Distribuição espacial e diversidade funcional de palmeiras (Arecaceae) em florestas de restinga.

• Autor(a) principal: Wandekoken, Douglas Tinoco
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (riUfes)
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio.ufes.br/handle/10/9945
• topic: Functional traits; Water availability; Edaphic gradient; Ontogeny; Abiotic filtration; Características funcionais; Disponibilidade hídrica; Gradiente edáfico; Ontogenia; Filtragem abiótica; Agronomia; Ecologia; Florestas x Conservação; Solos x Fertilidade; Restingas; Palmeira; 57

In view of the current scenario of climate change, studies are needed to investigate the ecophysiological adaptations of plant species that allow the occupation of the coastal ecosystems of restingas, threatened by sea level rise and changes in rainfall indices. The analysis of functional traits that determine the pattern of spatial distribution of palm species is relevant, since this group has central ecological role in the restingas. For this, the functional traits (height, specific leaf area, leaf thickness, leaf dry matter content, stomatal density and stomatal size) of ten individuals of six palm species were measured, while the individuals' distribution was analyzed through plots covering a 0.675 ha in flooded forest (FI) and nonflooded forest (FN), in the Setiba restinga in Guarapari-ES. For environmental characterization, analyzes of the horizontal structure of the vegetation (basal area) were carried out and soil samples were collected for physico-chemical analysis. The palm Atallea humilis Mart. was the only one able to occupy the FI and FN, while the other five species were restricted to one of the formations. Changes in edaphic conditions (organic matter, nutritional content and soil moisture retention capacity) had a greater influence on the distribution of Euterpe edulis Mart., Bactris setosa Mart. and Geonoma schottiana Mart., while the basal area of the arboreal component acted more strongly on the distribution of Alagoptera arenaria (Gomes) Kuntze. and Attalea humilis Mart. The change in functional traits between juveniles and adults indicates that there are changes in the environmental conditions to which individuals are exposed along ontogeny. Meanwhile, the change in the mean value of the functional traits of the palm community between FI and FN indicates that the species hold distinct functional strategies among the two forest formations. The greater functional diversity in the FN, in relation to the FN, indicates a greater occupancy of the functional space and is due to the greater water availability and soil fertility, while the lower functional diversity in the FN suggests that the species are functionally more similar in this formation, which suggests higher abiotic filtering as a result of lower water availability and soil fertility in FN. In conclusion, the edaphic gradient between the FI and FN acts on the functional strategy of the individuals, influencing the distribution pattern of the species and the functional diversity of the palm community.