Resumo

DE ALBUQUERQUE, Ulysses Paulino  e  FARIAS PAIVA DE LUCENA, Reinaldo. Can apparency affect the use of plants by local people in tropical forests?. INCI [online]. 2005, vol.30, n.8, pp.506-510. ISSN 0378-1844.

Ethnobotanists generally assume that an increase in a taxon’s abundance implies increased local relative importance. This idea, based on a simple prediction of the apparency hypothesis, suggests that people will tend to use plants that are easy to find. Since this prediction was put forward in the 1990’s, field researchers have often demonstrated relationships (frequently positive) between the structural parameters of a plant community and the manner in which local communities use these resources; but there is no consistent evidence yet to affirm that these relationships are in any way constant, or even exist at all. The importance of examining the apparency hypothesis in tropical regions is discussed in terms of management, conservation, and bioprospection strategies.

Palavras-chave : Apparency; Ethnobotany; Medicinal plants.