Ecological features of titica vine (Heteropsis flexuosa (Kunth) GS Bunting) in Rondônia State, Northwest Brazilian Amazon

The aim of this study was to characterize the forest structure with H. flexuosa in Rondônia State, as a first step in developing sustainable harvest and conservation guidelines for the species. Crown attributes, total height (m) and diameter at breast height ≥ 10 (cm) of trees and palms with H. flexuosa were evaluated in three permanent plots (100 m x 150 m each) randomized in 219 ha. A total of 22 botanical families hosted H. flexuosa. It was not observed any specific preference for the species standing up itself. Nevertheless it was frequently associated to Burseraceae, Leguminosae, Sapotaceae, Annonaceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Apocynaceae, Moraceae and Myristicaceae and species with thick bark like Schweilera coriacea, Protium sp. and Licania membranaceae. The species was less frequent with taller and broader trees and tended to develop in understory light condition. Trunks or branches were the main position for the attaching of H. flexuosa (90.83%) and a low frequency of other lianas was observed on the same host trees. These highlight the need to promote appropriate management practices for root harvesting and species conservation in order to maintain the species in open ombrophylus forest habitat

Interspecific differences in the oleoresin production of Copaifera L. (Fabaceae) in the Amazon rainforest

Context Copaifera species produce an oleoresin of commercial importance that is widely extracted in Amazon communities. Aims This paper addresses two questions. (1) What are the morphological characteristics of Copaifera species that influence oleoresin production? (2) How do different Copaifera species respond to repeated harvests? Methods We performed a large-scale experiment in the Brazilian Amazon. We tapped 110 Copaifera trees belonging to four species, and several morphological tree characteristics were measured to determine their effect on oleoresin production. Results The proportion of Copaifera reticulata and Copaifera paupera trees that yielded more than 1 ml oleoresin was higher than the other species. The oleoresin volumes from yielding Copaifera pubiflora trees were significantly higher than those from C. reticulata and C. paupera, with Copaifera multijuga yielding intermediate values. Interestingly, none of the studied morphological tree characteristics had a significant effect on the proportion of yielding trees. Hollowed trees yielded significantly smaller volumes than non-hollowed trees. Both the proportion of yielding trees and oleoresin volumes decreased from the first to the second harvests for C. reticulata and C. paupera; however, the opposite pattern was observed for C. pubiflora. Conclusions Oleoresin production capacity varies by species, and management protocols should account for these differences