Descomposición de hojarasca en seis arroyos de Bosque Mesófilo de Montaña en la cuenca alta del río La Antigua, Veracruz, México

Leaf litter decomposition in six Cloud Forest streams of the upper La Antigua watershed, Veracruz, Mexico. Leaf litter decomposition is an important stream ecosystem process. To understand factors controlling leaf decomposition in cloud forest in Mexico, we incubated leaf packs in different streams along a land use cover gradient for 35 days during the dry and wet seasons. We assessed relations between leaf decomposition rates (k), stream physicochemistry, and macroinvertebrates colonizing leaf packs. Physicochemical parameters showed a clear seasonal difference at all study streams. Leaves were colonized by collector-gatherer insects, followed by shredders. Assessment of factors related to k indicated that only forest cover was negatively related to leaf decomposition rates. Thus stream physicochemistry and seasonality had no impact on decomposition rates. We concluded that leaf litter decomposition at our study streams is a stable process over the year. However, it is possible that this stability is the result of factors regulating decomposition during the different seasons and streams. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 2): 111-127. Epub 2014 April 01.

Para muchos arroyos, la hojarasca proveniente de la zona ribereña es la base de las redes tróficas, por lo cual el proceso de descomposición de la hojarasca es de gran importancia para el funcionamiento de estos ecosistemas. Con el fin de conocer los factores que afectan la descomposición de la hojarasca en arroyos del bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM), se utilizaron paquetes de hojarasca durante 35 días. Seis arroyos con un gradiente de perturbación fueron estudiados en la época seca y lluviosa. Se determinó la relación entre la tasa de descomposición de la hojarasca (k), con algunos parámetros fisicoquímicos del cuerpo de agua y los macroinvertebrados colonizadores de los paquetes. Los factores fisicoquímicos mostraron una separación de los cuerpos de agua según la época a través de un Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP). De los insectos colonizadores de los paquetes de hojarasca, el grupo funcional de los recolectores fue el más abundante, seguido por los fragmentadores. Solo se encontró una relación negativa entre la k y el porcentaje de cobertura boscosa (p=0.04) al realizar una regresión múltiple por pasos en la que se incluyeron algunos parámetros fisicoquímicos, el porcentaje de cobertura boscosa y las abundancias promedio de los insectos fragmentadores y no fragmentadores. La descomposición de la hojarasca en los arroyos estudiados parece ser un proceso estable a lo largo del año, aunque los factores responsables por la regulación pueden diferir en las distintas épocas.

Valoração ambiental do efeito externo da erosão em duas sub - bacias com diferentes percentuais de mata atlântica / Valuation of environmental effects of erosion in external two sub - watersheds with different percentages of forest atlantic

A equação universal de perda de solo (USLE) vem sendo utilizada para valorar os serviços ambientais de praticas conservacionistas e uso do solo em sub-bacias na quantificação da erosão e aporte de sedimentos. Neste sentido este trabalho objetivou comparar os resultados de perda de solo e de valoração ambiental obtido a partir da USLE com os valores mensurados no exutório de duas sub-bacias. A perda total de solo foi calculada utilizando técnicas de geoprocessamento e transformada em aporte de sedimentos e comparado ao aporte de sedimento observado no exutório da sub-bacias. A produção de sedimentos calculada e observada foi valorada considerando o custo de remoção de sedimentos do sistema de captação de água das microbacias. De forma geral, o modelo utilizado não apresentou bom ajuste para a quantificação do aporte de sedimentos nas sub-bacias Glória e Palmital, superestimando os valores medidos nas respectivas áreas. De acordo com a valoração ambiental pelo custo de retirada de sedimentos observou-se que a microbacia com maior cobertura florestal reduz o aporte de sedimentos e gera mais serviços ambientais reduzindo os custos de retirada de sedimentos na captação de água.

The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) has been used to appraise the environmental services of the conservation practices and land use in sub - watersheds in the quantification of erosion and sediment delivery. In this sense this study compares the results of soil loss and environmental valuation obtained from the USLE model with the values measured in the discharge of water of both watersheds. The total soil loss was calculated using GIS techniques and transformed into sediment delivery and then compared to the production of sediment observed in the discharge watersheds. The sediment production rate was calculated and valued considering the cost of sediment removal from water catchment system. In general, the model used did not show goodfit for quantification of sediment delivery in sub - watersheds Gloria and Palmital, overestimating the values measured in the respective areas. According to evaluation by environmental cost of removing sediment was observed that the more sub ­ watershed forest cover reduces the accumulation of sediments creates more environmental services and reducing the costs of removal of sediment in the water uptake.

Relationships between Climate Parameters and Forest Vegetation At and Near Digya National Park, Ghana.

This paper evaluates the effect of three climate parameters on forest cover in Ghana and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at Digya National Park derived from Landsat image data. Climate data (temperature, humidity, dewpoint, rainfall) are assembled from statistics provided by Ghana's Meteorological Agency. The study introduces a weighted averaging method by computing weather information from neighbouring stations. Also, this research introduces a model of dewpoints, enabling the direct calculation of dewpoints from temperature and humidity data. The major finding is that while temperature significantly affects forest cover and Park vegetation, dew-points and rainfall do not. The paper suggests where future research may be more fruitful in analyzing the effects of climate on vegetation.

Remote sensing and GIS based forest cover change detection study in Kalrayan hills, Tamil Nadu.

The present study focuses on the role of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) in assessment of changes in forest cover, between 1931 and 2001, in the Kalrayan hills, Tamil Nadu. The trend of forest cover changes over the time span of 70 years, was precisely analysed using high resolution Satellite data. The study revealed that the forest cover was 275.6, 481.7 and 266.5 sq.km in 1931, 1971 and 2001 respectively. It was noticed that forest cover has increased between 1931 and 1971, because of the implementation of various afforestation schemes by the forest department and scared grooves. It also revealed that the forest cover loss between 1971 and 2001 could be due to Shifting cultivation and illegal encroachments by villagers; and the forest cover drastically decreased on plateau areas due to human population pressure. The study analyses the forest cover change in the tropical deciduous forest region of the Eastern Ghats of India. It is envisaged that the study would prove the usefulness of Remote Sensing and GIS in forest restoration planning.

Relief influence on the spatial distribution of the Atlantic Forest cover on the Ibiúna Plateau, SP

Several studies suggest that, on a large scale, relief conditions influence the Atlantic Forest cover. The aim of this work was to explore these relationships on a local scale, in Caucaia do Alto, on the Ibiúna Plateau. Within an area of about 78 km², the distribution of forest cover, divided into two successional stages, was associated with relief attribute data (slope, slope orientation and altitude). The mapping of the vegetation was based on the interpretation of stereoscopic pairs of aerial photographs, from April 2000, on a scale of 1:10,000, while the relief attributes were obtained by geoprocessing from digitalized topographic maps on a scale of 1:10,000. Statistical analyses, based on qui-square tests, revealed that there was a more extensive forest cover, irrespective of the successional stage, in steeper areas (>10 degrees) located at higher altitudes (>923 m), but no influence of the slope orientation. There was no sign of direct influence of relief on the forest cover through environmental gradients that might have contributed to the forest regeneration. Likewise, there was no evidence that these results could have been influenced by the distance from roads or urban areas or with respect to permanent preservation areas. Relief seems to influence the forest cover indirectly, since agricultural land use is preferably made in flatter and lower areas. These results suggest a general distribution pattern of the forest remnants, independent of the scale of study, on which relief indirectly has a strong influence, since it determines human occupation.

Vários estudos sugerem que as condições do relevo influenciam, em larga escala, a cobertura da Mata Atlântica. Este trabalho teve por objetivo explorar estas relações em escala local, na região do Planalto de Ibiúna, denominada de Caucaia do Alto. Numa área de cerca de 78 km², procurou-se associar a cobertura florestal, dividida em dois estádios sucessionais, com atributos do relevo (declividade, orientação de vertente e altitude). O mapeamento da vegetação foi feito a partir da interpretação de pares estereoscópicos de fotografias aéreas de abril de 2000, na escala 1:10.000, enquanto os atributos do relevo foram gerados por geoprocessamento a partir de cartas topográficas digitalizadas, em escala 1:10.000. As análises estatísticas, baseadas em testes de qui-quadrado, revelam que há maior cobertura florestal, independentemente do estádio sucessional, em áreas mais íngremes (>10 graus) e situadas em altitudes mais elevadas (>923 m), porém não há influência da orientação de vertente. Não há indícios de influência direta do relevo sobre a cobertura florestal, através de gradientes ambientais que poderiam agir na regeneração florestal. Também não foram obtidas evidências de que estes resultados possam ser influenciados pelo distanciamento a estradas ou centros urbanos, ou ainda pelo respeito às áreas de preservação permanente. O relevo parece determinar o recobrimento florestal, principalmente por condicionar o uso agrícola dos solos, que se dá preferencialmente em áreas mais planas e baixas. Estes resultados sugerem um padrão geral de influência do relevo sobre a distribuição dos remanescentes florestais, independentemente da escala de estudo, onde o relevo atua indiretamente ao condicionar a ocupação humana.