Changes in the structure due to strong winds in forest areas in the Pantanal, Brazil

CERNE

Suzana Maria Salis²  Carlos Rodrigo Lehn¹  Daly Roxana Castro Padilha¹  Patrícia Póvoa Mattos¹ 

[1] ,Embrapa PantanalCorumbá MS ,Brasil

关键词: Basal area;    natural disturbance;    savanna forest;    semideciduous forest;    Área basal;    distúrbio natural;    cerradão;    floresta semidecídua;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0104-77602012000300005

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

The Pantanal climate presents marked seasonality and eventually strong winds occur, especially in the beginning of the rainy season, which may last from September or October until April. A phytosociological study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a strong wind on the composition and structure of two forest formations in Pantanal wetland, a semideciduous forest (19º 15' 32"S and 55º 45' 23.7"W) and a forested savanna - "cerradão" (19º 17' 21"S and 55º 45' 8.9"W), with trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) > 5 cm. After the strong wind, a reduction of 6% of the basal area and volume in the semideciduous forest was observed, mainly due to the uprooting of Xylopia aromatica trees. In the forested savanna, the basal area and volume reduction was even higher; an estimated 10%, representing 69 uprooted trees per hectare, mainly of Copaifera martii trees. In both areas it was observed that the uprooted trees presented an average height and diameter bigger than the trees that remained intact. Usually, the trees that were uprooted presented higher wood density and the species that had broken branches had a lower density.

【 授权许可】

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