scholarly journals Observations on flower visitors to Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K. and Couratari tenuicarpa A.C. Sm. (Lecythidaceae)

1985 ◽  
Vol 15 (suppl 1-2) ◽  
pp. 225-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Β. W. Nelson ◽  
Μ. L. Absy ◽  
Ε. Μ. Barbosa ◽  
G. Τ. Prance

Bees visiting flowers of Bertholletia excelsa. (Brazil Nut tree) and Couratari tenuicarpa were collected, their behavior described and the pollen found clinging to their dorsal thorax and stored on their legs was identified. Female bees of Xylocopa frontalis(Olivier) and males of Eulaema mocsaryi (Friese) are apparently effective pollinators of Couratari in igapó near Manaus. Female bees of Euplusia seabrai Moure in litt., Epicharis umbraculata (Fabricius), Epicharis rustica (Olivier) and Eulaema nigrita(Lepeletier), as well as male bees of Eulaema cingulata(Fabricius) and Eulaema nigrita are apparently effective pollinators of adult Brazil Nut trees in the Aleixo plantation near Manaus. Only large bees capable of uncurling the floral androecium can effectively pollinate Couratari or Bertholletia.Pollen analysis indicated that all bees captured carried pollen of the host tree in question and had been foraging on flowers of plant species common in secondary growth. Secondary growth near the Aleixo plantation supports a bee guild which appeared to effectively pollinate almost every flower on the Brazil Nut tree studied. Proximity to primary forest (and to those Euglossine bee species which occur only in primary forest) therefore does not appear to be necessary for pollination of Brazil Nut trees.In the Aleixo plantation chronic low fruit set is probably due to some factor other than pollination. Since natural occurrences of Brazil Nut trees to the north and south of Manaus are associated with a higher soil fertility, low production at the Aleixo plantation may be due to deficiencies of the soil.

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
PIETER A. ZUIDEMA ◽  
RENÉ G. A. BOOT

A demographic study was carried out on Bertholletia excelsa, the Brazil nut tree, in two primary forest sites in Northern Bolivia where Brazil nuts have been harvested for several decades. In spite of the large proportion (93%) of seeds that are harvested, reasonable densities of recently emerged seedlings were found. Seeds of Bertholletia are contained in woody fruits that are primarily opened by agoutis. Most fruits are left untouched on the forest floor for 1–2 y before they are opened, possibly due to high energetic costs of fruit opening just after fruit fall. However, the proportion of viable seeds is strongly reduced in older fruits.Growth in diameter at breast height (dbh) was low for pole-sized trees (< 15 cm dbh) and adult trees (> 100 cm dbh) and peaked for intermediate-sized trees (30–60 cm). These trees often attained a growth rate of > 1.5 cm y−1, which is high compared with other non-pioneer tropical trees. This, and the strong growth response to increased light availability found for seedlings and saplings, suggest that Bertholletia excelsa can be classified as a gap-dependent species. Matrix population models were constructed for both study populations. Population growth rates (λ) were close to one, and were most sensitive to persistence in one size category. Age estimates revealed that age at first reproduction (at dbh > 60 cm) amounts to over 120 y, and age in the last category (dbh > 160 cm) to almost 300 y. Given the continuous rejuvenation of the population, the stable population size, the high age at maturity and the long reproductive period, it is concluded that current levels of Brazil nut extraction may be sustained at least for several decades and perhaps for even longer periods.


2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-426
Author(s):  
Pham Van Ninh ◽  
Phan Ngoc Vinh ◽  
Nguyen Manh Hung ◽  
Dinh Van Manh

Overall the evolution process of the Red River Delta based on the maps and historical data resulted in a fact that before the 20th century all the Nam Dinh coastline was attributed to accumulation. Then started the erosion process at Xuan Thuydistrict and from the period of 1935 - 1965 the most severe erosion was contributed in the stretch from Ha Lan to Hai Trieu, 1965 - 1990 in Hai Chinh - Hai Hoa, 1990 - 2005 in the middle part of Hai Chinh - Hai Thinh (Hai Hau district). The adjoining stretches were suffered from not severe erosion. At the same time, the Ba Lat mouth is advanced to the sea and to the North and South direction by the time with a very high rate.The first task of the mathematical modeling of coastal line evolution of Hai Hau is to evaluate this important historical marked periods e. g. to model the coastal line at the periods before 1900, 1935 - 1965; 1965 - 1990; 1990 - 2005. The tasks is very complicated and time and working labors consuming.In the paper, the primarily results of the above mentioned simulations (as waves, currents, sediments transports and bottom - coastal lines evolution) has been shown. Based on the obtained results, there is a strong correlation between the protrusion magnitude and the southward moving of the erosion areas.


2018 ◽  
Vol 154 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-196
Author(s):  
Michael Darby

Some 2,000 Ptiliidae collected in the North and South Islands of New Zealand in 1983/1984 by Peter Hammond of the Natural History Museum, London, are determined to 34 species, four of which are new to the country. As there are very few previous records, most from the Auckland district of North Island, the Hammond collection provides much new distributional data. The three new species: Nellosana insperatus sp. n., Notoptenidium flavum sp. n., and Notoptenidium johnsoni sp. n., are described and figured; the genus Ptiliodes is moved from Acrotrichinae to Ptiliinae, and Ptenidium formicetorum Kraatz recorded as a new introduction. Information is provided to aid separation of the new species from those previously recorded.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamed D. Ibrahim

North and South Atlantic lateral volume exchange is a key component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) embedded in Earth’s climate. Northward AMOC heat transport within this exchange mitigates the large heat loss to the atmosphere in the northern North Atlantic. Because of inadequate climate data, observational basin-scale studies of net interbasin exchange between the North and South Atlantic have been limited. Here ten independent climate datasets, five satellite-derived and five analyses, are synthesized to show that North and South Atlantic climatological net lateral volume exchange is partitioned into two seasonal regimes. From late-May to late-November, net lateral volume flux is from the North to the South Atlantic; whereas from late-November to late-May, net lateral volume flux is from the South to the North Atlantic. This climatological characterization offers a framework for assessing seasonal variations in these basins and provides a constraint for climate models that simulate AMOC dynamics.


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