Oligarchic Forests of Economic Plants in Amazonia: Utilization and Conservation of an Important Tropical Resource

Abstract

Tropical forests dominated by only one or two tree species occupy tens of millions of hectares in Ammonia In many cases, the dominant species produce fruits, seeds, or oils of economic importance. Oligarchic (Gr. oligo = few, archic = dominated or ruled by) forests of six economic species, i. e., Euterpe oleracea, Grias peruviana, Jessenia bataua, Mauritia flexuosa, Myrciaria dubia, and Orbignya phalerata, were studied in Brazil and Peru Natural populations of these species contain from 100 to 3,000 conspecific adult trees/ha and produce up to 11.1 metric tons of fruit/hd/yr. These plant populations are utilized and occasionally managed, by rural inhabitants in the region. Periodic fruit harvests, if properly controlled have only a minimal impact on forest structure and function, yet can generate substantial economic returns Market-oriented extraction of the fruits produced by oligarchic forests appears to represent a promising alternative for reconciling the development and conservation of Amazonian forests.

The value of trophic interactions for ecosystem function: dung beetle communities influence seed burial and seedling recruitment in tropical forests

“…Myrciaria dubia (HBK) McVaugh, is a small, dicotyledonous tree, belonging to the Myrtaceae family that produces spherical fruits 2-5 cm in diameter, each containing two seeds [38]. It is widely distributed across the north-eastern Brazilian Amazon [39].…”

Population structure and fruit availability of the babassu palm ( Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng) in human-dominated landscapes of the Northeast Region of Brazil

“…ex Spreng) is widely distributed, occupying the entire North Region of Brazil, the sates of Maranhão, Piauí and Mato Grosso, and isolated areas in the Northeast Region (states of Ceará, Pernambuco and Alagoas), as well as Bolivia, Guianas and Suriname (Lorenzi 2010). Some authors affirm that in primary vegetation, the babassu palm occurs in low densities of adult individuals, but with a high density of seedlings (Anderson & May 1985;Peters et al 1989;Anderson et al 1991), while after anthropic deforestation it emerges as a dominant species (Pinheiro 2004). According to Mitja & Ferraz (2001), the success of this species in disturbed areas is due to the negative geotropism of the terminal bud in early development, which offers protection against fire, a common practice in disturbed areas.…”

Análise fatorial multivariada aplicada a caracterização de áreas de ocorrência de babaçu (Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng) na bacia do Rio Cocal

“…Geralmente, o Babaçu possui baixa densidade na vegetação primária (ANDERSON e MAY 1985;PETERS et al, 1989;ANDERSON et al, 1991). No entanto, o processo de alteração da vegetação, seja por cultivos ou pastagens, pode tanto desencadear a eliminação total ou parcial do Babaçu, como ainda, desenvolver o seu predomínio nestas áreas.…”