Assessment of differences between two vegetation physiognomies, including the variation among strata, provides insights on biodiversity conservation of “Cerrado”

Abstract

A number of studies have focused on the species composition and diversity of the woody vegetation of the “Cerrado”, but few comparative data are available on the flora or the structure of different physiognomies and vegetation strata, precluding more general assessments of variations within the biome. We aimed to evaluate the diversity, species composition, and structure of the upper (trunk diameter at 30 cm above the ground—D 30 ≥ 10 cm), middle (D 30 ≥ 5 and <10 cm) and lower (D 30 ≥ 2 and <5 cm) strata of two plots of typical “Cerrado” (TC1 and TC2) and two of sparse “Cerrado” (SC1 and SC2) in the Serra Azul State Park in Barra do Garcas, Mato Grosso, Brazil, discussing possible implications for the conservation of the biodiversity of the “Cerrado”. We sampled 3658 individuals representing 75 species and 29 families. The density and diversity of species were higher in the TC plots, irrespective of the stratum analyzed. In all four plots, the density of the middle and lower strata was higher than that of the upper one, although species richness tended to be higher in the middle and upper strata. Species composition was highly similar between SC and TC plots. The same species were dominant in all four plots, and no indicator species were identified for either type of vegetation, indicating that the SC plots represent a subset of the TC ones. Given this, it is important that the selection of areas for conservation units includes both types of habitat, considering their distinct compositions and structural characteristics. This would contribute considerably to the preservation of the diversity of the local flora.