Phenology of riparian tree species in a transitional region in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

This study characterizes the phenological behavior of the most abundant species of riparian vegetation (Pandeiros river, southeast Brazil) in a transition region of Caatinga and Cerrado biomes and relates its phenophases to climatic variables. Among the ten most abundant species of each five sites studied between August 2008 through July 2009, individuals were marked for phenological monitoring, totaling 31 species and 964 individuals. For each sampled individual, the presence or absence of reproductive and vegetative phenophases was recorded and related to the climatic variables of precipitation, temperature, and relative humidity. The period with the greatest amount of vegetative and reproductive phenological activity was in the dry season. Among the climatic variables, the vegetative phenophases were most correlated by temperature, while the reproductive phenophases were most influenced by relative humidity. The species studied presented phenological behavior similar to their typical occurrence area, like in cerrado and caatinga phytophysiognomies, contradicting the phenological pattern expected for riparian forest. However, this behavior also demonstrated adaptations for survival in a transitional environment, leading to the formation of a phenological pattern that is unique to the riparian forest studied.