Efeitos da seca sazonal e disponibilidade de luz na sobrevivência e crescimento de Bowdichia virgilioides em duas fitofisionomias típicas dos cerrados do Brasil Central

Abstract

-(Effects of seasonal drought and light availability on growth and survival of Bowdichia virgilioides in two characteristic savanna physiognomies of Central Brazil). Bowdichia virgiliodes Kunth is a common legume tree in the savannas of Central Brazil. This study investigated the effects of shading and of seasonal variations of soil water on the establishment and development of B. virgilioides in the 'campo sujo', a grassland with scattered trees and shrubs, and the 'cerradão', a woodland with a well-developed arboreous canopy. Soil remained wet during most of the rainy season, but short dry spells affected soil water potential of the upper layers. The soil under 'campo sujo' vegetation dried faster in the dry season. A larger percentage of seedlings emerged in the 'campo sujo'. Most of the mortality occurred shortly after germination, still in the wet season. Seasonal drought was not an important mortality factor. The 'cerradão' was not a favourable environment for the development of B. virgiliodes. Few cerradão seedlings survived, and 15-month-old plants reached only 3.8 ± 0.7 cm (mean ± SD) of total stem length, whereas the 'campo sujo' plants reached 6.9 ± 1.3 cm. Canopy shading reduced the photosynthetic photon flux density (PFD) available for understory seedlings and may be a major constrain for seedling growth. Shading by the tree layer in the cerradão had a much higher impact on PFD interception. A horizontal leaf located 5 cm aboveground would potentially fix 30 to 60% less CO2 than a leaf beneath the grass canopy of a 'campo sujo' and 60 to 80% less CO2 than an unshaded leaf. Because the height of the herb layer was less than 50 cm, shading decreased markedly with plant height in the 'campo sujo'.RESUMO -(Efeitos da seca sazonal e disponibilidade de luz na sobrevivência e crescimento de Bowdichia virgilioides em duas fitofisionomias típicas dos cerrados do Brasil Central). Bowdichia virgilioides Kunth, uma leguminosa arbórea comum no cerrado, ocorre no campo sujo, em que predomina o estrato herbáceo e em formações florestais, como o cerradão. Neste estudo investigou-se os efeitos do sombreamento e da seca sazonal no estabelecimento e desenvolvimento dessa espécie nestas duas fitofisionomias. O solo permaneceu úmido durante a maior parte da estação chuvosa, mas curtos períodos sem chuva afetaram o potencial de água das camadas superficiais. Ao longo da estação seca, o solo sob campo sujo secou mais rapidamente. A emergência de plântulas foi maior no campo sujo e a maior parte da mortalidade ocorreu logo após a emergência, durante a estação chuvosa. A estação seca não foi um fator importante de mortalidade. O ambiente florestal não foi favorável ao desenvolvimento desta espécie. Poucas plantas sobreviveram no cerradão e atingiram apenas 3,8 ± 0,7 cm (média ± desvio padrão) de comprimento da parte aérea, enquanto as plantas no campo sujo atingiram 6,9 ± 1,3 cm, 15 meses após a semeadura. O sombreamento pode ser um dos principais fatores que limitam o desenvolvimento inicial dessa espécie. Devido ...

Temporal Occurrence of TwoMorphoButterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): Influence of Weather and Food Resources

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Germination of Styrax camporum Pohl. seeds in response to substrate types, moisture contents and the seed morphology

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Survival and early growth of mixed forest stands installed in a Mediterranean Region: Effects of site preparation intensity

“…In the same column, different letters indicate significant differences between treatment means (P < 0.05). ceptible to the Mediterranean type of climate (Alves, 1988;Fernandes and Fernandes, 1998;Kanegae et al, 2000;Bocio et al, 2004). For a better understanding of the plant behavior, the root system was observed.…”