Landscape dynamics result from forestry and farming practices, both of which are expected to have diverse impacts on ecosystem services (ES). In this study, we investigated this general statement for regulating and supporting services via an assessment of ecosystem functions: climate regulation via carbon sequestration in soil and plant biomass, water cycle and soil erosion regulation via water infiltration in soil, and support for primary production via soil chemical quality and water storage. We tested the hypothesis that patterns of land-cover composition and structure significantly alter ES metrics at two different scales. We surveyed 54 farms in two Amazonian regions of Brazil and Colombia and assessed land-cover composition and structure from remote sensing data (farm scale) from 1990 to 2007. Simple and well-established methods were used to characterize soil and vegetation from five points in each farm (plot scale). Most ES metrics were significantly correlated with land-use (plot scale) and land-cover (farm scale) classifications; however, spatial variability in inherent soil properties, alone or in interaction with land-use or land-cover changes, contributed greatly to variability in ES metrics. Carbon stock in above-ground plant biomass and water infiltration rate decreased from forest to pasture land covers, whereas soil chemical quality and plant-available water storage capacity increased. Land-cover classifications based on structure metrics explained significantly less ES metric variation than those based on composition metrics. Land-cover composition dynamics explained 45 % (P < 0.001) of ES metric variance, 15 % by itself and 30 % in interaction with inherent soil properties. This study describes how ES evolve with landscape changes, specifying the contribution of spatial variability in the physical environment and highlighting trade-offs and synergies among ES. (Résumé d'auteur

RESUMODiante da importância ecológica que as florestas ciliares representam para o equilíbrio ambiental, este estudo objetiva indicar espécies nativas para serem usadas na recomposição de florestas ciliares degradadas existentes na sub-bacia do Rio Peixe-Boi. Foram inventariadas todas as árvores e arbustos com diâmetro a 1,30 m do solo > 5 cm em dez áreas de floresta secundária e seis de floresta de igapó. Os dados foram analisados pela Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP) e as espécies avaliadas silviculturalmente através de revisão bibliográfica. As áreas de igapó tiveram baixo índice de riqueza e diversidade de Shannon, quando comparado com os dados das florestas secundárias. A composição florística dos igapós foi bem heterogênea, e há maior similaridade florística entre áreas de maior proximidade geográfica. As florestas secundárias tiveram grande abundância de indivíduos, alta riqueza, diversidade e equabilidade e foram agrupadas em função da proximidade geográfica e da idade, o que está diretamente ligado ao estádio sucessional. A análise ACP estabeleceu a importância ecológica de 29 espécies arbóreas, contudo, foram encontradas informações silviculturais de apenas dez espécies. Por apresentarem grande importância ecológica e técnicas silviculturais viáveis e disponíveis na literatura, as espécies de igapó Carapa guianensis, Pachira aquatica, Spondias mombin, Tapirira guianensis e Virola guianensis são as mais indicadas para a recomposição dessas áreas, em associação com as espécies Inga edulis, Jacaranda copaia, Pseudopiptadenia psilostachya, Simarouba amara e Vismia guianensis de floresta secundária, que podem ser plantadas nas áreas de bordas e adjacentes às florestas de igapó. Palavras-chave: Amazônia; capoeiras; igapós; silvicultura. ABSTRACTThis study aims to indicate native species to be used in the restoration of degraded riparian forests in the subwatershed of Peixe-Boi river. All trees and shrubs with diameter at breast height (DBH) > 5 cm were inventoried in ten areas of secondary forest and six areas of igapó forest. The results were analyzed by Principal Component Analysis and the silviculture of the species was assessed by literature review. In Igapó areas 66 species were found; the areas had low richness and low diversity index of Shannon, when compared with data from the secondary forests. The floristic composition was heterogeneous, and the floristic similarity is higher between areas that are closer geographically. In the secondary forests were found 175 species; the areas showed high abundance of individuals, high species richness, diversity and evenness. Secondary forests were separated according to geographic proximity and age, which is directly linked to the successional stage. The PCA analysis established the ecological importance of 29 tree species; however only ten species had enough silvicultural information. Due to a greater ecological importance and viable silvicultural techniques available in the literature, Carapa guianensis,

We studied the tree-regeneration patterns in three distinct agricultural settlements in the Eastern Amazon to test the influence of land-use mosaics. The following questions are addressed: are the floristic structure and composition of regenerating trees affected by the various land-use types applied in the agricultural settlements? Do tree-regeneration patterns respond similarly to distinct land-use mosaics? Is there a relationship between tree regeneration and soil characteristics among the land-use types? The regeneration was inventoried at 45 sampling points in each settlement. At each sampling point, fourteen soil variables were analyzed. Nine different land-use types were considered. The floristic structure and composition of the settlements showed differences in the density of individuals and species and high species heterogeneity among the land-use types. The maximum Jaccard similarity coefficient found between land-use types was only 29%. Shade-tolerant species were the most diverse functional group in most land-use types, including pasture and annual crops, ranging from 91% of the number of species in the conserved and exploited forests of Travessão 338-S to 53% in the invaded pastures of Maçaranduba. The land-use types influenced significantly the floristic structure and composition of regenerating trees in two agricultural settlements, but not in third the settlement, which had greater forest cover. This finding demonstrates that the composition of each land-use mosaic, established by different management approaches, affects regeneration patterns. Tree regeneration was related to soil characteristics in all mosaics. Preparation of the area by burning was most likely the determining factor in the differences in soil characteristics between forests and agricultural areas.

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