Phenological patterns of zoochoric shrub and tree species in two areas of Ibura National Forest, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The phenology of zoochoric species is fundamentally important for understanding fluctuations in the availability of food resources for the fauna. The objective of this study is to describe the phenological patterns of shrub and tree species in the National Forest of Ibura, Sergipe. In addition, we sought to analyze whether phenological cycles are influenced by climatic seasonality. Sampling was done by means of plots, ten plots in an area of more conserved forest and ten in a eucalypt plantation (Corymbia citriodora). All individuals satisfying the inclusion criteria had their phenological cycles monitored monthly (November 2013 to May 2016). Results showed that leaf fall was more typical between December and February, while budding was more common from February to May. Flowering occurred between the months of December and March and consequent fruiting between February and May. Phenological data describe reproductive rhythms highly synchronized with precipitation, resulting in the development of flowering at the end of the dry season and fruiting at the beginning of the rainy season. Most individuals had a well-defined reproductive pattern with cycles influenced by seasonal conditions.

Estrutura E Composição Florística De Um Fragmento De Floresta Semidecídua Na Região Agreste Do Estado Da Paraíba, Nordeste Brasileiro

“…Ela também se apresenta como umas das espécies de maior VI no estudo de Santos et al (2019) desenvolvido no município de Bananeiras. Além disso, Santana et al (2018) destacam essa espécie como umas das mais abundantes em fragmento de floresta semidecídua pertencente a FLONA de Ibura no estado de Sergipe. Espécies do gênero Cupania geralmente possuem uso medicinal (Alves et al 2015).…”

Estrutura e Composição de Fragmentos de Mata Atlântica Habitados por Callicebus coimbrai no Nordeste do Brasil: Subsídios para Estratégias de Manejo da Paisagem

“…Based on the morphological characteristics and the classification of the types of fruits (Barroso et al, 2004;Lorenzi et al, 2006), we categorized the tree species according to their dispersion syndromes (anemochory, autochory, and zoochory), based on Pijl (l982) and Santana et al (2018).…”

“…The abundance of zoochoric species is essential for feeding frugivore fauna, mainly for Callicebus coimbrai (Souza-Alves et al, 2011). On the other hand, the dominance of only one zoochorous species can represent a disadvantage for the titi monkey and other frugivorous species, as the availability of the resource become limited through the year, as in the example of the dominance of Tapirira guianensis in the SLI1 fragment (60% of individuals), commonly fruiting between March and June (Santana et al, 2018).…”