Authors
Williamar Rodrigues Silva
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Universidade Federal de Roraima
Description
Effects of climate change on the structure, growth and mortality of trees in tropical forests under different environmental conditions need to be better elucidated throughout the Brazilian Amazon. Spatio-temporal monitoring studies of tree demography have been crucial to understand how the structure and composition of tropical forest species respond to global climate variations. In this sense, this study aimed to determine the effect of environmental conditions and climate variation on the vital rates (growth, recruitment and mortality) of arboreal individuals from ecotonal forests in the central-west of Roraima between the years 2016-2020. The vital rates of this period were correlated in the light of independent variables: (i) structural (diameter, density of individuals, height, richness and composition of species), (ii) environmental (texture and soil fertility, topography) and (iii) (cumulative water deficit = CWD, sea surface temperature = SST). Both the dependent variables (vital rates) and the structural and environmental independent variables were derived from 129 plots (10 mx 50 m; 6.45 ha) installed in a hydro-edaphic gradient characterized by ecotone forests (ombrophilic + seasonal forests) dispersed in the east of Maracá Island, state of Roraima. The climate independent variables were obtained freely from databases available on the world wide web. Annual demographic census surveys were carried out on 129 plots, where all tree individuals (trees + palms; stem diameter ≥ 10cm) were measured and identified taxonomically. To reach the general objective of the study, the investigation fulfilled four specific objectives that represent individual …