento ou diminuição no nível de estresse das espécies vegetais. Neste estudo nós investigamos como gradientes ambientais afetam a ocorrência, características fenotípicas, nutricionais e a fenologia de Banisteriopsis malifolia, assim como as interações ecológicas com a fauna associada. O trabalho foi realizado em uma área de reserva de Cerrado situada na cidade de Uberlândia. Delimitamos quatro transectos da borda da trilha principal da reserva até o interior da mata. Foram encontradas 649 plantas, no entanto, a abundância da espécie não apresentou diferenças estatísticas significativas de acordo com os transectos e a distância da borda. Dentre todas as variáveis examinadas em B. malifolia, complexidade estrutural, assimetria flutuante, área foliar, massa foliar específica, número de botões florais e herbivoria, nenhuma apresentou variações significativas de acordo com a cobertura vegetal (abertura de dossel de árvores vizinhas, %) e a distância da borda. Os resultados sugerem que para essa espécie, nesta área, não houve mudanças significativas nas condições ambientais e no acesso a diferentes recursos para a espécie. When natural areas are fragmented, edge formation occurs. In these areas, which are subject to disturbances and disorders, plants tend to occupy specific microhabitats that offer optimal conditions for obtaining resources. Sunlight differences are one of the main factors affecting the performance and distribution of some species, and may cause functional and phenotypic changes during the development of plants. In addition to morphological changes, differences in sunlight exposure may also represent an increase or decrease in the stress level of plant species. In this study we investigated how environmental gradients affect the occurrence, phenotypic, nutritional characteristics and phenology of Banisteriopsis malifolia, as well as the ecological interactions with the associated fauna. The work was carried out in a Cerrado reserve area located in the city of Uberlândia. We delineate four transects from the edge of the reserve's main trail into the forest. There were 649 plants found, however, the abundance of the individuals did not present significant statistical differences according to the transects and distance from the border. Among all variables examined in B. malifolia: structural complexity, fluctuating asymmetry, leaf area, specific foliar mass, number of floral buds and herbivory, none showed significant variations according to the vegetation cover (canopy of neighboring trees,%) and the distance from the edge. The results suggest that for this species, in this area, there were no significant changes in environmental conditions and access to different resources for this specie. Dissertação (Mestrado)

Here we model and describe the wood volume of Cerrado Sensu Stricto, a highly heterogeneous vegetation type in the Savanna biome, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, integrating forest inventory data with spatial-environmental variables, multivariate regression, and regression kriging. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the factors that affect the spatial distribution of the wood volume of this vegetation type as well as allowing better representation of the spatial heterogeneity of this biome. Wood volume estimates were obtained through regression models using different environmental variables as independent variables. Using the best fitted model, spatial analysis of the residuals was carried out by selecting a semivariogram model for generating an ordinary kriging map, which in turn was used with the fitted regression model in the regression kriging technique. Seasonality of both temperature and precipitation, along with the density of deforestation, explained the variations of wood volume throughout Minas Gerais. The spatial distribution of predicted wood volume of Cerrado Sensu Stricto in Minas Gerais revealed the high variability of this variable (15.32 to 98.38 m3 ha-1) and the decreasing gradient in the southeast-northwest direction.

Este trabalho objetivou investigar a dinâmica populacional de 12 espécies lenhosas de Cerrado sentido restrito. O estudo foi executado nas áreas de reserva legal (fragmentos 1 e 2) do Projeto de Colonização Gerais de Balsas, no sul do Maranhão, no período de 1995 a 2002. A maioria das espécies estudadas apresentou distribuição de freqüência dos indivíduos nas classes de diâmetro em forma de J invertido, característica de populações auto-regenerativas. As populações das espécies Byrsonima coccolobifolia, Sclerolobium paniculatum e Vochysia rufa, no fragmento 1, e B. coccolobifolia, Byrsonima crassa, Davilla elliptica e Qualea parviflora, no fragmento 2, destacaram-se por apresentar altas taxas de recrutamento que compensaram as elevadas taxas de mortalidade. Os maiores valores de incremento em diâmetro foram registrados nas espécies B. crassa, Q. parviflora, S. paniculatum e V. rufa, em ambos os fragmentos. As espécies que apresentaram alto recrutamento e alto incremento em diâmetro provavelmente permanecerão ocupando posição de destaque na estrutura da comunidade. No entanto, as populações das espécies Connarus suberosus, D. elliptica, Hirtella ciliata e Erythroxylum deciduum, no fragmento 1, e Salvertia convallariaeodora, no fragmento 2, não mostraram altas taxas de recrutamento e podem ter sua sobrevivência comprometida no futuro, caso as tendências detectadas neste estudo permaneçam. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the population dynamics of 12 woody species. This study was conducted in two fragments of Cerrado stricto sensu in the Gerais de Balsas Colonization Project, located in Southern Maranhão, Brazil, between 1995 and 2002. The frequency distribution in diameter classes showed the reverse J-shape curve for the majority of species studied. The high recruitment rates were registered for Byrsonima coccolobifolia, Sclerolobium paniculatum e Vochysia rufa, in fragment 1, and B. coccolobifolia, Byrsonima crassa, Davilla elliptica and Qualea parviflora, in fragment 2. The high growth rates were registered for B. crassa, Q. parviflora, S. paniculatum and V. rufa, to both fragments. The species that presented high recruitment and high growth rates, probably, will remain as the principal species in the community structure. On the other hand, the populations of Connarus suberosus, D. elliptica, Hirtella ciliata and Erythroxylum deciduum, in fragment 1, and Salvertia convallariaeodora, in fragment 2, did not present high recruitment rates, in this manner, if the tendencies persist these populations will probably have their survival compromised in the future.

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/198050985084Studies on sampling techniques appropriate and accurate for measuring the yield of native species of Cerrado are still very rare, constituting a gap in the formulation of Sustainable Management Plans for the Biome. This study was conducted in an area of cerrado sensu stricto, located in the Experimental Ecological Reserve of the University of Brasilia, Federal District, with the objective of evaluate the efficiency of randomized branch sampling to quantify the yield of fruits at one tree of Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Pequi). After a floristic inventory in the area of cerrado sensu stricto, it was selected one tree of Caryocar brasiliense in the fruiting period for application of randomized branch sampling. The production of fruits of Pequi was estimated by randomized branch sampling, tested by two techniques of selection of branches: uniform probability and probability proportional to the diameter of the branch. The validation of the method was made by comparison with the actual production, defined by the total count of fruits. The sampling error for a sampling intensity of ten paths was equal to 99.92%, using the technique of uniform probability to the size of the branch and equal to 61.45%, using the technique of probability proportional to its diameter. It was concluded that the randomized branch sampling, using the techniques of uniform probability and probability proportional to its diameter, was imprecise and inaccurate for the study case. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out further studies and some modification on the technique that allows generate estimates of the fruit production of Caryocar brasiliense with small errors and without tendency.