Manoel Cláudio da Silva Júnior

Diversity, floristic and structural patterns of cerrado vegetation in Central Brazil

The cerrado has been identified as one of the richest and most threatened biomes of the world, but few phytogeographical studies have been undertaken in the region. A total of 70 land systems based on climate, landscape and soils have been identified in the region, but it remains to be seen if the distribution and structure of the plant communities support these divisions. The aim of this work was to compare the floristic and structural similarity of cerrado sensu stricto within and between three physiographic units, named Pratinha, Veadeiros and São Francisco, which contain six land systems in central Brazil and cover 10 degrees of latitude and five degrees of longitude. The woody vegetation of 15 selected sites of the cerrado sensu stricto physiognomy was surveyed under a standardized methodology. The number of species per site varied from 55 to 97, with most sites having around 60 to 70 species, and Shannon´s diversity indices ranged from 3.44 to 3.73, with most sites around 3.5 suggesting high alpha diversity. Sørensen´s floristic similarity index was high, with all Figures above 0.5 between the sites in the same land system in each physiographic unit but low between sites in different land systems in the Veadeiros. Czekanowski similarity indices were lower than Sørensen’s in the comparisons due to a high structural differentiation between the sites. There is a large overlap in species occurrence in the sites but the size of their populations is very different at each site. Therefore, the high beta diversity is mostly due to differences in abundance of species between sites. The sites were separated by physiographic units, considering the first three divisions of TWINSPAN classification. The first axis of DCA ordination showed a gradient going from the cerrado on deep soils in Pratinha, through to those on sandy soils in São Francisco and ending on the shallower soils of the Veadeiros. Land systems conformed well with the floristic and structural variations of the vegetation, indicating their potential use in designing a network of conservation areas in the cerrado region and as a basis for decision-making on management.

Changes in the floristic composition of cerrado sensu stricto in Brazil over a nine-year period.

Changes in floristic composition and structure in a cerrado sensu stricto area were studied over a 9-y period. A sample of 19 (20-m x 50-m) permanent plots was assessed at 3-y intervals from 1985 to 1994, when all stems ≥ 5 cm at 0.30 m above the ground level were measured. There was little change in species composition over the period. Changes in density and basal area of the whole community were in the range of 5% over the 9 y. These parameters fluctuated over the years with the greatest differences found in the comparisons of 1991, 2 y after an accidental fire reached the site, with other years. The changes in density and basal area were greater than in several tropical forests, probably due to disturbances such as fire occurring at 3 to 5-y intervals, The nearly constant density and basal area suggested a highly resilient community.

Fitossociologia e similaridade florística entre trechos de Cerrado sentido restrito em interflúvio e em vale no Jardim Botânico de Brasília, DF

This study aims to check differences in the floristic composition and structure of the woody vegetation of the cerrado (sensu stricto) in two distinct topographic positions, Interfluve (I) and Valley Slope (V) area in the Brasilia Botanic Gardens, Federal District, Brazil. In each area ten 20x50m permanent plots were located to survey individuals, basal diameter BD(30cm) > 5cm. UPGMA classification (Sorensen and Morisita similarity indices) was used to assess similarity among plots. Phytosociological analysis indicated the most important species in the interfluve site as: Ouratea hexasperma (A. St.Hil) Baill., Miconia ferruginata DC. and Dalbergia miscolobium Benth., while Eriotheca pubescens (Mart. & Zucc.) Schott & Endl., Ouratea hexasperma (A. St.Hil.) Baill. and Schefflera macrocarpa (Seem) D.C. Frodin were important in the valley slope area. Sorensen and Morisita indices ranged from 0.26 to 0.81 (Sorensen) and from 0.06 to 0.92 respectively. UPGMA classification indicated two main groups in accordance with positions in topography: interfluvic area and valley slope. Topography is highlighted as a strong determinant of the woody species population and community distribution, through its effect in the water table levels, which act in the floristic composition, density (I/V = 1,219/956 ind.ha-1) and basal area (I/V = 8.56/5.64m2.ha-1) in the Cerrado (sensu stricto) of Interfluve (I) and Valley Slope (V) in the Brasilia Botanic Gardens, Federal District, Brazil.

Avaliação de brigadas de incêndios florestais em unidades de conservação

The objective of this study was to determine the working conditions and training level of forest fire volunteers of the Jardim Botânico de Brasilia, IBGE Ecological Reserve and Agua Limpa Farm, Universidade de Brasilia. The study was carried out during the first semester of 2000 on the headquarters of the three brigades located in each Conservation Unit. The methodology consisted in applying questionnaires and interviews to the brigadiers and their coordinators. The data set was analyzed for the three brigades, with the best training level and brigadier satisfaction being found at the IBGE Ecological Reserve, and the worst at the UnB´s Agua Limpa Farm. No individual protection equipment was available to the forest fire fighters and the number of forest fire fighting equipments and tools was not sufficient. No road maintenance machines were at the disposal of the brigades. Only the IBGE Ecological Reserve Brigade was supplied with a pipe truck for forest fire fighting. Agua Limpa farm Brigade had the greatest participation in educational campaigns at the nearby communities. It was concluded that all the brigades have a good training and skill level and despite the limitation of tools and equipments, they are able to fight small forest fires. The worst problem found was the lack of individual protection during forest fire fighting, what may cause accidents.

Relação entre a vegetação e as propriedades do solo em áreas de campo limpo úmido no Parque Nacional de Sete Cidades, Piauí, Brasil

Variations in soil proprieties seem to determine the spatial distribution of plant communities in the moist grassland. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the floristic composition and structure of the herbaceous-subshrub layer and soil and spatial variables in grassland communities in the National Park of Sete Cidades, Piaui, Brazil. The composition and linear coverage of the species were assessed by the line-intercept method. A total of 17 lines of 10 m, subdivided in sections of 1 m, were distributed into six distinct areas. Soil samples were collected for chemical and textural analysis. We sampled 71 taxa in 46 genera and 25 families. Through canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) the lines sampled were separated into three groups, associated with the textural and chemical soil properties, which coincided with the most similar sites. The multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) found significant differences between groups of the CCA. The environmental variables most strongly correlated were Cu, Fe, aluminum saturation, silt, Zn, base saturation and sand, accounting for 37.9% of data variation. The spatial distance between the lines accounted for 16.8% of the explained variance. The distribution of the wet grasslands in the park seems to be determined by texture and soil fertility gradients.

Tree diversity and above-ground biomass in the South America Cerrado biome and their conservation implications

Less than half of the original two million square kilometers of the Cerrado vegetation remains standing, and there are still many uncertainties as to how to conserve and prioritize remaining areas effectively. A key limitation is the continuing lack of geographically-extensive evaluation of ecosystem-level properties across the biome. Here we sought to address this gap by comparing the woody vegetation of the typical cerrado of the Cerrado–Amazonia Transition with that of the core area of the Cerrado in terms of both tree diversity and vegetation biomass. We used 21 one-hectare plots in the transition and 18 in the core to compare key structural parameters (tree height, basal area, and above-ground biomass), and diversity metrics between the regions. We also evaluated the effects of temperature and precipitation on biomass, as well as explored the species diversity versus biomass relationship. We found, for the first time, both that the typical cerrado at the transition holds substantially more biomass than at the core, and that higher temperature and greater precipitation can explain this difference. By contrast, plot-level alpha diversity was almost identical in the two regions. Finally, contrary to some theoretical expectations, we found no positive relationship between species diversity and biomass for the Cerrado woody vegetation. This has implications for the development of effective conservation measures, given that areas with high biomass and importance for the compensation of greenhouse gas emissions are often not those with the greatest diversity.