Climate seasonality limits leaf carbon assimilation and wood productivity in tropical forests.

The seasonal climate drivers of the carbon cy- cle in tropical forests remain poorly known, although these forests account for more carbon assimilation and storage than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Based on a unique combina- tion of seasonal pan-tropical data sets from 89 experimental sites (68 include aboveground wood productivity measure- ments and 35 litter productivity measurements), their asso- ciated canopy photosynthetic capacity (enhanced vegetation index, EVI) and climate, we ask how carbon assimilation and aboveground allocation are related to climate seasonal- ity in tropical forests and how they interact in the seasonal carbon cycle. We found that canopy photosynthetic capacity seasonality responds positively to precipitation when rain- fall is < 2000 mm yr-1 (water-limited forests) and to radia- tion otherwise (light-limited forests). On the other hand, in- dependent of climate limitations, wood productivity and lit- terfall are driven by seasonal variation in precipitation and evapotranspiration, respectively. Consequently, light-limited forests present an asynchronism between canopy photosyn- thetic capacity and wood productivity. First-order control by precipitation likely indicates a decrease in tropical forest pro- ductivity in a drier climate in water-limited forest, and in cur- rent light-limited forest with future rainfall < 2000 mm yr-1.

Growth and survival of Sclerolobium paniculatum vogel and the relationship between rainfall and the increment in diameter at different planting spacings.

Sclerolobium paniculatum Vogel is a species that has good potential for reclamation of degraded soils. The aim of the investigation was to evaluate the growth and survival of the species and the influence of rainfall on growth in diameter as a function of different spacings (4 m x 2 m, 4 m x 3 m, and 4 m x 4 m). The results indicate that the temporal analysis (period from November 2007 to August 2013) detected significant differences (p ? 0.05) in height between the 4 m x 2 m and 4 m x 4 m spacings, while no significant difference in diameter was found between the 4 m x 2 m and 4 m x 3 m spacings. However, the statistical differences did not persist when the data was analyzed at seven and half years old. Regarding survival, a significant difference was observed only between the 4 m x 4 m spacing and the others, with superiority to the former. A strong correlation was found between rainfall and the increment in diameter of individuals in the broader spacings (R = 0.80 in the 4 m x 3 m spacing and R = 0.77 in the 4 m x 4 m spacing), while in the denser spacing the correlation was moderate (R = 0.56 in the 4 m x 2 m spacing). Since the spacings adopted did not influence tree growth by the end of the period, the choice will depend on other factors such as survival and costs of implementation and forestry management. Plantations in regions with larger rainfall amplitude may benefit the productivity of the species.

Recuperação de áreas degradadas com base em sistemas produtivos de paricá (Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum (Huber X Ducke) Barneby: projeção de cenários.

A reincorporação de áreas alteradas ao processo produtivo por meio de plantios florestais é uma alternativa de uso do solo uma vez que contribui para a minimização de impactos ambientais, conservação da biodiversidade e diminuição da pressão sobre as florestas nativas. Portanto, o objetivo desse trabalho foi projetar cenário produtivo para um cultivo de paricá (Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum (Huber x Ducke) Barneby a fim de analisar o desempenho econômico e a viabilidade deste. O experimento foi conduzido em área no município de Santa Maria das Barreiras, Pará, onde o modelo homogêneo de paricá está sob delineamento inteiramente casualizado e espaçamento 3x 3 m. O plantio foi feito no ano de 2012 e em seguida foram feitas medições de altura (m) e DAP (cm) ainda no ano 0 e nos três anos seguintes (2013, 2014, 2015). A análise econômica foi feita a partir dos dados da área na planilha AmazonSAF, na qual os parâmetros de valor presente líquido (VPL), taxa interna de retorno (TIR) e relação benefício-custo (RB/C) indicaram que o modelo proposto apresenta desempenho satisfatório e é viável economicamente.