PADRÃO ESPACIAL DE QUATRO FORMAÇÕES FLORESTAIS DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO, ATRAVÉS DA FUNÇÃO K DE RIPLEY

• Published in: Ciência florestal Vol. 22; no. 3; pp. 551 - 565
• Main Authors: Robson Louiz Capretz, João Luís Ferreira Batista, Jaime Felipe Medina Sotomayor, Camila Rossetti da Cunha, Marcos Felipe Nicoletti, Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria 01.01.2012
• ISSN: 0103-9954; 1980-5098

Investigating tree's spatial patterns according to their size classes and according to their more abundantspecies can provide evidences about the structure of the vegetal community, since the spatial pattern is a key question for forestry ecology studies. The tree spatial organization patterns on the environment depend on several ecological processes and on the specific characteristics of each environment, so that the best understanding of this frame provides important elements for the knowledge on forestry formation. This paper aimed to study tree spatial patterns, according to the diameter classes and from four most abundant species in different forests, in order to provide evidences regarding to the ecology of eachvegetal community. The spatial pattern description in each forestry formation was developed using Ripley's Kfunction. The studied forestry formations were: Ombrophilous Forest, Cerradao, Seasonal Forest and Restinga Forest. In this work, a 10.24 ha plot was installed in each forestry formation, and every tree, with a circumference at breast height (CBH) larger than 15 cm were measured, georeferenced and identified. The obtained data highlights the aggregated character in tropical forests, as observed in every studied forest. The "Cerradão" and "Restinga" forest trees showed close aggregate patterns. In the Ombrophilous forest, for all distancescales, the aggregate pattern was meaningful. In the seasonal forest, a random tendency was observed,although a meaningful aggregation was observed in all short distances. The spatial pattern by diameter classes was generally aggregated for trees smaller than 10 cm of diameter and between 10 and 20 cm and random for the others, proving the existence of a tendency which in young trees is more aggregated than inold ones. The spatial pattern of the dominant species is always strongly similar to the general pattern of each forestry formation. The differences between the spatial patterns of two or three coincidentspecies, among the forestry formations, indicate that its pattern is influenced by each different environment. This standsout the importance of its self-ecology and of its ecological processes, intrinsic of eachcommunity that can explain the observed patterns.