Functional Diversity Influence in Forest Wood Stock: a Study of the Brazilian Savanna Influência Da Diversidade Funcional No Es
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
1619 Original Article FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY INFLUENCE IN FOREST WOOD STOCK: A STUDY OF THE BRAZILIAN SAVANNA INFLUÊNCIA DA DIVERSIDADE FUNCIONAL NO ESTOQUE FLORESTAL: UM ESTUDO DO CERRADO Milton Serpa de MEIRA JUNIOR 1; José IMAÑA ENCINAS 2; José Roberto Rodrigues PINTO 2; Sílvia da Luz Lima MOTA 3 1. Doutorando em Ciências Florestais, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brasil; 2. Professor do Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brasil; 3. Professora da Faculdade de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brasil. [email protected] ABSTRACT: Research regarding biodiversity and ecosystem services has been demonstrating a positive correlation among the ecosystem processes, such as the carbon sink into plant biomass and the quantity of carbon in natural vegetation. Nonetheless, it is hard to understand the biodiversity measurements, because they involve gene, phenotypic, population, species, community and ecosystem diversity. The functional diversity refers to the species richness and variety, their characteristics and how that affects the functioning of an ecosystem. Primary productivity is a key factor that affects the functioning of a forest ecosystem. Thus, the aim of this paper was to evaluate the influence of functional diversity on the woody volume productivity (as a proxy for primary production) in the Brazilian savanna. We used six functional characteristics, and to verify the relation between forest production and functional diversity facets, we tested many models. Regarding wood volume, the best models were the exponential and logarithmic. None of the linear models showed significant regression parameters as there was no additive relationship among the multifaceted aspects of functional diversity and wood volume. We found a positive correlation between the functional diversity and primary productivity, which can be used to forecast the effects of diversity variation on ecosystem services. KEYWORDS : Cerrado. Functional traits. Ecosystem services. Functional Ecology. INTRODUCTION Research on biodiversity and ecosystem services has been demonstrating a positive The Brazilian savanna or Cerrado is a correlation among ecosystem processes, such as woodland physiognomy with canopy cover of 10% carbon sink and plant biomass, and the quantity of to 60% made up of trees reaching up seven meters carbon in natural vegetation (HUSTON, 1997; (EITEN, 1972). The vegetation is formed mostly by TILMAN et al., 2001). Nonetheless, it is hard to savanna-like vegetation and it occupies almost 70% understand the biodiversity measurements, because of the biome area – around 2 million km² (SANO et they involve gene, phenotypic, population, species, al., 2010). Among the savanna formations, we have community and ecosystem diversity (MOUCHET et the cerrado sensu stricto occurring in well-drained al., 2010). The classical biodiversity measurements area with deep soils and high altitude (OLIVEIRA- (richness of species or biodiversity index, such as FILHO; RATTER, 2002). It is composed by a Shannon’s and Simpson’s) rely on (1) all species are continuous herbaceous layer with discontinuous and the same or species importance is assessed by occasional trees (OLIVEIRA-FILHO; RATTER, relative density; (2) all individuals are similar, 2002). independent of their dimension; and (3) the species Cerrado presents the highest biodiversity density were correctly assessed (MAGURRAN, among the global savanna (MITTERMEIER et al., 2004). However, species are not equal when it 2005) and is considered one of the biomes with the comes to ecosystem function, making these highest diversity of vascular plants in the world assumptions invalid (MOUCHET et al., 2010). (MENDONÇA et al., 2008). However, the extant Diversity measurement incorporates information area of natural vegetation has been changed into about the phylogenetic species relation (RICOTTA, areas of intensive arable crop -agriculture and 2005) or their functional characteristics pastures (SILVA et al., 2006). Human action in (PETCHEY; GASTON, 2006) are better than the Cerrado had already deforested almost 1/3 of the classical measurement (CIANCIARUSO; SILVA; et original area (FELFILI et al., 2004), leaving 39.5% al., 2009). of preserved areas (SANO et al., 2010), as showed on the Figure 1. Received: 12/02/16 Biosci. J., Uberlândia, v. 32, n. 6, p. 1619-1631, Nov./Dec. 2016 Accepted: 05/10/16 1620 Functional diversity influence… MEIRA JUNIOR, M. S. et al. Figure 1. Soil Spatial distribution use classes in Brazilian Savanna, adapted from Sano et al. (2010). The functional diversity shows species diversity regarding volume productivity of woody values and range, their characteristics and how that assembly in a Brazilian Savanna area - cerrado affects the functioning of an ecosystem (TILMAN, sensu stricto - considering the hypothesis that 2001). Primary productivity is a key factor that functional diversity positively affects forest affects the functioning of a forest ecosystem. Many productivity. ecologists use the biodiversity gradient, e.g. loss of species at plant communities to test the biodiversity MATERIAL AND METHODS influence in the ecosystem productivity (WANG et al., 2007). Understanding the process of ecosystem Characterization and location of the study area services is important to assess the effects of present This study was carried out in a cerrado and future changes on these services in their sensu stricto area located at Fazenda Água Limpa conservation (CARDINALE et al., 2012). (FAL) at coordinates 15º56’ -15º59’ S and 47º55’ - Functional diversity measures the difference 47º58’ W (has 4,390.0 ha) in Brazilian Federal among species based on functional characteristics of District (BFD), 20 km Southern of Brasília, Brazil. an ecosystem (CIANCIARUSO et al., 2009). The soil on the study area was a yellowish Oxisol, Functional diversity measures diversity’s functional poor in plant nutrients and high in aluminium traits that influence ecosystem processes regardless saturation (BARBOSA et al., 2009). of organisms phylogeny (CIANCIARUSO et al., The average altitude in FAL is 1,100 m and 2009). Tilman et al. (1997) and Hooper and according to the Köppen classification, the climate Vitousek (1997) stated that ecosystems with a great is Aw, characterized by two defined seasons, a diversity of functional characteristics have a better warmer and rainy season that occurs from October use of water, nutrients, solar light and high to April, and cold and dry season from May to productivity. September, with average temperatures around Functional communities aspects or wood 22,1°C and average annual rainfall around 1,500 assemble could be included in the scope of forest mm (ALVARES et al., 2014). management and restoration of degraded areas (KAGEYAMA; GANDARA, 2000). Approach Sampling of vegetation based on functional features is a promising way to The species composition and their elucidate the diversity effects on productivity abundances were analyzed following the survey (ROSCHER et al., 2012), since the functional conducted by Borges (2009). In this site we diversity explains the primary productivity better implemented ten random plots measuring 20 x 50 m than the species richness (RUIZ-BENITO et al., (1,000 m²) and all woody stems equal or greater 2014). A better understanding of how diversity and than 5 cm of diameter at 0.30 m from ground level dominance affect ecosystems functioning would were measured in each plot (FELFILI et al., 2005). help to develop strategies of conservation and During the sampling, tree heights and diameters restoration of threatened or exploited ecosystems were measured. Plants were identified at species (CAVANAUGH et al., 2014). Thus, the aim of this level according to AGP III (CHASE; REVEAL, paper was to evaluate the influence of functional 2009) using data available in the Missouri Botanic Biosci. J., Uberlândia, v. 32, n. 6, p. 1619-1631, Nov./Dec. 2016 1621 Functional diversity influence… MEIRA JUNIOR, M. S. et al. Garden (MOBOT), International Plant Names Index Functional diversity was determined by (IPNI) and Flora do Brazil. selecting species with high abundance and that Primary production on plots was assessed represented 80% of the whole study community by wood volume (m³). The volume of each abundance (PAKEMAN; QUESTED, 2007). We individual was calculated based on the equation used six functional traits: crown dimension, leaf described by (REZENDE et al., 2006) for the woody area, wood density and bark density (Table 1). We vegetation in cerrado sensu stricto : randomized ten individuals for each evaluated V = 1.09 × 10 -4 × D 2 × 4.51 × 10 -4 × D 2 × H species and, from this we evaluated their functional V= Volume (m³); H= height (m); D= traits. diameter (cm) Table 1. Functional traits used to calculate the functional diversity of woody species in areas of Cerrado sensu stricto , Brasília, Brazil. Variables Unit Functional Importance Life form Category Growth potential, resources uptake, biomass area distribution Crown m² Competition capacity, competitive force, fund-raising, space use dimension Leaf dry matter Water and energy equilibrium, associated to algometric factors, nutrients stress mg content and disturbs on the environment Leaf lifespan, leaf structural defences, positively correlated with Specific leaf mm².mg - potential relative growth rate or mass-based maximum photosynthetic area 1 rate Wood density mg.mm -3 Structural strength and carbon stock Bark density mg.mm -3