SPATIAL PATTERN AND ALLOMETRY OF A KEY TREE FOR THE AGROINDUSTRY SECTOR: Hancornia speciosa Gomes

Abstract

The fruits of the mangabeira tree (Hancornia speciosa) are used mainly in the Brazilian Northeast region to supply the agroindustry sector to produce juices, sweets, ice cream and other derivatives. To support conservation and population management, we analyzed the spatial pattern and the allometric relations of H. speciosa in natural populations. For the spatial distribution pattern, we used a second-order neighborhood density function (NDF). Polynomial regression equations were fitted from the allometric data based on the coefficient of determination (R²). We also used descriptive statistics. The H. speciosa trees studied did not occur in a random pattern in the studied areas, and the aggregation pattern (up to 15 and 20 m) was associated with the limited dispersion of seeds (e.g., barochory). The positive relation between the DBH (diameter at breast height) and total height showed good fit of the equation (R² = 0.72). Also, there were high correlations between the crown area and the overall height and DBH (R² = 0.83; R² = 0.81, respectively). The results obtained reflect adaptive strategies of H. speciosa in its natural habitat and provide information to support management and conservation of natural populations submitted to intensive fruit harvesting.