Comparative wood anatomy of root and stem of Citharexylum myrianthum (Verbenaceae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Interações entre frugívoros voadores e plantas em um fragmento de floresta estacional semidecidual, Botucatu, SP

Plant-frugivore interactions are essential elements in ecosystem and their knowledge can becomes an important tool for the biodiversity maintenance. This study focused on analyzing the trophic structure of volant frugivore community and its implications for conservation. Bats and birds interactions events with plants were taken from three studies realized in Mata da Bica, a fragment of semideciduous seasonal forest in Botucatu- SP, and arranged in a matrix. A total of 40 interactions with 14% of connectance were found and only one dietary overlap between birds and bats was registrated. Carollia perspicillata (Phyllostomidae) bat showed the highest importance index (I=0,33) among the animals and Pereskia aculeata (Cactaceae) was the most important plant species (I=0,42). Birds and bats complemented each other in a possible dispersal process emphasizing different classes of animals’ role in an unique ecological process

Técnicas intervencionistas de recuperação ecológica em áreas florestais e influências nas características físicas, químicas e isotópicas dos solos

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Civil e Ambiental - FEB

Bauru: terra de cerrado ou floresta?

Bauru: region of cerrado ou forest? The city of Bauru is located in São Paulo State, where the maps showing native vegetation distribution does not clearly defi ne its nature. In order to clarify which types of native vegetation was found in this region, a bibliographic survey was performed, ranging from ancient documents prepared by naturalists describing this region and recent research results of floristic and phytosociological character. It is concluded that in Bauru, semideciduous seasonal forests overlays the northwestern and that cerrado comes over the southeast region. In riparian areas where the cerrado prevailed, there are still traces of swamp forests and swamp grasslands. In the border areas between forests and cerrado, the occurrence of vegetation transition is common, with two distinct types of it and other typical of these ecotone zones.

Distribuição de espécies com folhas homobáricas e heterobáricas no Cerrado e na Floresta Estacional Semidecídua

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Similarity of ground-dwelling anuran (Amphibia) composition among different vegetation physiognomies in a Mesophytic Semideciduous Forest from southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Water availability determines the richness and density of fig trees within Brazilian semideciduous forest landscapes

The success of fig trees in tropical ecosystems is evidenced by the great diversity (+750 species) and wide geographic distribution of the genus. We assessed the contribution of environmental variables on the species richness and density of fig trees in fragments of seasonal semideciduous forest (SSF) in Brazil. We assessed 20 forest fragments in three regions in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Fig tree richness and density was estimated in rectangular plots, comprising 31.4 ha sampled. Both richness and fig tree density were linearly modeled as function of variables representing (1) fragment metrics, (2) forest structure, and (3) landscape metrics expressing water drainage in the fragments. Model selection was performed by comparing the AIC values (Akaike Information Criterion) and the relative weight of each model (wAIC). Both species richness and fig tree density were better explained by the water availability in the fragment (meter of streams/ha): wAICrichness = 0.45, wAICdensity = 0.96. The remaining variables related to anthropic perturbation and forest structure were of little weight in the models. The rainfall seasonality in SSF seems to select for both establishment strategies and morphological adaptations in the hemiepiphytic fig tree species. In the studied SSF, hemiepiphytes established at lower heights in their host trees than reported for fig trees in evergreen rainforests. Some hemiepiphytic fig species evolved superficial roots extending up to 100 m from their trunks, resulting in hectare-scale root zones that allow them to efficiently forage water and soil nutrients. The community of fig trees was robust to variation in forest structure and conservation level of SSF fragments, making this group of plants an important element for the functioning of seasonal tropical forests. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Spatial and temporal distribution of tadpole assemblages (Amphibia, Anura) in a seasonal dry tropical forest of southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Soil seed banks in tropical forest fragments with different disturbance histories in southeastern Brazil

Soil seed banks are considered an important mechanism for natural regeneration in tropical forest ecosystems. This paper investigated the soil seed bank in two semideciduous seasonal tropical forest fragments with different disturbance histories in Botucatu, southeastern Brazil. In each study site, 40 superficial soil samples (30 cm × 30 cm × 5 cm) were taken at the end of both the dry and rainy seasons. The seeds were estimated by the germination method. Average soil seed density was 588.6 and 800.3 seeds m-2, respectively, for site 1 (less disturbed) and site 2 (more disturbed). Seed density and diversity (H′) were significantly higher in site 2 in both seasons. Non-woody taxa predominated in both fragments, but pioneer tree species were better represented in the less disturbed forest. Both ecosystems have a potential for regeneration from soil seed banks, but this potential is higher in the less disturbed site. Low richness and density of pioneer tree species in the seed bank indicate that the ecosystem has lost its resilience. The seed bank is not as important in these ecosystems as in other forests. Results indicate that management strategies to restore these forests should take into account the possibility of recovering soil seed bank processes and dynamics. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Edaphic characterization of a forest savanna ecotone in southeastern Brazil

Edaphic characterization of a forest savanna ecotone in southeastern Brazil. This study was motivated by the scarcity of studies involving descriptions of edaphic horizons in the transition from savanna to forest. It aims at comparing the chemical features and the texture of savanna and forest soils in one ecotone, and at considering possible edaphic influences on vegetation. In areas pertaining to the Botanical Garden of Bauru, State of São Paulo, two-meter deep pits were opened in different parts of a seasonal semi-deciduous forest and of a forested savanna to directly collect soil samples in different horizons. The physicochemical analysis revealed high contents of different nutrients, e.g., Ca and Mg, and low contents of Al in the superficial horizons of the seasonal forest, which were classified as eutrophic. Conversely, all the forested savanna horizons were considered as dystrophic. These edaphic features may be due to the different microenvironments of the studied phytocenoses.

Mirmecofauna em um fragmento de floresta atlântica urbana no município de Marília, Brasil

The aim of this study was to verify the influence of the habitat fragmentation on the Ant Fauna in an urban fragment of Semideciduous Seasonal Atlantic Forest located in the municipality of Marilia, São Paulo, Brazil. The studied fragment was divided into three environments in relation to edge: "Edge" (2m), "Transition" (30m) and "Interior" (90m). By using pitfalls traps and attractive baits there were done nine samples between November 2007 and February 2008. There were collected 3.873 individuals distributed into five subfamilies, 19 genera and 33 species. Five species were abundant on three studied environments: Ectatomma sp1, Mycocepurus goeldii, Paratrechina sp1, Pheidole sp2, Trachymyrmex sp1, Wasmannia auropunctata. The edge and transition environments presented the lower Simpsons diversity index and higher species dominance. However, it was observed little variation between these parameters between environments. Faunistic similarity between environments, expressed by Jaccard's similarity index showed high similarity between all studied environments. Because the studied site is an urban fragment, the similarity found between these areas can be related to habitat fragmentation process, an historical of constant anthropic perturbation and low local colonization rates. However, we suggest that a posteriori evaluation should be done with other arthropods groups like spiders and beetles in due to understand the changes that occur in urban fragments and support the choice of conservation and management actions in favor of this important forest remnant localized in urban area of Marilia, São Paulo, Brazil.

Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in urban fragments of Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

Bat assemblages in two urban fragments of Maringá city, north of the state of Paraná, southern Brazil, were inventoried. These fragments, Parque do Ingá (48 ha) and Parque Florestal dos Pioneiros (59 ha), are located in a subtropical region covered by semideciduous Atlantic forest. Bats were sampled with mist-nets from August 2006 to July 2007, over 24 nights (12 hours a night), adding up to a total of 30,240 h.m2 of net effort. A total of 839 individuals were captured belonging to 10 species and four families. Artibeus lituratus was the most abundant species (66% of the sample). The observed richness represents 22% of the bat species recorded for the state, 24% of the bat species occurring in the seasonal semideciduous forest of Paraná, 26% of the species previously recorded in urban environments in Brazil, and 83.4% of the estimated richness by Jackknife 1 (n= 12 species). Studies that provide data on richness and abundance of bat species in urban fragments are becoming increasingly important, but are still poorly available in Brazil. This habitat is especially interesting because anthropogenic pressure can be harmful to bat assemblages, reducing their diversity. © 2013 Check List and Authors.

Estrutura de uma comunidade arbórea de floresta estacional semidecídua não pertubada no noroeste paulista em relação à outra comunidade com indicadores de perturbação

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mastofauna terrestre associada a áreas em processo de restauração na fazenda experimental Edgárdia, Botucatu –SP

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Controle biológico de Brachiaria decumbens Stapf em área de reserva legal em processo de recuperação, na região do Pontal do Paranapanema, São Paulo, Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)