Position on slope, host tree characteristics, and liana distribution in a seasonal semideciduous forest

• Grant number: 07/05598-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2008
• End date: February 28, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Roberto Martini
• Grantee: Fernando Roberto Martini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Lianas have a key role in the maintenance of species diversity and processes in the ecosystem, especially in tropical regions, but the role of abiotic and biotic variables in structuring liana communities is not yet known. This project aims to investigate the relative importance of dispersion limitation (floristic similarity decay in function of geographic distance), environmental limitation (position on slope, crown illumination index, availability of soil nutrients, and humidity), and internal dynamics (morphologic characters of host tree, type of eco-unit of the sylvatic mosaic) for the structure of a liana community. We will sample two sites with the point-centered quarter method in the Mata Ribeirão Cachoeira, a fragment of semideciduous seasonal forest in the municipality of Campinas, São Paulo state. In each site we will use 80 points; and in each point we will classify the forest eco-unit as: degradation (occupied by trees of the past), reorganization (gap), construction (occupied by trees of the future), or biostasis (occupied by trees of the present). We will record the position of each point on the slope with a level hose, taking the water level of the Cachoeira stream as reference. We will assess the crown illumination index for each host tree. For the soil chemical and textural analyses we will collect 50 samples of about 500 mL of superficial soil (0-20cm) at regularly spaced points in each site. In each quarter we will sample trees with DAP equal to or greater than 5 cm and DAP equal to or greater than 10 cm, measure the DAP with metric tape, and measure total height and height of the lowest permanent branch with a graduated pole. We will sample all lianas with DAP equal to or greater than 1 cm that are scaling the host trees. We will apply statistical analysis, especially multivariate analysis, to investigate the main factors that determine liana distribution. (AU)