Pires, Maria Joaquina Pinheiro; (1991) Phenology of selected tropical trees from Jari, Lower Amazon, Brazil. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D.), University College London.

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Abstract

The phenology of flowering, fruiting and vegetative states of trees were surveyed through 36 consecutive monthly observations of 1508 trees of 137 species of 15 families from the Jari river basin, lower Amazon, Brazil. The communities studied comprised eight distinct forest sites that included seven upland and one seasonally flooded forest site, located within one degree of latitude and longitude. In order to investigate the effect of soil on tree phenology a survey was carried out on the soils occurring under the eight forest sites studied. Phenological results obtained were analysed at individual, population and community levels. Results are firstly presented at species (population) level arranged by plant family. Then community phenology is considered by summing the phenological events of all individuals in each particular forest. The forests of Jari showed very clear seasonal patterns of leaf shedding as well as of flowering and fruiting. No significant distinction was found between flowering and fruiting phenologies between the eight forests studied within a particular time. The influence of the environmental factors upon phenology is evaluated by comparing the median fruiting phenologies of different populations of the same species which differ (if at all) only in location parameter. Environmental variables tested in Chapter 6 did not affect tree phenology on a community basis. However, tree phenology of the Jari micro-region was strongly correlated with rainfall. To investigate the influence of the genetic (internal) factors to phenology the synchrony in flowering and fruiting time was calculated for 10 species of very restricted distribution. No perfect synchrony was found, neither between an individual and its conspecifics nor between all individuals of a population. Only some 20 per cent of the Jari trees flowered even at the peak of flowering activity. Six general models are proposed to describe the most common patterns of flowering and fruiting phenology encountered, subdivided into cyclic (or seasonal) and acyclic (or aseasonal). The fruiting phenology of congeners is also analysed at both sympatric and allopatric levels. Although some species had significantly different fruiting dates from their congeners most species tended to have overlapping fruiting irrespective of being either sympatric or allopatric.

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