Biodiversity and biomass relationships in a cerrado stricto sensu in Southeastern Brazil.

Abstract

Deforestation accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries. In Brazil, deforestation represents ~ 70% of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. Among the main deforested vegetation, Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) occupies a prominent position as it is the second biggest biome in Brazil. Despite its importance, there are still few estimates of above and belowground biomass of Cerrado vegetation encompassing its structural and spatial complexity. Also, Cerrado holds a specific biodiversity that is normally undervalued and which is being lost in the fires of agricultural fronts. In this context, this study aimed to verify the relationship of the existing flora biodiversity in a cerrado stricto sensu with its aboveground biomass and carbon stocks. The possibility of a relationship between fine root mass and soil organic carbon content was also verified. The study area presented a total of 67 species and 798 trees (average: 1596 trees ha-1). The mean total aboveground biomass and carbon stocks were 77.08Mgha-1 and 38.54Mgha-1 respectively. Soil organic carbon stock (0-30cm) was 8.51Mgha-1 whereas fine roots were 1.637Mgha-1. Total aboveground biomass presented a highly significant asymptotic relationship with biodiversity demonstrating its importance in reaching high biomass accumulation. A significant relationship between soil organic carbon content and fine root biomass was found making easier belowground biomass estimates.