Lucas Costa de Souza Cavalcanti

Stone and Sand Ruins in the Drylands of Brazil: The Rustic Landscapes of Catimbau National Park

Catimbau National Park (CNP) is the only one in Brazil entirely circumscribed by the semi-arid climate and the Caatinga biome of the Northeast region of the country. It is situated in the state of Pernambuco and comprises a set of sandstone landscapes of unique scenic beauty as well as holds important records of archaeological, biogeographical and geomorphological history of the central drylands of the country. The area displays a mosaic of natural landscapes developed on sand covers of the borders of Jatoba sedimentary basin, an important regional geologic feature that was severely deformed by post-Cretaceous tectonic movements following the break-up of Gondwana continent and the final opening of the South Atlantic Ocean . The occurrence of table-like buttes and uplifted homoclines, some in excess of 1,000 m in elevation, favours the development of moister and cooler environmental conditions, which are reflected in the local ecology by means of vegetation refuges and enclaves that differ significantly from the prevailing thorn-scrub xerophytic formations of the Caatinga. Concentration of drainage network towards the base and knick-points at the abrupt sandstone escarpments favours the formation of seasonal swampy areas and lagoons , which are rare natural features within this dryland region of the eastern seaboard of South America.

TÉCNICAS DE CAMPO PARA DESCRIÇÃO DE GEOSSISTEMAS: RECONHECIMENTO EXPEDITO NA BORDA OESTE DO MACIÇO RESIDUAL DE POÇO DAS TRINCHEIRAS, ALAGOAS

POLLINATOR FORAGING STRATEGY IN Galactia peduncularis (BENTH.) TAUB. (LEGUMINOSAE: PAPILIONOIDEA) IN THE PARQUE ESTADUAL DA SERRA DE CALDAS NOVAS BRAZIL The way the animals look for food is an important characteristic of their behavior. The optimal foraging theory is based on the existence of a balance between costs and benefits of these behavioral decisions. The present study aimed to evaluate the behavior of the pollinator in response to increased availability of floral resources. The experiment was conducted in a recently burned Cerrado area (Campo rupestre) in the State Park of Serra de Caldas Novas , located in the municipalities of Caldas Novas and Rio Quente Brazil. The species chosen to test our hypothesis was Galactia peduncularis (Benth.) Taub. (Leguminosae: Papilionoidea). 17 pairs of specimens were selected with a number of flowers, and the individuals of each pair were spaced by about 2m. In these pairs, one of them was considered the focal, and the other, the isolated. To test possible differences in pollination between isolated plants and focus, we performed two randomization tests: a test binary (TB), where all pairs were analyzed and verified the number of times where the focus on the individual floral visits were higher than the number of visits in isolated. According to the data analyzed, floral visitors preferred to use plants that could provide a greater amount of floral resources so that the number of visitors varied positively with the increment of flowers. Plants with many flowers can provide a greater amount of food in one location so that visitors do not need to flower around for long distances in search of meeting their energy needs.