SPATIO-TEMPORAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO SEASONAL FORESTS OF WESTERN BAHIA, BARREIRAS-BA

Abstract

In studies with physiognomies of the Cerrado Biome, seasonal forests were among the formations with greatestneed of study. Although there is significant increase of research in recent years, they have focused on thesouthern and southeastern Brazil, while in much of the Northeast Cerrado, there are still many gaps in knowledgeof ecological processes involving seasonal forests. This study aims to fill part of this deficiency in describing thespatial structure and dynamics of vegetation cover in two seasonal forests. Throughout the regional landscapethese vegetation types are generally restricted to drainage lines near the dominant aspects of the plains in thisregion. For the assessment space of two vegetation types and structural diagrams were prepared profiles ofvegetation and floristic analysis, while the temporal dynamics was observed by calculating the Leaf Area Index(LAI) of wet and dry seasons with reference to satellite imagery. It was found that the forests have studiedstructural and floristic differences, which play a fundamental role in the temporaldynamics perceived by theLAI, whose indices are similar in the rainy season, distinguishing itself significantly in the dry season. This studydemonstrates the importance of these methodologies in the definition of landscape units.