Characterization of environmental parameters in the mangrove forests of south-central São Paulo (Cubatão, Peruíbe and São Vicente) and its effect on the tree development

• Grant number: 11/17743-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2011
• End date: October 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Antonio Amaro Pinheiro
• Grantee: Vanessa de Sousa Soares
• Host Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mangroves ecosystems are present in tropical and subtropical locations around the world, occurring in the transition between the terrestrial and marine environment, subject to the tidal regime. It has a hugh ecological and fishing importance, due to its high productivity, providing food and protection to juvenile stages of several animal species. For this reason, mangroves hold the status of Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs), being protected by the Brazilian Forest Code of 1965. The present study aims at the environmental characterization of nine mangroves from the south-central coast of São Paulo state (Cubatão, Peruíbe and São Vicente), comprising three forests in each municipality, assessing the similarity between them and the environmental parameters to better collaborative development tree. In this sense, some environmental parameters (atmospheric and edaphic water) as well as others related to woody vegetation (species composition, canopy cover and biometrics), will be recorded in mangroves with a predominance of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). Areas of study include the Estuarine Complex Santos-Cubatão (Cubatão and São Vicente), where there is intense fishing activity, and Juréia / Itatins (Peruibe), a conservation area. In each forest will be established a 50m transect perpendicular to shore, divided into plots of 10m. Each track will be characterized to the woody vegetation (species composition, canopy cover and biometrics), tidal flood level (height of Bostrychietum) and record of some water parameters (salinity, dissolved oxygen and pH), atmospheric (temperature and relative humidity) and edaphic (granulometric composition, organic matter, salinity of interstitial water and macro / micronutrients). The parameters of woody vegetation will be related to environmental, using correlation analysis (simple linear and multiple), verifying the abiotic conditions of most relevance to the development tree (principal component analysis) and establish the similarity between the forests under study (analysis grouping). Better knowledge of these areas will facilitate the comparison of mangrove conservation status monitoring in future, more and more necessary in the light of common human impacts caused on this important coastal ecosystem. (AU)