Ana Carolina Lins e Silva (original) (raw)

Papers by Ana Carolina Lins e Silva

Given the current demands for biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation, understanding the... more Given the current demands for biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation, understanding the dynamics of fragmented forests in one of the most threatened regions of the Atlantic Forest is essential for supporting small and large-scale forest restoration initiatives. We investigated the patterns of forest loss, recovery, and stability from 1985 to 2020. We classified and quantified forest cover using temporal and spatial descriptors and related them to their causal agents. We hypothesised that there is a spontaneous natural regeneration process in abandoned areas, protected areas, and near the hydrographic network, but anthropogenic land uses negatively affect this process. Consequently, we observed that despite an increase in forest cover over the years, there was a loss of medium and large fragments of old-growth forests due to agriculture and urban infrastructure expansion, especially in flat areas and near watercourses. The increase was mostly comprised of small young forest...

Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 2019

Secondary forests play an important role in tropical landscapes and have important ecological fun... more Secondary forests play an important role in tropical landscapes and have important ecological functions such as the ability to accumulate biomass. Although the literature points to the convergence between primary and secondary forests, however there are few studies in Atlantic Rainforest in a chronosequence to show it. This study aimed to characterize the changes of floristic composition in a chronosequence (5, 16, 24, 30 years of regeneration and mature forest) in the Atlantic Rainforest. In each forest 30 plots of 10 × 10 m were installed for canopy sampling, and within these 100 m2 were installed plots of 5 × 5 m for sampling the woody sub-forest at the lower left corner. The growth habits analyzed were arboreal (diameter at breast height, DBH ≥ 5 cm), shrubs (DBH < 5 cm and stem diameter at ground level > 1 cm), herbs, epiphytes and climbing plants. The results suggest that from 16 young forests tended to converge with the mature forest in terms of the proportion of growth...

Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 2019

The functional characteristics of plants can be used to understand the changes of vegetation unde... more The functional characteristics of plants can be used to understand the changes of vegetation under different environmental pressures, since during the process of succession, the species deal with variations of luminosity, an important resource for the regeneration and growth of plants in humid tropical forests. From the perspective that along the succession there is variation of light availability and that leaf characteristics such as specific leaf area, chlorophyll content and leaf dry matter content are more plastic in groups linked to the rapid acquisition of the resource at the beginning of the succession, it was tested the hypothesis that at the beginning of the succession, where there is greater availability of light, leaf characteristics would be more plastic for the acquisitive group. It was initially found that the geographic distances did not influence the values ​​of the variability indices of the groups, which allows to infer that the distance between the areas does not ...

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias - Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Edge effects on the structure and dynamics of the canopy and understory of a forest fragment were... more Edge effects on the structure and dynamics of the canopy and understory of a forest fragment were examined in Igarassu, PE, Brazil. Two 10 × 100 m transects perpendicular to the forest edge (and divided into 10 × 10 m plots) were separated into outer (0-50 m) and inner edges (50-100 m) and their vegetations compared to those of 10 plots in a 20 × 50 m transect in the forest interior (280 m from the edge). The plots were the sampling units. All woody plants with stem perimeters at breast height (PBH) > 15 cm (canopy) were identified and measured within each plot. Plants with PBH < 15 cm and perimeter at soil level > 3 cm (understory) were also identified and measured in the 5 × 5 m subplots. Measurements were made in 2005 and repeated in 2008. Higher numbers of canopy species (39 in both edge) and plant densities (2020 and 2280, for inner and outer edge, respectively, in 2005. Similar results were observed in 2008) were encountered along the forest border, while higher understory species numbers (50), plant densities (9960 in 2005 and 13800 in 2008), and basal areas (2.8 in 2005 and 5.2 in 2008) were encountered in the forest interior. The number of recruited understory plants was lower along the forest border (55 individuals) and their mortality rate was higher (6.65 %yr-1). The results indicated that canopy and undergrowth at the edge of the forest fragment studied were not totally recovered in structural terms, for most of the parameters analyzed.

Brazilian Journal of Botany

Traits and functional strategies when related to demographic rates provide important information ... more Traits and functional strategies when related to demographic rates provide important information about the distribution of species and their performance in different environments. Therefore, predictions were made that: (1) plant communities in tropical forests, distributed over a chronosequence, have different trade-offs between demographic rates and functional traits due to variations in light availability and (2) acquisitive, intermediate and conservative species have different demographic rates throughout the chronosequence. To test these predictions, data from eight functional traits (maximum plant height; specific leaf area; leaf dry matter content; leaf nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll concentrations; wood density; and seed shape) were collected from 64 tree species, distributed in six secondary (three 17 and three 25 years old) and three mature (>40 years old) Ombrophilous Dense Forest fragments. Demographic rates (mortality, recruitment and growth) of the species were determined for periods of three and five years, in each forest. Mortality was higher and growth rate was lower in the 17-year-old than in the mature forest, and the acquisitive group had the highest recruiting rate, but interactions were not significant. Thus, the majority of relationships between demographic rates and functional traits did not correspond to the predictions, as some traits were not better predictors of the demography of species in a determined forest than others and that these relationships did not vary across the chronosequence. Therefore, the trade-offs between functional and demographic characteristics are related to the species and not to environmental differences across the age gradient, and when the species are separated into groups, the predicted changes in demography are valid across the gradient.

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation

Tropical Oceanography, 2016

São apresentados os resultados dos estudos sobre a taxonomia e bioecologia dos Cephalochordata pr... more São apresentados os resultados dos estudos sobre a taxonomia e bioecologia dos Cephalochordata procedentes de coletas diurnas e noturnas no estuário do Rio Paripe na Ilha de Itamaracá, PE – Brasil (7º 48' S e 34º 51' W), no período de janeiro a agosto de 1994. Registra-se pela primeira vez para a costa do Estado de Pernambuco a espécie Branchiostoma platae Hubbs, 1922, única espécie identificada no presente estudo. A biometria dos indivíduos indicou um comprimento médio de 38.5mm e peso médio de 0.145g. Indivíduos maiores e com maior desenvolvimento gonadal foram observados no período seco, enquanto que o maior número de formas jovens foi encontrado no período chuvoso. Branchiostoma platae é filtrador de microalgas, principalmente diatomáceas. A espécie habita sedimento de granulometria média a grosseira, com acentuada fração de artículos de Halimeda. A salinidade da água apresentou média de 17,7‰ e 4,2ml/L de oxigênio dissolvido. Palavras chave: Cephalochordata, Branchiosto...

Journal of Environmental Analysis and Progress, 2017

Influence of functional traits on the demographic rates of 47 arboreal species in a tropical fore... more Influence of functional traits on the demographic rates of 47 arboreal species in a tropical forest in northeastern Brazil. Based on the premise that species use different strategies for acquiring and maintaining resources, it is possible to identify their similarities as determined by particular trade-offs between traits, the present work examined the specific leaf area (SLA), basic wood density (BWD), maximum height (Hmax) and seed shape (SS) of 47 arboreal species in a moist semi-evergreen tropical forest in northeastern Brazil and investigated the influence of those traits on plant mortality rates (MR) and growth (BAG). BWD and Hmax were the best predictors of mortality rates. The factorial analysis explained 70.4% of the total variability, distributed among three factors composed of traits and rates. MR and Hmax were found to be more readily observed when orthogonally rotated by the varimax method, with the first factor explaining 26.9% of the variance. Cluster analyses and pri...

Ethnobiology and Conservation, 2016

Woodsmen or "mateiros" are people who are commonly hired or contracted to work as special local c... more Woodsmen or "mateiros" are people who are commonly hired or contracted to work as special local collaborators, often guiding scientists inside the forest, providing local names of plants and other useful information. We interviewed forest researchers and woodsmen to unveil the process of forest science production in the coastal zone of Northeast Brazil. The concept of network is used as a basis for discussing the connections involving forest knowledge production in and outside scientific academic environments. We presumed that the so-called social invisibility of woodsmen would be a consequence of the asymmetric relationship they have with formal researchers. Information from the interviews was analyzed by means of thematic coding through the content-analysis technique. We found that the "woodsman" category is mainly an academic construct; a designation attributed generally in an unilateral way by scientific professionals towards some people who work as local experts on plants and other components of forest ecosystems. All of the woodsmen we found were men with a low degree of formal education. Researchers tended to recognize woodsmen as bearers of some indispensable information, although treated as a subordinate and local source of knowledge. Although most researchers realized that woodsmen are key collaborators, most of them never referred explicitly to the aid received from these partners. People from both groups agreed that woodsmen are more and more difficult to find. We suggest that forest researchers dealing with woodsmen should develop a more critical vision on the social relationships in which they are involved while doing fieldwork.

Revista Árvore, 2016

Monitoring analyses aim to understand the processes that drive changes in forest structure and, a... more Monitoring analyses aim to understand the processes that drive changes in forest structure and, along with prediction studies, may assist in the management planning and conservation of forest remnants. The objective of this study was to analyze the forest dynamics in two Atlantic rainforest fragments in Pernambuco, Brazil, and to predict their future forest diameter structure using the Markov chain model. We used continuous forest inventory data from three surveys in two forest fragments of 87 ha (F1) and 388 ha (F2). We calculated the annual rates of mortality and recruitment, the mean annual increment, and the basal area for each of the 3-year periods. Data from the first and second surveys were used to project the third inventory measurements, which were compared to the observed values in the permanent plots using chi-squared tests (a = 0.05). In F1, a decrease in the number of individuals was observed due to mortality rates being higher than recruitment rates; however, there was...

Floresta e Ambiente, 2016

The woody plants in an edge area formed approximately 35 years ago in an Atlantic Forest fragment... more The woody plants in an edge area formed approximately 35 years ago in an Atlantic Forest fragment in northeastern Brazil were examined, and three environments defined: edge, intermediate, and interior. Canopy tree densities and basal areas were found to be similar in all three environments, and also similar to previous published studies in the same region; species richness was greatest at the forest edge. The understory showed greater species richness in the forest interior, but greater diversity and equitability in the intermediate environment. Understory environments close to the forest edge demonstrated larger stem diameters than in the forest interior, although at lesser densities and with smaller total basal areas. Our results indicated the existence of distinct patterns in canopy and understory that most likely reflect differences in the response times of these two vegetation layers, with the understory being more sensitive to alterations in environmental structure.

Revista Nordestina De Biologia, 2004

A floristic survey of the herbaceous flora plants was carried out in one hectare of Caatinga at t... more A floristic survey of the herbaceous flora plants was carried out in one hectare of Caatinga at the Mauricio Dantas particular reserve of the national heritage (RPPN), which is located between the municipalities of Betânia and Floresta, Pernambuco, Brazil. The work aimed to identify the species, describe them and elaborate an identification key. Fifty-four plant species in 45 genus and 24 families of herbaceous Angiospermas, were sampled. The families with more of species were: Poaceae (9), Asteraceae (7), Euphorbiaceae (6) and Amaranthaceae (4). About 26% of all families were represented by one species only. Key words: herbaceous flora, Caatinga, semi-arid, Northeast Brazil, botanic descriptions.

A close examination of the phenological behavior of tropical forests is fundamental to our unders... more A close examination of the phenological behavior of tropical forests is fundamental to our understanding of the ecological processes occurring there, including the period of greatest availability of plant resources for animal pollinators, herbivores, and seed dispersers. This information is especially important in environments that have experienced strong anthropogenic degradation as is the case of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The present work sought to identify the phenological behavior (leaf flush, leaf fall, flowering, and fruiting) of 47 arboreal species (133 individuals) occurring in 1800 m2 of ombrophilous forest located in Igarassu/PE, Brazil. These plants were observed every two weeks during the period between September/2002 and August/2003. Spearman’s correlation was used to examine the relationships of the phenophases with precipitation, and none of the phenophases were found to be significantly correlated with rainfall. Leaf flush and leaf fall were continuous throughou...

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias - Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2008

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, caracterizar a vegetação arbórea em um fragmento de Floresta Atlânt... more Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, caracterizar a vegetação arbórea em um fragmento de Floresta Atlântica. Foram instaladas de 40 parcelas de 10 x 25 m, que totalizaram 1 ha, nas quais foram incluídos os indivíduos lenhosos, com o CAP > 15 cm. Foram registrados 1576 indivíduos, distribuídos em 115 espécies pertencentes a 41 famílias botânicas e 69 gêneros. O índice de diversidade de Shannon-Weaver foi de 3,6 nats/ind. As famílias de maior riqueza foram: Myrtaceae (17 espécies), Melastomataceae e Mimosaceae (7), Caesalpiniaceae e Sapotaceae (6), Apocynaceae, Fabaceae e Rubiaceae (5). As espécies que apresentaram maior valor de importância foram Eschweilera ovata, Dialium guianense, Pogonophora schomburgkiana, Brosimum discolor, Tapirira guianensis, Maytenus disticophylla, Parkia pendula, Byrsonima sericea, Allophyllus edulis e Ouratea hexasperma. A distribuição dos indivíduos por classes de diâmetro assemelhou-se a "J" invertido; por classe de altura, a maior parte dos indivíduos se concentrou nas classes intermediárias. A diversidade do fragmento está entre a média dos valores registrados para o Estado. A maior quantidade de indivíduos representados por menores classes de diâmetro e altura pode sugerir que o fragmento se apresenta em regeneração, com áreas em estágio inicial de sucessão.

Ciência Florestal, 2015

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509817442Para testar a hipótese que a fisionomia, estrutura e dinâm... more http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509817442Para testar a hipótese que a fisionomia, estrutura e dinâmica de espécies lenhosas são influenciadas pelogradiente espacial borda-interior, foram coletados dados desses parâmetros em 2004, 2007 e 2010 em umfragmento de Floresta Atlântica. Foram amostradas para o Dossel (DS), plantas com circunferência docaule a altura do peito (CAP) > 15 cm e do sub-bosque (SB) com circunferência ao nível do solo entre >3 cm e CAP < 15 cm em um gradiente borda-interior formado há 35 anos. Em 2004, foram avaliadas trêsposições no fragmento: borda, intermediária e interior (> 150 m do limite florestal), sendo analisados 1000m² por local, divididos em parcelas de 10 m², para medir os indivíduos de maior classe. Em cada parcelafoi instalada uma subparcela de 5 m² para amostragem do sub-bosque. Foram recolhidos ramos de trêsindivíduos adultos das espécies, para obtenção da densidade da madeira. O número de indivíduos (NI), áreabasal (AB), taxa de mortali...

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias - Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2009

Objetivou-se avaliar a estrutura fitossociológica, a classificação sucessional e o nível de infes... more Objetivou-se avaliar a estrutura fitossociológica, a classificação sucessional e o nível de infestação da comunidade arbórea por lianas, em um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Densa, em Igarassu-PE, com uma área de 48,84 ha. Foram instaladas 40 parcelas de 10 x 25 m (10.000 m 2), onde os indivíduos foram mensurados com CAP e" 10 cm e suas alturas, medidas com tesoura de alta poda, com módulos de 2 m. Foram identificadas 99 espécies, distribuídas em 42 famílias, em um total de 1.793 indivíduos. Quanto à classificação sucessional, a maioria das espécies foi pioneira e secundária inicial, sugerindo que a área estava em estágio inicial de sucessão. As famílias Myrtaceae e Mimosaceae contribuíram em maior número de espécie (24). As famílias mais numerosas foram Lecythidaceae, Anacardiaceae e Araliaceae (635 indivíduos). Com relação ao valor de importância (VI), destacaram-se Tapirira guianensis Aubl., Eschweilera ovata (Cambess.) Miers, Schefflera morototoni (Aubl.) Maguire, Steyerm. & Frodin, Dialium guianense (Aubl.) Sandwith, Byrsonima sericea DC., Inga thibaudiana Benth., Thyrsodium spruceanum Benth., Cupania racemosa Mart., Bowdichia virgilioides Kunth. e Miconia prasina (Sw.) DC. O índice de diversidade de Shannon-Wiener (H'), de 3,685 nats/ind., está dentro dos padrões de riqueza em Pernambuco. A maioria dos indivíduos não apresenta infestação por lianas. Palavras-chave: floresta Atlântica, fragmentação florestal, Brasil Phytosociological structure and sucessional classification of arboreus component in a fragment of a Dense Ombrophylous Forest, Igarassu-Pernambuco AB S TR ACT This work aimed to analyze the phytossociological structure and successional classification and to identify the level of occupation of lianas in a fragment of a Dense Arborous Forest, Igarassu-PE, with an area of 48.84 hectares. It was divided into 40 plots of 10 x 25 meters (10.000 m 2), individuals with CAP e" 10 cm were sampled and heights estimated with a height pruning scissors with 2 meter modules. In the area 99 species were identified, distributed in 42 families, totaling 1,793 individuals. As for successional classification, the majority of the species is at pioneering and initial secondary, suggesting that the area is in initial succession. The families Myrtaceae and Mimosaceae contributed in large number of species (24). The most numerous families were Lecythidaceae, Anacardiaceae and Araliaceae (635 individuals).

Revista Brasileirade Ciencias Agrarias, 2012

O efeito de borda causa uma série de alterações na estrutura da vegetação, microclima, dinâmica e... more O efeito de borda causa uma série de alterações na estrutura da vegetação, microclima, dinâmica e composição de espécies, tornando esse ambiente bastante distinto do interior. Neste trabalho, foi analisada a influência da distância do limite florestal na estrutura e dinâmica (2006 e 2009) do dossel e do sub-bosque de um fragmento com 14 ha localizado na Floresta Atlântica em Igarassu, PE. A borda externa, formada há cerca de 35 anos, foi definida do limite florestal até 50 m, o ambiente intermediário de 50 e 100 m e o interior a 150 m. Para amostragem do dossel (indivíduos com diâmetro do caule a 1,30 m do solo > 4,77 cm) foram alocadas 10 parcelas de 10 × 10 m por ambiente e do sub-bosque (indivíduos com diâmetro do caule ao nível do solo entre 0,96 cm de diâmetro do caule ao nível do solo e diâmetro do caule a 1,30 m do solo < 4,77 cm) em sub-parcelas de 5 × 5 m instaladas no vértice superior e lado esquerdo das parcelas do dossel. Os valores de densidade e área basal do dossel foram semelhantes ao longo do gradiente borda-interior, enquanto no sub-bosque foram maiores no interior. A borda do dossel teve o maior incremento médio em diâmetro e foi o único ambiente a apresentar um recrutamento (número absoluto) maior que a mortalidade. No sub-bosque houve maior recrutamento que mortalidade em todos ambientes. A distância do limite florestal não influenciou a estrutura nem a dinâmica. Palavras-chave: dossel, efeito de borda, sub-bosque, vegetação Vegetation structure and dynamics in a remnant of Atlantic Rainforest, Northeastern Brazil ABSTRACT Edge effect produces a series of modifications on vegetation structure, microclimate, dynamics and species composition, making this environment very distinct from forest interior. In this study, the influence of distance from the forest border on the structure and dynamics (2006 and 2009) of canopy and understory assemblages was analyzed in a 14 ha fragment of Atlantic Rainforest in Igarassu, PE, Brazil. The edge, formed about 35 years ago, was defined as area between the forest margins up to 50 m inwards; the intermediate environment was considered from 50 m to 100 m; and the interior environment beyond 150 m from the edge line. In order to sample the canopy (individuals with stem diameter > 4.77 cm at 1.30 m from the ground) ten 10 × 10 m plots were allocated in each environment; for sampling the understory (individuals with stem diameter at ground level > 0.96 cm up to stem diameter at 1.30 m < 4.77 cm) sub-plots of 5 × 5 m were located at the apex and the left side of the canopy plots. Density and basal area of canopy were similar along the edge-interior gradient, whereas the understory had greater values in the interior. For the canopy, the edge showed the highest average increment in diameter and was the only environment to provide recruitment (absolute) higher than mortality. For the understory, in all environments, recruitment was greater than mortality. Distance from forest margins did not influence forest structure and dynamics.

Biota Neotropica, 2012

Surveys were undertaken to examine the floristic changes during secondary succession in three are... more Surveys were undertaken to examine the floristic changes during secondary succession in three areas of 12 and three of 20-year-old secondary forests in Pernambuco State, Brazil. Two hundred and six species were identified, with 136 being found in the 12-year-old secondary forest and 161 species in the 20-year-old forest. Fabaceae and Myrtaceae were the most important families, increasing in species numbers with regeneration age. Of the 216 species, 115 were trees, 48 shrubs, 16 herbaceous plants, and 24 woody lianas, without significant differences between the two regeneration site ages. NMDS analysis revealed a formation of two floristic groups, distinguishing secondary and mature forests, with a further division within secondary forests in accordance with the time since abandonment. Similarity analysis ANOSIM confirmed the significance of the groups, which had floristic composition significant distinct (R=0.96) and 63% of dissimilarity (SIMPER). However, the sharing of 68 arboreal...

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias - Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2009

Given the current demands for biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation, understanding the... more Given the current demands for biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation, understanding the dynamics of fragmented forests in one of the most threatened regions of the Atlantic Forest is essential for supporting small and large-scale forest restoration initiatives. We investigated the patterns of forest loss, recovery, and stability from 1985 to 2020. We classified and quantified forest cover using temporal and spatial descriptors and related them to their causal agents. We hypothesised that there is a spontaneous natural regeneration process in abandoned areas, protected areas, and near the hydrographic network, but anthropogenic land uses negatively affect this process. Consequently, we observed that despite an increase in forest cover over the years, there was a loss of medium and large fragments of old-growth forests due to agriculture and urban infrastructure expansion, especially in flat areas and near watercourses. The increase was mostly comprised of small young forest...

Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 2019

Secondary forests play an important role in tropical landscapes and have important ecological fun... more Secondary forests play an important role in tropical landscapes and have important ecological functions such as the ability to accumulate biomass. Although the literature points to the convergence between primary and secondary forests, however there are few studies in Atlantic Rainforest in a chronosequence to show it. This study aimed to characterize the changes of floristic composition in a chronosequence (5, 16, 24, 30 years of regeneration and mature forest) in the Atlantic Rainforest. In each forest 30 plots of 10 × 10 m were installed for canopy sampling, and within these 100 m2 were installed plots of 5 × 5 m for sampling the woody sub-forest at the lower left corner. The growth habits analyzed were arboreal (diameter at breast height, DBH ≥ 5 cm), shrubs (DBH < 5 cm and stem diameter at ground level > 1 cm), herbs, epiphytes and climbing plants. The results suggest that from 16 young forests tended to converge with the mature forest in terms of the proportion of growth...

Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 2019

The functional characteristics of plants can be used to understand the changes of vegetation unde... more The functional characteristics of plants can be used to understand the changes of vegetation under different environmental pressures, since during the process of succession, the species deal with variations of luminosity, an important resource for the regeneration and growth of plants in humid tropical forests. From the perspective that along the succession there is variation of light availability and that leaf characteristics such as specific leaf area, chlorophyll content and leaf dry matter content are more plastic in groups linked to the rapid acquisition of the resource at the beginning of the succession, it was tested the hypothesis that at the beginning of the succession, where there is greater availability of light, leaf characteristics would be more plastic for the acquisitive group. It was initially found that the geographic distances did not influence the values ​​of the variability indices of the groups, which allows to infer that the distance between the areas does not ...

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias - Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Edge effects on the structure and dynamics of the canopy and understory of a forest fragment were... more Edge effects on the structure and dynamics of the canopy and understory of a forest fragment were examined in Igarassu, PE, Brazil. Two 10 × 100 m transects perpendicular to the forest edge (and divided into 10 × 10 m plots) were separated into outer (0-50 m) and inner edges (50-100 m) and their vegetations compared to those of 10 plots in a 20 × 50 m transect in the forest interior (280 m from the edge). The plots were the sampling units. All woody plants with stem perimeters at breast height (PBH) > 15 cm (canopy) were identified and measured within each plot. Plants with PBH < 15 cm and perimeter at soil level > 3 cm (understory) were also identified and measured in the 5 × 5 m subplots. Measurements were made in 2005 and repeated in 2008. Higher numbers of canopy species (39 in both edge) and plant densities (2020 and 2280, for inner and outer edge, respectively, in 2005. Similar results were observed in 2008) were encountered along the forest border, while higher understory species numbers (50), plant densities (9960 in 2005 and 13800 in 2008), and basal areas (2.8 in 2005 and 5.2 in 2008) were encountered in the forest interior. The number of recruited understory plants was lower along the forest border (55 individuals) and their mortality rate was higher (6.65 %yr-1). The results indicated that canopy and undergrowth at the edge of the forest fragment studied were not totally recovered in structural terms, for most of the parameters analyzed.

Brazilian Journal of Botany

Traits and functional strategies when related to demographic rates provide important information ... more Traits and functional strategies when related to demographic rates provide important information about the distribution of species and their performance in different environments. Therefore, predictions were made that: (1) plant communities in tropical forests, distributed over a chronosequence, have different trade-offs between demographic rates and functional traits due to variations in light availability and (2) acquisitive, intermediate and conservative species have different demographic rates throughout the chronosequence. To test these predictions, data from eight functional traits (maximum plant height; specific leaf area; leaf dry matter content; leaf nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll concentrations; wood density; and seed shape) were collected from 64 tree species, distributed in six secondary (three 17 and three 25 years old) and three mature (>40 years old) Ombrophilous Dense Forest fragments. Demographic rates (mortality, recruitment and growth) of the species were determined for periods of three and five years, in each forest. Mortality was higher and growth rate was lower in the 17-year-old than in the mature forest, and the acquisitive group had the highest recruiting rate, but interactions were not significant. Thus, the majority of relationships between demographic rates and functional traits did not correspond to the predictions, as some traits were not better predictors of the demography of species in a determined forest than others and that these relationships did not vary across the chronosequence. Therefore, the trade-offs between functional and demographic characteristics are related to the species and not to environmental differences across the age gradient, and when the species are separated into groups, the predicted changes in demography are valid across the gradient.

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation

Tropical Oceanography, 2016

São apresentados os resultados dos estudos sobre a taxonomia e bioecologia dos Cephalochordata pr... more São apresentados os resultados dos estudos sobre a taxonomia e bioecologia dos Cephalochordata procedentes de coletas diurnas e noturnas no estuário do Rio Paripe na Ilha de Itamaracá, PE – Brasil (7º 48' S e 34º 51' W), no período de janeiro a agosto de 1994. Registra-se pela primeira vez para a costa do Estado de Pernambuco a espécie Branchiostoma platae Hubbs, 1922, única espécie identificada no presente estudo. A biometria dos indivíduos indicou um comprimento médio de 38.5mm e peso médio de 0.145g. Indivíduos maiores e com maior desenvolvimento gonadal foram observados no período seco, enquanto que o maior número de formas jovens foi encontrado no período chuvoso. Branchiostoma platae é filtrador de microalgas, principalmente diatomáceas. A espécie habita sedimento de granulometria média a grosseira, com acentuada fração de artículos de Halimeda. A salinidade da água apresentou média de 17,7‰ e 4,2ml/L de oxigênio dissolvido. Palavras chave: Cephalochordata, Branchiosto...

Journal of Environmental Analysis and Progress, 2017

Influence of functional traits on the demographic rates of 47 arboreal species in a tropical fore... more Influence of functional traits on the demographic rates of 47 arboreal species in a tropical forest in northeastern Brazil. Based on the premise that species use different strategies for acquiring and maintaining resources, it is possible to identify their similarities as determined by particular trade-offs between traits, the present work examined the specific leaf area (SLA), basic wood density (BWD), maximum height (Hmax) and seed shape (SS) of 47 arboreal species in a moist semi-evergreen tropical forest in northeastern Brazil and investigated the influence of those traits on plant mortality rates (MR) and growth (BAG). BWD and Hmax were the best predictors of mortality rates. The factorial analysis explained 70.4% of the total variability, distributed among three factors composed of traits and rates. MR and Hmax were found to be more readily observed when orthogonally rotated by the varimax method, with the first factor explaining 26.9% of the variance. Cluster analyses and pri...

Ethnobiology and Conservation, 2016

Woodsmen or "mateiros" are people who are commonly hired or contracted to work as special local c... more Woodsmen or "mateiros" are people who are commonly hired or contracted to work as special local collaborators, often guiding scientists inside the forest, providing local names of plants and other useful information. We interviewed forest researchers and woodsmen to unveil the process of forest science production in the coastal zone of Northeast Brazil. The concept of network is used as a basis for discussing the connections involving forest knowledge production in and outside scientific academic environments. We presumed that the so-called social invisibility of woodsmen would be a consequence of the asymmetric relationship they have with formal researchers. Information from the interviews was analyzed by means of thematic coding through the content-analysis technique. We found that the "woodsman" category is mainly an academic construct; a designation attributed generally in an unilateral way by scientific professionals towards some people who work as local experts on plants and other components of forest ecosystems. All of the woodsmen we found were men with a low degree of formal education. Researchers tended to recognize woodsmen as bearers of some indispensable information, although treated as a subordinate and local source of knowledge. Although most researchers realized that woodsmen are key collaborators, most of them never referred explicitly to the aid received from these partners. People from both groups agreed that woodsmen are more and more difficult to find. We suggest that forest researchers dealing with woodsmen should develop a more critical vision on the social relationships in which they are involved while doing fieldwork.

Revista Árvore, 2016

Monitoring analyses aim to understand the processes that drive changes in forest structure and, a... more Monitoring analyses aim to understand the processes that drive changes in forest structure and, along with prediction studies, may assist in the management planning and conservation of forest remnants. The objective of this study was to analyze the forest dynamics in two Atlantic rainforest fragments in Pernambuco, Brazil, and to predict their future forest diameter structure using the Markov chain model. We used continuous forest inventory data from three surveys in two forest fragments of 87 ha (F1) and 388 ha (F2). We calculated the annual rates of mortality and recruitment, the mean annual increment, and the basal area for each of the 3-year periods. Data from the first and second surveys were used to project the third inventory measurements, which were compared to the observed values in the permanent plots using chi-squared tests (a = 0.05). In F1, a decrease in the number of individuals was observed due to mortality rates being higher than recruitment rates; however, there was...

Floresta e Ambiente, 2016

The woody plants in an edge area formed approximately 35 years ago in an Atlantic Forest fragment... more The woody plants in an edge area formed approximately 35 years ago in an Atlantic Forest fragment in northeastern Brazil were examined, and three environments defined: edge, intermediate, and interior. Canopy tree densities and basal areas were found to be similar in all three environments, and also similar to previous published studies in the same region; species richness was greatest at the forest edge. The understory showed greater species richness in the forest interior, but greater diversity and equitability in the intermediate environment. Understory environments close to the forest edge demonstrated larger stem diameters than in the forest interior, although at lesser densities and with smaller total basal areas. Our results indicated the existence of distinct patterns in canopy and understory that most likely reflect differences in the response times of these two vegetation layers, with the understory being more sensitive to alterations in environmental structure.

Revista Nordestina De Biologia, 2004

A floristic survey of the herbaceous flora plants was carried out in one hectare of Caatinga at t... more A floristic survey of the herbaceous flora plants was carried out in one hectare of Caatinga at the Mauricio Dantas particular reserve of the national heritage (RPPN), which is located between the municipalities of Betânia and Floresta, Pernambuco, Brazil. The work aimed to identify the species, describe them and elaborate an identification key. Fifty-four plant species in 45 genus and 24 families of herbaceous Angiospermas, were sampled. The families with more of species were: Poaceae (9), Asteraceae (7), Euphorbiaceae (6) and Amaranthaceae (4). About 26% of all families were represented by one species only. Key words: herbaceous flora, Caatinga, semi-arid, Northeast Brazil, botanic descriptions.

A close examination of the phenological behavior of tropical forests is fundamental to our unders... more A close examination of the phenological behavior of tropical forests is fundamental to our understanding of the ecological processes occurring there, including the period of greatest availability of plant resources for animal pollinators, herbivores, and seed dispersers. This information is especially important in environments that have experienced strong anthropogenic degradation as is the case of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The present work sought to identify the phenological behavior (leaf flush, leaf fall, flowering, and fruiting) of 47 arboreal species (133 individuals) occurring in 1800 m2 of ombrophilous forest located in Igarassu/PE, Brazil. These plants were observed every two weeks during the period between September/2002 and August/2003. Spearman’s correlation was used to examine the relationships of the phenophases with precipitation, and none of the phenophases were found to be significantly correlated with rainfall. Leaf flush and leaf fall were continuous throughou...

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias - Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2008

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, caracterizar a vegetação arbórea em um fragmento de Floresta Atlânt... more Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, caracterizar a vegetação arbórea em um fragmento de Floresta Atlântica. Foram instaladas de 40 parcelas de 10 x 25 m, que totalizaram 1 ha, nas quais foram incluídos os indivíduos lenhosos, com o CAP > 15 cm. Foram registrados 1576 indivíduos, distribuídos em 115 espécies pertencentes a 41 famílias botânicas e 69 gêneros. O índice de diversidade de Shannon-Weaver foi de 3,6 nats/ind. As famílias de maior riqueza foram: Myrtaceae (17 espécies), Melastomataceae e Mimosaceae (7), Caesalpiniaceae e Sapotaceae (6), Apocynaceae, Fabaceae e Rubiaceae (5). As espécies que apresentaram maior valor de importância foram Eschweilera ovata, Dialium guianense, Pogonophora schomburgkiana, Brosimum discolor, Tapirira guianensis, Maytenus disticophylla, Parkia pendula, Byrsonima sericea, Allophyllus edulis e Ouratea hexasperma. A distribuição dos indivíduos por classes de diâmetro assemelhou-se a "J" invertido; por classe de altura, a maior parte dos indivíduos se concentrou nas classes intermediárias. A diversidade do fragmento está entre a média dos valores registrados para o Estado. A maior quantidade de indivíduos representados por menores classes de diâmetro e altura pode sugerir que o fragmento se apresenta em regeneração, com áreas em estágio inicial de sucessão.

Ciência Florestal, 2015

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509817442Para testar a hipótese que a fisionomia, estrutura e dinâm... more http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509817442Para testar a hipótese que a fisionomia, estrutura e dinâmica de espécies lenhosas são influenciadas pelogradiente espacial borda-interior, foram coletados dados desses parâmetros em 2004, 2007 e 2010 em umfragmento de Floresta Atlântica. Foram amostradas para o Dossel (DS), plantas com circunferência docaule a altura do peito (CAP) > 15 cm e do sub-bosque (SB) com circunferência ao nível do solo entre >3 cm e CAP < 15 cm em um gradiente borda-interior formado há 35 anos. Em 2004, foram avaliadas trêsposições no fragmento: borda, intermediária e interior (> 150 m do limite florestal), sendo analisados 1000m² por local, divididos em parcelas de 10 m², para medir os indivíduos de maior classe. Em cada parcelafoi instalada uma subparcela de 5 m² para amostragem do sub-bosque. Foram recolhidos ramos de trêsindivíduos adultos das espécies, para obtenção da densidade da madeira. O número de indivíduos (NI), áreabasal (AB), taxa de mortali...

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias - Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2009

Objetivou-se avaliar a estrutura fitossociológica, a classificação sucessional e o nível de infes... more Objetivou-se avaliar a estrutura fitossociológica, a classificação sucessional e o nível de infestação da comunidade arbórea por lianas, em um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Densa, em Igarassu-PE, com uma área de 48,84 ha. Foram instaladas 40 parcelas de 10 x 25 m (10.000 m 2), onde os indivíduos foram mensurados com CAP e" 10 cm e suas alturas, medidas com tesoura de alta poda, com módulos de 2 m. Foram identificadas 99 espécies, distribuídas em 42 famílias, em um total de 1.793 indivíduos. Quanto à classificação sucessional, a maioria das espécies foi pioneira e secundária inicial, sugerindo que a área estava em estágio inicial de sucessão. As famílias Myrtaceae e Mimosaceae contribuíram em maior número de espécie (24). As famílias mais numerosas foram Lecythidaceae, Anacardiaceae e Araliaceae (635 indivíduos). Com relação ao valor de importância (VI), destacaram-se Tapirira guianensis Aubl., Eschweilera ovata (Cambess.) Miers, Schefflera morototoni (Aubl.) Maguire, Steyerm. & Frodin, Dialium guianense (Aubl.) Sandwith, Byrsonima sericea DC., Inga thibaudiana Benth., Thyrsodium spruceanum Benth., Cupania racemosa Mart., Bowdichia virgilioides Kunth. e Miconia prasina (Sw.) DC. O índice de diversidade de Shannon-Wiener (H'), de 3,685 nats/ind., está dentro dos padrões de riqueza em Pernambuco. A maioria dos indivíduos não apresenta infestação por lianas. Palavras-chave: floresta Atlântica, fragmentação florestal, Brasil Phytosociological structure and sucessional classification of arboreus component in a fragment of a Dense Ombrophylous Forest, Igarassu-Pernambuco AB S TR ACT This work aimed to analyze the phytossociological structure and successional classification and to identify the level of occupation of lianas in a fragment of a Dense Arborous Forest, Igarassu-PE, with an area of 48.84 hectares. It was divided into 40 plots of 10 x 25 meters (10.000 m 2), individuals with CAP e" 10 cm were sampled and heights estimated with a height pruning scissors with 2 meter modules. In the area 99 species were identified, distributed in 42 families, totaling 1,793 individuals. As for successional classification, the majority of the species is at pioneering and initial secondary, suggesting that the area is in initial succession. The families Myrtaceae and Mimosaceae contributed in large number of species (24). The most numerous families were Lecythidaceae, Anacardiaceae and Araliaceae (635 individuals).

Revista Brasileirade Ciencias Agrarias, 2012

O efeito de borda causa uma série de alterações na estrutura da vegetação, microclima, dinâmica e... more O efeito de borda causa uma série de alterações na estrutura da vegetação, microclima, dinâmica e composição de espécies, tornando esse ambiente bastante distinto do interior. Neste trabalho, foi analisada a influência da distância do limite florestal na estrutura e dinâmica (2006 e 2009) do dossel e do sub-bosque de um fragmento com 14 ha localizado na Floresta Atlântica em Igarassu, PE. A borda externa, formada há cerca de 35 anos, foi definida do limite florestal até 50 m, o ambiente intermediário de 50 e 100 m e o interior a 150 m. Para amostragem do dossel (indivíduos com diâmetro do caule a 1,30 m do solo > 4,77 cm) foram alocadas 10 parcelas de 10 × 10 m por ambiente e do sub-bosque (indivíduos com diâmetro do caule ao nível do solo entre 0,96 cm de diâmetro do caule ao nível do solo e diâmetro do caule a 1,30 m do solo < 4,77 cm) em sub-parcelas de 5 × 5 m instaladas no vértice superior e lado esquerdo das parcelas do dossel. Os valores de densidade e área basal do dossel foram semelhantes ao longo do gradiente borda-interior, enquanto no sub-bosque foram maiores no interior. A borda do dossel teve o maior incremento médio em diâmetro e foi o único ambiente a apresentar um recrutamento (número absoluto) maior que a mortalidade. No sub-bosque houve maior recrutamento que mortalidade em todos ambientes. A distância do limite florestal não influenciou a estrutura nem a dinâmica. Palavras-chave: dossel, efeito de borda, sub-bosque, vegetação Vegetation structure and dynamics in a remnant of Atlantic Rainforest, Northeastern Brazil ABSTRACT Edge effect produces a series of modifications on vegetation structure, microclimate, dynamics and species composition, making this environment very distinct from forest interior. In this study, the influence of distance from the forest border on the structure and dynamics (2006 and 2009) of canopy and understory assemblages was analyzed in a 14 ha fragment of Atlantic Rainforest in Igarassu, PE, Brazil. The edge, formed about 35 years ago, was defined as area between the forest margins up to 50 m inwards; the intermediate environment was considered from 50 m to 100 m; and the interior environment beyond 150 m from the edge line. In order to sample the canopy (individuals with stem diameter > 4.77 cm at 1.30 m from the ground) ten 10 × 10 m plots were allocated in each environment; for sampling the understory (individuals with stem diameter at ground level > 0.96 cm up to stem diameter at 1.30 m < 4.77 cm) sub-plots of 5 × 5 m were located at the apex and the left side of the canopy plots. Density and basal area of canopy were similar along the edge-interior gradient, whereas the understory had greater values in the interior. For the canopy, the edge showed the highest average increment in diameter and was the only environment to provide recruitment (absolute) higher than mortality. For the understory, in all environments, recruitment was greater than mortality. Distance from forest margins did not influence forest structure and dynamics.

Biota Neotropica, 2012

Surveys were undertaken to examine the floristic changes during secondary succession in three are... more Surveys were undertaken to examine the floristic changes during secondary succession in three areas of 12 and three of 20-year-old secondary forests in Pernambuco State, Brazil. Two hundred and six species were identified, with 136 being found in the 12-year-old secondary forest and 161 species in the 20-year-old forest. Fabaceae and Myrtaceae were the most important families, increasing in species numbers with regeneration age. Of the 216 species, 115 were trees, 48 shrubs, 16 herbaceous plants, and 24 woody lianas, without significant differences between the two regeneration site ages. NMDS analysis revealed a formation of two floristic groups, distinguishing secondary and mature forests, with a further division within secondary forests in accordance with the time since abandonment. Similarity analysis ANOSIM confirmed the significance of the groups, which had floristic composition significant distinct (R=0.96) and 63% of dissimilarity (SIMPER). However, the sharing of 68 arboreal...

Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias - Brazilian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2009