Comparative wood anatomy of two tropical species

Wood Anatomy is science field very relevant to understanding environmental climate changes and important in suggested to species conservation. The present study proposed the characterization of wood anatomy of Inga alba and Tapirira guianensis from two locations in the Legal Amazon, establishing ecological relationships between both and their habitat. The species were described and characterized according to standards for wood anatomy of IAWA. The quantitative data were submitted to ANAVA and later to PCA (principal components analysis). Qualitatively, characters such as slightly different growth layers, bounded by fibrous zones, diffuse porosity, diagonal arrangement, predominantly solitary vessel, simple perforate plate, libriform and septate fibers, heterogeneous rays were common the two species independent sites following the pattern for Tropical rainforests. However, there were quantitative differences for diameter and frequency mm2 of vessel, and frequency of rays per linear mm related in sites where substrates are most nutritious. As for diameter of pits, there were significant differences, however, in this case, related to species. Similarities between qualitative characters suggest that species inserted in the same environment, even if they belong to different rates, can share several adaptive characters

Relações morfo-anatômicas dos elementos traqueais de genótipos de Eucalyptus L´Héritier

Dentre as diversas adaptações essenciais para a conquista do ambiente terrestre pelas Angiospermas, destacam-se as células especializadas do xilema secundário. Diante do exposto, objetivou-se com o presente trabalho analisar morfo-anatomicamente os elementos de vaso do xilema secundário de seis genótipos de Eucalyptus, bem como a variação radial dos caracteres, relacionando-os com o ângulo de inclinação da placa de perfuração. De cada genótipo foram obtidos corpos de prova em três posições no sentido medula-casca. A mensuração do ângulo de inclinação da placa de perfuração dos elementos de vaso foi realizada em material macerado, mensurando o ângulo de inclinação da placa de perfuração em relação ao eixo axial, utilizando software com calibração angular conhecida. Os elementos de vaso dos genótipos de Eucalyptus tiveram inclinação da placa de perfuração entre 24-37°, em relação ao eixo axial do elemento traqueal. Os menores valores no ângulo de inclinação foram encontrados na posição 2 (intermediária). Ao contrário do esperado, os maiores valores foram observados na posição 1 (interno - próximo à medula), seguidos pela posição 3 (externo-próximo à casca). O aumento nos comprimentos dos elementos de vaso, frequência por mm2 e diâmetro das pontoações é diretamente proporcional à inclinação da placa de perfuração. O diâmetro dos elementos de vaso por sua vez apresenta relação inversa, ou seja, a medida que o diâmetro aumenta, o ângulo de inclinação da placa de perfuração diminui

Análise da superfície usinada da madeira de clones de Toona ciliata M. Roemer var. australis

The use and costs of solid wood products are directly linked to the quality of the feedstock. One example is the furniture market, the better the surface quality of the wood is, the greater its commercial value is. Knowing the behavior of wood during the machining process is an important parameter to characterize and give specific uses for each species. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the surface quality of wood from Toona ciliata M. Roemer var. australis clones, its potential uses after the machining process and to define, among the evaluated clones, the one with the best surface quality. Thus, thirty-five trees (7 clones x 5 repetitions) were selected from a plantation located in the southern region of Minas Gerais state, from which 1m long logs were removed (0.3 to 1.3 m from the base), and later unfolding on boards. Drying took place in the shade and outdoors, until equilibrium humidity was reached. The machining process (planer and thicknessing) of the boards took place at the forward speeds of 6 m.min-1 and 30 m.min-1. The evaluations of the surface quality took place visually, according to the ASTM D-1666 (2011) standard and by the surface roughness test. Among the seven clones studied, the number 1 presented higher surface quality in machining and, in general, with the increase in the forward speed, there was a reduction in surface quality.O uso e os custos de produtos de madeira sólida estão diretamente ligados ao grau de qualidade da matéria-prima. O mercado moveleiro é exemplo disso, pois quanto melhor a qualidade superficial da madeira, maior será seu valor comercial. Conhecer o comportamento da madeira durante o processo de usinagem é um importante parâmetro para caracterizar e dar usos específicos para cada espécie. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a qualidade da superfície da madeira de clones de Toona ciliata M. Roemer var. australis, seus potenciais usos após o processo de usinagem e definir, entre os clones avaliados, o de melhor qualidade superficial. Para isso, foram selecionadas trinta e cinco árvores (7 clones x 5 repetições) de um plantio localizado na região sul de Minas Gerais, das quais retirou-se toras de 1m de comprimento (0,3 a1,3 m a partir da base), e posteriormente desdobrando-se em tábuas. A secagem ocorreu nas condições ambientais de sombra e ao ar livre, até atingir a umidade de equilíbrio. O processo de usinagem (plaina e desengrosso) das tábuas ocorreu nas velocidades de avanço de 6 m.min-1 e 30 m.min-1. As avaliações da qualidade da superfície ocorreram de forma visual, conforme a norma ASTM D-1666 (2011) e pelo ensaio de rugosidade da superfície. Constatou-se que, dentre os sete clones estudados, o de número 1 apresentou maior qualidade de superfície na usinagem e, de modo geral, com o aumento da velocidade de avanço, houve redução da qualidade da superfície

ESTIMATION OF HEIGHT OF EUCALYPTUS TREES WITH NEUROEVOLUTION OF AUGMENTING TOPOLOGIES (NEAT)

<div><p>ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the method of neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (NEAT) to adjust the weights and the topology of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in the estimation of tree height in a clonal population of eucalyptus, and compare with estimates obtained by a hypsometric regression model. To estimate the total tree height (Ht), the RNAs and the regression model, we used as variables a diameter of 1.3 m height (dbh) and the dominant height (Hd). The RNAs were adjusted and applied to the computer system NeuroForest, varying the size of the initial population (the genetic algorithm parameter) and the density of initial connections. Estimates of the total height of the trees obtained with the use of RNA and the regression model were evaluated based on the correlation coefficient, the percentage of errors scatter plot, the percentage frequency histogram of percentage errors, and the root mean square error (root mean square error - RMSE). Various settings which resulted in superior statistics to the hypsometric regression model were found. Connections had the highest correlation and the lowest RMSE% with a population size value of 300 and an initial density of 0.1 RNA. The NEAT methodology proved effective in estimating the height of trees in clonal population of eucalyptus.</p></div

Rock n' Seeds: A database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation

Advancing functional ecology depends fundamentally on the availability of data on reproductive traits, including those from tropical plants, which have been historically underrepresented in global trait databases. Although some valuable databases have been created recently, they are mainly restricted to temperate areas and vegetative traits such as leaf and wood traits. Here, we present Rock n' Seeds, a database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation, recognized as outstanding centers of diversity and endemism. Data were compiled through a systematic literature search, resulting in 103 publications from which seed functional traits were extracted. The database includes information on 16 functional traits for 383 taxa from 148 genera, 50 families, and 25 orders. These 16 traits include two dispersal, six production, four morphological, two biophysical, and two germination traits-the major axes of the seed ecological spectrum. The database also provides raw data for 48 germination experiments, for a total of 10,187 records for 281 taxa. Germination experiments in the database assessed the effect of a wide range of abiotic and biotic factors on germination and different dormancy-breaking treatments. Notably, 8255 of these records include daily germination counts. This input will facilitate synthesizing germination data and using this database for a myriad of ecological questions. Given the variety of seed traits and the extensive germination information made available by this database, we expect it to be a valuable resource advancing comparative functional ecology and guiding seed-based restoration and biodiversity conservation in tropical megadiverse ecosystems. There are no copyright restrictions on the data; please cite this paper when using the current data in publications; also the authors would appreciate notification of how the data are used in publications