The Influence of the Environment and the Use of Woody Plants: New Evidence for the Ecological Apparency Hypothesis

The Ecological Apparency Hypothesis (EAH) was initially proposed to understand herbivore foraging choices in the face of plant diversity. Based on this premise, the hypothesis was adapted to humans, proposing that more apparent plant species are more frequently used by people compared to less apparent ones. This study aimed to assess whether the EAH explains the selection and use of woody species in an ecotone area. The research was conducted in the Ausente Community, Barão de Grajaú, Maranhão, Brazil. A phytosociological inventory was carried out using the plot method, covering an area of 0.75 ha. In parallel, free listing and semi-structured interviews were conducted with local residents to identify useful species and their associated uses. The inventory recorded 930 tree individuals from 14 species, with a predominance of the Fabaceae family. Free listing and interviews involved 107 residents and revealed 115 ethnospecies with 140 use citations. Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were used to test whether phytosociological parameters were related to the use value (UV) of species and to assess the applicability of the EAH across use categories. The results indicated that the EAH explained plant resource selection only for the forage category, with no significant results for the other use categories or for general use value in relation to phytosociological parameters. Therefore, it is concluded that the EAH alone does not adequately explain the selection of plant resources by community members, which may be influenced by cultural and socioeconomic factors specific to each community.