Phytosociology in areas of the Brazilian Cerrado: Cerrado stricto sensu, municipality of Porto Nacional, State of Tocantins

Vanda Fernandes De Matos,Ronaldo Rodrigues Coimbra,Solange De Fátima Lolis,Rodney Haulien Oliveira Viana

doi:10.4025/actascibiolsci.v42i1.50353

Vanda Fernandes De Matos, Ronaldo Rodrigues Coimbra + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4025/actascibiolsci.v42i1.50353

Copy DOI

Abstract

Phytosociological studies are essential for the elaboration of conservation strategies for the Cerrado. The goal of this study was to survey two areas of cerrado stricto sensu: Fazenda Canaã and Fazenda Providência, located in the Municipality of Porto Nacional, State of Tocantins. There were 10 plots of 100 m2 allocated in each area. All individuals with circumference equal to or greater than 10 cm, at ground height ≥10 cm were sampled, soil samples were taken for physical-chemical analysis. Sampling in Canaã resulted in 379 individuals belonging to 28 families and 50 species. In Providência, there were 300 individuals from 27 families and 49 species. The Shannon-Wiener Index for the Canaã was 3.48 and for Providência, 3.45. The studied areas presented a large number of small sized individuals, presenting a reverse J-shaped diameter structure. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed significant scores for the first axes (p < 0.05) according to the Monte Carlo test, which explained 70% total variability of the data. The variables with the highest structure coefficient in axis 1 were clay (0.94), pH (0.62) and magnesium (-0.32). On axis 2, the most important variables were aluminum (0.29), silt (0.25) and potassium (-0.078). These soil variables show a differentiation of the study areas.

Highlights

Cerrado has a high diversity of plant species and 45% of these species are endemic to this formation, with a high risk of extinction, for this reason it is considered one of the conservation hotspots, i.e., the most diverse tropical savanna in the world (Klink & Machado, 2005).Felfili, Nogueira, Silva Júnior, Marimon, and Delitti (2002) stated that about 37% of the original Cerrado cover has already been destroyed by human activities responsible for the formation of pasture and crop areas
While in Providência, a smaller number of individuals and families were sampled, with a total of 300 living individuals belonging to 27 families and 49 species, and 44 genera were identified
The most species-rich family was Fabaceae, which was already expected, as it has been considered as the richest in studies performed in cerrado stricto sensu, such as Marmontel, Delgado, and Santos (2014) in the Jequitinhonha Valley, State of Minas Gerais; Umetsu, Faria, and Corrêa Neto (2012) in Mirassol D’Oeste, State of Mato Grosso; Fernandes, Zoch, Mata, and Walter (2013) in the eastern portion of the Federal District; Pedreira, Alves, Lolis, and Viana (2011) in the Municipality of Porto Nacional, State of Tocantins; Costa, Cunha, and Costa (2010) in two areas in the northern portion of the State of Minas Gerais and Giácomo, Carvalho, Pereira, Souza, and Gaui (2013) at the Pirapitinga ecological station, State of Minas Gerais

Summary

Introduction

Cerrado has a high diversity of plant species and 45% of these species are endemic to this formation, with a high risk of extinction, for this reason it is considered one of the conservation hotspots, i.e., the most diverse tropical savanna in the world (Klink & Machado, 2005).Felfili, Nogueira, Silva Júnior, Marimon, and Delitti (2002) stated that about 37% of the original Cerrado cover has already been destroyed by human activities responsible for the formation of pasture and crop areas. Cerrado has a high diversity of plant species and 45% of these species are endemic to this formation, with a high risk of extinction, for this reason it is considered one of the conservation hotspots, i.e., the most diverse tropical savanna in the world (Klink & Machado, 2005). Phytosociological surveys provide relevant data on plant communities and enable the verification of possible relationships between species (Silva, Costa, Santo Filho, Ferreira, & Brandão, 2002). These studies define ecological values of varied environments mainly for conservation of species diversity considering the different spatial scales (Gomes, Lenza, Maracahipes, Marimon, & Oliveira, 2011)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion