Performance of 19-year-old provenances of Liquidambar styraciflua in Paraguaçu Paulista, São Paulo

The genetic variation in the growth of seven 19-year-old Liquidambar styraciflua provenances was studied in Paraguaçu Paulista, São Paulo State, Brazil. The trial was established in a complete randomized block design with seven provenances, four replications and twelve-tree square plots. Significant differences among provenances were detected for diameter at breast height, height and volume, indicating the possibility of increasing timber yield through selection of the most productive provenances. Genetic correlations between growth traits were high and statistically significant. The provenance from Finca las Victorias, Guatemala had the best and the provenance from Franklin, Virginia, United States the poorest performance for all traits. A growth comparison of Pinus caribaea var. bahamensis with the best provenance at the same site indicated that the potential of L. styraciflua for silviculture in the region of Paraguaçu Paulista is high.

Physiological maturity of Cnidosculus quercifolius Pax & K. Hoffm. seeds

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

Estratégias de seleção dentro de progênies em duas populações de myracrodruon urundeuva Fr. All.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Testes de envelhecimento acelerado e de condutividade elétrica em sementes de Dictyoloma vendellianum A. Juss.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Viabilidade de sementes de Piptadenia moniliformis Benth. Pelo teste de tetrazólio

Piptadenia moniliformis Benth. is a tree species which is important for beekeeping, as well as being recommended for soil restoration, reforestation, wood production for small civil construction projects, and cattle and sheep forage. Information on how to evaluate seed physiological quality is still scarce and in this was the study aimed to adapt the procedures of the tetrazolium test to assess the viability of P. moniliformis seeds. Four seed lots were scarified in sulphuric acid for 30 min, and soaked between paper towels at 25 °C for 24 hours. The seed coat was then removed and the naked seeds immersed in tetrazolium solutions with concentrations of 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1% for 2, 3, and 4 hours at 35 oC in the dark. Each treatment consisted of four replications of 25 seeds. The embryos were classified according to viability based on the staining patterns. The previous soaking of the seeds for 24 hours at 25 oC between paper towels, followed by the removal of the seed coat and staining of the naked seeds for 4 hours in a 0.075% tetrazolium solution at 35 oC was the most efficient method for evaluating the viability of P. moniliformis Benth seeds.

Dinámica del suelo y estoque de carbono después de diez años de la restauración de tierras degradadas usando especies arbóreas del bosque atlántico

Brazil's Atlantic Forest ecosystem has been greatly affected by land use changes, with only 11.26% of its original vegetation cover remaining. Currently, Atlantic Forest restoration is receiving increasing attention because of its potential for carbon sequestration and the important role of soil carbon in the global carbon balance. Soil organic matter is also essential for physical, chemical and biological components of soil fertility and forest sustainability. This study evaluated the potential for soil recovery in contrasting restoration models using indigenous Atlantic Forest tree species ten years after their establishment. The study site is located in Botucatu municipality, São Paulo State-Brazil, in a loamy dystrophic Red-Yellow Argisol site (Typic Hapludult). Four treatments were compared: i) Control (Spontaneous Restoration); ii) Low Diversity (five fast-growing tree species established by direct seeding); iii) High Diversity (mixed plantings of 41 species established with seedlings) and; iv) Native Forest (well conserved neighboring forest fragment). The following soil properties were evaluated: (1) physical-texture, density and porosity; (2) chemical-C, N, P, S, K, Ca, Mg, Al and pH; (3) biological-microbial biomass. Litter nutrient concentrations (P, S, K, Ca and Mg) and C and N litter stocks were determined. Within ten years the litter C and N stocks of the Low Diversity treatment area were higher than Control and similar to those in both the High Diversity treatment and the Native Forest. Soil C stocks increased through time for both models and in the Control plots, but remained highest in the Native Forest. The methods of restoration were shown to have different effects on soil dynamics, mainly on chemical properties. These results show that, at least in the short-term, changes in soil properties are more rapid in a less complex system like the Low Diversity model than in the a High Species Diversity model. For both mixed plantation systems, carbon soil cycling can be reestablished, resulting in increases in carbon stocks in both soil and litter.

Relation between green spaces and bird community structure in an urban area in Southeast Brazil

Increased urbanization typically leads to an increase in abundance of a few species and a reduction in bird species richness. Understanding the structure of biotic communities in urban areas will allow us to propose management techniques and to decrease conflicts between wild species and human beings. The objective of this study was to describe the structure of the bird community in an urban ecosystem. The study was carried out in the city of Taubaté in southeastern Brazil. Point-counts were established in areas with different levels of tree density ranging from urban green spaces to predominantly built-up areas. We looked for a correlation between the richness/abundance of birds and the size of the area surveyed, the number of houses, the number of tree species and the number of individual trees. The results of multiple regression showed that bird richness had a direct relationship with vegetation complexity. The abundance and diversity of tree species were better predictors of bird species than the number of houses and size of the area surveyed. We discuss implications of this study for conservation and management of bird diversity in urban areas, such as the need to increase green areas containing a large diversity of native plant species. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Avaliação das propriedades químicas em solo de cerrado SOB reflorestamento ciliar

The rapid growth of agriculture, promoted by public government initiatives, favored an out of control deforestation of our forests; today, reforestation of permanent preservation areas are necessary for the conservation of our natural resources, and recovery of such areas are required by public laws. In an area of 5.26 acres of riparian reforestation in the savanna soil chemical properties were evaluated after twenty years of planting. It was analyzed the following variables: (P, organic matter (MO), pH, K, Ca, Mg, H+Al, Al and S) in 13 modules, with three replicas in two depths (0 - 20 and 20 - 40 cm) in a randomized block design in hierarchical scheme. Reforestation with tree species on the edge of Parana river in Selvíria (MS) contributes to chemical soil attributes, under riparian reforestation, as similar as a soil without human disturbance in this region; it is also possible to verify that forestry plantation promotes deposition of organic material which is essential for nutrient cycling, which keep the chemical properties of such soil in good condition for the establishment of riparian vegetation.

Sistema de reprodução, parentesco e tamanho efetivo em sementes de polinização livre de populações fragmentadas de Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. por análise de locos microssatélites

Anthropogenic changes in the reproductive population density can affect the mating system and result in an increase in selfing and correlated matings. This study investigated the mating system in small fragmented populations of the insect pollinated tropical tree species Copaifera langsdorffii, using microsatellite loci and the mixed and correlated mating models. Open-pollinated seeds were collected from 15 seed-trees located in a small forest fragment (4.8 ha), denominated Bosque and from 14 other seed-trees located in other small forest fragments of the north-western region of São Paulo State. No significant differences were observed between the seed-trees from Bosque (tm=0.933±0.028) and other fragments (tm=0.971±0.032), although these estimates were significantly different from 1.0, suggesting that selfing was occurring. Differences between multilocus and unilocus outcrossing rate were significantly high in both seed-trees of Bosque (tm -ts=0.478±0.05) and other forest fragments (tm -ts=0.475±0.018), suggesting a spatial genetic structure in those stands. The results also showed high rates of correlated mating in the samples, indicating that a good part of the offspring were full-sibs. As a consequence of selfing, mating among relatives and correlated matings, the coancestry within families was equally high in the seed-trees of Bosque ((Θ=0.237) and in the seed-trees of the other forest fragments (Θ=0.241) and the effective population size was lower than expected in panmitic populations (Ne<4). The results were discussed, focusing on the sample size of seed-trees to collect seeds for genetic conservation and enviromental reforestation.

Variação e parâmetros genéticos em teste de progênies de polinização livre de Peltophorum dubium (Sprengel) taubert em Luiz Antonio -SP

Intensive deforestation and forest fragmentation of the Brazilian forest biomes has contributed to increase the number of trees species under the risk of extinction. Peltophorum dubium (Sprengel) Taubert is one of these species. Some of its populations are being conserved ex situ by the Instituto Florestal de São Paulo through provenance and progeny tests. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic variation and to estimate genetic parameters at age 24 years in a progeny test of P. dubium established in Luiz Antônio, São Paulo State, Brazil. The trial was established in a random block design, with six replications, five plants per plot and 18 open-pollinated progenies. Measured were: diameter at breast height (DBH), height and stem form. The genetic parameters heritability, genetic variation and effective population size were estimated. Significant genetic differences were observed only for DBH. This trait also presented a high coefficient of genetic variation (CV g=4.8%) and heritability, especially among progeny means (h m 2=0.6607). This indicates that DBH is the most indicated trait for selection in the population. The effective population size conserved ex situ in the test was estimated to be 38.9. Concerning genetic conservation, although the effective population size in the test is small, the values of the genetic variation and of the heritability indicate that the ex situ population has sufficient genetic variation and potential to respond to changes promoted by natural and artificial selection.

Caracterização morfométrica de sementes e plântulas e germinação de anadenanthera macrocarpa (benth.) brenan

Anadenanthera macrocarpa (Benth.) Brenan is a tree species belonging to the family Leguminosae-Mimosoideae which is popularly known as mimosa-black. It features characteristics of early successional, natural occurrence in Brazil and can form clusters almost homogeneous, with great potential in the recovery of degraded areas. This study was conducted at the Center for Agricultural Sciences, University Federal of Alagoas state, aiming at the physical and morphological characterization of seeds, describing the various stages of post-seminal development, and to evaluate various conditions of temperature and substrate to perform the test germination. The seeds were manually extracted, then homogenized, where two samples of 50 seeds were used to determine the initial moisture. Another sample, consisting of eight repetitions of 100 seeds was used to measure the biometry and the number of seeds per fruit. The morphological characterization and the seeds were immersed in distilled water to allow the cuts to the observed structure in microscopes. In the post-seminal study, it was observed the daily processes of seedling growth in rolled paper filter and constant temperature of 30 °C. To assess the germination behavior, the constant temperatures of 15 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C and 20-30 °C as well as the paper and the sand substrates were tested and it was evaluated the percentage, the rate of germination, the relative frequency distribution, and the tests conducted in a randomized design in factorial 5 x 2 (x substrate temperature) with four replicates of 25 seeds, and the averages compared by Duncan 5 % probability. The fruits of black angico show great variation in the seed number per fruit. The embryonic axis occupies part of the central region of the seed with axial and linear positions. The germination is epigeal and the seedlings are fanerocotylar. The temperature determines the 30 °C and the filter paper substrate provided higher average percentage and germination rate.

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.

Micorrização e crescimento de progênies de hymenaea stignocarpa mart. ex. Hayne em subsolo de área degradada degraded area

In tropical ecosystems, little is known about the relationship between arbuscular mycorhizal fungi (AMF) and the host genetic variability, especially among tree species. This study aimed to examine the response of 19 progenies of jatobá-do-cerrado (Hymenaea stignocarpa Mart. Ex. Hayne) inoculated with AMF, the root colonization and seedlings early growth were evaluated, growing in cultivated in subsoil from the loading area, under greenhouse conditions. The seedlings, germinated in the laboratory, were transferred to plastic bags containing subsoil and sand mixture (4:1). For the inoculation, each replicate received 100 g of soil (with about 48 spores of AMF) from a preserved Cerrado area, to reintroduce microorganisms. After 120 days, the mycorrhiza colonization (COL), the number of spores of AMF, the plant height (PH), the weight of shoot dry matter (SDM) and the root fresh matter (RFM) were assessed. The highest values of COL, SDM and RFM were observed in the progenies JC7, JC18, JC29, JC27 and JC14; the JC7 andJC18 also increased number of spores. There were significant and positive correlations between COL and the others variables (AP, NE, RFM and SDM, and between RFM and other variables (NE, AP and SDM). The conclusion is that, there is variability among the genotypes of Hymenaea stignocarpa growth (AP MFSR and DMAP) and mycorrhization (COL and NE), with emphasis on two progenies (JC7 and JC18), that showed the highest values, which can be resulted of a greater affinity to strains of AMF- soil inoculum.

A computer vision approach to quantify leaf anatomical plasticity: A case study on gochnatia polymorpha (less.) cabrera

Inferences about leaf anatomical characteristics had largely been made by manually measuring diverse leaf regions, such as cuticle, epidermis and parenchyma to evaluate differences caused by environmental variables. Here we tested an approach for data acquisition and analysis in ecological quantitative leaf anatomy studies based on computer vision and pattern recognition methods. A case study was conducted on Gochnatia polymorpha (Less.) Cabrera (Asteraceae), a Neotropical savanna tree species that has high phenotypic plasticity. We obtained digital images of cross-sections of its leaves developed under different light conditions (sun vs. shade), different seasons (dry vs. wet) and in different soil types (oxysoil vs. hydromorphic soil), and analyzed several visual attributes, such as color, texture and tissues thickness in a perpendicular plane from microscopic images. The experimental results demonstrated that computational analysis is capable of distinguishing anatomical alterations in microscope images obtained from individuals growing in different environmental conditions. The methods presented here offer an alternative way to determine leaf anatomical differences. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Occurrence and natural history of Myrmelachista Roger (Formicidae: Formicinae) in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)