SPACE PATTERN OF FOREST SPECIES AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH AGRICULTURAL FACTORS AGROFLORESTAL SYSTEM

Abstract

The objective of this work was to describe the spatial distribution pattern of the arboreal and regenerating forest stratum and its relationship with edaphic factors in a multistratified agroforestry system without management. The data were obtained by means of a census of the arboreal and regenerating plants, in which the variables diameter were measured at 1.30m of the soil and total height, besides the botanical identification. The plants of the arboreal stratum were grouped in diameter and height classes and the regenerating plants in height classes. In both strata, the horizontal structure indicators were estimated and the species of higher Importance Value Index (IVI) were selected to perform the spatial analysis. The K Ripley function was applied in the univariate case to test the hypothesis of complete randomness in the groups and in the arboreal and regenerating species of higher IVI. In the bivariate case, the Ripley K function was applied to test the hypothesis of complete spatial independence between groups or aggregate pattern species, with edaphic attributes. The results indicated random spatial pattern for most of the tested groups, with only the species Gliricidia sepium and Archontophoenix alexandrae with aggregate spatial pattern, up to 30m distance, in the arboreal and regenerating strata, respectively. However, no spatial relationship was observed between the pattern of distribution of the species and the soil factors of agroforestry system (SAF). In general, it is concluded that edaphic factors were fundamental in the development of plants, but not for the formation of aggregates