Composition and structure of the liana community on different tropical semideciduous forest restoration systems

• Grant number: 16/19049-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2016
• End date: November 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Vera Lex Engel
• Grantee: Andra Carolina Dalbeto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Lianas significantly contribute to the structure, composition and interspecific associations in forest ecosystems. Despite the notorious importance of lianas on tropical forests dynamics, little is known about their community composition and structure in restoration processes. The aim of this study is to understand the lianas' community composition and structure in different ecological restoration systems of a semideciduous tropical forest and to know which ecological factors are determining for its structuring. A 19-year experiment installed on the Júlio de Mesquita Filho São Paulo State University (FCA/UNESP) in Botucatu, SP will be studied. The experiment was designed randomly with four treatments (restoration systems) and three repetitions in 50 x 50 meters samples. The implanted systems have differences on number and composition of used species: direct seeding, agroforestry, lumber and firewood consortium and high-diversity plantation. As a reference, a semideciduous tropical forest in good conservation status will also be studied. The community of lianas (established and regenerated individuals) will be sampled in two 10 x 10 meters sub-samples randomly allocated within each 50 x 50 meters sample in each of the three blocks. The tree layer of each sample was characterized through the identification and counting of individuals, DBH measurements, canopy stratification and hemispherical photos. The phytosociological parameters and lianas' diversity will be compared among the different restoration systems through variation analysis and multiple means comparison tests. The relationship between the number of liana seeds in each system and the number of regenerating lianas and the relationships between the restoration systems structure characteristics and the lianas density and richness will be modeled through multiple regressions. (AU)