Maurício Lamano Ferreira

Litter fall production and decomposition in a fragment of secondary Atlantic Forest of São Paulo, sp, southeastern Brazil

A serapilheira consiste de todo o material orgânico depositado no chao da floresta, sendo de extrema importância para a estrutura e manutencao do ecossistema atraves da ciclagem de nutrientes. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a producao e decomposicao de serapilheira em um fragmento de Mata Atlântica secundaria no Parque Ecologico do Guarapiranga, em Sao Paulo, SP. As coletas de serapilheira foram realizadas mensalmente a partir de maio de 2012 ate maio de 2013. Para avaliar a contribuicao da serapilheira, 40 coletores foram instalados aleatoriamente dentro de uma area de 0,5 ha. O material recolhido foi enviado a laboratorio para ser seco a 65 °C durante 72 h, sendo posteriormente separado em fracoes de folhas, galhos, partes reprodutivas e miscelânea, pesadas para obter a biomassa seca. Litterbags foram colocados e amarrados perto dos colectores, para estimar a taxa de decomposicao, a fim de avaliar a perda de biomassa seca em 30, 60, 90, 120 e 150 dias. Apos a coleta, o material foi enviado a laboratorio para ser seco e pesado novamente. A serapilheira total alcancou ao longo do ano 5,7 Mg.ha-1, em que se observou a maior quantidade de material no periodo de setembro a marco. As folhas tiveram a maior contribuicao para a serapilheira total (72%), seguidas de galhos (14%), partes reprodutivas (11%) e miscelânea (3%). As partes reprodutivas tiveram um pico durante a estacao chuvosa. Verificou-se correlacao positiva entre serapilheira total e precipitacao, temperatura e radiacao (r = 0,66, p<0,05, r = 0,76, p<0,05, r = 0,58, p<0,05, respectivamente). A regressao multipla mostrou que a precipitacao e radiacao contribuiram significativamente para a producao de serapilheira. A taxa de decomposicao se manteve dentro do intervalo esperado para florestas tropicais secundarias e foi correlacionada com precipitacao. Conclui-se que esse fragmento de floresta secundaria mostrou efeito da sazonalidade impulsionado, principalmente, pela precipitacao e radiacao, os dois componentes importantes para a renovacao do folhedo pela comunidade vegetal; e, tambem, que a decomposicao estava em taxa intermedia.

LITTERFALL ASSESSEMENT IN A FRAGMENT OF SECONDARY TROPICAL FOREST, IBIÚNA, SP, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL1

The present study aimed to analyze the production and decomposition of litterfall in a fragment of secondary Atlantic forest in the region of Ibiuna, SP, from April 2012 to March 2013. The litterfall production was estimated by 30 collectors distributed randomly in an area of 1000 m2, where the deposited material was collected every 15 days. The decomposition of litterfall was estimated through the mass loss in the period of study. After collecting, the material was dried in an oven at 65 °C for seven days to achieve a constant weight. The decomposition constant k was obteined according to Shanks and Oslon (1961) and the time for 50% and 95% of decomposition was estimated. It was found a higher litterfall production in October (454.3 kg ha-1) and lower production in July (164.9 kg ha-1), with a total amount produced of 3.5 Mg ha-1 year-1. A delay of one month in the precipitation and relative humidity showed great influence in the litter production during the study. The decomposition rate (k) was 3.1 and the time to decompose 50% of the material was estimated in 2 and ½ months and for 95% of the litterfall the time was estimated in 11 and ½ months. The production and decomposition values of this work are within the range found in other sites of secondary tropical forests.

Air contaminants and litter fall decomposition in urban forest areas: The case of São Paulo - SP, Brazil

Background: Urban forests are usually affected by several types of atmospheric contaminants and by abnormal variations in weather conditions, thus facilitating the biotic homogenization and modification of ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycling. Peri‐urban forests and even natural forests that surround metropolitan areas are also subject to anthropogenic effects generated by cities, which may compromise the dynamics of these ecosystems. Hence, this study advances the hypothesis that the forests located at the margins of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP), Brazil, have high concentrations of atmospheric contaminants leading to adverse effects on litter fall stock. Methods: The production, stock and decomposition of litter fall in two forests were quantified. The first, known as Guarapiranga forest, lies closer to the urban area and is located within the MRSP, approximately 20 km from the city center. The second, Curucutu forest, is located 70 km from the urban center. This forest is situated exactly on the border of the largest continuum of vegetation of the Atlantic Forest. To verify the reach of atmospheric pollutants from the urban area, levels of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu) adsorbed on the litter fall deposited on the soil surface of the forests were also quantified. Results: The stock of litter fall and the levels of heavy metals were generally higher in the Guarapiranga forest in the samples collected during the lower rainfall season (dry season). Non‐metric multidimensional scaling multivariate analysis showed a clear distinction of the sample units related to the concentrations of heavy metals in each forest. A subtle difference between the units related to the dry and rainy seasons in the Curucutu forest was also noted. Multivariate Analysis of Variance revealed that both site and season of the year (dry or rainy) were important to differentiate the quantity of heavy metals in litter fall stock, although the analysis did not show the interaction between these two factors. Precipitation appeared to be an important factor to disperse air pollutants; one method to better regulate this process is the development and integration of green infrastructure at city level, which might contribute to nature‐based solutions. Conclusions: Results suggest that although the Curucutu forest is not very far from the MRSP, which could result in heavy metal levels similar to those observed in the Guarapiranga forest, the weather conditions, geographic location and rainfall rates might act as efficient physical barriers against the dispersion of pollutants in the urban area. However, it is important to highlight that in the period studied (2012–2013), MRSP presented unusual features during the winter period marked by the highest levels of precipitation which was due to several numbers of frontal systems and also due to their permanence for a couple days in the region. Thus, it is recommended to continue this study in order to obtain a database for characterizing the seasonal variation of air pollution levels in the litter fall and their adverse effects on ecosystem processes in these remnants of the Atlantic Forest. HighlightsLitter fall stock are different in urban and peri‐urban forests of São Paulo.Rainy winter season influenced the dispersion of air pollutants in São Paulo.Heavy metals airborne are not reaching the peri‐urban forest in the Atlantic Forest.

A Streamlined Approach by a Combination of Bioindication and Geostatistical Methods for Assessing Air Contaminants and Their Effects on Human Health in Industrialized Areas: A Case Study in Southern Brazil

Industrialization in developing countries associated with urban growth results in a number of economic benefits, especially in small or medium-sized cities, but leads to a number of environmental and public health consequences. This problem is further aggravated when adequate infrastructure is lacking to monitor the environmental impacts left by industries and refineries. In this study, a new protocol was designed combining biomonitoring and geostatistics to evaluate the possible effects of shale industry emissions on human health and wellbeing. Futhermore, the traditional and expensive air quality method based on PM2.5 measuring was also used to validate the low-cost geostatistical approach. Chemical analysis was performed using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (EDXRF) to measure inorganic elements in tree bark and shale retorted samples in São Mateus do Sul city, Southern Brazil. Fe, S, and Si were considered potential pollutants in the study area. Distribution maps of element concentrations were generated from the dataset and used to estimate the spatial behavior of Fe, S, and Si and the range from their hot spot(s), highlighting the regions sorrounding the shale refinery. This evidence was also demonstrated in the measurements of PM2.5 concentrations, which are in agreement with the information obtained from the biomonitoring and geostatistical model. Factor and descriptive analyses performed on the concentrations of tree bark contaminants suggest that Fe, S, and Si might be used as indicators of industrial emissions. The number of cases of respiratory diseases obtained from local basic health unit were used to assess a possible correlation between shale refinery emissions and cases of repiratory disease. These data are public and may be accessed on the website of the the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Significant associations were found between the health data and refinery activities. The combination of the spatial characterization of air pollution and clinical health data revealed that adverse effects were significant for individuals over 38 years of age. These results also suggest that a protocol designed to monitor urban air quality may be an effective and low-cost strategy in environmentally contaminated cities, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Impacto ambiental por desmatamento e soterramento na Mata Atlântica: um estudo de caso no entorno da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP)

Resumen pt: Neste estudo, objetivou-se promover uma discussao sobre o impacto causado pelo desmatamento ilegal de arvores em remanescentes florestais na Regiao Metro...