POPULATION STRUCTURE AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud. IN TWO FRAGMENTS AT DIFFERENT REGENERATION STAGES IN THE CAATINGA, IN SERGIPE, BRAZIL

Abstract

-This study aimed to analyze the vertical and diameter structure and the spatial distribution pattern of Bauhinia cheilantha in two Caatinga fragments in Sergipe, Brazil, at different regeneration stages. Thirty plots were demarcated in area I (Canindé de São Francisco and Poço Redondo), which has vegetation regeneration, and 25 plots in area II (Porto da Folha) with preserved vegetation, both having 400 m 2 . All B. cheilantha individuals had their height and circumference (circumference at breast height > 6 cm) measured. Possible differences in height and diameter at breast height were tested in the two populations by using Student's T-test. The distribution pattern of species was calculated through Payandeh's index. We sampled 154 B. cheilantha individuals, equivalent to 33.3% of the plots in area I and in 1,027 individuals in area II, totaling 100% frequency. Height and the diameter of the two populations were statistically different, where AI achieved all values lower than AII. The spatial distribution pattern of B. cheilantha found in both areas was aggregate, with values of 11.85 and 9.00, respectively. Thus, it became clear that the population in AII is at a more advanced successional status than AI, due to its longer conservation time.Keywords: Aggregation; Population density; Mororó. ESTRUTURA POPULACIONAL E DISTRIBUIÇÃO ESPACIAL DE Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud. EM DOIS FRAGMENTOS EM DIFERENTES ESTÁGIOS DE REGENERAÇÃO NA CAATINGA, EM SERGIPE, BRASIL RESUMO -O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a estrutura vertical e diamétrica e o padrão de distribuição espacial de

Biomass Dynamics in a Fragment of Brazilian Tropical Forest (Caatinga) over Consecutive Dry Years

“…and Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud are pioneer species, common in primary and secondary formations [11], and characterized by fast growth, high regenerative capacity and resistance to drought.…”

Fatores abióticos condicionantes da distribuição de espécies arbóreas em quatro formações florestais do Estado de São Paulo

“…HARMS et al, 2001, PHILLIPS et al, 2003, TUOMISTO et al, 2003, PARMENTIER et al, 2014. Por isso, pesquisas têm proposto metodologias para definir a influência dos fatores abióticos no padrão de distribuição espacial das espécies (ZHANG et al, 2010, BAGCHI et al, 2011, SHEN et al 2013OLIVEIRA, 2015, ALMEIDA-FILHO et al, 2015.…”