The Caatinga biome is one of the largest areas of the South American seasonally dry tropical forest that has been severely affected by unsustainable natural resource use. Furthermore, the biome has been identified as an ecologically sensitive region that is particularly susceptible to climate changes. One of the most economically important native palm tree for traditional communities from the semi-arid Caatinga is the carnauba palm, Copernicia prunifera, which offers diverse natural resources, yet its natural populations suffer intense exploitation. To inform conservation and population management strategies, we sought to determine if remaining natural populations of this species in an intensively exploited area in Northeast Brazil displayed evidence of negative genetic impacts because of exploitation and how this might interact with expected environmental changes. Mantel's test revealed a positive and significant correlation between geographic and genetic distances, suggesting natural populations are structured by isolation by distance, while also experiencing genetic barriers as identified through Monmonier's algorithm. The studied populations showed evidence of genetic bottlenecks, while future climate scenarios suggest that potentially suitable habitats for C. prunifera within its native range will be reduced. Significant genetic differentiation among populations resulted in three distinct genetic groups which are consistent with ecological niche modelling. In addition to the need for in situ conservation of C. prunifera populations to minimize the loss of important alleles, the creation of germplasm banks for ex situ conservation and strategies for developing planted productive forests are urgently required to maintain natural populations and ensure sustainability resources for traditional communities.
Resumo:Objetivou-se neste estudo descrever as características morfológicas dos frutos e das sementes da palmeira Copernicia prunifera em uma população natural, no município de Apodi, Rio Grande do Norte. Foram aferidos o comprimento, o diâmetro e a massa fresca dos frutos e das sementes de 12 indivíduos adultos. Os dados biométricos foram analisados por meio de estatísticas univariadas e os desvios da normalidade dos dados foram confirmados pelo teste de Lilliefors (para K amostras), para uso da correlação não paramétrica de Spearman (r s ). As similaridades das variáveis biométricas entre indivíduos foram observadas em dendrogramas, por meio da matriz de distância euclidiana simples. Em relação à assimetria, ocorreu distribuição à esquerda no comprimento dos frutos e das sementes, apontando maior quantidade de frutos e sementes com menor comprimento. O diâmetro dos frutos e a massa fresca das sementes evidenciaram pouca amplitude na distribuição dos dados (K > 3). De acordo com os dendrogramas de similaridade, observou-se que os indivíduos 4 e 10 apresentaram maior similaridade entre as variáveis biométricas dos frutos. Já os indivíduos 4 e 9 foram os mais similares em relação às variáveis biométricas das sementes. Quanto às correlações entre as variáveis biométricas, detectaram-se poucas correlações significativas, exceto entre o diâmetro e a massa fresca das sementes (r s = 0,7993; P < 0,05). Os resultados obtidos neste estudo são relevantes, pois servirão como base para futuros trabalhos envolvendo melhoramento, propagação e conservação genética da espécie.Palavras-chave: carnaúba; semiárido; caatinga; espécie florestal. Biometric characteristics of the fruits and seeds of the palm Copernicia prunifera (Arecaceae)Abstract: The objective of this study was to describe the morphological characteristics of the fruits and seeds of the palm Copernicia prunifera in a natural population in Apodi municipality, RN, Brazil. The length, the diameter and the fresh mass of the fruits and seeds of 12 adult individuals were measured. Biometric data were analyzed through univariate statistics, and deviations from the normal range of data were confirmed by the Lilliefors test (for K samples), for use of non-parametric Spearman correlation (r s ). The similarities of biometric variables between individuals were observed in dendrograms, through the simple Euclidean distance matrix. In relation to the asymmetry, asymmetrical distribution was seen in the left of the fruits and seeds length, pointing higher amount of fruits and seeds with less length. The diameter of the fruits and the fresh mass of the seeds showed little amplitude in the distribution of data (K > 3). According to the similarity dendrograms, it was observed that the individuals 4 and 10 had more similarity between the biometric variables of fruits. Individuals 4 and 9 were the most similar in relation to biometric variables of seed. As for correlations between biometric variables, few significant correlations were found, except between the diameter and the fresh m...
SUMMARYPrevious studies have shown that adaptation to drought in Brazilian Caatinga trees may involve different physiological and morphological strategies. Particular climatic and soil characteristics occur along this dry ecosystem leading to non-homogeneous water availability. Therefore, in certain niches, some species predominate over others, indicating that best performance of a species is not widespread. We studied changes in initial growth, which is the most critical factor during the life of a plant, of two common species of Caatinga (Erythrina velutina Willd. and Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong) with variable occurrence through the ecosystem. Young plants were subjected to three water regimes: 450 (control), 225 (moderate stress) and 112.5 mm (severe stress) of water spread over 40 days, which represent years with heavy, moderate and scarce rainfall, respectively. Analyses were performed at 20 and 40 days after the initiation of treatments. When compared to the control group, treatments with water restriction reduced the growth of shoots and roots, the number of leaves and leaflets, the total biomass and the leaf area more in E. velutina than in E. contortisiliquum. Taking into account the adaptation of both species in Caatinga, we present evidence of different drought tolerance strategies. The ecological importance of early changes in the growth of species is discussed in the paper.
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