MYRACRODRUON URUNDEUVA FR ALL. (AROEIRA TREE) POPULATION DYNAMICS, DIAMETER GROWTH RATE AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT IN SUCCESSIONAL TROPICAL DRY FORESTS OF BRAZIL

ABSTRACT Myracrodruon urundeuva, better known in Brazil as “Aroeira”, is an arboreal species highly used for its commercial and pharmacological value. Despite the high commercial value in the timber market, this species lacks studies analyzing the recovery time and growth in different stages of succession in the Brazilian tropical dry forests. The main objective of this study was to determine growth rates of this species in three successional stages of a tropical dry forest in Mata Seca State Park, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. We measured all individuals (≥5cm of DBH) annually in 18 permanent plots in early, intermediate, and late successional stages over a period of 8 years (2006-2014). We calculated the annual diameter increments for each individual of this species, for each successional stage and by diameter class. We obtained the following mean annual increments by successional stage: early (10.53 mm/yr), intermediate (2.09 mm/yr), and late (2.90 mm/yr). Increment growth rates were similar between the intermediate and late successional stages. The highest incremental increase in diameter was obtained in the diameter classes 5-15 cm and 15-25 cm in the early stage, and for the intermediate stage, maximum increments were found in the 5-15 cm diameter class and 35-45 cm class for the late stage. Results from this study support the conclusion that this tree is not only a pioneering species but that it also tolerates the conditions of advanced successional stages. Given the fast and high diametric increments observed in the early stage of succession and the smaller diametric classes, this species demonstrates great potential for silvicultural management.

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Tree diameter growth for three successional stages of Tropical Dry Forest in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Revista Forestal Mesoamericana Kurú ◽

10.18845/rfmk.v14i35.3150 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (35) ◽

pp. 24 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sofía Calvo-Rodriguez ◽

Mario M. Do Espírito-Santo ◽

Yule R.F. Nunes ◽

Julio Calvo-Alvarado

Keyword(s):

Late Stage ◽

Early Stage ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Intermediate Stage ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Permanent Plots ◽

Diameter Growth ◽

Diameter Class ◽

Successional Stages

he tropical dry forests of Brazil are classified as the most threatened and disturbed ecosystems in the country. We estimate the diameter growth in three successional stages in the Mata Seca State Park, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, through annual measurement of all individuals with more than 5 cm of diameter at breast height in 18 permanent plots (6 plots for each succession stage) in the early, intermediate, and late successional stages, over a period of 5 years (2006-2011). With this information the annual diameter increments for each individual were calculated to determine the diameter increments per stage, plot, and diameter class. The results show the following annual increments for each stage of succession: early (5.02 mm/year), intermediate (2.55 mm/year), and late (1.91 mm/year). We found high similarity in incremental growth between the plots in the intermediate and late stages. The greatest increments in the early stage was in the 15-20 cm diameter class, in the intermediate stage in the 30-35 cm class, and in the late stage in the 45-50 cm class. The dominant species with the highest increments were Myracrodruon urundeuva (9.33 mm/year) and Mimosa hostilis (10.35 mm/year). Species with lower increments were mostly those of the late stage. The high diameter increment in the early stage and the differences we observed between stages were associated with species composition and biophysical factors that regulate the growth and structure of each forest.

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GERMINATION OF STORED SEEDS OF FOUR TREE SPECIES FROM THE TROPICAL DRY FOREST OF MORELOS, MEXICO

Botanical Sciences ◽

10.17129/botsci.96 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (2) ◽

pp. 281 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Martha Cervantes ◽

Eliane Ceccon ◽

Consuelo Bonfil

Keyword(s):

Seed Germination ◽

Seed Size ◽

Storage Time ◽

Germination Rate ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Tropical Dry Forests ◽

Germination Capacity ◽

Dry Forests ◽

And Storage

Studies on propagation of trees of Tropical Dry Forests are scarce in Mexico, besides, the provenance of seeds used in reforestation programs is generally unknown or poorly addressed. Knowledge on seed germination patterns of different provenances, and how they change through time, is useful to identify adequate sources of seeds and to develop seed collection and storage programs under the low-tech conditions prevailing in most rural nurseries. We evaluated seed size variation and germination of stored seeds from three different provenances per species in Acacia bilimekii, Haematoxylum brasiletto, Lysiloma acapulcense, and L. divaricatum. Seeds were collected in four sites in the Tropical Dry Forest of Morelos, Mexico, and were stored at room temperature; seed size was estimated through the volume of 75 seeds per provenance/species. Seed germination tests were made periodically from six to 24 months after storage and the effects of provenance and storage time on germination were analyzed using Anovas. There were significant differences in seed size among provenances in all species, while the effect of provenance on germination rate was significant in three of them. Germination rate changed with storage time among species and provenances. After 24 months, germination capacity was still ≥ 50% in all provenances of the two Lysiloma species, but in A. bilimekii there were large differences among provenances. Mean germination capacity was low in H. brasiletto after six months. More research on seed germination and storage of a larger set of species and provenances is needed to restore the Mexican tropical dry forests.

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Seasonal and successional dynamics of size-dependent plant demographic rates in a tropical dry forest

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9636 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9636

Author(s):

Irving Saenz-Pedroza ◽

Richard Feldman ◽

Casandra Reyes-García ◽

Jorge A. Meave ◽

Luz Maria Calvo-Irabien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

Dry Season ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Species Density ◽

Wet Season ◽

Successional Stage ◽

Size Dependent ◽

Demographic Rates ◽

Successional Stages

Tropical forests are globally important for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation but are being converted to other land uses. Conversion of seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) is particularly high while their protection is low. Secondary succession allows forests to recover their structure, diversity and composition after conversion and subsequent abandonment and is influenced by demographic rates of the constituent species. However, how these rates vary between seasons for different plant sizes at different successional stages in SDTF is not known. The effect of seasonal drought may be more severe early in succession, when temperature and radiation are high, while competition and density-dependent processes may be more important at later stages, when vegetation is tall and dense. Besides, the effects of seasonality and successional stage may vary with plant size. Large plants can better compete with small plants for limiting resources and may also have a greater capacity to withstand stress. We asked how size-dependent density, species density, recruitment and mortality varied between seasons and successional stages in a SDTF. We monitored a chronosequence in Yucatan, Mexico, over six years in three 0.1 ha plots in each of three successional stages: early (3–5 years-old), intermediate (18–20 years-old) and advanced (>50 years-old). Recruitment, mortality and species gain and loss rates were calculated from wet and dry season censuses separately for large (diameter > 5 cm) and small (1–5 cm in diameter) plants. We used linear mixed-effects models to assess the effects of successional stage, seasonality and their changes through time on demographic rates and on plant and species density. Seasonality affected demographic rates and density of large plants, which exhibited high wet-season recruitment and species gain rates at the early stage and high wet-season mortality at the intermediate stage, resulting in an increase in plant and species density early in succession followed by a subsequent stabilization. Small plant density decreased steadily after only 5 years of land abandonment, whereas species density increased with successional stage. A decline in species dominance may be responsible for these contrasting patterns. Seasonality, successional stage and their changes through time had a stronger influence on large plants, likely because of large among-plot variation of small plants. Notwithstanding the short duration of our study, our results suggest that climate-change driven decreases in rainy season precipitation may have an influence on successional dynamics in our study forest as strong as, or even stronger than, prolonged or severe droughts during the dry season.

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Reptile diversity and community composition in the Puyango dry forest

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2625v1 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Acosta Vásconez Ana ◽

Cisneros-Heredia Diego ◽

Keyword(s):

Natural History ◽

Deciduous Forest ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Tropical Dry Forests ◽

Pitfall Traps ◽

Phylogenetic Groups ◽

Dry Forests ◽

History Of ◽

Dry Deciduous Forest

Reptiles are key animals in vertebrate communities in most ecosystems. However, there is little information on their diversity and abundance in dry forests of Ecuador. Between 2013 and 2014 we studied the reptile diversity and natural history of the Puyango Protected Forest, on the border between the province of Loja and El Oro, Ecuador. This area protects relicts of dry deciduous forest in hills and patches of semi-deciduous forest around ravines. We used belt transects in three different streams and irregular band transects in trails, together with pitfall traps, funnel traps, and litter quadrants. The richness of the Puyango Protected Forest represents a small percentage of the Ecuadorian reptile diversity, but covers much of the representative phylogenetic groups of tropical dry forests of the world. Sampling was effective to determine saurian diversity, but more sampling is needed to estimate snake diversity. Evidence of the presence of 21 species, divided into 10 families, was obtained; of which 14 are snakes (including a potential new species of the genus Epictia) and seven are lizards. Natural history is described for each species, including time and space use, and their conservation status is analyzed. The reptile community is characterized by a relative homogeneity over the vegetation remnants and the highest abundances correspond to saurian species.

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Development of Nutrient Uptake by Understory Plant Arrhenatherum elatius and Microbial Biomass during Primary Succession of Forest Soils in Post-Mining Land

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11020247 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 247 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Satoshi Kaneda ◽

Šárka Angst ◽

Jan Frouz

Keyword(s):

Microbial Biomass ◽

Primary Succession ◽

Plant Biomass ◽

Early Stage ◽

Soil Microbial Communities ◽

Successional Stage ◽

Organic C ◽

Successional Stages ◽

Arrhenatherum Elatius ◽

Understory Plant

The development of plant and soil microbial communities is one of the basic preconditions for the restoration of functional ecosystems. However, nutrients are concurrently used by plants and microbes, and the dynamics of this interaction during ecosystem development have seldom been studied. The aim of our study, thus, was to describe the dynamics of nutrient availability in soil and, at the same time, the nutrient accumulation in plant and microbial biomass along an unassisted primary succession heading toward broadleaf forest. The growth of the understory plant Arrhenatherum elatius on soils originating from three (16, 22, and 45 years’ old) successional stages of a post-mining area and the development of the microbial community in the presence or absence of this plant were studied in a pot experiment. Both, the plant biomass and carbon (C) in microbial biomass in intermediate and late middle successional stages were higher than those in the early stage. In soil, extractable organic C, extractable organic nitrogen (N), and inorganic N increased with proceeding succession, but Olsen phosphorus (P) peaked in the intermediate successional stage. The amounts of N and P in plant and microbial biomass increased during succession. In the late middle successional stage, the amount of P in microbial biomass exceeded that of plant bound P approximately twice, and this increase was higher in pots with plants than without. The results imply that the competition between plants and microbes for available P may increase microbial P uptake and, thus, hinder plant growth in later successional stages.

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Spatial Estimation of the Latent Heat Flux in a Tropical Dry Forest by Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11060604 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 604 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Philip Marzahn ◽

Linda Flade ◽

Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa

Keyword(s):

Heat Flux ◽

Latent Heat ◽

Latent Heat Flux ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Tropical Dry Forests ◽

Dry Forests ◽

Flux Tower ◽

Spatially Distributed ◽

Triangle Method

In this paper, we address the retrieval of spatially distributed latent heat flux ( λ E) over a tropical dry forest using multi-spectral and thermal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. The study was carried out in the Santa Rosa National Park Environmental Monitoring Super-Site, Costa Rica, in June 2016. The triangle method was used to derive λ E from the UAV imagery and the results were compared to λ E measurements of an eddy covariance system within the coincident eddy flux tower footprint. The tower footprint was derived using a two-dimensional parameterization model for flux footprint prediction. The comparisons with the flux tower measurements showed a mean relative difference of 10.98% with a slight overestimation of the UAV-based flux retrievals by nearly 7.7 Wm − 2 . The results are in good agreement with satellite-based retrievals, as provided by the literature, for which the triangle method was initially developed and mostly used so far. This study proved to be a promising approach for transferring the triangle method to UAV imagery in ecosystems such as tropical dry forests. With the presented approach, new details in spatially distributed latent heat flux estimates at ultra-high resolution are now possible, thereby potentially closing the gap in spatial resolution between satellites and flux towers. Even more, it allows tracing the latent heat flux from single trees at leaf level. Besides, this approach also opens new perspectives for the monitoring of latent heat fluxes in tropical dry forests.

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Lepidoptera are Relevant Bioindicators of Passive Regeneration in Tropical Dry Forests

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d12060231 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 231 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Luc Legal ◽

Marine Valet ◽

Oscar Dorado ◽

Jose Maria de Jesus-Almonte ◽

Karime López ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Tropical Dry Forests ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Dry Forests ◽

Study Zone ◽

Butterfly Communities ◽

Passive Regeneration ◽

Different Levels

Most evaluations of passive regeneration/natural succession or restoration have dealt with tropical rain forest or temperate ecosystems. Very few studies have examined the regeneration of tropical dry forests (TDF), one of the most damaged ecosystem types in the world. Owing to their species diversity and abundance, insects have been widely used as bioindicators of restoration. Butterflies were among the most abundant and useful groups. We sampled four sites with different levels of anthropogenic disturbance in a Mexican TDF (Morelos State) and compared butterfly communities. A first goal was to examine whether adult butterflies were significant bioindicators owing to their specificity to restricted habitats. A second aim was to determine if differences exist in butterfly communities between some fields abandoned from 4–8, 8–15 and 15–30 years and a reference zone considered as primary forest. We found 40% to 50% of the species of butterflies were specifically related to a habitat and/or a level of anthropogenic disturbance. The time it takes for passive regeneration and recovery of the Mexican tropical dry forest is much higher than 25 years (our older zone), considering that almost none of the butterflies found in our conserved reference zone were present in our 25 year aged study zone.

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Tree community change in a tropical dry forest: the role of roads and exotic plant invasion

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892909990257 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 201-207 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

AYESHA E. PRASAD

Keyword(s):

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Community Change ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Tropical Dry Forests ◽

Exotic Plant ◽

Dry Forests ◽

Exotic Plant Invasion ◽

Tree Community ◽

Tree Communities ◽

Road Width

SUMMARYAmong the most endangered tropical ecosystems, tropical dry forests are threatened by degradation that includes edge effects arising from perturbations such as the creation and maintenance of roads and other clearings. While much is known about these adverse effects on tree communities in tropical moist forests, similar effects in tropical dry forests are little understood. This paper examines the relationship between roads, road-related exotic plant invasion and tree community change in a tropical dry forest in southern India. Forty pairs of roadside and interior plots across four factorial combinations of road width (wide and narrow) and understorey type (native and exotic) were sampled. Tree death and extant tree community composition were compared using generalized linear models and similarity analyses. Tree death near roads was more than double that away from them, suggesting that roads may increase tree death in these forests. The interactive effect of understorey type (exotic or native) and road width on tree death was significant, with highest tree death near wide roads bordered by exotic understorey. Conversely, tree community composition was influenced by road width and understorey type, but not by proximity to roads. Creation and maintenance of roads for forest management may have serious implications for tree communities in tropical dry forests and should thus be minimized. Exotic plants may also be important contributors to increasing tree death, and further research on their impacts, particularly into underlying mechanisms, is critical to the long-term conservation of tropical dry forest communities.

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Effects of Topography on the Radiometry of CHRIS/PROBA Images of Successional Stages Within Tropical Dry Forests

IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing ◽

10.1109/jstars.2013.2259471 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 1584-1595 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Virginia Elena Garcia Millan ◽

G. A. Sanchez Azofeifa ◽

Gonzalo C. Malvarez ◽

Gerard More ◽

Xavier Pons ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Dry Forests ◽

Dry Forests ◽

Successional Stages

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Global AM fungi are dominating mycorrhizal communities in a tropical premontane dry forest in Laipuna, South Ecuador

Mycological Progress ◽

10.1007/s11557-021-01699-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (6) ◽

pp. 837-845

Author(s):

Ingeborg Haug ◽

Sabrina Setaro ◽

Juan Pablo Suárez

Keyword(s):

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Ribosomal Subunit ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Dry Season ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Tropical Dry Forests ◽

Dry Forests ◽

Wide Range ◽

Amf Communities ◽

Globally Distributed

AbstractTropical dry forests are an intricate ecosystem with special adaptations to periods of drought. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are essential for plant survival in all terrestrial ecosystems but might be of even greater importance in dry forests as plant growth is limited due to nutrient and water deficiency during the dry season. Tropical dry forests in Ecuador are highly endangered, but studies about AMF communities are scarce. We investigated the AMF community of a premontane semi-deciduous dry forest in South Ecuador during the dry season. We estimated AMF diversity, distribution, and composition of the study site based on operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and compared the results to those from the tropical montane rainforest and páramo in South Ecuador. OTU delimitation was based on part of the small ribosomal subunit obtained by cloning and Sanger sequencing. Nearly all OTUs were Glomeraceae. The four frequent OTUs were Glomus, and comparison with the MaarjAM database revealed these to be globally distributed with a wide range of ecological adaptations. Several OTUs are shared with virtual taxa from dry forests in Africa. Ordination analysis of AMF communities from the tropical dry and montane rainforests in South Ecuador revealed a unique AMF community in the dry forest with only few overlapping OTUs. Most OTUs that were found in both dry and rainforests and on the two continents were globally distributed Glomus.

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