Soil water and nutrient availability determining vegetation physiognomies on deciduous seasonal forest

• Grant number: 14/00635-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: May 01, 2014 - April 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Marques Coelho
• Grantee: Ricardo Marques Coelho
• Host Institution: Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Gustavo de Mattos Vasques ; Isabella Clerici de Maria ; Ricardo de Oliveira Dart ; Yule Roberta Ferreira Nunes

Abstract

Tropical Dry Forest (TDF), a vegetation physiognomy found naturally on Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and Caatinga biomes, has phenology influenced by water stress and nutrient availability, both soil dependent factors. Carrasco is a closed, tall-shrubby, xerophilous vegetation that occurs associated to TDF in some regions. This study aims to verify soil morphological, physical, physical-hydrical and chemical factors and topographical variables that promote TDF/Carrasco differentiation, studying floristics and vegetation structure in distinct TDF succession stages and in Carrasco. The study will be carried out at the Lagoa do Cajueiro State Park, with development of a digital elevation model (DEM) for the entire area, from which relief descriptors will be extracted. Vegetation physiognomies will be inventoried and soil morphological, physical, physical-hydrical properties will be characterized in the field and in the laboratory. A climatic balance will be carried out at the experimental plots. Physiognomy differentiation by soil and topography will be evaluated graphically, by multivariate analysis and by parametric statistics. We seek to identify soil and relief factors influencing vegetation on TDF environments, to increase background knowledge on the effects of climatic change on pristine and impacted environments, and to subsidize TDF conservation policies. (AU)