Hillside Forest Research Articles

Termite assemblages (Blattodea: Isoptera) in a habitat humidity gradient in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil

We compared the termite assemblages of different ecosystems in a humidity gradient. Three areas were sampled: (i) a humid montane forest; (ii) a hillside forest where shaded coffee (Coffea arabica Linnaeus, 1753) is cultivated; (iii) a seasonally dry forest (Caatinga). Active collection protocols were employed in each area during the dry and rainy seasons. The species were grouped according to their habitats and feeding habits. A total of 45 termite species belonging to 20 genera and three families were encountered. The termite fauna of the Caatinga was as rich and abundant as that of the humid forest areas, but it was distinct from it in species composition. Most termite species encountered in the montane forest were also found in the agro-ecological site, but some species were only found in the latter. The termite fauna of the Caatinga varied seasonally the most, with significantly reduced abundance during the dry period. When species richness, abundance, and species composition were considered together the climatic seasons were not found to significantly affect the termite faunas in any of the study areas. The numbers of encounters per feeding group and per habitat exploited did not differ among the different areas, or during the different seasons. Even in adjacent areas, the humidity gradient, as well as the vegetational characteristics, are reflected in differences in the termite fauna. Agro-ecological regimes can be considered viable alternatives to traditional methods of cultivation as they largely conserve the biodiversity found in non-modified environments.

Palinologia, Paleoflorística e Aspectos Paleoclimáticos de Sedimentos do Pleistoceno Tardio na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Guandu, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

For presenting great morphological diversity, pollen grains, especially from angiosperms, can be used to determine stratigraphic sequences, relate geographically separated regions and reconstitute the paleoenvironment. Since 1970's, palynological studies on quaternary sediments have been conducted in Brazil, registering vegetation changes and climatic variations that occurred through this geologic period. Palynological analyses on sediments from Guandu river hydrographic basin are presented aiming to reconstitute the previous vegetation, understand its evolution and infer the paleoclimate during the late Pleistocene. For decades, the area has been suffering deep physiognomic changes due to extractive activities, characterizes by the Piranema Sand District. The flood trenches, resulting from such mining activity, enabled the withdrawal of a muddy sedimentary package, containing organic matter, along a columnar profile on Santobaia Sand Pit. The deposit was divided into five levels and all submitted to the standard methodology in chemical treatment. Geochronological analysis appointed a time period between 42.500 and 35.200 A 340 years BP. Palynological data evidenced that, despite the cold and dry weather, distinctive of this glacial period, humidity level was sufficient for the establishment of a vegetation throughout the studied chronological interval. Locally, a flooded forest subjected to occasional fluvial overflows was present, as well as a dry lowland vegetation, in areas out of reach of floods. Palynomorphs indicating the formation of a permanently waterlogged site were not observed. Regionally, a hillside forest was inset with a low pollen record, but always present. These three plant formations coexisted during the considered time period, and the dimension of each one was directly influenced by the Guandu river basin's hydrographic conditions.

A Multi angle Overview on the Reproductive Biology of Acanthopanax senticosus

Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Harms is a rhizomatous clonal shrub, usually naturally 1 growing in the understory habitats, hillside forest and roadside thickets in the central, east, south and 2 west China. It is also artificially cultivated in gardens. As a traditional Chinese medical plant, its 3 medically effective parts are roots and rhizomes. Its root bark contains volatile oils, tannins, palmitic 4 acid, oleic acid, vitamin A and B1 and so on (Cao and Li 1980), and has the effects of nourishing spirit, 5 facilitating sperms, strengthening bones and wills, treating rheumatism, male impotence and 6 incomplete urination etc (Sun and Sun 1955). The root extract has anti-fatigue, hypoglycemic and 7 sedative effect; it can also improve the myocardial metabolism and reduce myocardial infarct size. A 8 special flavonoid mainly presents in its leaves, with the medical effects of anti-myocardial ischemia, 9 dilation of blood vessels, lowering blood pressure and improving coronary circulation and so on. A 10 special polysaccharide ASPs mainly presents in its fruit, with the pharmacological effects of anti-tumor, 11 immune regulation, stimulating or improving immune function and protection of white blood cells (Xu 12

The genus Thelypteris (Thelypteridaceae, Polypodiopsida) in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil - II - subgenera Amauropelta (Kunze) A.R. Sm., Cyclosorus (Link) C.V. Morton and Steiropteris (C. Chr.) K. Iwats

The family Thelypteridaceae presents considerable species richness throughout the hillside forests and coastal plains of Brazil, as well as in the forests of its southern plateau. This study was based on material collected in 24 trips to various regions within the state of Mato Grosso, as well as material deposited in the principal Brazilian herbaria and in other herbaria. The genus Thelypteris, represented in this study by the subgenera Amauropelta (Kunze) A.R. Sm., Cyclosorus (Link) Morton and Steiropteris (C. Chr.) K. Iwats., comprises 11 species in Mato Grosso and surrounding regions. Keys for identification, descriptions and references to illustrations of diagnostic characters are presented.

PARTIÇÃO PLUVIOMÉTRICA EM FITOFISIONOMIAS DO CERRADO (partition rainfall in the savanna vegetation types)

This article aims to determine the rainfall partitions – interception (I); throughfall (PI); effective rainfall (PE) and initial abstraction (AI) – in hillside forest of savannah in the ‘Queixada’ watershed, at Jatai country, Goias state, and In three vegetation types (cerrado stricto sensu; cerradao and riparian vegetation) on the period from October 2009 to March 2011. Equipment was installed to obtain rainfall (P) data, PI, and PE data, in order to determine the I and the AI. It was found that the percentage of PI was 76, of PE, was 24.3, of I, 25.6, and of AI, 51.5%, in the period. The periods of lower rainfall as winter and spring, had different variances, at 5% probability for PI. The periods of summer and of fall had the highest rainfall and no differences in the results of variance analysis, at 5% probability. Then, the three kind of phytophysiognomies had no differences in the rainfall partitions.

Shifts in composition of avian communities related to temperate-grassland afforestation in southeastern South America

Afforestation of temperate grasslands with fast-growing trees for industrial pulpwood production is spreading in South America. Despite high afforestation rates resulting from governmental policies that stimulate pulpwood production in grasslands of southern Brazil and Uruguay, the impact of this activity on biodiversity remains to be properly assessed. We used an Impact-Reference study design to evaluate how grassland afforestation affects the composition of grassland bird assemblages. We sampled eucalyptus plantations and neighboring natural grasslands in southern Brazil from 2006-2009, and relied on nested sampling and analysis to separate the effects of afforestation from the natural variability of grasslands. We recorded a significant difference in composition between assemblages from grasslands and tree plantations. Species adapted to open, treeless areas tended to be negatively affected in relation to edge or forest birds in eucalyptus plantations. Afforestation is systematically replacing the bird assemblage of hilltop grasslands by a collection of common edge and forest species that occur in nearby riverine and hillside forests. Although most grassland birds negatively affected by tree plantations are common and widespread, observed and predicted afforestation rates in southeastern South America may result in regional population reductions in the near future.

Florística e análise de similaridade de espécies arbóreas da mata da Praia do Totó, Pelotas, RS, Brasil

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/198050987548O levantamento florístico de espécies arbóreas foi realizado em uma mata de restinga no município de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O local de estudo é conhecido como Mata da Praia do Totó e compreende um remanescente formado por ambientes de matas de restinga arenosa e turfosa. Foi amostrado um total de 65 espécies nativas compreendendo 51 gêneros distribuídos em 34 famílias.A família que apresentou o maior número de espécies foi Myrtaceae com dez espécies, seguida de Salicaceae e Rubiaceae. Os gêneros mais representativos foram Myrsine e Eugenia, respectivamente com quatro e três espécies. A análise de similaridade amostrou que a mata arenosa é floristicamente relacionada com florestas ciliares e de encosta e a mata turfosa com outras florestas localizadas em áreas de saturação hídrica permanente do solo. A riqueza de espécies do local é elevada para matas de restinga no Rio Grande do Sul, provavelmente pela influência de florestas situadas na Serra dos Tapes e pela diversidade de ambientes que compõem a área de estudo.

Controle de processo erosivo provocado por rompimento de adutora na Serra da Mantiqueira, SP, Brasil

Na escarpa sul da Serra da Mantiqueira, divisor geográfico nordeste entre o estado de São Paulo e Minas Gerais, ocorreu um acidente ambiental causado pelo rompimento de uma adutora cuja finalidade é a de conduzir a água de um reservatório localizado a 1.820 m de altitude até a casa de máquinas onde há geração de energia elétrica, e que está localizada a 750 m. Esse acidente resultou na formação de uma cicatriz na floresta da encosta, com supressão do solo e da vegetação. Para reverter os processos erosivos formados no local, foi desenvolvida uma metodologia utilizando quatro barreiras (numeradas de I a IV) formadas por mudas de Bambusa mutiplex (Lour.), bambu cuja finalidade foi a de desviar as águas de escoamento superficial, proporcionando, dessa forma, a regeneração da vegetação nativa. Colmos de bambu consorciados com o plantio de Bambusa multiplex foram utilizados para contenção dos detritos em duas ravinas formadas pela erosão. O desenvolvimento da vegetação foi monitorado por 18 meses e avaliado por meio da aplicação de uma Matriz de Leopold, composta por cinco aspectos, que são: erosão, regeneração da vegetação, sucesso do plantio de bambu, conservação das estruturas montadas e funcionalidade. O uso da matriz teve a finalidade de demonstrar a eficiência das intervenções com a utilização de bambu. O resultado da matriz permitiu classificar quantitativa e qualitativamente as intervenções realizadas, obtendo-se cinco níveis, sendo as barreiras I, II e IV consideradas de muito "alta eficiência", e a barreira III, de "alta eficiência". A contenção das ravinas foi considerada de "média" a muito "alta eficiência".

Palynology of the Miocene Bentonite from Gornja Jelenska (Mt. Moslavacka Gora, Croatia)

Deposits were studied from the bentonite clay mine in Gornja Jelenska on Mt. Moslavacka Gora where the remains of Dinotherium bavaricum KAUP had been found. It was established by palynological methods that sediments had been deposited during the Upper Karpathian - Lower Badenian stage (between 15.5 - 17 m.y. ago). The climate was warm, subtropical. Sedimentation took place in swamp which was surrounded by meadows and hill-side forests.

Mutabor: Malcantone: (Canton Ticino, Switzerland)

Ascension Day, May 17th (A Catholic Encyclopedia declares, “The use of the word ‘ascension’ does not involve the belief that heaven is necessarily somewhere up in the sky.” But if not there, then where is it?): the bells of the Malcantone in their staggered tattoo, EDECDE, EDECDC, ring through the valley from the towers’ broken shales. Hilary is gathering elder-flower beside her parents on the shadowed path. I see her gold head and I hear her laugh, like a cuckoo in the hillside forest where the leaf-mould has been gouged into ruts by the tusks and hooves of the wild boar. Can light itself be said to laugh? And have you not ever watched light and shadow in their play and felt inside yourself that some mortal commodity was being lightly traded, as if by angels, ambiguous and tired, who lost their names in Paradise when they fell? —Out of which one resolves: it is Belfagor, a minor forest god. He will not harm us, his beard grotesques and garlands, flourishes carved as if in gold hammer-wood. And, earlier, Mark wants to show me a great column-stone he thinks of buying, so we travel to where it lies snugged in earth. A camion-grue, he says he’ll need for it, a truck with a crane, crane like the bird, so that this stone, rejected by the builders, might become the head of the corner, the crane a symbol of vigilance for the stone held always in its claw so that, should the bird ever sleep, the small clatter of the dropped stone will wake it. And so Mark will buy this great stone and raise it vertical, this sleeping weight the crane-truck (bird) will move, to shelter those on whom his love depends and who, through sleep and waking, depend on him for yet a little while, given life and time to gather elder out of innocence. Through the deep shade Hilary comes toward me, her face lit by white blossoms of elder-flower, and elder-syrup flavors the cool water Simone gives us, for we are thirsty at midday, and I remember Aeneas, who searched for the gold branch in the darkness of his own time, in such a deep shade. Now, forty days from Easter, the Paschal candle is extinguished; bell-music falls down from the birding towers with a disheveled and a jubilant clang. Belfagor steps into the forest clearing of our own stammering impulse to praise.

Recent human impact on vegetation in Takkobu, northern Japan, reconstructed from fossil pollen in lake sediments

The vegetation of Takkobu, northern Japan, has been significantly altered by land-use development following Japanese settlement at the end of the 19th century. In order to assess the impact of human activity on vegetation dynamics in Takkobu, changes in the vegetation composition over the last 300 years were reconstructed from fossil pollen in the sediments of Lake Takkobu. The pollen assemblage represented broadleaved forests on the surrounding hills and alder forests found on the margin of the wetland bordering the lake. Prior to Japanese settlement, the hillside forests consisted predominantly of oak. However, with the onset of land-use development, a significant decline in oak relative to increasing birch was apparent, particularly after the early 1960s. These results suggest that successive logging since the 1880s had gradually undermined the resilience of oak. An increase of Artemisia and birch pollen also indicates an expansion of disturbed land. Since the 1960s, a large part of the broadleaved forests in Takkobu has been converted to larch plantations, although this was not represented in the pollen data because of the underrepresentation of larch pollen. The results of the pollen analysis have implications for forest restoration in Takkobu. The use of long-term data allows the determination of the baseline (natural) vegetation to be restored, and also illustrates the factors affecting present-day vegetation and how it may change in the future.

The diet of Scinax angrensis (Lutz) tadpoles in an area of the Atlantic Forest (Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro) (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae)

Scinax angrensis (Lutz, 1973) is an endemic species, which occurs in low altitude hillside forests, distributed from the municipalities of Mangaratiba to Parati in the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The aim of this study was to compare the morphology of S. angrensis tadpoles in two different stages of development, and verify their feeding spectrum. The mouth morphology of the two stages studied (27 and 37) appeared similar, with a difference in the size of the oral opening as well as an increase in the dimensions of the body. The examined species presented a trophic spectrum comprised of algae, protozoan, rotifers, microcrustaceans, nematodes, vegetation and invertebrate remains, fungus hyphae, and sand grains. Significant differences were found between dimensions of the two stages, but not between diets, although a differentiated preference with regards to planktonic items has been verified. The results suggest that the partitioning of feeding resources is not only related to morphology and occupation of different microhabitats but also to the feeding behaviour of tadpoles. The relevance of important food items to the natural diet of S. angrensis tadpoles, especially the diatoms and filamentous algae, reveal the importance of the periphytic community to the conservation of this species in the Atlantic Forest.

Species richness and community structure of arboreal spider assemblages in fragments of three vegetational types at Banhado Grande wet plain, Gravataí River, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The taxonomic composition, observed and estimated species richness, and patterns of community structure of arboreal spider assemblages in eleven sites surrounding the "Banhado Grande" wet plain in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, are presented. These sites represent three different vegetational types: hillside (four sites), riparian (five sites) and flooded forests (two sites). The spiders were captured by beating on foliage and "aerial litter". A sample was defined as the result of beating on twenty bushes, tree branches or "aerial litter" clusters, which roughly corresponds to one-hour search effort per sample. Fifty five samples (five per site) were obtained, resulting in an observed richness of 212 species present as adult or identifiable juveniles. The total richness for all samples was estimated to be between 250 (Bootstrap) to 354 species (Jackknife 2). Confidence intervals of both sample and individual-based rarefaction curves for each vegetation type clearly indicated that flooded forest is the poorest vegetation type with respect to spider species richness, with hillside and riparian forests having a similar number of species. The percentage complementarity between the eleven sites indicated that all sites contain a distinct set of species, irrespective of their vegetation types. Nevertheless, the spider assemblages in riparian and hillside forests are more similar with respect to each other than when compared to flooded forest. Both cluster and nonmetric multidimensional scaling analyses showed no strong correspondence between the spider arboreal fauna and the three vegetation types. Moreover, a Mantel test revealed no significant association between species composition and geographic distance among sites.

A 6000‐year palaeoenvironmental record from Harataonga, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand

A pollen, sediment, and tephra record from a drained swamp at Harataonga contains a history of the local coastal environment from the Mid Holocene. This commences c. 6000 cal yr BP in a freshwater environment with swamp forest composed mainly of Laurelia, Leptospermum, Ascarina, and Cyathea spp. Dodonaea and Cyperaceae grew on margins of this forest. Forest on the hills surrounding the wetland comprised mainly Metrosideros, with emergent Dacrydium and Libocedrus. Ascarina, Rhopalostylis, and Cyathea dealbata type were a significant part of the understorey of the hillside forest. Around the time of deposition of the 5550 cal yr BP Whakatane tephra, a freshwater lake developed at the site. Extensive Cyperaceae swamp developed on the fringes of the lake. Shortly after c. 2900 cal yr BP, Dacrycarpus briefly invaded swamp forest, possibly as a result of storm disturbance, and the site made the final transition to swamp. Myrsine and then Hebe shrubs invaded fringes of the swamp as the water table fell, possibly as a result of a change to drier conditions in the Late Holocene. Polynesian deforestation, as indicated by the presence of abundant charcoal and Pteridium spores, is recorded in this core as occurring shortly after deposition of the c. 600 cal yr BP Kaharoa tephra.

Hillside Farming, Soil Erosion, and Forest Conversion in Two Southeast Asian National Parks

Relationships between soil erosion on hillside farms and forest conversion to farmland in adjacent national parks were examined in the Bayhang watershed near Leyte Mountains National Park, Philippines, and the Sungai Ning watershed near Kerinci- Seblat National Park, Indonesia. A random sample of hillside farms revealed widespread evidence of accelerated soil erosion in both watersheds, including splash and sheet erosion, and rill and gully formation. Erosion under line transects and on enclosed runoff plots revealed mean soil losses of 422 t/ha during the first six months of cultivation on recently cleared farms in Bayhang and 3.8 t/ha during the cropping year on continuously cultivated farms in Sungai Ning. Analysis of eroded sediments and uneroded soils revealed erosion-induced reductions in soil productivity. Soil erosion and land degradation were found to contribute to forest conversion in both national parks. The farmers' response to land degradation in Bayhang was to clear forest for new farms in Leyte Mountains National Park, while farmers in Kerinci replaced nutrient-demanding crops with cassava, and cleared forest for new farms in Kerinci-Seblat National Park. Potentially sustainable and appropriate soil conservation and economic development activities for use in the two watersheds are reviewed.

Geologia e Geomorfologia da Planície Costeira da Praia do Sul: Ilha Grande - Uma Contribuição à Elaboração do Plano Diretor da Reserva Biológica

Based on stratigraphical, sedimentological and geomorphological methods, a preliminary stratigraphic division is proposed to the Praia do Sul coastal plain, a state Biological Reserve, located in "Ilha Grande", Rio de Janeiro. This reserve was created to preserve the natural ecosystems found therein (sandy coastal plain, mangrove, lagoon, rocky coast and hillside fo rest). The Praia do Sul sedimentation plain is essentially constituted by continental gravels and sands of Upper Pleistocene, marine sandy formations, fluvial-lagoonal sandy-clayer formations and present mangrove swamps and beachs. The paleogeographic evolution of this area can be followed through the sedimentary association that permits to establish the transgressive and regressive process that occured during the Quaternary period.

Solar radiation attenuation in a hillside jack pine forest

A modelling technique for penetration of solar radiation into clumped vegetation canopies is described. It combines Monte-Carlo simulation to determine ray pathlengths through individual plant canopy envelopes with exponential attenuation along these rays. The technique is applied to a hillside forest of randomly located and sized jack pine trees. Scattering effects are incorporated and the model output is compared with field measurements. The results depend on the shape of the tree outline. Attenuation is less rapid with downward cumulative leaf area index than in a randomly dispersed canopy.

Portable Cable Winch for Hillside Forests

ABSTRACT SMALL lightweight equipment, usable and trans-portable by handcrews on steep slopes, was identified by field managers as necessary to increase the efficiency of handling forest residues generated by logging opera-tions. Three small cable winch machines have been developed and the preproduction models were evaluated in the field by the Forest Service. A single-drum, direct gear-drive design was tested extensively and met all the design objectives except cost.

Predation on Scheelea Palm Seeds by Bruchid Beetles: Seed Density and Distance from the Parent Palm

In a test of the following hypotheses, the first was rejected and the second accepted. Rejected: (1) The farther a freshly cleaned [pile of] palm nut[s] (endocarp) is placed from a fruiting parent, the lower will be the probability of the nut[s'] being found by a bruchid. Accepted: (2) The larger the pile of freshly cleaned nuts at a site where there is no parent the more likely that it will be found by bruchids. The study was carried out in a palm forest in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, from March until July 1971. In addition to testing the above hypotheses, the study generated natural history data on bruchid oviposition behavior, oviposition intensity, survivorship of the larvae, and developmental rate.