Abstract
Fire can produce a hierarchical pattern of vegetation patchiness, from the large, landscape scale to the microscale, the dynamic nature of which changes over time. The aim of this study was to explore the microscale structural patchiness of Brazilian savanna vegetation (cerrado) in areas with different fire regimes at the mosaic formed by Assis Ecological Station, and Assis State Forest, São Paulo State. Vegetation was analysed in 80 m transects divided into twenty 4 m length plots that were established in four areas of savanna. The line-intercept method was used to estimate percentage cover of all species encountered at three different vertical heights, 0-50 cm, 50-100 cm and 100-150 cm, in the herbaceous layer. Measurements of all the trees and shrubs present in the 4 m x 4 m quadrats were taken, together with soil samples at intervals along the transects. Results suggest that fire frequency is related to vegetation structural heterogeneity, at certain scales and within certain vegetation levels. Frequent burning may cause the greatest amount of heterogeneity, with the herbaceous layer being most notably influenced. The multivariate analysis indicates, however, no clear differences in species composition between transects with different fire histories or soil properties.
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