Phenology of Tree Species Populations in Tropical Dry Forests of Southeastern Brazil

Tropical dry forests (TDFs) are forest formations that occur in regions with two marked seasons (dry and wet) and are characterized by some degree of foliar deciduousness (Murphy & Lugo, 1986). Recent estimates show that 1,048,700 km2 of TDFs exist worldwide (Miles et al., 2006). The two largest continuous areas of this physiognomy are located in South America and include northeastern Brazil and the region incorporating southeastern Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina (Miles et al., 2006).