ANNUAL VARIATION IN CANOPY OPENNESS, AIR TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY IN THE UNDERSTORY OF THREE FORESTED SITES IN SOUTHERN BAHIA STATE, BRAZIL.

Prado Pinheiro, Marayana; De Oliveira Filho, Josafá Amaral; Franca, Solange; Márcio Amorim, André; Schramm Mielke, Marcelo

Aiming at contributing to the knowledge of physical factors affecting community structure in Atlantic Forest remnants of southern Bahia state, Brazil, we analyzed the annual variation in the understory microclimate of a hillside forest fragment in the 'Reserva Particular do Patrimonio Natural Serra do Teimoso' (RST) and a rustic cacao agroforestry system (Cabruca), located nearby the RST. Canopy openness (CO), air temperature (7a), air relative humidity (RH) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) data were collected between April, 2005 and April, 2006 at the base (RSTB, 340 m) and the top (RSTT, 640 m) of the RST and at the Cabruca (CB, 250 m). Data of rainfall, Ta, RH and VPD were also collected in an open area (OA, 270 m). The highest rainfalls (> 100 mm) occurred in November, 2005 and April, 2006, whereas October, 2005 was the driest month (< 20 mm). CO ranged between 2.5 % in the CB (April, 2006) and 7.7 % in the RST (October, 2005). Low rainfall in October, 2005 affected VPD in all sites. Those effects were more pronounced in OA, followed by CB, RSTB and RSTr During the period of measurements, the values of Ta, RH and VPD in CB were closer to the values measured in OA than to the values measured inside the forest.

BAHIA (Brazil : State); PLANT variation; FOREST canopies; ATMOSPHERIC temperature; EFFECT of humidity on plants; AGROFORESTRY systems

Ciência Florestal (01039954), 2013, Vol 23, Issue 1, p107

0103-9954

Academic Journal

10.5902/198050988445