Abstract
The family Vochysiaceae, representative for Brazilian Cerrado, does not stand out in Caatinga environments. Due to the lack of studies that address the behavior of species of this family in disjunct Cerrado environments, this study aimed to investigate structural, ecological and phenological aspects of Qualea parviflora and Callisthene fasciculata populations. The phytosociological and phenological surveys were carried out in a Cerrado enclave at Serra do Boqueirão, Lavras da Mangabeira municipality, Southern Ceará, Brazil. Twelve sampling units of 12.0 x 30 m (0.432 ha) were plotted randomly, including all living individuals with a ground level diameter ≥ 3 cm, also measuring total heights. For the evaluation of phenophases, the Fournier percentage was used, allowing the estimation of intensity of the phenophase in each individual through a semi-quantitative interval scale of five categories (0 to 4), 0 being equivalent to 0%; (1) 1 to 25%; (2) 26 to 50%; (3) 51 to 75% and (4) 76 to 100%. Each sample was composed of 103 and 78 individuals respectively in 66.6% and 91.6% of the plots, of Q. parviflora and C. fasciculata, respectively. The spatial distribution, measured by the Dispersion (ID) and Morisita (IM) indexes reached the values of 17.14 and 18.26 (ID) and 1.08 and 1.16 (IM), respectively, indicating that the species have an aggregate distribution. The phenophases generally correlated with all the climatic variables studied in the region such as rain and preciptation. All data and results presented here collaborate for future projects in the area.
Highlights
Studies referring to the phenology of native plants from the Cerrado (Brazilian Savana) are scarce and can be promising for a rational and sustainable use of their potential (Almeida et al 2014)
The sample consisted of 103 individuals of Qualea parviflora and 78 of Callisthene fasciculata, present in 66.6% and 91.6% of the parcels plotted in the area, with absolute density (AD) of 238.4 ind.ha-1 and 180.6 ind.ha-1, importance value index (IVI) of 38.29 and 19.42, and absolute dominance (ADo) of 1.04 m2/ha-1 and 0.66 m2/ha-1, respectively
The results pointed to the aggregate distribution of the two species of Vochysiaceae in the Cerrado sensu stricto fragment located in the middle of the crystalline Caatinga, in the semiarid region of Northeastern Brazil, being this the first study to focus on the occurrence and ecological behaviors of plant populations in that area
Summary
Studies referring to the phenology of native plants from the Cerrado (Brazilian Savana) are scarce and can be promising for a rational and sustainable use of their potential (Almeida et al 2014). Phenology refers to the definition of phenophases on a time scale (Biondi et al 2007), generating data on the sprouting, flowering, fruiting and seed dispersal and proposing hypotheses on the vegetative and reproductive patterns of the species. The species are classified into two tribes: Erismae Dumort. (Azevedo et al 2015) It is a predominantly tropical family, with. According to Souza and Lorenzi (2008), it occurs in Brazil as one of the main families of the Cerrado biome, being found in other biomes such as Atlantic Forest and Amazon
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