Estrutura espacial de theobroma subincanum mart. E theobroma speciosum willd. ex spreng. no parque nacional do juruena, mato grosso

Abstract

Analysis of the spatial distribution is a very useful tool to understand the ecological behavior of the species in that it provides information that underlies management strategies and influences the population structure. To study the horizontal structure of the species T. speciosum (Cacaui) and T. subincanum (Cupui) in the “Parque Nacional do Juruena”, Mato Grosso state, a 200 x 160 m grid was implemented and divided into 40 adjacent 20 x 40 m subplots. All individuals of the species under study that had DBH > 1 cm were measured. The following parameters were analyzed: number of individuals, density, total height, basal area, diametric distribution, and spatial distribution. The research sampled 165 T. speciosum trees (51.56 ind.ha-1) and 34 T. subincanum (10.62 ind.ha-1) , with an average diameter of 6.72 cm and 12.44 respectively, the T. speciosum individuals showed an aggregated distribution pattern, while the T. subincanum individuals presented a random pattern. The diametric distribution of T. speciosum followed an exponential distribution in a reverse-J shaped pattern, behavior expected for a forest environment with little anthropic pressure, while T. subincanum did not follow the same pattern, though the species demonstrated to be well established in the area, with significant number of individuals in all diameter classes, thus,the results indicate the importance of conservation areas established in order to safeguard the natural environment from the pressures of anthropic actions, and also the need for studies in the region of the Amazon biome.