Floristic Composition and Community Structure in an Area of Cerrado in SE Brazil

Abstract

Summary Cerrado is the generic name for the savanna-like vegetation which occupies the vast area of the central Brazilian plateau and also extends into peripheral, fragmented islands within the Surrounding moist forests. Cerrado occurs as a complex of intergrading structural sub-types which range from more or less closed forest to open grassland with scattercd shrubs, and it also shows phytogeographical shifts in floristic composition although these are as yet poorly studied. This investigation presents for the first time a full list of the woody species from one of the peripheral islands of cerrado in Sao Paulo state. In addition, a principal components analysis of the data from 60 quadrats of 10 × 25 m indicates that the two community subtypes present in this area, cerrado and campo cerrado, distinguished by Goodland on the basis of physiognomic characteristics, can also be defined in terms of species composition. The possible causes for these floristic and physiognomic sub-communities are examined but no single controlling factor can be established.