Arboreal Vegetation Research Articles

Surface Urban Heat Island and Thermal Profiles Using Digital Image Analysis of Cities in the El Bajío Industrial Corridor, Mexico, in 2020

The Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) effect refers to the difference in Land Surface Temperature (LST) between an urban area and its surrounding non-urban area. LST can provide detailed information on the variations in different types of land cover. This study, therefore, analyzes the behavior of LST and SUHIs in fourteen cities in the El Bajío Industrial Corridor, Mexico, using Landsat satellite images from 2020, with QGIS software. It utilizes thermal profiles to identify the land uses that intensify LST, which are essentially those that are anthropologically altered. The results show that the increases in LST and SUHI are more pronounced in cities with greater urban conglomeration, as well as those where there are few green areas and a sizeable industrial or mixed area, with few or no bodies of water. In addition, the increase in temperature in the SUHI is due to certain crops such as vegetables, red fruits, and basic grains such as corn, wheat, and sorghum that use fallow as part of agricultural practices, located around urban areas, which minimizes natural areas with arboreal vegetation.

Tree diversity in riparian forests immersed in a pasture with Urochloa decumbens (Stapf) R.D. Webster (Poaceae) grass under domain of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

The riparian vegetation along water courses and the health of the river’s basin, regarding the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems associated with them, are widely discussed in literature. However, the maintenance of the services and the conservation role that riparian forests provide to flora and fauna may be affected by the regional matrix that surrounds the water course and by the length and composition of the riparian vegetation associated with them. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships among the grass cover and arboreal species diversity in three watercourses surrounded by a pasture dominated with the alien grass Uroclhoa decumbens (Stapf) R.D. Webster (former Brachiaria decumbens). Two hypotheses were tested: (i) watercourses with larger riparian forest width present higher richness and abundance of native and zoochoric tree species and those associated to late succession stages, and (ii) watercourses with larger riparian forest width present a lower grass cover on their interior. The study was conducted under domain of Semideciduous Seasonal Forest, belonging to the Atlantic Forest biome, municipality of Londrina, Paraná State, south Brazil. The regional climate is Köppen’s Cfa humid subtropical. The soil is classified as a mosaic of eutroferric red nitosols and lithosols. The studied sites mostly comprise pasture with U. decumbens alien grass and small patches of woody vegetation amidst an open pasture dominated by species attributed to the first’s stages of secondary succession. The studied site is immersed in Cambé’s River watershed and contain three watercourses, Cristal River, tributary to São Lourenço River, that, in turn, is tributary to Cambé River. All watercourses are classified as small rivers (Brazilian Forestry Code, federal law: n. 12.651/2012), with length inferior to 10 m between both riversides. The riparian vegetation shares similar characteristics and structure, encompassing woody vegetation with pioneer trees species and high canopy openness. All riparian forests are immersed in pastures with U. decumbens grass. Transects of 200 meters long, measuring one meter wide from the line on both sides of the transect, and one square plot (25 m2) were allocated on the interior of each riparian forest. Transects were evaluated as arboreal species richness and the length of the riparian forest strip. In each plot, the arboreal vegetation was inventoried as species richness, abundance and density, and the U. decumbens cover was measured. The riparian forest width was arranged in two classes, forests with width ≤ 5 m or ≥ 10 m. The studied forests were compared as richness, abundance, density, and grass cover. The correlations among the riparian vegetation with the forest width and grass coverage (%) were evaluated. Species richness, abundance and density did not differ among the watercourses. However, species abundance and density presented positive correlations with the riparian forest width, indicating that the larger is the riparian vegetation, the higher is the species density. Grass cover presents a strong negative correlation with the riparian forest width, indicating that narrow strips of woody vegetation present higher grass cover. A high positive correlation was observed with riparian strip width and native trees, suggesting that native woody species establishment is limited by the riparian strip width and that those rustic trees species are more capable to colonize these environments. Also, the correlation found with species that present abiotic syndromes and pioneer species indicates that trees that can colonize open areas are more suitable to establish on narrow strips of vegetation amidst a pasture. The relationships observed with zoochoric trees suggests that the fauna that visits these forests are tolerant to open areas and visit these areas independently of their vegetation width. The larger riparian forests present lower grass cover and these can be related to shadow micro-sites that reduce the luminosity which can affect the permanence potential of the dominance of U. decumbens. In this way, the data suggests that few plants can establish in these pasture landscape, and those more rustic trees which are able to establish under open areas, high grass cover and canopy openness, and that re-sprout after a fire, became more dominant. For these watercourses, with narrow riparian vegetation strips surrounded by an U. decumbens pasture, the high grass cover can restrict and plant diversity, acting on the course and velocity of secondary succession in these areas.

Effects of secondary forest succession on the richness and composition of frog species in humid tropical forest

ABSTRACT Our aim was to evaluate whether the richness and composition of anurans responded to the time of forest regeneration via secondary succession. We sampled the anuran community in a mosaic of areas at three different stages of secondary succession in the Atlantic Forest, southern Brazil. The anurans were collected from nine lentic ponds and from their margins up to a 50 m radius. The late secondary forest sheltered the higher species richness, followed by the primary forest. The spatial variation in species richness was related to the forest succession stage and predominance of arboreal vegetation on the pond edge. The species composition changed throughout the succession stages, regardless of the distance among areas. Along the gradient of forest succession, environmental changes have driven species distribution, limiting the occurrence of forest species and favoring the colonization of areas at the early succession stage by opportunist species. We could observe that the secondary forest succession was a determining factor in the anuran community structure, and with the advancement of the secondary succession, both richness and composition were partly restored. Thus, the conservation of secondary forests might be an efficient strategy to preserve the biodiversity in areas of the Atlantic Forest.

Botanic nations: The aesthetic of the forest in Chandigarh and Singapore

As specific elements of the landscape, trees are invested with cultural meanings related to local histories and the idea of indigenous landscapes. Focusing on two parallel but autonomous largescale projects based on the introduction of dense arboreal vegetation into the urban scene—the landscaping of Chandigarh and of Singapore—the paper explores the role of urban trees as essential tools in shaping strategies of constructing national identities in former British colonies, where plants were used to elicit an emotional and aesthetic response. While current discourses on urban forestry often emphasize the functional capacity of urban trees as an antidote to current and future challenges associated with climate risks, the article proposes the planting endeavours in Chandigarh and Singapore as models of an approach to urban forestry in which cultural and aesthetic aspects played a major role.

Indicators of adaptability of representatives of the genus Acer in an urban environment

A topical task has been set to assess the state of arboreal vegetation used in the landscaping of the city on the example of five species of the genus Acer. The main physiological and biochemical characteristics associated not only with the functionality of plants, but also involved in the formation of the plant's response to stress are involved for evaluation. It is shown that species differ in their physiological and biochemical characteristics and different reactions are observed in species to anthropogenic stressors. A significantly lower number of all groups of photosynthetic pigments was observed in species A. negundo and A. saccharinum, A. negundo it also differs in low indicators of the specific surface area of the sheet. In all five maple species in the urban environment, there was a significant increase in the total fund of green and yellow pigments compared to the background; there is an increase in the ratio Σchl / Σcar by 1.1-1.7 times, mainly due to a decrease in the level of chlorophylls and an increase in the proportion of carotenoids. A. negundo has significantly lower water deficiency and water loss by leaf tissues. The highest values of ascorbic acid were noted in the species A. saccharinum. To interpret the responses of species to the stressors of an urbanized area, cluster analysis was used, which divided the species into two clusters; at the same time, common mechanisms of responses were identified in maples that are introduced from different habitats.

Mapping species assemblages of tropical forests at different hierarchical levels based on multivariate regression trees

BackgroundVegetation distribution maps are of great significance for nature protection and management. In diverse tropical forests, accurate spatial mapping of vegetation types is challenging; the high species diversity and abundance of rare species challenge classification concepts, while remote sensing signals may not vary systematically with species composition, complicating the technical capability for delineating vegetation types in the landscape. MethodsWe used a combination of field-based compositional data and their relations to environmental variables to predict the distribution of forest types in the Wuzhishan National Natural Reserve (WNNR), Hainan Island, China, using multivariate regression trees (MRT). The MRT was based on arboreal vegetation composition in 132 plots of 20 ​m ​× ​20 ​m with a regular spacing of 1 ​km. Apart from the MRT, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was used to evaluate vegetation-environment relationships. ResultsThe MRT model worked best when using 14 key environmental variables including topography, climate, latitude and soil, although the difference with the simpler model including only topographical variables was small. The full model classified the 132 plots into 3 vegetation types, 6 formation groups, 20 formations and 65 associations at different hierarchical syntaxonomic levels. This model was the basis for forest vegetation maps for the WNNR. MRT and NMDS showed that elevation was the main driving force for the distribution of vegetation types and formation groups. Climate, latitude, and soil (especially available P), together with topographic variables, all influenced the distribution of formations and associations. ConclusionsWhile elevation determines forest-type distributions, lower-level syntaxonomic forest classes respond to the topographic diversity typical for mountains. Apart from providing the first detailed forest vegetation map for any part of WNNR, we show how, in spite of limitations, MRT with existing environmental data can be a useful method for mapping diverse and remote tropical forests.

Vegetational succession assessment in a fragment of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Vegetational succession assessment is an important step for better management practices, providing relevant quantitative and qualitative information. With the advancements of remote sensing algorithms and access to data, land use and land cover (LULC) monitoring has become increasingly feasible and important for the evaluation of changes in the landscape at different spatial and temporal scales. This study aims to analyze the vegetation succession achieved by a project funded by the Brazilian Environmental Ministry (Ministério do Meio Ambiente, in Portuguese) intended to recover degraded areas. A 2014 and a 2019 LULC map was generated using high-resolution (10cm) images. Given the great challenge of classifying high-resolution images, three classification algorithms were compared. The techniques to regenerate degraded areas were efficient to increase arboreal vegetation area by more than 30% between 2014 and 2019. Land cover and land use change monitoring is of paramount importance to strengthen sustainable practices, especially in the highly threatened Atlantic Forest biome. This study also shows that funding opportunities are essential for projects that make such actions possible, including the present research and the analysis of environmental regeneration.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND LEISURE ASPECTS OF THE MUNICIPAL LAKE OF ESPÍRITO SANTO DO PINHAL-SP AND THE FAVORING OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE POPULATION

Nowadays, urban planning in Brazilian municipalities has sought innovative practices and reflections related to green areas located in urban centers, being an indicator of environmental quality in cities due to the numerous ecological, aesthetic and leisure functions that it can perform. Thus, the objective of this work was to carry out a survey of the environmental and leisure aspects of a green area located in the municipality of Espirito Santo do Pinhal-SP called Municipal Lake used by the population. To carry out this work, the area was covered, portraying the characteristics of the vegetation found in this place and its functions, the water reservoir, the buildings and the use of the place by the citizens regarding the practice of physical exercises. The results showed that the Municipal Lake is located in a privileged area of the municipality, with a considerable number of tree species from the Atlantic Forest biome, among them the araucaria, a symbol tree of this municipality. The space has a water reservoir with a water surface of approximately 28,580m², thus, the arboreal vegetation and this lake favor a local microclimate and the space has a walking track and cycle lane being the place used for sports, leisure together to children and social integration factors that stimulate a quality of life in urban centers.

Lábrea

Lábrea, Amazonas, Brazil officially has 64.4% of its public streets lined with trees. However, there is no information available on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of this afforestation. The aim of the study was to inventory the urban afforestation of Lábrea to quantify and qualify the municipal road afforestation. The census of arboreal vegetation on the public roads covered parking lots and areas for pedestrian traffic (sidewalks and curbs) on the streets of the neighborhoods that make up the urban area, being recorded geolocated images of individuals. A total of 507 individuals were counted, distributed in 38 species and 15 botanical families, planting trees in the city’s public streets. The species ficus (Moraceae, Ficus benjamina) and jambeiro (Myrtaceae, Syzygium malaccense) had the highest absolute density. Afforestation is concentrated in the Centro district (50%). Disregarding the neighborhood, the most tree-lined street was October 22nd. The species are partially of native national origin (19 species, 50%), of which 63% are Amazonian (12 species). In absolute terms, individuals are mostly of exotic origin (79%). The individuals are in good structural condition, with type 1 phytosanitary status, located in sidewalks, conflicting or not with the electrical network (413 ind., 81%) without conflicts with the pavement (402 ind., 79%), outside the phenological period. Some common problems already reported also occur in the region. The low diversity of species in afforestation may indicate a certain loss in the quality of the urban physical and environmental structure.

A long-term study indicates that tree clearance negatively affects fledgling recruitment to the Blue-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva) population.

The Blue-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva) is a Neotropical parrot with a large distribution in South America, including areas in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay. A substantial part of the population of this parrot is concentrated in the Pantanal, a large wetland located in the center of South America. There, the clearing of forest and savannas has occurred through the years to accommodate beef-cattle pasture, and crops. Our objective was to understand the direct and indirect effects of time, availability of forest and savannas, and rainfall over the number of nestlings and fledged young of Blue-fronted Amazons inhabiting the southern Pantanal. We surveyed their nests from 1997 to 2018 and counted the number of nestlings produced and the number of fledglings capable to leave the nest in each year. Additionally, we used available data on the area covered by arboreal vegetation, and rainfall data collected at a Meteorological Station located in a central area of the study, as predictors of the numbers of nestlings and fledglings produced every year. Then, we applied structural equation modeling to examine both the direct and indirect effects of time, arboreal habitat availability, and annual cumulative rainfall on the number of nestlings and fledgling per nest. Finally, we estimated the long-term trend of the number of fledglings per nest as a surrogate to the populational trend of Blue-fronted Amazon. We found that none of the variables in our model explained the number of nestlings in nests, but the number of nestlings and the arboreal habitat availability directly and positively affected the number of fledglings. Time indirectly and negatively affected the number of fledglings per nest, whereas rainfall affected it indirectly positively. Additionally, we detected a concerning decrease of about 30% of the fledglings during the 22-years study, which could lead to a change in the species conservational status.

Confort térmico producido por la vegetación arbórea en el macrocentro de Bahía Blanca (Argentina)

Urban trees are essential since they generate multiple benefits to society, one of them is the mitigation of the urban heat island. The present work aims to obtain the thermal comfort produced by the arboreal vegetation in the downtown area of Bahía Blanca city. For this, Local Climate Zone of the study area was determined according to its characteristics and the percentage of vegetation cover was obtained using the online software I-tree Canopy. A survey of the street trees was also conducted to determine the most representative species. During the summer of 2020, measurements of air temperature and relative humidity were made under the canopy of fifteen trees, at 3:00 p.m., in 15 days typical of this thermal season. Then, by applying the vegetation comfort index, it was found that all the selected trees contribute to improve the thermal comfort of the population. However, there were differences among them, with Platanus acerifolia and Parasenegalia visco standing out for their higher magnitude and their impact on the decrease in air temperature under their canopies. In addition, problems related to street trees were identified and described, and finally proposals were established. These results allow to consider that, given the importance of trees in the urban microclimate, their coverage should be increased in the downtown area in order to contribute to thermal regulation during the summer. The need for regular maintenance work to avoid the problems detected in the roadside trees and to enhance the ecosystem services they provide was confirmed.

The legacy of 1300 years of land use in Jamaica

Despite decades of archaeological research on Jamaica, little is known about how settlers influenced landscape change on the island over time. Here, we examine the impact of human occupation through a multi-proxy approach using phytolith, charcoal, and stratigraphic analyses. White Marl was a continuously inhabited village settlement (ca. 1050–450 cal yrs BP) with large mounded midden areas, precolonial house structures, and human landscape management practices. We have shown that the local vegetation at White Marl was directly affected by human settlement through the use of agroforestry and burning, and suggest that fire was used to modify vegetation. Manioc phytoliths were found throughout human occupation and are broadly associated with increases in evidence for burning, suggesting fire was used to modify the landscape and clear vegetation for crop cultivation. The phytolith assemblages relate to three distinct temporal vegetation phases: (1) the earliest occupation dominated by arboreal vegetation (pre-ca. 870 cal yrs BP); (2) a transition to palm-dominated vegetation (ca. 870–670 cal yrs BP); and (3) the latest occupation representing European colonization associated with a more open, grass-dominated landscape (after ca. 670 cal yrs BP). These transitions occur independent of changes in paleoclimate records, suggesting humans were the dominant driver of vegetation change.

Balanced spatial distribution of green areas creates healthier urban landscapes

Abstract The benefits of green infrastructure on human well‐being in urban areas are already well‐established, with strong evidence of the positive effects of the amount and proximity to green areas. However, the understanding of how the spatial distribution and type of green areas affect health is still an open question. Here, through a land sharing and sparing framework, we explore how different spatial configurations of green and built‐up areas and how different types of green areas can affect cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalizations in São Paulo city, Brazil. Sharing/sparing indicators were selected as the main explanatory factors in the control of all groups of diseases. Land sharing appeared as a favourable spatial condition to prevent cardiovascular hospitalization, while land sparing and arboreal vegetation were relevant to reduce hospitalization by lower respiratory diseases. For upper respiratory diseases, forests seem to provide a disservice, once they were associated with increased rates of hospitalization by respiratory allergies causes. Considering that hospitalization rates and severity of cardiovascular diseases are substantially higher than those of upper respiratory ones, dense vegetation tends to provide more services than disservices. The land sharing configuration, which is characterized by green areas spread throughout the urban network (in streets, gardens, small squares or parks), should lead to higher exposure and use of the benefits of green areas, which may then explain the greater prevention of cardiovascular diseases. These novel results indicate that a more balanced distribution of green areas across built‐up areas creates healthier urban spaces, and thus can be used as an urban planning strategy to leverage the health benefits provided by green infrastructure. Policy implications. Aiming to reduce hospitalizations by cardiovascular and pulmonary causes, urban planning should promote the spreading of green areas across the cities, in order to increase daily contact with natural attributes, giving preference to distribution over total quantity of green in urban landscape.

Dietary ecological traits of extinct mammalian herbivores from the last glacial termination at the Pilauco Site, Chile

AbstractStable isotopes are a powerful tool for reconstructing the past. However, environmental factors not previously considered can lead to misinterpretations. Our study presents a novel analysis of the feeding behavior of the megafauna that inhabited the Pilauco ecosystem in south-central Chile during the last glacial termination. We analyzed a suite of modern plant and animal samples from closed-canopy forests to establish an isotopic baseline with which to compare stable isotope results from fossil megafauna. Using the modern samples as a reference, the δ13C results from the Pilauco megafauna indicate feeding behaviors in forested areas. These results were then calibrated with dental calculus samples and coprolites, which suggest the coexistence of graze- and grass-dominated mixed-feeder diets. The δ15N values found in Pilauco megafauna are not consistent with modern reference data sets or with the low δ15N values of extinct proboscideans from other contemporaneous and nearby sites. Probably, the δ15N values of the Pilauco ecosystem were not primarily affected by climate, but rather by disturbance factors (e.g., grazing effect). Our results indicate that the Pilauco megafauna fed mainly on arboreal vegetation; however, non-isotopic proxies indicate that they were also eating open vegetation (e.g., herbs and grasses).

Estimation of erosion and deposition by Unit Stream Power Erosion and Deposition in a sub-basin on the Mogi Guaçu River’s margins, municipality of Mogi Guaçu, SP, Brazil

Information regarding the soil erosive processes that comprise the detachment, transport and deposition, are essential when analyzing hydrological processes associated with the generation of the flow in the landscape and water recharge. The USPED (Unit Stream Power Erosion and Deposition) model has been applied in several regions around the world for providing more accurate estimates, since it adds a physical base that relates the relief morphology with the erosion-defining runoff parameters. The current study aims to analyze erosion and deposition using the USPED model in a sub-basin on Mogi Guaçu River’s margins, municipality of Mogi Guaçu, SP, Brazil, and generate subsidies for future diagnoses regarding areas in the region with greatercapacity for water storage, based on less erosion. The loss of mineral and organic particles arising from the erosive process changes the soil’s effective depth, texture and structure, directly and negatively impacting its capacity to absorb and retain water. 60% of the sub-basin’s area was unaffected by considerable processes of erosion and deposition, both due to the current arboreal vegetation, but also the smooth relief of the site. The erosion and deposition sites have totaled 23.42 and 15.76% of the sub-basin area respectively, being adjacent to one another and preferably near or within the drainage network. The results of the spatialization were validated by the Kappa Index and revealed that the UPSED model obtained an excellent agreement with the “ground truth”. Stability in terms of erosion, favors the water recharge in area, since the soils present a sandy texture and in addition, the Latossolos, which make up 63% of the sub-basin, are deep and possess a high water storage...

Climatic and vegetational dynamics in southern Brazil between 47.8 and 7.4 cal ka BP: a palynological analysis

Vegetation and climate changes in southern Brazil are described based on the palynological analysis from marine core SIS 188, collected on the continental slope, which records the interval between 47.8 and 7.4 cal ka BP. The pollen record indicates that the grasslands dominated the landscape in southern Brazil throughout the studied period. During the last glacial period, the forests were reduced. Between 32.8 and 20.2 cal ka BP, there is an increase in grassland and reduction of arboreal palynomorphs, coinciding with colder and drier climatic conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). From 30 to 25.2 cal ka BP, an increase in the sedimentation rate and concentration of most pollen indicators is observed. This change could be related to low sea level, which exposed the continental shelf to eolian erosion and fluvial inputs that transported sediments and palynomorphs to the ocean. A significant decrease in sedimentation rate is recorded between 19.5 and 12.6 cal ka BP, probably related to sea-level rise during deglaciation. During deglaciation and beginning of the Holocene, the increase in arboreal pollen indicates the expansion of forests, reflecting warmer and wetter climate. Heinrich event 1 is marked by a peak in the percentages of the arboreal vegetation at 15.9 cal ka BP. Around 8.5 cal ka BP, there seems to be another interval of higher moisture, indicated by the composition of the palynological association, formed by pteridophytes Blechnum, Huperzia, Polypodiaceae, Pteridaceae and Cyatheaceae. These results show that the palynological record from the SIS188 marine core is sensitive to global climatic changes and can provide a reliable paleovegetational reconstruction for the continental environment. Keywords: Pelotas Basin, paleoclimate, palynomorphs, palynology, Quaternary.

Loss of Natural Habitats: High-Altitude Vegetation, Pantanal

The objective of this study is to quantify the spatiotemporal variation of high-altitude grassland (Campos de Altitude) in two different study areas between 1985 and 2020. First, the types of vegetation present in both areas were classified using a false-color (Red, Green, Blue) composition, with the channels replaced by mid-infrared, near-infrared, red, respectively. Following the definition of vegetation classes and the creation of polygons over them, they were superimposed on the NDVI product (1985 and 2020) to obtain the maximum and minimum values of the index and to identify which value ranges each class would be in. Next, a multitemporal false-color composition was carried out with the modification of the Red channel by the NDVI 1985 product, the Green channel by the NDVI 2020 product and the Blue channel without any changes. The results show that the total area of Campos de Altitude decreased between 1985 and 2020 in both study areas, with area 1 losing 31.93% and area 2 losing 35.12%, whereas the vegetation of denser strata (arboreal) increased in its spatial distribution in both study areas, with area 2 gaining the most (230%). There was a noticeable increase in arboreal vegetation in the two study areas during the years analyzed. The tendency for the fraction of arboreal vegetation cover to increase is in line with the decrease in Campos de Altitude vegetation, and this phenomenon may be related to environmental factors such as temperature variations, amount of rainfall, solar radiation, and soil composition.

Late Glacial and Holocene vegetational and climate changes and their impact on material cultures in the Crimean Mountains (founded on pollen data from cave deposits)

Pollen data has been obtained from archaeological horizons in cave and rock shelter deposits, on the high plateaux (the Yaila) and the slopes of the Crimean Mountains. This data, supported by geochronometry and lithology, indicate multiple environmental oscillations during the Late Glacial and Holocene. These had a significant impact on changes in the Final Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. Pollen assemblages from Late Glacial deposits indicate the existence during the last glacial of refugia of a broad-leaved flora on the lower mountain slopes. During the Late Glacial interstadials, the tribes of the Shan-Koba culture hunted forest game indicative of a temperate climate. From the Younger Dryas into the Greenlandian (11,500–10,300 cal BP) the Swiderian hunters were visitors to the treeless Crimean yailas from the northern Ukraine. During the Greenlandian, two warm and humid phases, when the forests extended, alternated with cool and arid phases when the woodland shrank and xeric herbs became important in the yailas. The Shpan culture that existed later during the Greenlandian (between c. 10,600 and 9100 cal BP) was influenced by migrations of steppe hunters from the Crimean plain area, and they hunted game that included more animals of open ecotopes. During the end of Greenlandian and the beginning of Northgrippian (9000–7500 cal BP), broad-leaved woodlands appeared at the yaila edges, with such warmth-loving species as Rhus coronaria, Cornus mas and Hedera taurica, and mesophytic steppe occupied the yailas. The tribes of the Late Mesolithic Murzak-Koba culture and the Neolithic Tash-Air culture were hunters of the game living in the broad-leaved forests, particularly wild pig. Nevertheless, the Tash-Air tribes continue to exist during a cool and arid phase after 7500 cal BP. The second half of the Meghalayan (since 2600 BP) had a humid climate: they were times showing a larger extension than before of pine and juniper onto the yaila, though an arid phase occurred at 2900-2600 cal BP. After 1000 BP, broad-leaved trees almost completely disappeared near the yaila and ferns spread enormously (due to the impact of cold winters in the Little Ice Age or to forest clearance). The role of arboreal vegetation and broad-leaves trees, as well as xeric herbs, changed cyclically during different phases of the Late Glacial and Holocene on the yailas, but mesophytic steppe always remained the dominating vegetation type there.

Identification of Arboreal Vegetation and Potential Areas in the Commercial Center of Capitão Poço, Brazil

Green spaces are urban spaces that bring man and nature closer together, positively influencing the quality of life of the population. The planning of green spaces is essential in urban areas and Geographic Information Systems (GIS’s) are tools capable of assisting in the identification, management and monitoring of these spaces. The objective of the work was to map the urban vegetation and carry out a survey of potential areas for parks and green areas in the commercial center from the municipality of Capitão Poço - PA. The study was carried out in the commercial center from Capitão Poço, PA - Brazil by obtaining images from the Google Earth software and photointerpreted with the aid of the QGIS software. Finally, the current and potential tree green areas were identified in the georeferenced images. The survey of green areas in the commercial center identified that only 4.74% of the total area contains tree vegetation, in addition to 53% of this vegetation being found around the mother church and the municipal square of Alvorada. For potential green areas, it was found that the commercial center has 5,873.5% more potential areas in relation to current tree vegetation. In this sense, it is observed that the commercial center from the municipality of Capitão Poço contains a low proportion of areas with arboreal vegetation and a high potential for the implantation of parks, forests and other types of green areas.

Natural and anthropogenic dynamics of the coastal environment in northwestern Corsica (western Mediterranean) over the past six millennia

The present paper provides new insights into the climatic and anthropic factors that influenced a 6000-year coastal evolution in northwestern Corsica, the third largest island of the western Mediterranean. Pollen, microcharcoal, sedimentary and geochemical analyses were carried out on a core drilled in the Crovani coastal wetland to reconstruct the regional drivers of landscape change. We show that anthropogenic and climate-induced fires favoured the development of Mediterranean maquis, dominated by Erica and Quercus ilex, from ca. 6000 to 3350 cal. BP. A change in arboreal vegetation triggered a short but intense sediment input in the Crovani pond between ca. 3350 and 3200 cal. BP. This is consistent with a coeval process of runoff recorded in several coastal sites of western Corsica and related to an arid climate change occurred in many sites of the western Mediterranean around 3200 years ago. We provide evidence of agriculture during the Late Neolithic from ca. 3900 BC, which is much earlier than any archaeological evidence previously available in this area of Corsica, followed by a progressive decline of arable farming practices. Human impact has been responsible for a degradation of the maquis only from approximately 3000 cal. BP, and it intensified in Roman times, when the area experienced the first phase of galena exploitation from the Argentella mines. Over the last 500 years, the present work evidences a major development of Castanea related to cultivation during the Genoese administration of Corsica. Our findings suggest that solar activity and the North Atlantic Oscillation had an influence on centennial-scale forest cover variations during the last 6000 years.