Zoning for edaphoclimatic aptitude of Bambusa vulgaris and Dendrocalamus giganteus in Brazil

Abstract

The use of renewable materials and more sustainable processes are essential to minimize the negative impacts of population growth. Bamboo is a viable alternative, because it is a product with potential properties for wood replacement. However, to achieve a good yield, it is necessary to identify suitable sites for the forestry of the species. This study aimed to forecast favorable areas for the best establishment and development of Bambusa vulgaris and Dendrocalamus giganteus in the Brazilian territory, functioning as a zoning for edaphoclimatic aptitude that can support decision-making. It was performed using georeferenced points of natural occurrence for the species, collected from a virtual herbarium. The environmental variables were extracted from the WorldClim, MOD16 and SoilGrids databases. In order to select the set of variables to be used for modeling each species, a correlation test was performed. From this result, ten environmental variables were used for each species, and non-correlated variables were chosen. A principal component analyses was applied to select the variables that better explained variability. For the distribution map, the Maxent algorithm was used, based on the principle of maximum entropy, evaluated by the AUC and TSS metrics. Bambusa vulgaris presents a large area for adaptation in the Brazilian territory, unlike the Dendrocalamus giganteus species, which showed a limited aptitude area.

KEYWORDS: Species distribution modeling, bamboo, georeferencing.