Chaves de identificação de espécies arbóreas e arbustivas baseadas em caracteres vegetativos para fragmentos de Caatinga no interior do Rio Grande do Norte

• Autor(a) principal: Aguiar, Thamiris da Silva
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Trabalho de conclusão de curso
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Digital da Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (RDU)
• Texto Completo: https://repositorio.ufersa.edu.br/handle/prefix/7107
• topic: Chaves dendrológicas; Chaves dicotômicas; Dendrologia; Identificação botânica; Flora lenhosa; Dendrological keys; Dichotomous keys; Dendrology; Botanical identification; Woody flora; CIENCIAS AGRARIAS::RECURSOS FLORESTAIS E ENGENHARIA FLORESTAL

Restricted to the semiarid climate, the Caatinga biome can be characterized as an arboreal-shrubby formation, with a great vegetation variety, with a high number of species belonging to rare and endemic taxa. However, the degradation caused by anthropic activities and unbridled extraction disfigure the vegetation. The correct identification, classification and nomenclature of plants are necessary steps for an adequate conservation of the vegetation. In this context, reproductive characters have always received greater attention in the process of classification and recognition of trees, however, the Caatinga presents part of the deciduous vegetation, showing flowers and leaves for a short period. Considering the particularities of the Caatinga, the aim of this work was to design dendrological identification keys based only on vegetative characters for tree and shrub species occurring in patches of Caatinga, located in the municipalities of Assú, Pendências and Carnaubais, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Were collected Samples of vegetative botanical material of each species to make exsiccates. The material was herborized in the field and transported to the Forest Conservation Laboratory, located at the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Árido (UFERSA). A collection of specimens of the studied species was built and all species were deposited in the MOSS Herbarium. After making the specimens of the sampled species, a characterization was carried out through direct observation. The dendrological characteristics of the plants such as leaf type, texture, nervation, hairiness, color, rhytidome dehiscence, among other characteristics, were determined and recorded in a characterization table. With the help of this table, later, three dendrological identification keys were made for a total of thirty-one arboreal/shrubby species of the Caatinga. Although the vegetative characters show individual variations, they are still exposed in the field for a longer period than the reproductive characters. The importance of using dendrological characters for the recognition and identification of tree/shrub species in the field is clear, mainly in the Caatinga, which is a seasonally dry forest. Thus, the dendrological identification keys satisfactorily fulfilled their function