VOLUMETRIC PRODUCTION OF EUCALYPTUS SPP. CLONES UNDER DIFFERENT SPACING IN A SEVERE DROUGHT PERIOD IN THE SEMI-ARID REGION OF PERNAMBUCO, BRAZIL

The adaptation of Eucalyptus clones in the Chapada of Araripe, PE, Brazil was observed after implementing experiments with fast-growing forests. This region has a high demand for alternative energy sources due to the Gypsum Pole, basically maintaining its energy matrix from the exploitation of Caatinga vegetation. Therefore, as a way to increase the gains in volumetric productivity in planting Eucalyptus spp. clones, it is important to understand which spacing levels provide the best competition between individuals. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate if the volumetric productivity of Eucalyptus spp. clones is affected by different spacing levels in stands implanted under severe weather conditions in Chapada of Araripe, PE, Brazil. The experiment was carried out at the Experimental Station of the Pernambuco Agronomic Institute (IPA) in the municipality of Araripina, PE, Brazil. Three Eucalyptus clones (C11, C39 and C41) with five spacing levels (2 m x 1 m, 2 m x 2 m, 3 m x 2 m, 3 m x 3 m and 4 m x 2 m) were arranged in a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement (3 x 5). The survival rate of the experiment was higher than 94%, even under conditions of water stress. The highest volume productivity was obtained with the C39 clone in the 2 m x 1 m spatial arrangement. The spatial arrangement strongly influences productivity. Even with the severe drought condition regulating productivity, the C39 clone showed MAI values of 15.92 m3 ha-1 year-1.

Simulating Rainfall Interception by Caatinga Vegetation Using the Gash Model Parametrized on Daily and Seasonal Bases

Rainfall partitioning by trees is an important hydrological process in the contexts of water resource management and climate change. It becomes even more complex where vegetation is sparse and in vulnerable natural systems, such as the Caatinga domain. Rainfall interception modelling allows extrapolating experimental results both in time and space, helping to better understand this hydrological process and contributing as a prediction tool for forest managers. In this work, the Gash model was applied in two ways of parameterization. One was the parameterization on a daily basis and another on a seasonal basis. They were validated, improving the description of rainfall partitioning by tree species of Caatinga dry tropical forest already reported in the scientific literature and allowing a detailed evaluation of the influence of rainfall depth and event intensity on rainfall partitioning associated with these species. Very small (0.0–5.0 mm) and low-intensity (0–2.5 mm h−1) events were significantly more frequent during the dry season. Both model approaches resulted in good predictions, with absence of constant and systematic errors during simulations. The sparse Gash model parametrized on a daily basis performed slightly better, reaching maximum cumulative mean error of 9.8%, while, for the seasonal parametrization, this value was 11.5%. Seasonal model predictions were also the most sensitive to canopy and climatic parameters.

Erebonyx catacumbae, n. gen. et sp.: a blind, troglobitic cricket from Brazil (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Phalangopsidae)

Erebonyx catacumbae, new genus and species of a troglobitic phalangopsid cricket are described from Brazil. Few specimens were collected from a limestone cave located in the municipality of Campo Formoso, northern State of Bahia, in a semi-arid zone characterized by the Caatinga vegetation. A brief discussion on troglomorphisms is provided, as well as some ecological remarks and potential threats for this species.

Comparative analyses of sooty mould communities from Brazil and Central Europe

To gain an insight into fungal sooty mould communities on leaves of trees and shrubs in the tropics and in temperate regions, 47 biofilms of the Mata Atlântica rainforest relic and the Caatinga vegetation in the state of Sergipe, Northeast Brazil, and from Central European colline and alpine zones were compared. The four sampling sites clearly differed in composition of their epiphyllous fungal communities. The fungal OTUs from all sites belonged mainly to the Ascomycota, with Dothideomycetes being the dominant class. The core community group consisted of a few site-specific representatives in co-occurrence with the ubiquitous Mycosphaerella tassiana and Aureobasidium pullulans. Most species of the core community were dark pigmented and were accompanied by facultative unpigmented or lightly pigmented species. Among the cultivable fungal species, the proportion of melanised species was significantly more abundant in samples from the two European sites, which supports the theory of thermal melanism. The identity of the host plant had a stronger impact on fungal community composition than the presence of sap-feeding insects.

Techniques for collecting and breeding diptera muscomorpha in the laboratory

The Caatinga is the only biome restricted to the Brazilian territory, occupying basically the Region Northeast, with some areas in the state of Minas Gerais. Caatinga vegetation does not have green exuberance rainforests and the dry aspect of the physiognomies dominated by cacti and shrubs suggests low diversification of fauna and flora. To unravel your wealth you need a look more attentive, more open. So she reveals her great biodiversity, its biological relevance and its peculiar beauty. This study aimed to make a bibliographic summary of parasitoids of Caatinga, as well as their characteristics, main groups and species and studies performed.

Effects of topographic factors on distribution of cacti along an elevation gradient in Brazilian Caatinga

The Cactacea family comprises 128 genera and 1450 species with predominantly neotropical distribution. Cacti are commonly found in arid and semi-arid regions and have great ecological relevance due to their interactions with animals and other groups of plants. Abiotic interactions, such as topography, altitude, rainfall, temperature and soils, also influence the composition and distribution of cacti. The objective of the present study was to assess patterns of species composition and distribution for cacti along an elevation gradient in Brazilian Caatinga vegetation. Four transects (composed by 25 plots of 100 m² each) were established at each of two mountain sites. The topographic variables of elevation, slope, rockiness and soil depth were evaluated to determine if they affect the distribution of richness and abundance of cacti along the elevation gradient using Spearman's (rs) correlation coefficient. A total of 554 individuals of five cacti species (Pilosocereus gounellei, Pilosocereus pachycladus, Tacinga palmadora, Tacinga inamoena and Melocactus zehntneri) were sampled. Cacti richness and abundance were found to be negatively correlated with elevation, slope and rockiness, and positively correlated with soil depth (p<0.05). All species exhibited aggregate spatial distribution patterns, which may be related to different environmental conditions produced by interactions among topographic variables (slopes, rockiness and soil depth), that synergistically influence the patterns of species richness and abundance along the elevation gradient.

Parasitoids collected in the Caatinga biome in Brazil

The Caatinga is the only biome restricted to the Brazilian territory, occupying basically the Region Northeast, with some areas in the state of Minas Gerais. Caatinga vegetation does not have green exuberance rainforests and the dry aspect of the physiognomies dominated by cacti and shrubs suggests low diversification of fauna and flora. To unravel your wealth you need a look more attentive, more open. So she reveals her great biodiversity, its biological relevance and its peculiar beauty. This study aimed to make a bibliographic summary of parasitoids of Caatinga, as well as their characteristics, main groups and species and studies performed.

CO2flux e temperatura da superfície edáfica em áreas de caatinga

The changes that occur in the Caatinga vegetation cover alter the incidence of solar radiation at the surface-atmosphere interface. To monitor CO2 flows, through geotechnologies, they appear as an alternative or remote sensing. Thus, the objective of this work was to determine the carbon sequestration and the surface temperature in caatinga areas in the face of seasonal variations using data from the Landsat 8 satellite OLI and TIRS sensors. The study was carried out with a scene referring to the dry season and another referring to the rainy season, in two areas, one with preserved Caatinga vegetation and the other with agricultural intervention, both in the municipality of São José de Piranhas, Paraíba. The pre-processing of the images took place from the transformation of digital numbers for spectral radiance and then for reflectance, since the processing occurred from the application of the vegetation and temperature indices, resulting in CO2flux and surface temperature. The Caatinga was greatly influenced by rainfall, directly affecting the phenology of this vegetation. The variation in temperature and CO2flux were influenced by seasonality, in the dry season there was less sequestration and higher temperatures, while in the rainy season there was greater sequestration and lower temperatures. The multiple comparison test showed that all the variables studied showed statistical differences. Temperature and CO2flux are influenced by seasonality. Multispectral remote sensing is a tool that can assist in the study of temperature dynamics and carbon sequestration in the Caatinga biome.

The genus Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the Mata da Pimenteira State Park, semiarid region of Brazil

The Mata da Pimenteira State Park (MPSP) is an important remnant of caatinga vegetation in the semiarid region of Pernambuco state, Brazil. The park holds great biodiversity, but relatively few taxonomic studies have been undertaken in the area. We present a taxonomic study of Ipomoea in the MPSP based on field observations and collections deposited in the Herbarium of the Semiarid of Brazil - UAST / UFRPE (HESBRA). The species were identified based on the specialized literature, comparisons with type images available online, and protologues. Fourteen species of Ipomoea were identified - more than three times the previously known number. Two Ipomoea species recorded in the MPSP are endemic to Brazil (I. bahiensis and I. brasiliana), three others are exclusive to the Caatinga domain (I. marcellia, I. rosea, and I. tenera), and the remaining are widely distributed in South America. The habit, type and shape of leaf blade and sepals, corolla size and shapes, and presence or absence of subapical rostrum on the external sepals were the most relevant distinctive characteristics. An identification key, descriptions, comments on distribution and diagnostic characteristics, and phenological data of the species are presented.

FIRST RECORD OF Numia terebintharia GUENÉE (LEPIDOPTERA: GEOMETRIDAE) IN Ziziphus joazeiro MART. (RHAMNACEAE) IN BRAZIL

ABSTRACT Geometridae is one of the most diverse Lepidoptera families; however, little information about Geometridae species is found, even regarding their distribution and basic biology, which are in general restricted to type locality. Lists of species and their host plants are not found for the Semiarid region of the Northeast of Brazil. The present note reports the occurrence of caterpillars of the species Numia terebintharia Guenée consuming leaves of evergreen trees of Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. in a site with xerophilous deciduous Caatinga vegetation in that region. Some trees had approximately 90% of their leaves with injuries. This is the first record of N. terebintharia caterpillars occurring in Brazil and the first record of Z. joazeiro as their host plant.