Morfologia da arquitetura de copa de Poincianella pyramidalis (TUL) L.P. Queiroz em diferentes estádios de desenvolvimento vegetal

Abstract

The canopy architecture study of species with morphologic, physiological and anatomical conditions of arid climates environments can bring understanding of the dynamics of growth of individuals in these environments. This study aimed to represent the archi tecture of the Poincianella pyramidalis (Tul) L.P. Queiroz canopy, through a network of knots and connectors, in order to show differences between individuals at different stages of plant development. The research was conducted in a forest fragment located in the city of Barra de Santana-PB in the Brazilian semiarid region. A network of knots and connectors represented the tree canopy of five individuals in three developmental stages: young, intermediate and adult. The height and diameter at ground level of the individuals was the criteria used to establish the plant developmental stages. The adult trees showed the highest values of knots and connectors and longer distances between knots indicating greater complexity of the tree canopy compared to young and intermediate trees. The knot types that occurred more frequently in all subjects in the three categories studied were the final and regular knots. The variable heights and diameter at ground level of individuals showed a positive correlation with the values of the architectural parameters. Therefore, this species does not maintain a standard in canopy architecture during its development, with different models of canopy architecture among young and adult plants showing adaptive features to the conditions of competition for resources.