Graziele Hernandes Volpato

The use of the point count method for bird survey in the Atlantic forest

The point count method has been widely used in tropical forest for sampling bird communities. In the present study, we investigated if data on richness and abundance acquired using the point count method are different comparing spring/summer (breeding season) and fall/winter (non-breeding season) in three types of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Twelve sites were sampled seasonally during one year. In general we recorded more species and individuals during the breeding seasons. However, bird communities vary seasonally among the forest types and functional groups. We demonstrate that the use of point counts in tropical forest should be adjusted considering the differences in forest types and feeding guilds.

Accuracy and efficiency evaluation of point-centered quarter method variations for vegetation sampling in an araucaria forest

In order to verify Point-Centered Quarter Method (PCQM) accuracy and efficiency, using different numbers of individuals by per sampled area, in 28 quarter points in an Araucaria forest, southern Parana, Brazil. Three variations of the PCQM were used for comparison associated to the number of sampled individual trees: standard PCQM (SD-PCQM), with four sampled individuals by point (one in each quarter), second measured (VAR1-PCQM), with eight sampled individuals by point (two in each quarter), and third measuring (VAR2-PCQM), with 16 sampled individuals by points (four in each quarter). Thirty-one species of trees were recorded by the SD-PCQM method, 48 by VAR1-PCQM and 60 by VAR2-PCQM. The level of exhaustiveness of the vegetation census and diversity index showed an increasing number of individuals considered by quadrant, indicating that VAR2-PCQM was the most accurate and efficient method when compared with VAR1-PCQM and SD-PCQM.

AVIFAUNA COMO BIOINDICADORA PARA AVALIAÇÃO DA RESTAURAÇÃO FLORESTAL: ESTUDO DE CASO EM UMA FLORESTA RESTAURADA COM 40 ANOS EM VIÇOSA - MG

The point-counts method was used to evaluate the bird community in a small patch of forest (1 ha) restored through reforestation, with more than 40 years of deployment, in Vicosa, MG state. In total, 20 points were sampled in the reproductive period of the birds, during 2011. A total of 31 bird species and 160 contacts were recorded, and all species were identified as typical from a semi-deciduous forest and included five endemic species of the Atlantic forest biome. In the present study, the presence of frugivorous and insectivorous birds in the understory with little tolerance for open environments and strong insolation, suggests the good quality of the sampled habitat, confirming that the restored forest is in an advanced stage of succession. The results of this study also demonstrate that even in a small area, and with a few days of sampling, it is possible to obtain a rapid characterization of the bird community, being possible to associate it to the habitat conditions and allowing a safe evaluation of the success of a forest restoration project.