XVI International Botanical Congess

We observed the phenological patterns of trees from two ARF types at 4 sites: premontane forest and coastal-plain forest. All sites experience a non-seasonal tropical-wet climate, lacking a dry season. We tested for the occurrence of seasonal patterns within each site and compared the patterns among the forest sites using circular statistics. Flowering and leaf flushing patterns of ARF trees were significantly seasonal, concentrated at the beginning of the wettest season, and were significantly correlated with day-length and temperature. These results stress the influence that day-length on ever-wet forest tree phenology. Fruiting were aseasonal in all forests. Flowering patterns did not differ significantly among three of four forest sites analyzed, suggesting the occurrence of a general flowering pattern for ARF trees. (Supported by FAPESP/CNPq)