Mapping, organic matter mass and water volume of a peatland in Serra do Espinhaço Meridional

Peatlands form in areas where net primary of organic matter production exceeds losses due to the decomposition, leaching or disturbance. Due to their chemical and physical characteristics, bogs can influence water dynamics because they can store large volumes of water in the rainy season and gradually release this water during the other months of the year. In Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a peatland in the environmental protection area of Pau-de-Fruta ensures the water supply of 40,000 inhabitants. The hypothesis of this study is that the peat bogs in Pau-de-Fruta act as an environment for carbon storage and a regulator of water flow in the Córrego das Pedras basin. The objective of this study was to estimate the water volume and organic matter mass in this peatland and to study the influence of this environment on the water flow in the Córrego das Pedras basin. The peatland was mapped using 57 transects, at intervals of 100 m. Along all transects, the depth of the peat bog, the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates and altitude were recorded every 20 m and used to calculate the area and volume of the peatland. The water volume was estimated, using a method developed in this study, and the mass of organic matter based on samples from 106 profiles. The peatland covered 81.7 hectares (ha), and stored 497,767 m³ of water, representing 83.7 % of the total volume of the peat bog. The total amount of organic matter (OM) was 45,148 t, corresponding to 552 t ha-1 of OM. The peat bog occupies 11.9 % of the area covered by the Córrego das Pedras basin and stores 77.6 % of the annual water surplus, thus controlling the water flow in the basin and consequently regulating the water course.

Surface mapping, organic matter and water stocks in peatlands of the Serra do Espinhaço meridional - Brazil

Peatlands are soil environments that store carbon and large amounts of water, due to their composition (90 % water), low hydraulic conductivity and a sponge-like behavior. It is estimated that peat bogs cover approximately 4.2 % of the Earth's surface and stock 28.4 % of the soil carbon of the planet. Approximately 612 000 ha of peatlands have been mapped in Brazil, but the peat bogs in the Serra do Espinhaço Meridional (SdEM) were not included. The objective of this study was to map the peat bogs of the northern part of the SdEM and estimate the organic matter pools and water volume they stock. The peat bogs were pre-identified and mapped by GIS and remote sensing techniques, using ArcGIS 9.3, ENVI 4.5 and GPS Track Maker Pro software and the maps validated in the field. Six peat bogs were mapped in detail (1:20,000 and 1:5,000) by transects spaced 100 m and each transect were determined every 20 m, the UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) coordinates, depth and samples collected for characterization and determination of organic matter, according to the Brazilian System of Soil Classification. In the northern part of SdEM, 14,287.55 ha of peatlands were mapped, distributed over 1,180,109 ha, representing 1.2 % of the total area. These peatlands have an average volume of 170,021,845.00 m³ and stock 6,120,167 t (428.36 t ha-1) of organic matter and 142,138,262 m³ (9,948 m³ ha-1) of water. In the peat bogs of the Serra do Espinhaço Meridional, advanced stages of decomposing (sapric) organic matter predominate, followed by the intermediate stage (hemic). The vertical growth rate of the peatlands ranged between 0.04 and 0.43 mm year-1, while the carbon accumulation rate varied between 6.59 and 37.66 g m-2 year-1. The peat bogs of the SdEM contain the headwaters of important water bodies in the basins of the Jequitinhonha and San Francisco Rivers and store large amounts of organic carbon and water, which is the reason why the protection and preservation of these soil environments is such an urgent and increasing need.

Análise técnica e estimativas de custos de inventário de prospecção em uma floresta estacional semidecidual submontana

Dentre as atividades que compõem um sistema de manejo florestal, a colheita é a mais dispendiosa e, quando realizada sem planejamento, acarreta sérios danos à estrutura da floresta. Para uma exploração de baixo impacto, isto é, para minimizar os danos à regeneração natural e às árvores remanescentes, é obrigatório realizar levantamento detalhado da área a ser manejada. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi propor uma metodologia de inventário de prospecção com mapeamento arbóreo. Em uma unidade de produção anual de 24,25 ha, foram inventariados 2.707 indivíduos arbóreos, com DAP > 20 cm, que, além das características quantitativas e qualitativas, tiveram as suas coordenadas (UTM) determinadas e arquivadas em um banco de dados georreferenciados. As análises do inventário de prospecção englobaram a viabilidade técnica e a determinação do custo do método proposto. A metodologia, com base na utilização de equipamento digital de medição de distância, mostrou-se exeqüível. O rigor exigido na determinação da localização das árvores, assim como as características de relevo, sub-bosque denso e grande infestação de cipós, influenciou no rendimento do inventário de prospecção, que foi de 442 m por dia para a abertura de picadas e de 0,80 ha por dia para a realização do inventário de prospecção. O custo da abertura de picadas e do inventário de prospecção foi de US$ 35,69/ha e US$ 89,43/ha, respectivamente.

Estrutura fitossociológia de um fragmento natural de floresta inundável em área de orizicultura irrigada, município de Lagoa da Confusão, Tocantins

Os fragmentos naturais de florestas inundáveis conhecidos como ipucas localizam-se na planície do Araguaia, sob a forma de depressões naturais, que no Estado do Tocantins estão situados em áreas de planícies de inundação, que favorece seu alagamento e, conseqüentemente, o maior tempo de retenção da água em épocas de elevada precipitação. O presente estudo foi desenvolvido na fazenda Lago Verde, Município de Lagoa da Confusão, Tocantins, situado entre as coordenadas UTM: 643586 e 644060 leste e 8792795 e 8799167 norte. O objetivo do trabalho foi caracterizar a estrutura de um fragmento de floresta inundável de aproximadamente um hectare, inserido em área de orizicultura irrigada. Para o levantamento fitossociológico, foram amostrados todos os indivíduos arbustivo-arbóreos com perímetro a 1,30 m do solo (PAP) > 15 cm. Ao todo, foram encontrados 807 indivíduos, 35 famílias e 70 espécies. As espécies com maior VC, em ordem decrescente, foram Hirtella racemosa Lam., Qualea multiflora Mart. e Cecropia pachystachya Trécul. As famílias mais ricas em espécies foram Fabaceae (9), Vochysiaceae (6), Annonaceae e Malvaceae (4). O índice de diversidade de Shannon (H') foi de 3,44. A distribuição de classes de diâmetro apresentou curva na forma de "J" invertido, estando a maioria dos indivíduos na primeira classe.

Floristic composition of two wetland forests in Araguaian Plain, State of Tocantins, Brazil, and comparison with other areas

Seasonally inundated native forest fragments ("ipucas") located in natural landform depression swales of the Araguaian Plain are currently under land use pressure. Their composition needs to be better understood to guarantee their protection. This comparative study of fragments under different land use conditions was carried out at Lago Verde Farm, Lagoa da Confusão,Tocantins, Brazil. The location coordinates are UTM 643586 and 644060 East and 8792795 and 8799167 North. This study aimed to first analyze and compare the floristic composition of two seasonally inundated forest fragments of approximately one hectare each. The first is located in an intact (without human intervention) Gramineous-Woody Savanna region and the second in a rice cultivation region. The floristic composition of both fragments was then compared to that of other wetland forests located in the Northern, Central Western and Southeastern regions of Brazil.All the floristic compositions are affected by seasonal flooding and soil water saturation. The floristic inventory used a census method that sampled all trees and shrubs with perimeter at 1.30 m from soil (PAP) = 15cm; 665 individuals, 33 families and 49 species were recorded for the intact region and 807 individuals, 35 families and 70 species for the altered region fragment. The values of H' = 0.806 (Shannon-Weaver) and J = 3.44 nats /individual (equability) for the fragment in the region affected by rice cultivation are considered high compared to the intact region fragment values (H' = 0.761 and J = 2.97). Families contributing to floristic richness in the altered region fragment were Fabaceae (9 species), Vochysiaceae (6) and Annonaceae (4). In the intact region fragment, Fabaceae also presented the largest number of species (8) followed by Arecaceae, Chrysobalanaceae and Vochysiaceae (3 each). When comparing the forests from various regions in Brazil, floristic similarity was found to be small. Greater similarity was found when indices for the two Lagoa da Confusão fragments were compared to riparian forests located in the Federal District of Brasilia.

Cyanobacteria from coastal lagoons in southern Brazil: non-heterocytous filamentous organisms

This study describes and illustrates non-heterocytous filamentous cyanobacteria found in lagoon systems on the coastal plains of Rio Grande do Sul State. Collections were carried out in different freshwater bodies along the eastern (Casamento Lake area) and western (Tapes City area) margins of the Patos Lagoon (UTM 461948-6595095 and 542910-6645535) using a plankton net (25 µm mesh) in pelagic and littoral zones as well as by squeezing submerged parts of aquatic macrophytes, during both the rainy and dry seasons, from May to December/2003. Twenty two species belonging to the families Phormidiaceae (eight taxa), Pseudanabaenaceae (seven taxa), Oscillatoriaceae (six taxa), and Spirulinaceae (one taxon) were identified. Among these species, five are reported for the first time from Rio Grande do Sul State: Leptolyngbya cebennensis, Microcoleus subtorulosus, Oscillatoria cf. anguina, O. curviceps and Phormidium formosum.