Phytosociological analysis and ecological indicators in two areas of Caatinga with different historics of use in the hills of ParaíbaAbstract
The Caatinga Biome includes a predominantly xerophilic flora, whose characteristics are connected to the conditions in the region. It includes activities that affect directly the aspects of the caatinga, one of which is livestock. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating the Phytosociology of the arboreal-shrubby component, as well as ecological indicators, in two areas of Caatinga with different history of use, in the drylands of the state of Paraiba. For this purpose, two locations belonging to a rural area of Brejo do Cruz-PB were considered one destined to the creation of cattle for over 20 years and the other without activities for 10 years. Thus, 40 lots of 25 x 10 m (250 m²) were installed at those areas, in which individuals were sampled according to their family, genus and species, and phytosociological parameters were analysed. The evaluated indicators were: natural regeneration, litter and entomofauna. The results showed that the two areas presented similar patterns, regarding phytosociology and diversity, where Poincianella bracteosa, Mimosa tenuiflora and Aspidosperma pyrifolium are the main species. As for the ecological indicators, the natural regeneration and Entomofauna both presented similar results for the areas, while the leaf litter presented a significant difference between the areas, indicating a higher value for the preserved environment. However, the areas showed similar patterns, indicating that the animal intensity did not exert any difference in the considered period.
Keywords: Entomology; Forest inventory; Natural regeneration; Leaf litter