ABSTRACT
The objective of the present study was to analyze the growth of Parkia platycephala and Enterolobium timbouva (Mimosaceae), tree species native to Cerrado, in a strictus sensus Cerrado area in the municipality of Porto Nacional, Tocantins. Twenty plants of each species were evaluated at thirty-day intervals during twenty-five months (February/2008 through February/2010). The following variables were analyzed: number of leaves produced, plant height, and stem diameter. Foliar phenology was also studied (August/2008 through February/2010) by analyzing five randomly-selected individuals of each species. Three branches of each individual were marked and all their leaves were evaluated in terms of emergence and abscission periods. Foliar herbivory was determined based on interval-scale classes of twenty-five per cent each. The results revealed that leaf production and growth in height in Parkia platycephala and Enterolobium timbouva were predominant during the rainy season. In terms of stem diameter, Parkia platycephala presented a better development when compared to Enterolobium timbouva. The relative growth rate increased expressively along the rainy season in both species. An increase in leaf predation was also observed during the wet season in the two species studied. As both species were exposed to the same environmental conditions, the greater relative growth rate observed in P. platycephala can be attributed to its physiological and anatomical features, which among other factors, contributed to a lower leaf predation by herbivores.
Key words:
fava-de-bolota; herbivory; relative growth rate; tamboril
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