Phenology of Tree Species in an Open Ombrophilous Forest: Bases for Silviculture and Conservation

Abstract

Phenological information contribute to silvicultural actions and conservation strategies. Here, we carried out the phenological monitoring of six tree species that were prominent in the structure of an open ombrophilous forest fragment in northeastern Brazil. Over two years, among September 2015 and August 2017, eight individuals of each species (48 trees in total) were visited every two weeks to record the reproductive and leaf phenophases, following the Fournier intensity scale. We calculated the intraspecific synchrony of the phenophases and the correlation of the phenophases of each species with meteorological variables (temperature, air precipitation and photoperiod). The species showed synchronous characteristics for the phenophases. Precipitation stood out in terms of a higher frequency of significant relationships with the reproductive phenophases. The results indicates that the end of the dry season is the most favorable period for seed collection and the monitoring of dispersers in this type of tropical forest.

Keywords:
Atlantic forest; fruiting period; seed collection; tropical forestry; forest ecology