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The changes in floristic composition, richness, species diversity and ecological groups of a semideciduous seasonal forest located at 14°49′32″S 52°06′20″W in the Cerrado–Amazonian Forest transition, in the area of Nova Xavantina, eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil, were determined between 2003 and 2008. Sixty permanent plots of 10 × 10 m were established, where the individuals with diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥ 5 cm were recorded and identified. The changes in floristic composition over the period were small and species losses and gains were limited to those of low abundance. The species richness and diversity did not change during this period and observations over a longer period will be necessary to determine whether it is a static community or in a succession towards the relatively nearby Amazonian forests. A review of existing works on the transition forest of Mato Grosso is also given.

O presente estudo teve como objetivo determinar e comparar a riqueza e a composição de espécies de angiospermas entre campos de murundus (CM) do Parque Estadual do Araguaia (PEA), em uma das maiores planícies de inundação do Brasil. O PEA localiza-se em Novo Santo Antônio, Mato Grosso, sendo delimitado a leste pelo Rio Araguaia e a oeste pelo Rio das Mortes. Foram realizadas coletas intensivas da flora em 11 hectares, e áreas adjacentes, de CM distribuídos ao longo do PEA. Estudos do meio físico foram realizados através de descrições in situ. Os solos são do tipo Plintossolo, hidromórficos minerais, profundos, imperfeitamente a mal drenados, com baixa permeabilidade. No total foram coletadas 318 espécies, 193 gêneros e 66 famílias. Nos CM os valores variaram de 51 a 135 espécies, 42 a 107 gêneros e 27 a 52 famílias. Erythroxylum suberosum foi considerada uma espécie típica de CM brasileiros, Curatella americana típica de CM de Mato Grosso e Byrsonima cydoniifolia típica do PEA. O padrão físico e de distribuição espacial dos murundus pode ser um reflexo do pulso de inundação sazonal, visto que a composição florística dos campos de murundus variou entre as áreas de influência dos rios que delimitam o parque. Este foi o maior levantamento florístico já realizado em CM, permitindo relevante ampliação do conhecimento e registro de espécies típicas do Bioma Cerrado e que ocorrem nessa fitofisionomia. This study aimed to compare angiosperm species richness and composition between floodplain 'murundus' (FM) of Araguaia State Park (ASP) in one of Brazil´s largest floodplains. ASP is located in Novo Santo Antônio, Mato Grosso state, and is bordered on the east by the Araguaia River, and on the west by Das Mortes River. Intensive floristic inventories were made on 11 hectares, and adjacent areas, of FM distributed over ASP. Environmental studies were performed by in situ descriptions. The soils are deep, mineral hydromorphic plinthosols, imperfectly to poorly drained, with low permeability. A total of 318 species, 193 genera and 66 families were collected, and FM values ranged from 51 to 135 species, 42 to 107 genera and 27 to 52 families. Erythroxylum suberosum is a typical species of Brazilian FM, Curatella americana typical of Mato Grosso FM and Byrsonima cydoniifolia typical of the ASP. The physical and spatial distribution pattern of the "murundus" (earthmounds) may reflect the seasonal flood pulse, since the floristic composition of the FM varied between the areas under the influence of the rivers that border the park. This was the largest floristic inventory ever undertaken in FM, with a significant increase in our knowledge and recording of typical species of the Cerrado Biome which occur in this phytophysiognomy.

The present study analyzed the influence of edaphic variables on the floristic compositions and structures of the arboreal and shrub vegetation of typical cerrado (TC) and rocky outcrop cerrado (RC) communities in the Serra Negra mountain range in Piranhas Municipality, Goiás State, Brazil. Ten 20 × 50 m plots were established in each community, and all individuals with minimum diameters ≥ 5 cm measured at 30 cm above soil level were sampled. Composite soil samples were collected at 0-20 cm depths in each plot for physical and chemical analyses. The proportions of above-ground rock cover work also estimated in each RC plot. A total of 2,009 individuals (83 species, 69 genera, and 34 families) were recorded. Qualea parviflora was the only species consistently among the 10 most structurally important taxa in both communities, and was considered a generalist species. The observed and estimated species richnesses were greater in RC than in TC, although plant basal areas and heights did not differ between them. There were positive correlations between rock cover × plant density and rock cover × basal areas. TWINSPAN and PCA analysis separated the TC and RC plots, and three RC habitat specialist species (Wunderlichia mirabilis, Norantea guianensis, and Tibouchina papyrus) were identified. Soil variables were found to have greater effects on the species compositions of the TC and RC sites than the geographic distances between sampling plots. According to CCA analysis, the exclusive (or more abundant species) of each community were correlated with soil variables, and these variables therefore determined the selection of some species and influenced the differentiation of the vegetation structures of the communities studied.

Aim: To examine variation in the phylogenetic diversity (PD) of tree communities across geographical and environmental gradients in Amazonia. Location: Two hundred and eighty-three c. 1 ha forest inventory plots from across Amazonia. Methods: We evaluated PD as the total phylogenetic branch length across species in each plot (PDss), the mean pairwise phylogenetic distance between species (MPD), the mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD) and their equivalents standardized for species richness (ses.PDss, ses.MPD, ses.MNTD). We compared PD of tree communities growing (1) on substrates of varying geological age; and (2) in environments with varying ecophysiological barriers to growth and survival. Results: PDss is strongly positively correlated with species richness (SR), whereas MNTD has a negative correlation. Communities on geologically young- and intermediate-aged substrates (western and central Amazonia respectively) have the highest SR, and therefore the highest PDss and the lowest MNTD. We find that the youngest and oldest substrates (the latter on the Brazilian and Guiana Shields) have the highest ses.PDss and ses.MNTD. MPD and ses.MPD are strongly correlated with how evenly taxa are distributed among the three principal angiosperm clades and are both highest in western Amazonia. Meanwhile, seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) and forests on white sands have low PD, as evaluated by any metric. Main conclusions: High ses.PDss and ses.MNTD reflect greater lineage diversity in communities. We suggest that high ses.PDss and ses.MNTD in western Amazonia results from its favourable, easy-to-colonize environment, whereas high values in the Brazilian and Guianan Shields may be due to accumulation of lineages over a longer period of time. White-sand forests and SDTF are dominated by close relatives from fewer lineages, perhaps reflecting ecophysiological barriers that are difficult to surmount evolutionarily. Because MPD and ses.MPD do not reflect lineage diversity per se, we suggest that PDss, ses.PDss and ses.MNTD may be the most useful diversity metrics for setting large-scale conservation priorities. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Background and aims: Due to the high spatial and temporal variation in soil CO₂ efflux, terrestrial carbon budgets rely on a detailed understanding of the drivers of soil respiration from a diverse range of ecosystems and climate zones. In this study we aim to evaluate the independent influence of vegetation structure and climate on soil CO₂ efflux within cerrado ecosystems. Methods: We examine the seasonal and diel variation of soil CO₂ efflux, including its autotrophic and heterotrophic components, within two adjacent and structurally contrasting woody savannas in central Brazil. Principle results: We found no significant difference in the annual soil CO₂ efflux between the two stands (p=0.53) despite a clear disparity in both LAI (p

Vegetation changes in transition zones are still poorly studied. Changes in the vegetation structure of a savanna forest (cerradão) were assessed in the Amazon-Cerrado transition (14º42'2.3"S; 52º21'2.6"W), eastern Mato Grosso, within a period of six years (2002, 2005 and 2008). In 2002, fifty plots of 10 × 10 m were set up, where all trees with DSH30 ≥ 5 cm were measured; in 2005 and 2008 the plots were re-inventoried. In 2008, 84 species from 70 genera and 37 families were sampled; absolute density was 1,998 individuals/ha and basal area was 25.95 m2.ha-1. On the one hand, the absolute density of live individuals decreased from 2005 to 2008 (2,066 individuals/ha); on the other hand, the basal area increased in 2008 compared to 2005 (23.56 m2.ha-1) and 2002 (1,884 individuals/ha and 21.38 m2.ha-1). The species with the highest importance value in the period were Hirtella glandulosa, Tachigali vulgaris and Xylopia aromatica. Except for these three species, all other species underwent hierarchic changes in the importance value, indicating that most species frequently alternate. Community structure exhibited changes throughout the period; hence, we suggest investigations on the role of T. vulgaris in these changes, since environmental conditions caused by gap opening from the fall of senile individuals of this pioneer species with a short life cycle may contribute to community dynamics. Resumo Mudanças na vegetação em zonas de transição são ainda pouco estudadas. Foram avaliadas as mudanças na estrutura da vegetação de um cerradão na transição Cerrado-Floresta Amazônica (14º42'2,3"S e 52º21'2,6"W), no leste de Mato Grosso, em um período de seis anos (2002, 2005 e 2008). Em 2002 foram estabelecidas 50 parcelas de 10 × 10 m, medidas todas as árvores com DAS30 ≥ 5 cm e em 2005 e 2008 as parcelas foram reinventariadas. Em 2008 foram amostradas 84 espécies, 70 gêneros e 37 famílias, a densidade absoluta foi de 1.998 indivíduos/ha e a área basal de 25,95 m2.ha-1. A densidade absoluta dos indivíduos vivos diminuiu em relação a 2005 (2.066 ind/ha); em contrapartida, a área basal aumentou em relação a 2005 (23,56 m2.ha-1) e 2002 (1.884 ind/ha e 21,38 m2.ha-1). As espécies com maior valor de importância nos períodos analisados foram Hirtella glandulosa, Tachigali vulgaris e Xylopia aromatica. Com exceção destas três espécies, todas as demais sofreram alterações hierárquicas no valor de importância, indicando que a maioria das espécies está se alternando frequentemente. Como a estrutura da comunidade apresentou mudanças entre os períodos estudados, sugerimos investigações sobre o papel de T. vulgaris nessas mudanças, uma vez que as condições ambientais ocasionadas pela abertura de clareiras em função da queda de indivíduos senis desta espécie pioneira e de ciclo de vida curto podem estar contribuindo na dinâmica da comunidade.

The dynamics of the natural process of recuperation of the structure and diversity of native vegetation following anthropogenic disturbance has been the subject of a great deal of controversy in restoration ecology research. The present study evaluates the natural regeneration of savanna forest ( cerradao ) 32 and 36 years after the clear-cutting of the vegetation. We compared species diversity, and the structure and dynamics of the vegetation in two communities, one representing preserved cerradao (PC), and the other, the regenerating cerradao (RC), which was clear-cut in 1976. Surveys were conducted in 2008 and 2012, 32 and 36 years after clear-cutting, respectively. In 2008, we demarcated 81 permanent 10 m x 10 m plots, 50 in the RC and 31 in the PC, and measured all live plants with a diameter at soil level > 5 cm. In 2012, the plots were resampled, including the original plants and all the recruits. The species were classified as specialists in savanna (SA) or forest habitat (FO), or as generalists (SA/FO). The RC presented the highest species richness and diversity, density, annual increment, and mortality rates. However, no significant differences were found between communities in the distribution of specialist or generalist species, or between years (2008 and 2012) in basal area or recruitment rates. While the species composition of the two communities is highly similar, the RC was characterized by a higher frequency of SA species, and was more similar to nearby savanna communities (cerrado sensu stricto ). Trees in the RC were smaller and suffered higher rates of mortality than those in the PC, but also higher annual increments. While the RC demonstrated a high degree of resilience following clear-cutting, it was still found to be at an intermediate stage of succession, even after almost four decades, indicating that regeneration is a slow process.

Fire can change the species composition, diversity, and structure of savanna vegetation, thus altering growth and mortality rates. Such changes in the woody vegetation of burned savanna forest were evaluated over four years in comparison to unburned savanna forest. All woody plants with a diameter at breast height > 10 cm were measured in 100 permanent plots. Six months later, 38 of these plots were burned. Three and a half years later, all surviving individuals were re-sampled. Species richness, diversity, and the number of individuals did not change in the burned plots, although they had significantly higher (p < 0.05) increases in basal area and mortality rates (5.1% year-1) than the unburned plots (3.0% year-1).Tachigali vulgarishad the greatest post-fire increase in basal area (53%). The results indicate that fire alters the dynamics and structure of the savanna forest, excluding the less fire-tolerant species and smaller individuals (? 15cm). Tachigali vulgaris is a key species for the recovery of savanna forest biomass due to its considerable post-fire gains in basal area, at least over the short term due to its short life cycle. It follows that frequent burning of savanna forest would result in a marked change in the species composition and structure of its woody vegetation.

The objective of this research was to assess the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) from soil amended with biochar in the culture of upland rice. The experiment was conducted in the field in a Cerrado Haplic Plinthosol under randomized block experimental design. The treatments consisted of fertilization with 100 kg N ha(-1) split into two applications, 60% at sowing and 40% at 45 days after crop emergence, combined with four doses of biochar (0, 8, 16 and 32 Mg ha(-1)), with four replications. The application of N and the emission of N2O, moisture retention and soil temperature, respiration (C-CO2), microbial biomass carbon in the soil (C-SMB), total nitrogen (TN), pH and agronomic efficiency in N use (AENu) were evaluated five years after the application of biochar. There was a significant correlation of the application of biochar with moisture retention (r = 0.94**), N2O emission (r = 0.86**) and soil pH (r = 0.65*), and N2O emissions showed a positive correlation (p

Through interpretations of remote-sensing data and/or theoretical propositions, the idea that forest and savanna represent "alternative stable states" is gaining increasing acceptance. Filling an observational gap, we present detailed stratified floristic and structural analyses for forest and savanna stands located mostly within zones of transition (where both vegetation types occur in close proximity) in Africa, South America and Australia. Woody plant leaf area index variation was related to tree canopy cover in a similar way for both savanna and forest with substantial overlap between the two vegetation types. As total woody plant canopy cover increased, so did the relative contribution of middle and lower strata of woody vegetation. Herbaceous layer cover declined as woody cover increased. This pattern of understorey grasses and herbs progressively replaced by shrubs as the canopy closes over was found for both savanna and forests and on all continents. Thus, once subordinate woody canopy layers are taken into account, a less marked transition in woody plant cover across the savanna–forest-species discontinuum is observed compared to that inferred when trees of a basal diameter > 0.1 m are considered in isolation. This is especially the case for shrub-dominated savannas and in taller savannas approaching canopy closure. An increased contribution of forest species to the total subordinate cover is also observed as savanna stand canopy closure occurs. Despite similarities in canopy-cover characteristics, woody vegetation in Africa and Australia attained greater heights and stored a greater amount of above-ground biomass than in South America. Up to three times as much above-ground biomass is stored in forests compared to savannas under equivalent climatic conditions. Savanna–forest transition zones were also found to typically occur at higher precipitation regimes for South America than for Africa. Nevertheless, consistent across all three continents coexistence was found to be confined to a well-defined edaphic–climate envelope with soil and climate the key determinants of the relative location of forest and savanna stands. Moreover, when considered in conjunction with the appropriate water availability metrics, it emerges that soil exchangeable cations exert considerable control on woody canopy-cover extent as measured in our pan-continental (forest + savanna) data set. Taken together these observations do not lend support to the notion of alternate stable states mediated through fire feedbacks as the prime force shaping the distribution of the two dominant vegetation types of the tropical lands.

Analyses of forest loss and protected areas suggest that 36 to 57% of Amazonian tree flora may qualify as “globally threatened.”, Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict that most of the world’s >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century.

While Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, the abundance of trees is skewed strongly towards relatively few ‘hyperdominant' species. In addition to their diversity, Amazonian trees are a key component of the global carbon cycle, assimilating and storing more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth. Here we ask, using a unique data set of 530 forest plots, if the functions of storing and producing woody carbon are concentrated in a small number of tree species, whether the most abundant species also dominate carbon cycling, and whether dominant species are characterized by specific functional traits. We find that dominance of forest function is even more concentrated in a few species than is dominance of tree abundance, with only ≈1% of Amazon tree species responsible for 50% of carbon storage and productivity. Although those species that contribute most to biomass and productivity are often abundant, species maximum size is also influential, while the identity and ranking of dominant species varies by function and by region., The Amazon rainforest is dominated by relatively few tree species, yet the degree to which this hyperdominance influences carbon cycling remains unknown. Here, the authors analyse 530 forest plots and show that ∼1% of species are responsible for 50% of the aboveground carbon storage and productivity.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide records indicate that the land surface has acted as a strong global carbon sink over recent decades1, 2, with a substantial fraction of this sink probably located in the tropics3, particularly in the Amazon4. Nevertheless, it is unclear how the terrestrial carbon sink will evolve as climate and atmospheric composition continue to change. Here we analyse the historical evolution of the biomass dynamics of the Amazon rainforest over three decades using a distributed network of 321 plots. While this analysis confirms that Amazon forests have acted as a long-term net biomass sink, we find a long-term decreasing trend of carbon accumulation. Rates of net increase in above-ground biomass declined by one-third during the past decade compared to the 1990s. This is a consequence of growth rate increases levelling off recently, while biomass mortality persistently increased throughout, leading to a shortening of carbon residence times. Potential drivers for the mortality increase include greater climate variability, and feedbacks of faster growth on mortality, resulting in shortened tree longevity5. The observed decline of the Amazon sink diverges markedly from the recent increase in terrestrial carbon uptake at the global scale1, 2, and is contrary to expectations based on models.

A study was made of the transition between the cerrado and Amazonian forest biomes on the Serra do Roncador in the northeast of Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The transition was sampled by recording the species and circumference at breast height (cbh) of all woody species ≥ 15 cm cbh on five 20 × 10 m plots in each of the following four communities: ecotonal vegetation (Cerradão areas 1 and 2), and forest (Forest areas 1 and 2); while in the Cerrado sensu stricto a more rapid method had to be used because of time constraints. A total of 138 species was recorded and the results were analysed using Sørensen and Morisita Indices, TWINSPAN and DCA. In addition, comparisons were made with data from studies undertaken in 1968 in the same area by the Xavantina-Cachimbo Expedition. No species was common to all communities sampled but a seral succession of important species occurs along the transition. The Sørensen and Morisita Indices demonstrate this, with the Cerrado s.s. and Forest 2 at the two extremes showing no species in common (zero similarity) and Cerradão 1 and 2 giving the very high figures of Sørensen 0.64 and Morisita 0.84. The ecotonal cerradão is a very characteristic Dystrophic facies cerradão with Hirtella glandulosa, Emmotum nitens, Sclerolobium paniculatum and Vochysia haenkeana as its typical indicator species. The ecotone studied in the present work represents the comparatively abrupt transition from cerrado to the peripheral form of Amazonian forest (dry forest, mata seca) on flat terrain with a uniform very dystrophic soil. Other workers have suggested that this type of transition may be restricted to the headwaters of the Xingu basin, but one of the present authors has seen similar vegetation at localities in Maranhão, Rondônia, and on the Mato Grosso–Rondônia border. Comparison of the present vegetation with the survey made in 1968 shows that in this area the advancing face of the Amazonian forest has extended about 7 km southwards into the cerrado. However, in the majority of places this process has been obscured by forest clearing for agriculture. The study draws attention to the urgent need for the establishment of conservation areas in this extremely threatened and very little studied ecotone.

Manchas de Floresta monodominante de Brosimum rubescens ocorrem no ecótono entre o Cerrado e a Floresta Amazônica e encontram-se ameaçadas. Efetuou-se um estudo da chuva de sementes em duas porções de uma floresta monodominante de B. rubescens e uma floresta mista adjacente em Nova Xavantina, MT (14º50'47''S e 52º08'37''W). Partiu-se da premissa de que a floresta monodominante apresenta um padrão de chuva de sementes diferente da floresta mista, devido à maciça frutificação de B. rubescens. Em cada porção de floresta foram distribuídas aleatoriamente onze armadilhas (0,5×0,5 m), totalizando 33. Duas porções (22 armadilhas) estiveram na floresta monodominante e uma (11 armadilhas) na floresta mista e foram monitoradas entre agosto/2003 e julho/2004. As sementes foram separadas em duas categorias: dispersas pelo vento e dispersas por outro mecanismo, que não o vento, e as florestas foram comparadas em relação ao número de espécies, número de sementes e biomassa. Espécies com sementes pequenas apresentaram dispersão distribuída ao longo, enquanto sementes grandes, dispersão concentrada. A chuva de sementes foi influenciada pelo tipo de floresta e pelas estações do ano. Na floresta monodominante o pico da dispersão das sementes não dispersas pelo vento ocorreu no auge da estação seca e a maior parte da biomassa das sementes pertenceu a B. rubescens. A dispersão destas sementes no período seco pode conferir vantagens à espécie, diminuindo a competição inter-específica por agentes dispersores e/ou garantindo um recrutamento precoce. A produção de sementes grandes e em quantidade durante o período seco e a posterior formação de um extenso banco de plântulas podem ser algumas das estratégias (de ocupação de habitat) decisivas na monodominância desta espécie.

The study was carried out on the gallery forest of the Bacaba stream situated in the Municipal Ecological Reserve ‘Mário Viana’ (14°43′S, 52°21′W) in Nova Xavantina, Eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil. Three sections of the gallery (upper, middle and lower) running downstream and differing in slope were surveyed by stratified sampling. Fortyseven nested 10m × 10m plots were analysed in each section, giving a total sampling area of 1.41ha overall. All trees or lianas ≥ 15cm girth at breast height were recorded and a total of 129 species belonging to 105 genera and 47 families were found. Diversity was high, with the Shannon index ranging from 3.84 nats/individual in the lower section to 4.08 in the middle section. The most important families (IVI) were Caesalpiniaceae (upper and middle sections) and Arecaceae (lower section), and the most important species were Diospyros obovata (upper section), Hymenaea courbaril var. stilbocarpa (middle section) and Mauritia flexuosa (lower section). Morisita and Sørensen indices of similarity were calculated. The floristic composition was complex and included species in common with a number of Brazilian forest types and with cerrado (savanna), as well as many widespread species, but stronger links with Amazonian forests could be detected. This is to be expected since the area lies in the ecotonal zone of the cerrado and Amazonian forest biomes and the Bacaba stream itself is a tributary of the Mortes–Araguaia–Amazon river system.

A monodominant forest of Brosimum rubescens Taub. located in an Indian Reservation was compared with a similar forest located on a farm owned by non-Xavante settlers, in terms of its phytosociology and the patterns of plant use. In both areas, 60 (10 X 10 m) nested-plots were established in a representative portion of the forest. All woody plants were identified, and their common and scientific names and uses were recorded. The ethnobotanical study was conducted by open-interviews initially and ranking at a later stage for a total of two years of study. The Xavante people use more species, 56% of the 57 species fit in five categories of direct use while the settlers have direct use for 50% of the 44 species found in the forest. The Xavante culture has strong links with the native biodiversity, valuing the multiple use of the species while the settlers use them mostly for timber. The species with higher IVI in the phytosociological study were also the most valued in both communities. Brosimum wood is used for the making of traditional clubs by the Xavante, the fruits are edible and attract wildlife for hunting. The non-Xavante people have been heavily logging these trees for fence posts used in the large farms of the region.

This study was carried out in the Pantanal of the Mortes and Araguaia rivers, a flooded plain located in Cocalinho, northeastern Mato Grosso, Brazil. The objectives of this study were to conduct a preliminary survey of the flora and to characterize the vegetation types. Three representative sites were selected: one near Rio das Mortes (12° 37'S; 50° 55'W), one at the mouth of Araguaia and Mortes rivers (11° 54'S; 50° 48'W) and one in the middle portion of the Cristalino river (12° 52'S; 50° 49'W). Sampling was by the Rapid Survey method. Eight vegetation types were identified: Mata Inundavel (swamp forest), Caapao (also swamp forest), Babacual (Attalea speciosa forest), Cerradao, Cerrado stricto sensu (savanna types, closed canopy woodland and savanna grassland, respectively), Campo de Murunduns (grassland with scattered mounds bearing termites), Campo de Byrsonima orbignyana (grassland dominated by B. orbignyana) and Campo Cerrado de Vochysia rufa (grassland with scattered trees of V. rufa). A total of 248 species of trees, shrubs and lianas were recorded, distributed in 158 genera and 62 families. The vegetation types were heterogeneous; none of the species occurred at all sites, but Alibertia edulis (L. Rich.) A. Rich., Andira cuyabensis Benth., Maprounea guianensis (Aubl.) M. Arg., and others, were found at six sites. The families richest in species were Caesalpiniaceae, Annonaceae and Myrtaceae. The flora apparently was similar to that of the Pantanal of Paraguai river, however, further studies are needed to confirm. This Heterogeneous vegetation patterns in the study area indicate the need to protect the Pantanal of the Mortes and Araguaia rivers.

The occurrence of a monodominant tropical forest dominated by the tree species Brosimum rubescens Taub. (Moraceae) in the transition zone between the cerrado region and the Amazonian rain forests along the Araguaia valley in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil is reported. A 6000m2 (40×150m) area located in the central portion of a forest (14°50′47″S, 52°08′37″W) on the Eldorado Farm in Nova Xavantina was sampled to determine the structure, phytosociology and soil properties. A total of 44 tree species was found in the forest, with a Shannon diversity index (H′) of 2.37 and the Pielou evenness index (J′) of 0.63. These values were similar to those reported by other workers in an Amazonian monodominant forest dominated by Peltogyne gracilipes. Average tree density equal or greater than (≥) 5cm dbh was 1066ha−1 and basal area 37.46m2 ha−1. Dead standing individuals represented 7.03% of the total density and lianas 8.12%. The main families were Moraceae, Rubiaceae, Burseraceae, Hippocrateaceae and Leguminosae–Caesalpinioideae. The species with the highest importance value indices were B. rubescens (124.55), Amaioua intermedia var. brasiliana (32.97), Cheiloclinium cognatum (22.41), Tetragastris balsamifera (19.58) and Protium pilosissimum (16.64). Brosimum rubescens alone accounted for 85.5% of the individuals ≥30cm dbh, 80.35% of those ≥20cm dbh, 57.33% of those ≥10cm dbh, and 35.85% of those ≥5cm dbh. The forest was composed of upper, middle and lower storeys. Diameter distribution was unbalanced for the community and for the main species, suggesting that establishment has been episodic. The surface soil was acid, with high exchangeable Al levels and low fertility, as is the case for most cerrados and Amazonian forests. The availability of K was in the range of adequacy, as compared with most native soils. However, concentrations of available Mg in the soil was higher than that of available Ca, with Mg/Ca ratios above three, unlike most cerrados and Amazonian forests, but similar to the soils of many monodominant tropical forests reported in the literature. Soils were characterized by high concentrations of available Fe. Besides the high Mg/Ca ratios, a high proportion of K as compared with the bivalent cations Ca and Mg, and toxicities of Fe and Mn due to strong acidity could be factors influencing the occurrence of species in this forest.

Introduction Recent decades have seen a major international effort to inventory tree communities in the Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield (Amazonia), but the vast extent and record diversity of these forests have hampered an understanding of basinwide patterns. To overcome this obstacle, we compiled and standardized species-level data on more than half a million trees in 1170 plots sampling all major lowland forest types to explore patterns of commonness, rarity, and richness. Methods The ~6-million-km 2 Amazonian lowlands were divided into 1° cells, and mean tree density was estimated for each cell by using a loess regression model that included no environmental data but had its basis exclusively in the geographic location of tree plots. A similar model, allied with a bootstrapping exercise to quantify sampling error, was used to generate estimated Amazon-wide abundances of the 4962 valid species in the data set. We estimated the total number of tree species in the Amazon by fitting the mean rank-abundance data to Fisher’s log-series distribution. Results Our analyses suggest that lowland Amazonia harbors 3.9 × 10 11 trees and ~16,000 tree species. We found 227 “hyperdominant” species (1.4% of the total) to be so common that together they account for half of all trees in Amazonia, whereas the rarest 11,000 species account for just 0.12% of trees. Most hyperdominants are habitat specialists that have large geographic ranges but are only dominant in one or two regions of the basin, and a median of 41% of trees in individual plots belong to hyperdominants. A disproportionate number of hyperdominants are palms, Myristicaceae, and Lecythidaceae. Discussion The finding that Amazonia is dominated by just 227 tree species implies that most biogeochemical cycling in the world’s largest tropical forest is performed by a tiny sliver of its diversity. The causes underlying hyperdominance in these species remain unknown. Both competitive superiority and widespread pre-1492 cultivation by humans are compelling hypotheses that deserve testing. Although the data suggest that spatial models can effectively forecast tree community composition and structure of unstudied sites in Amazonia, incorporating environmental data may yield substantial improvements. An appreciation of how thoroughly common species dominate the basin has the potential to simplify research in Amazonian biogeochemistry, ecology, and vegetation mapping. Such advances are urgently needed in light of the >10,000 rare, poorly known, and potentially threatened tree species in the Amazon.

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that pyrogenic carbon (biochar) has properties that enable it to replace fresh organic matter (cattle manure) in seedling substrates. These properties include specific electrophysiological interactions in soil-plant media, stability and longevity. The experiment was conducted in the nursery at the State University of Mato Grosso, located in the municipality of Nova Xavantina, between April and June 2011. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with ten treatments and four replicates, including a commercial substrate. Linear regression analysis showed a strong positive relationship between manure treatments and number of leaves, fresh and dry biomass, diameter, height and Dickson Quality Index at 30 and 40 days after sowing (DAS), with the exception of height at 30 DAS. There was no significant relationship for biochar dosage in any assessment for these parameters. The use of substrates with different dosages of cattle manure resulted in an increase of seedling quality compared to biochar and commercial substrates. The hypothesis that biochar can be substituted for fresh organic matter and is more stable in the substrate was not supported.

Neste estudo foram avaliadas as mudanças na composição florística e na estrutura da vegetação lenhosa logo após incêndio acidental ocorrido em sítios de cerrado típico sem (SB, controle) e com (CB) agrupamentos do bambu Actinocladum verticillatum em Nova Xavantina/MT. Foram amostrados todos os indivíduos com diâmetro de base (Db30) ≥ 3 cm antes e após o fogo em ambos os sítios. A amostragem foi realizada em 30 parcelas de 10 × 10 m, sendo 15 parcelas em cada sítio. A ocorrência de fogo ocasionou mudanças na composição florística e reduções na riqueza e diversidade de espécies lenhosas mais evidentes no sítio CB (perda de 61% das espécies) em relação ao SB (perda de 20% das espécies). Entretanto, o incêndio ocasionou perda relativa de indivíduos (67,4% e 73,5%) e de área basal (75,6% e 55,2%) semelhante entre os sítios SB e CB, respectivamente, com exceção dos indivíduos de pequeno porte, os quais foram mais acentuadamente reduzidos no sítio CB. Queimadas em áreas de cerrado com agrupamentos de A. verticillatum podem criar condições de retroalimentação positiva e resultar na redução da densidade de indivíduos e na exclusão local de espécies menos tolerantes ao fogo. The present study aimed to evaluate changes in floristic composition and structure of the woody vegetation after an accidental fire occurred in sites of typical "cerrado" without (SB, control) and with (CB) clumps of Actinocladum verticillatum bamboo in Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso state. In both sites we sampled all woody individuals with diameter at soil height (Db30= 30 cm aboveground) ≥ 3 cm, before and after the fire. Sampling was performed in 30 plots of 10 × 10 m, 15 at each site. The fire caused more evident changes in the floristic composition and reductions in the richness and diversity of woody species in the CB (loss of 61% of species) than in the SB site (loss of 20%). However, the fire caused similar relative loss of individuals (67.4% and 73.5%) and basal area (75.6% and 55.2%) in SB and CB sites, respectively, with exception of small individuals, which were more markedly reduced in CB site. Fires in cerrado areas occupied with clumps of A. verticillatum may create conditions of positive feedback and result in decrease of density and local exclusion of species less tolerant to fire.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi descrever as flutuacoes temporais nas distribuicoes de diâmetros e alturas de uma Floresta Estacional Semidecidua (14o49'32" S e 52o06'20" W), na transicao Cerrado-Floresta Amazonica, Nova Xavantina-MT, entre os anos de 2003 e 2008. Foram estabelecidas 60 parcelas permanentes de 10 x 10 m onde foram medidos os diâmetros e as alturas de todos os individuos com diâmetro a altura do peito ≥ 5 cm. Os intervalos de classe para as distribuicoes de diâmetro e altura foram calculados e elaborados histogramas. As distribuicoes de diâmetro da comunidade e das principais especies nao diferiram no periodo, bem como a distribuicao de alturas da comunidade, caracterizando uma situacao de manutencao temporal das distribuicoes. Apesar da ausencia de alteracoes temporais, a comunidade estudada nao e estatica, pois entre 2003 e 2008 constatou-se reducao do numero de individuos (6%) e uma discrepância dos valores do quociente “q” entre as sucessivas classes diametricas. As distribuicoes diametricas das principais especies sugerem que Cheiloclinium cognatum , Tetragastris altissima e Brosimum rubescens manterao ou eventualmente aumentarao suas densidades populacionais, enquanto Amaioua guianensis e Chaetocarpus echinocarpus possivelmente terao suas populacoes reduzidas no futuro.

O estudo foi realizado na floresta de galeria do Córrego Bacaba, no Parque Municipal do Bacaba (14º43'12,2S e 52º21'36,7"W), em Nova Xavantina, MT. A dispersão de sementes foi analisada e comparada entre três porções da floresta (alto, meio e baixo), distantes cerca de 200 m entre si, em um gradiente topográfico. Foram distribuídos, aleatoriamente, 20 coletores circulares de 0,3 m² em cada porção de floresta, sendo as coletas de sementes realizadas quinzenalmente, entre junho de 2007 e maio de 2008. O material foi submetido à secagem em estufa até peso constante e as sementes, separadas em duas categorias, baseando-se na presença de estruturas de voo (V) e na ausência dessas estruturas (NV). O número de morfoespécies e de sementes e a biomassa foram comparados entre as porções de floresta e entre os períodos seco e chuvoso. Coletaram-se 20.965 sementes em 24 quinzenas, sendo 777 do tipo V e 20.188 do tipo NV. Na porção do alto ocorreram 52 morfoespécies de sementes, no meio 55 e no baixo 49. A diversidade de morfoespécies de sementes foi inferior à diversidade de espécies de plantas lenhosas na mesma área. Considerando o padrão sazonal de dispersão de sementes, tanto para as V (número, morfoespécies e biomassa) quanto para as NV (biomassa), recomenda-se um controle no fluxo de visitantes no Parque do Bacaba, especialmente nos meses de pico de dispersão de sementes, no final do período seco e início do chuvoso (setembro-dezembro). Medidas de excursionismo de mínimo impacto poderão trazer benefícios para o estabelecimento de sementes e plântulas e garantir a sustentabilidade da floresta.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of biochar made from Eucalyptus on soil fertility, and on the yield and development of upland rice. The experiment was performed during two years in a randomized block design with four replicates, in a sandy loam Dystric Plinthosol. Four doses of NPK 05-25-15, annually distributed in stripes (0, 100, 200 and 300 kg ha-1), and four doses of biochar (0, 8, 16 and 32 Mg ha-1), applied once in the first year - alone or with NPK - were evaluated. In the first year, biochar positively affected soil fertility [total organic carbon (TOC), Ca, P, Al, H+Al, and pH], at 0-10 cm soil depth, and it was the only factor with significant effect on yield. In the second year, the effect of biochar diminished or was overcome by the fertilizer. TOC moved down in the soil profile to the 0-20 cm depth, influencing K availability in this layer. In the second year, there was a significant interaction between biochar and the fertilizer on plant growth and biomass dry matter accumulation. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do "biochar" de Eucalyptus sobre a fertilidade do solo, e sobre a produtividade e o desenvolvimento do arroz de terras altas. O experimento foi conduzido durante dois anos, em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições, em Plintossolo Háplico franco-arenoso. Foram avaliadas quatro doses do fertilizante mineral NPK 05-25-15 (0, 100, 200 e 300 kg ha-1), distribuídas anualmente em faixas, e quatro doses de "biochar" (0, 8, 16 e 32 Mg ha-1), aplicadas uma única vez, no primeiro ano, sozinho ou com o fertilizante. No primeiro ano, o "biochar" afetou positivamente a fertilidade do solo [carbono orgânico total (TOC), Ca, P, Al, H+Al e pH], à profundidade de 0-10 cm, e foi o único fator com efeito significativo sobre a produtividade. No segundo ano, o efeito do "biochar" diminuiu ou foi superado pelo do fertilizante. O TOC se movimentou no perfil do solo para a profundidade de 10-20 cm, e isto influenciou a disponibilidade de K naquela camada. No segundo ano, houve interação significativa entre "biochar" e fertilizante quanto ao crescimento das plantas e ao acúmulo de massa de matéria seca.

Comparou-se a riqueza, a composição florística e a estrutura da vegetação lenhosa entre um hectare de cerrado rupestre (CR) e um de cerrado típico (CT) no leste Mato-grossense. A riqueza registrada (CT = 79 e CR = 71) e estimada pelo método de bootstrap (CT = 86,7 ± 2,3 e CR = 75,8 ± 1,8) foi maior no CT, mas o índice de diversidade foi igual entre as duas fisionomias (3,58 no CT e 3,56 no CR; teste t de Hutcheson = t2;0,05 = 0,43, p > 0,05). Apesar da elevada similaridade florística (Sørensen = 0,75 e Morisita = 0,73), a análise de ordenação (DCA) separou as parcelas do CT e do CR, indicando a seleção de espécies nas duas fisionomias. Foram registradas altas porcentagens de indivíduos mortos no CT (28,1%) e no CR (17,3%), devido à ocorrência de uma queimada quatro meses antes da amostragem da vegetação. A área basal por parcela foi maior no CR, enquanto as densidades por parcela, as alturas e os diâmetros medianos dos indivíduos, não diferiram entre as duas fisionomias, sugerindo que o solo raso e o afloramento rochoso no CR não limitaram o estabelecimento e o desenvolvimento da flora lenhosa. In this work, the vegetation richness, floristic composition and the structure of woody plants of 1 hectare of rocky cerrado ("cerrado rupestre") (CR) and 1 hectare of typical cerrado (CT), in eastern Mato Grosso, were compared. The observed (CT = 79 and CR = 71) and the estimated richness (CT = 86.7 ± 2.3 and CR = 75.8 ± 1.8), using bootstrap analysis, were higher in the CT, but the diversity index was the same for both physiognomies (3.58 in CT and 3.56 in CR; Hutcheson t test = t2;0.05 = 0.43, p > 0.05). Despite high floristic similarity (Sørensen = 0.75 and Morisita = 0.73), the ordination analysis (DCA) separated the CT and CR plots, which indicated species selection in both physiognomies. A percentage of dead individuals in CT (28.1%) and CR (17.3%), due to fires four months before sampling took place, was also found. The CR basal area per plot was higher, and densities per plot, heights and mean diameters of individuals did not differ between both physiognomies, which suggests that the shallow soil and rocky outcrop of CR have not limited the establishment and development of the woody flora.

O entendimento de processos ecologicos, especialmente das modificacoes estruturais e floristicas em ecossistemas naturais, e fundamental para embasar acoes visando a sua conservacao e/ou restauracao. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar mudancas ocorridas na estrutura da comunidade lenhosa na transicao Cerrado-Floresta Amazonica, no periodo de 2003 a 2008. Foram estabelecidas 60 parcelas permanentes de 10 x 10 m onde foram amostrados todos os individuos com diametro a altura do peito ≥ 5 cm. Em 2003 foram registrados 1.140 ind. ha-1 e area basal de 24,35 m2 ha-1, enquanto em 2008 foram 1.071 ind. ha-1 e area basal de 22,04 m2 ha-1. O recrutamento (2,76% ano-1) nao compensou a mortalidade (3,95% ano-1) e o ganho em area basal (0,54% ano-1) nao superou a perda (3,77% ano-1). Em funcao dessa diferenca, a meia vida (17,3 anos) foi menor que o tempo de duplicacao (29,9 anos), resultando em baixa estabilidade (12,6 anos) e reposicao (23,6 anos) em relacao a outras florestas estacionais. Os parametros de dinamica da comunidade e das principais especies sugerem que a floresta esta passando por mudancas caracterizadas principalmente pela retracao da densidade e biomassa dos individuos arboreos, que podem estar relacionadas ao aumento das lianas, a uma fase de inicio de reconstrucao do ciclo silvigenetico da floresta ou ainda a forte seca que ocorreu na regiao no ano de 2005. Understanding ecological processes, especially the structural and floristic changes in natural ecosystems, is essential before conserving and/or restoring these areas. The aim of this study was to assess the changes that occurred in the woody plant community from 2003 to 2008. Sixty permanent plots of 10 x 10 m were established, in which all individuals with diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm were sampled. A total of 1,140 ind. ha-1 were recorded in 2003 (basal area 24.35 m2 ha-1) and 1,071 ind. ha-1 in 2008 (basal area of 22.04 m2 ha-1). The recruitment (2.76% year-1) did not compensate mortality (3.95% year-1) and the basal area gain (0.54% year-1) did not exceed the loss (3.77% year-1). Because of this unbalance, the half-life (17.3 years) was lower than the doubling time (29.9 years), resulting in low stability (12.6 yrs) and replacement (23.6 yrs) in relation to other seasonal forests. The parameters of community and species dynamics suggest that the forest is undergoing changes characterized mainly by the density and biomass reduction of trees, which may be related to an increase in lianas, an early rebuilding phase of the forest silvigenetic cycle or even the severe drought that occurred in the region in 2005.

As impucas são fragmentos florestais que sofrem inundação sazonal e se localizam em área de transição entre os biomas Cerrado e Floresta Amazônica. Este estudo objetivou avaliar e comparar a estrutura da vegetação de duas impucas com diferentes estados de conservação no Parque Estadual do Araguaia (PEA), em Mato Grosso, uma não degradada (ND) (12º19'11,2"S e 50º44'15,6"W) e outra degradada (DE) (12º09'04,2"S e 50º49'37"W). Foram demarcados cinco transectos subdivididos em 50 parcelas permanentes de 10x20m. Todos os indivíduos lenhosos com diâmetro à altura do peito > 5 cm foram amostrados. A impuca ND apresentou 28 famílias, 42 gêneros e 45 espécies, e a DE apresentou 22, 31 e 33, respectivamente. Na impuca ND, a densidade total foi de 2.177 ind.ha-1, a área basal de 35,23 m².ha-1, e a diversidade de espécies de Shannon-Wiener de 2,87 nats.ind-1, e na DE foi 1.501 ind.ha-1, 25,16 m².ha-1 e 2,64 nats.ind-1, respectivamente. As espécies que mais se destacaram foram Licania apetala, Calophyllum brasiliense, Ochthocosmus multiflorus, Mabea paniculata, Tachigali froesii e Xylopia sp. A impuca DE apresentou menores riqueza, diversidade de espécies, densidade e dominância relativas do que a impuca ND, provavelmente devido ao histórico de perturbações e à inundação anual. A similaridade florística (Sørensen) entre ambas foi alta. Contudo, ao compará-las com impucas de Tocantins e outras florestas brasileiras, a similaridade foi baixa, sugerindo que as impucas de Mato Grosso e Tocantins apresentam identidade florística própria. Este estudo contribui para o conhecimento dos ecótonos brasileiros, para a elaboração do plano de manejo do PEA e para iniciativas de recuperação de impucas degradadas. Impucas are seasonally inundated forest fragments located in the transition between the Cerrado and Amazonian Forest biomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate and to compare the vegetation structure of two impucas under different conservation status located at Araguaia State Park (AST), Mato Grosso State: non-altered vegetation structure (NA) (12º19'11.2"S and 50º44'15.6"W) and altered vegetation structure (AL) (12º09'04.2"S and 50º49'37"W). It was delimited five transects subdivided into 50 permanent plots of 10x20 m. All woody individuals with diameter at breast height > 5cm were sampled. The NA impuca presented 28 families, 42 genera and 45 species and AL impuca 22 families, 31 genera and 33 species. Total density, basal area and Shannon-Wiener's diversity index were 2,177 ind.ha-1, 35.23 m².ha-1 and 2.87 nats.ind-1 in NA impuca and 1,501 ind.ha-1, 25.16 m².ha-1 and 2.63 nats.ind-1in AL impuca, respectively. The most important species were Licania apetala, Calophyllum brasiliense, Ochthocosmus multiflorus, Mabea paniculata, Tachigali froesii and Xylopia sp. The AL impuca presented smaller floristic richness, species diversity, density and relative dominance in comparison with NA impuca, probably due the historic of disturbance and annual flooding. Floristic similarity (Sørensen) was high between ASP impucas. However, when they were compared with those of Tocantins and other Brazilian forests, the similarity was low, suggesting that impucas from Mato Grosso and Tocantins states presented their own floristic identity. This study contributes to the knowledge of the Brazilian ecotones, for elaboration of ASP management plan and for actions of recovery degraded impucas.

O objetivo desse estudo foi determinar a composição florística e a estrutura da vegetação lenhosa (incluindo monocotiledôneas e lianas) em cerrado rupestre na zona de transição Cerrado-Floresta Amazônica, no Parque do Bacaba, em Nova Xavantina, MT (14º 41’ S e 52º 20’ W) e compará-las com outros estudos de cerrado sentido restrito. Foram demarcadas aleatoriamente 10 parcelas de 20 × 50 m, nas quais foram medidos os indivíduos vivos e mortos em pé com diâmetro mínimo a 30 cm do solo (DAS) ≥ 3 cm. O cerrado rupestre apresentou alta densidade (3.766 indivíduos vivos), riqueza florística (85 espécies, 67 gêneros e 34 famílias) e área basal (15,72 m2ha-1), e ainda elevado valor do índice de diversidade de espécies de Shannon-Wiener (H’ = 3,47) e equabilidade de Pielou (J = 0,78) em relação às áreas comparadas. As espécies com maior valor de importância foram Erythroxylum suberosum, Qualea parviflora, Anacardium occidentale, Kielmeyera rubriflora e Vatairea macrocarpa. A maior similaridade florística entre comunidades de cerrado típico e rupestre localizadas em áreas com menores altitudes do leste mato-grossense sugere que nessa região a proximidade geográfica e a altitude exercem influência sobre a composição de espécies, independentemente do substrato. A comunidade apresentou distribuição de alturas unimodal, predominando indivíduos de porte arbustivo com altura < 3 m e DAS < 5 cm. É sugerido aqui que estudos florísticos e fitossociológicos realizados em cerrado rupestre empreguem DAS mínimo de 3 cm e incluam espécies de monocotiledôneas e de lianas para representar de maneira mais realística a riqueza e composição de espécies e a estrutura da vegetação. A elevada riqueza e diversidade de espécies registrada no presente estudo podem estar relacionadas à posição pré-Amazônica deste cerrado rupestre, enfatizando a importância da manutenção do Parque do Bacaba no sentido de garantir a proteção de sua diversidade biológica. This study aimed to analyze the floristic composition and the structure of a savanna on rocky soil (“cerrado rupestre”) woody vegetation (including monocots and lianas) in the Cerrado-Amazon Forest transition zone located at Parque Municipal do Bacaba, Nova Xavantina, State of Mato Grosso (14º 41’ S and 52º 20’ W), and compare it with other cerrado stricto sensu studies. Ten 20 × 50 m plots were randomly established, within which all live and dead woody plants with at least 3 cm of trunk diameter at 30 cm above ground level (DSH30 ≥ 3 cm) were measured. The cerrado rupestre showed high density (3,766 live individuals), richness (85 species, 67 genera and 34 families) and basal area (15.72 m2ha-1), as well as high levels of Shannon-Wiener species diversity (H’ = 3.47) and evenness (J = 0.78) indices. The most important species were Erythroxylum suberosum, Qualea parviflora, Anacardium occidentale, Kielmeyera rubriflora and Vatairea macrocarpa. The greatest floristic similarity found between typical cerrado and “cerrado rupestre” communities from lower altitude areas of Northeastern Mato Grosso suggest that, in this region, altitude and geographical distance influence the species composition, regardless of the substrate. The community presented unimodality in the heights distribution and is mostly compounded by shrubby individuals with height < 3 m and DSH < 5 cm. We suggest that floristic and phytosociological studies conducted in “cerrado rupestre” should adopt DSH ≥ 3 cm and include monocot and liana species, so as to more realistically represent the vegetation richness, species composition and structure. The high species richness and diversity registered in this study might be related to this “cerrado rupestre” pre-Amazonian location, which emphasizes the importance of “Parque do Bacaba” maintenance as a guarantee of its biological diversity protection.

O objetivo do trabalho foi analisar as mudanças na comunidade lenhosa em um período de quatro anos. Foram estabelecidas 50 parcelas permanentes de 10 × 10 m onde foram amostrados todos os indivíduos com diâmetro a 30 cm acima do solo (DAS 30 cm) > 5 cm em 2002 e em 2006. No inventário de janeiro de 2002, foram encontrados 945 indivíduos pertencentes a 77 espécies, 65 gêneros e 35 famílias ao passo que em janeiro de 2006 foram 1.106 indivíduos distribuídos em 80 espécies, 66 gêneros e 36 famílias. A diversidade de espécies e a estrutura diamétrica da comunidade não diferiram no período. As taxas de mortalidade (4,01% ano-1) e de perda de área basal (0,68% ano-1) foram compensadas pelas taxas de recrutamento (6,67% ano-1) e de ganho de área basal (2,26% ano-1), indicando a manutenção da comunidade como aparentemente estável. O incremento periódico anual (IPA) da comunidade foi de 0,31 cm ano-1, sendo superado pelo IPA de Euplassa inaequalis, Kielmeyera rubriflora e Byrsonima coccolobifolia (0,72, 0,49 e 0,47 cm ano-1, respectivamente), indicando o potencial de crescimento de tais espécies como importante para estratégias de recuperação de áreas degradadas. A ausência de fogo no período estudado pode ter sido o fator responsável pela dinâmica da vegetação do cerrado estudado, favorecendo o estabelecimento de algumas espécies lenhosas e proporcionando aumento em densidade e biomassa. The objective of the study was to investigate changes in the woody plant community in a four-year period. It was established 50 permanent plots of 10 × 10 m and all individuals with diameter above ground 30 cm (DAG 30 cm) > 5 cm were sampled in 2002 and 2006. In the inventory of January 2002, were found 945 individuals belonging to 77 species, 65 genera and 35 families and in January 2006, were 1,106 individuals, 80 species, 66 genera and 36 families. Community species diversity and diameter structure did not change within the period. Mortality rates (4.01% year-1) and basal area losses (0.68% year-1) were offset by recruitment (6.67% year-1) and gain (2.26% year-1), indicating community maintenance as stable apparently. The periodic annual increment (PAI) of the community was 0.31 cm year-1, being overcome by the PAI of Euplassa inaequalis, Kielmeyera rubriflora and Byrsonima coccolobifolia (0.72, 0.49 and 0.47 cm year-1, respectively), indicating the growth potential of such species as important for recovery strategies on degraded areas. The absence of fire during the study period may have been the main factor behind the dynamics of the vegetation of the studied cerrado, favoring the establishment of some woody species and providing increase in density and biomass.

O estudo foi realizado na floresta de galeria do Córrego Bacaba (14º 43' 12,2" S e 52º 21' 36,7" W), na transição Cerrado-Floresta Amazônica em Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso. O objetivo foi avaliar e comparar a dinâmica da comunidade lenhosa de três porções da floresta localizadas em um gradiente topográfico (alto, meio e baixo) em um período de sete anos. O inventário consistiu de 141 parcelas permanentes de 10 × 10 m distribuídas nas três porções da floresta, onde foram medidos os indivíduos com CAP > 15 cm, em 1999 e 2006. Foram calculados os parâmetros de dinâmica e o incremento periódico anual (IPA), com base no número de indivíduos e na área basal. Nas três porções de floresta a mortalidade foi superior ao recrutamento. A porção do baixo foi a mais dinâmica, pois apresentou a maior taxa de mortalidade (6,84%) e o maior recrutamento (4,73%). A elevada dinâmica da floresta deve-se, provavelmente, ao estágio de sucessão intermediário no qual ela se encontra e às diferentes condições do ambiente conforme a topografia. Os valores do IPA de algumas espécies comuns às três porções de floresta permitiram confirmar que ocorrem diferenças no incremento de uma porção para outra, indicando que algumas espécies apresentam restrições e outras são beneficiadas para crescer em determinados ambientes. Por outro lado, algumas espécies apresentaram valores de IPA similares nas três porções da floresta, confirmando plasticidade às diferentes condições ambientais. As espécies estudadas apresentaram taxas distintas de recrutamento, mortalidade e incremento relacionadas aos grupos ecológicos e à localização topográfica. Sugere-se que o gradiente topográfico e a inundação sazonal contribuem para posicionar esta comunidade entre as florestas tropicais mais dinâmicas. The study was carried out on the gallery forest of the Bacaba stream (14º 43' 12.2" S and 52º 21' 36.7" W), in the transition between Cerrado and Amazon Forest in Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The objective was to evaluate and compare the dynamics of the woody community at three sections of the forest (upper, middle and lower) in a topographic gradient over a seven year period. The inventory consisted of 141 permanent plots (10 × 10 m) distributed in the three sections where all individuals > 15 cm girth at breast height were recorded in 1999 and 2006. Based in density and basal area, the Periodic Annual Increment (PAI) and dynamics parameters were calculated. In all forest sections the mortality was higher than recruitment. The lower section was the most dynamic, because presented the higher mortality (6.84%) and recruitment (4.73%) rates. The community was dynamic, probably due to its current intermediary successional stage and the different environmental conditions depending on the topography. The PAI values of the species in common with all sections confirm differences in increment, indicating that some have restrictions and others benefit to grow in certain environments. On the other hand, some species had similar PAI values in the three forest sections, confirming a plasticity to adapt to different environmental conditions. The species presented different recruitment, mortality and increment rates, related to the ecological groups and topographic position. We suggest that the topographic gradient and seasonal flooding contribute to include this community among the most dynamic tropical forests.

Research was supported by NERC through the Tropical Biomes in Transition (TROBIT) Consortium; AMAZONICA; AfriTRON and the RAINFOR network with additional support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. LB was supported by a NERC PhD Studentship and Henrietta Hutton Grant (RGS-IBG); SLL was supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship; some African data was collected under a NERC New Investigator Award (AfriTRON); Additional support was provided by EScFund grant of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI); Tropenbos International and the European Commission (project B7-6201/98-13/FOR); Large-scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) (ND-11, CD-37, CD-41, and TG-07) under the leadership of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT); PELD-CNPq and PROCAD-CAPES; and, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). Tropical tree height-diameter (H:D) relationships may vary by forest type and region making large-scale estimates of above-ground biomass subject to bias if they ignore these differences in stem allometry. We have therefore developed a new global tropical forest database consisting of 39 955 concurrent H and D measurements encompassing 283 sites in 22 tropical countries. Utilising this database, our objectives were: 1. to determine if H:D relationships differ by geographic region and forest type (wet to dry forests, including zones of tension where forest and savanna overlap). 2. to ascertain if the H:D relationship is modulated by climate and/or forest structural characteristics (e.g. stand-level basal area, A). 3. to develop H:D allometric equations and evaluate biases to reduce error in future local-to-global estimates of tropical forest biomass. Annual precipitation coefficient of variation (P-V), dry season length (S-D), and mean annual air temperature (T-A) emerged as key drivers of variation in H:D relationships at the pantropical and region scales. Vegetation structure also played a role with trees in forests of a high A being, on average, taller at any given D. After the effects of environment and forest structure are taken into account, two main regional groups can be identified. Forests in Asia, Africa and the Guyana Shield all have, on average, similar H:D relationships, but with trees in the forests of much of the Amazon Basin and tropical Australia typically being shorter at any given D than their counterparts elsewhere. The region-environment-structure model with the lowest Akaike's information criterion and lowest deviation estimated stand-level H across all plots to within a median -2.7 to 0.9% of the true value. Some of the plot-to-plot variability in H:D relationships not accounted for by this model could be attributed to variations in soil physical conditions. Other things being equal, trees tend to be more slender in the absence of soil physical constraints, especially at smaller D. Pantropical and continental-level models provided less robust estimates of H, especially when the roles of climate and stand structure in modulating H:D allometry were not simultaneously taken into account. Publisher PDF

Este estudo analisou os efeitos do agrupamento de uma espécie de bambu nativa do Cerrado (Actinocladum verticillatum) sobre a composição florística, diversidade e estrutura da vegetação lenhosa de um cerradão e de um cerrado típico adjacentes no Parque Municipal do Bacaba, Nova Xavantina-MT. Foram instaladas 60 parcelas de 10x10 m, sendo 30 no cerradão e 30 no cerrado típico. Em cada fitofisionomia, foram instaladas 15 parcelas em um sítio sem bambu (SB) e 15 em um sítio com cobertura estimada de folhagem de bambu superior a 90% (CB). Foram amostrados todos os indivíduos arbustivo-arbóreos com diâmetro a 30 centímetros do solo (DAS) ≥ 3 cm. Foi avaliada a riqueza, a diversidade de espécies, a similaridade florística, a distribuição de diâmetros e alturas e o índice de valor de importância das espécies (VI). De forma geral, os sítios CB das duas fitofisionomias apresentaram menores valores quanto ao número de indivíduos, espécies, gêneros, famílias, densidades e áreas basais em relação aos sítios SB, com redução mais acentuada nestes parâmetros no cerrado típico em relação ao cerradão. Os resultados sugerem que a ocupação do espaço e a redução da incidência luminosa causada pelas touceiras do bambu dificultam a germinação das sementes e o estabelecimento das plântulas de espécies arbustivo-arbóreas, selecionando as espécies mais tolerantes ao sombreamento modificando a composição florística e a estrutura da vegetação. This study evaluated the effects of a Cerrado native bamboo species (Actinocladum verticillatum) clumps on the floristic composition, diversity and structure of the woody vegetation in two adjacent areas of “cerradão” and typical “cerrado” in the Bacaba Municipal Park, Nova Xavantina, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Sixty plots of 10 x 10 m were established, 30 in each forest physiognomy. In each physiognomy, 15 plots were placed in a bamboo-free site (SB) and 15 in a site with an estimated bamboo leaf cover of over 90% (CB). All individuals (shrubs and trees) with a diameter at soil height (DSH = 30 cm aboveground) ≥ 3 cm were sampled. Species richness and diversity, floristic similarity, diameter and height distribution, and the species importance value index (IVI) were evaluated. In general, CB sites of both physiognomies had lower values of number of individuals, species, genera, families, density and basal area compared to SB sites, with marked decrease in these parameters in the cerrado in relation to cerradão. Results suggest that the space occupation and reduction of light incidence caused by bamboo clumping affect seed germination and seedling establishment of Cerrado shrubs and trees, selecting more shade-tolerant species and changing the floristic composition and vegetation structure.

Florestas monodominantes de Brosimum rubescens Taub. (Moraceae) ocorrem na zona de transição Cerrado/Amazônia e encontram-se ameaçadas pela extração da madeira. Dentre as possíveis causas de monodominância destaca-se a disponibilidade de luz, de modo que o objetivo deste trabalho foi testar os efeitos no crescimento e na assimilação de CO2 de diferentes níveis de sombreamento em condições naturais e em viveiro. Em viveiro, os tratamentos foram 0, 30, 50, 70 e 90% de sombreamento e na floresta foram avaliadas plantas jovens crescendo sob o dossel e em clareira. A taxa de assimilação de CO2 em resposta a variações na intensidade luminosa foi medida em plantas jovens sob três condições de sombreamento. As plantas que cresceram sob o dossel fechado apresentaram taxas de crescimento relativo menores do que aquelas que cresceram na clareira. Aos 21 meses, o maior valor de massa seca total (9,46 g) foi encontrado sob 50% de sombreamento, representando um acúmulo de biomassa 144% superior ao tratamento sob 90%. Em todos os tratamentos e amostragens, a partição foi massa seca da raiz > folhas > caule. A menor taxa fotossintética máxima (Amáx= 3,46 µmol m-2 s¹) foi observada para 90% de sombreamento e a maior (Amáx= 7,89 µmol m-2 s-1) foi registrada sob 30% de sombreamento. Clareiras provavelmente desempenham um papel importante na manutenção da monodominância, uma vez que B. rubescens apresentou plasticidade para diferentes condições de luminosidade e maior crescimento nos níveis intermediários de sombreamento. Monodominant forests of Brosimum rubescens Taub. (Moraceae) occur at the Cerrado/Amazonia boundary and are threatened by logging. Light is considered an important determinant for monodominance in forests, so the aim of this study was to analyze initial growth at shading levels of 0, 30, 50, 70 and 90% in the nursery, in a forest gap, and also at a closed canopy site. Photosynthesis was measured in seedlings at three shading levels. Seedlings under a closed canopy showed lower relative growth rates in comparison to seedlings growing in a nearby gap. At 21 months of age, the highest total dry mass of 9.46 g was measured at 50% shading. This represents a biomass accumulation of 144% over that found at 90% shading. For all treatments in every assessment the partitioning was dry matter of roots > leaves > stems. The lowest maximum photosynthesis rate (Amax= 3.46 µmol m-2 s-1) was recorded at 90% shading and the highest (Amax= 7.89 µmol m-2 s-1) was recorded at 30% shading. Gaps seem to play an important role in maintaining monodominance since B. rubescens showed some plasticity regarding light conditions and grew better at intermediate shading levels.

A diversidade, estrutura e distribuição espacial de palmeiras em um cerrado sensu stricto foi estudada. Os dados foram coletados em 21 parcelas de 20 × 50 m distribuídas aleatoriamente em 152 ha (400 × 3800 m). Os diâmetros foram adquiridos a 0,10 m acima do nível do solo. Registraram-se o estágio reprodutivo e a altura dos indivíduos. Foram identificadas seis espécies de palmeiras, totalizando 1671 indivíduos em 2,1 ha. A densidade total das espécies foi de 795,7 palmeiras.ha-1, destacando-se Syagrus flexuosa (Mart.) Becc. (41,2%), S. petraea (Mart.) Becc. (21,7%) e S. comosa (Mart.) Mart. (11,2%). As mais freqüentes foram S. flexuosa e Allagoptera leucocalyx (Drude) O. Kuntze. A área basal total foi de 0,51 m2.ha-1. S. flexuosa teve o maior VI. A distribuição de alturas e diâmetros foi quase unimodal para todas as espécies. O coeficiente de correlação entre diâmetro e altura foi baixo (r = 0,0002 a 0,1247). Syagrus comosa apresentou a maior altura (380 cm). Butia archeri destacou-se em diâmetro (6,8-21 cm). Todas as espécies apresentaram-se férteis, destacando-se B. archeri (100%). Todas as espécies tiveram padrão de dispersão agregado. Uma classificação por TWINSPAN (autovalor 0,501), separou dois grupos: B. archeri, S. comosa e S. petraea, como preferenciais para um grupo de parcelas, e A. campestris, A. leucocalyx e S. flexuosa, como menos agregada. Conclui-se que o cerrado apresenta uma rica e abundante flora de palmeiras com diferenças morfológicas e estruturais que precisam ser melhor conhecidas para se determinarem padrões da diversidade e estrutura de palmeiras para o bioma. The diversity, structure and spatial distribution of palms in a cerrado sensu stricto was studied. Data were collected in 21 plots of 20 × 50 m distributed randomly over a 152 ha area (400 × 3800 m). The diameters were taken at 0.10 m above the level of the soil. The reproductive stage and height per individual were recorded. Six species of palms was identified and a total 1671 individuals in 2.1 ha. The total density of the species was 796 palms.ha-1, in particular Syagrus flexuosa (Mart.) Becc. (41.2%), S. petraea (Mart.) Becc. (21.7%) and S. comosa (Mart.) Mart. (11.2%). The most frequent were S. flexuosa and Allagoptera leucocalyx (Drude) O. Kuntze. The total basal area was 0.51 m2.ha-1. S. flexuosa showed the greatest VI. The height and diameter distributions were almost unimodal, with all species. The coefficient of correlation between diameter and height was low (r = 0.0002 to 0.1247). Syagrus comosa produced the largest height value (380 cm). Butia archeri stood out in diameter (6.8-21 cm). All species were fertile, particularly B. archeri (100%). The pattern of dispersal of all species was aggregated. A classification by TWINSPAN (eigenvalue 0.501) separated B. archeri, S. comosa, and S. petraea as preferential for a group of plots and A. campestris, A. leucocalyx, and S. flexuosa as indifferent. It was concluded that the cerrado contains a rich and abundant flora of palms with morphological and structural differences that requires further research to determine patterns of diversity and structure of palms for the biome.

3/4(Composição florística e fitossociologia do cerrado sentido restrito no município de Água Boa 3/4 MT). O estudo foi conduzido no município de Água Boa, no Vale do Araguaia, área de ecótono entre o Cerrado e Amazônia, que apresenta um complexo vegetacional com o predomínio do cerrado. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a composição florística e a fitossociologia do cerrado sentido restrito na região. Foram alocadas dez parcelas de 20x50m (1000m²). Entraram na amostragem todos os indivíduos lenhosos com diâmetro no nível do solo igual ou superior a 5cm. Além da amostragem com identificação in loco das espécies, foram efetuadas incursões de coleta em áreas próximas, para ampliar o levantamento da composição florística. Foram encontradas 34 famílias botânicas, contendo 60 gêneros e 80 espécies. A família Leguminosae apresentou o maior número de espécies (10), seguida por Myrtaceae (7), Vochysiaceae (6) e Malpighiaceae (5). Outras 19 famílias foram representadas por uma única espécie. As espécies com maior Índice de Valor de Importância foram Curatella americana L., Qualea parviflora Mart., Callisthene fasciculata Mart., Mezilaurus crassiramea (Meiss) Taub. e Byrsonima crassa Nied. Treze espécies estiveram representadas por um único indivíduo. A densidade foi de 995 indivíduos/ha e a área basal de 7,5 m2 /ha. O índice de Shannon encontrado (H') foi de 3,69, evidenciando a alta diversidade da área. 3/4 (Floristic composition and phytosociology of a cerrado sensu stricto in Água Boa 3/4 MT). The study was carried out in Água Boa municipality district MT, in the Araguaia Valley, in a transitional zone between Cerrado and Amazonian. There is a mosaic of vegetation types with the predominance of savannas physiognomies. The aim of this work was to study the floristic composition and the phytosociology of the Cerrado sensu stricto in Água Boa. Ten random plots of 20x50m (1000m²) were sampled. The minimum diameter for measurement of the woody plants was 5 cm at the ground level. Besides the sampling with identification in loco of the species, collection incursions were made in the plots and in nearly areas, to enlarge the study of the floristic composition. Thirty-four botanical families distributed in 60 genera and 80 species were found. The family Leguminosae presented the largest number of species (10), followed by Myrtaceae (7), Vochysiaceae (6) and Malpighiaceae (5). Other 19 families were represented by only one species. The species with higher Index of Importance Value were Curatella americana, Qualea parviflora Mart., Callisthene fasciculata Mart., Mezilaurus crassiramea (Meiss) Taub. and Byrsonima crassa Nied. Thirteen species were represented by only one individual. The density was of 995 plants/ha and the basal area was of 7,5 m2 /ha. The Shannon index (H') was 3,69 evidencing the high diversity of the area.

This study investigated the possibility of temporal variation in functional characteristics of arboreal species in three Cerrado vegetation physiognomies. We analyzed 195 species in total, including 88 in typical cerrado, 89 in cerradao and 105 in gallery forest, with 87 species common in at least two physiognomies. The study was based on lists provided by floristic and phytosociological surveys conducted over 12 years. We observed temporal variation in functional diversity values for typical cerrado and cerradao, while the gallery forest remained constant. The arboreal communities in all three physiognomies showed temporal variation in species richness and abundance, which is likely attributed to drought and fire events that occurred during the study. The lack of temporal change in functional diversity, species richness, and abundance in the gallery forest suggests higher functional stability during periods of environmental change. The causes of the functional changes observed in the typical cerrado and cerradao remain uncertain, but may be related to greater seasonality of soil water availability compared to the gallery forest, where trees have increased access to soil water throughout the year.

The floristic composition, structure, soil fertility and leaf nutrient concentrations were analysed in a monodominant forest of Brosimum rubescens Taub. located in the Areões Xavante Indigenous Reserve (14°34′S, 51°58′W). The area lies in the ecotone between Amazonian forest and cerrado in the municipality of Água Boa, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Sixty nested plots (10 × 10m each) were located in a representative portion of the forest, giving a total sampling area of 0.6ha (40 × 150m). A total of 609 trees ≥ 5cm dbh belonging to 57 species, 46 genera and 32 families were present. The most important family was Moraceae, with B. rubescens as the dominant species with a relative dominance of 59%. The diameter distribution of B. rubescens was unbalanced, indicating an episodic recruitment that could lead to future changes in the forest structure. The high basal area per hectare of B. rubescens indicates the possibility of sustainable logging for commercial exploitation. Analysis of composite soil samples collected from the surface layer (0–10cm) of each of the 60 plots did not indicate any significant gradients in fertility within the area sampled. Mean soil pH was 4.6 and the availability of essential nutrients was very low (0.22cmol(+) kg−1 K, 0.048cmol(+) kg−1 Ca, 0.167cmol(+) kg−1 Mg, and 1.5mg kg−1 P). The higher availability of Mg in the soils in comparison with Ca was a feature observed in other monodominant forests in the Amazon region, as well as in other parts of the world. Analysis of foliar samples showed that the dominant species, B. rubescens, maintained higher foliar concentrations of K, Ca and Mg than other species in the forest. This probably indicates a competitive advantage for this species. Also, the higher concentrations of Mg in the soil did not affect its uptake of Ca or K.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T01:28:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-12-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, but the estimated species richness is very much debated. Here, we apply an ensemble of parametric estimators and a novel technique that includes conspecific spatial aggregation to an extended database of forest plots with up-to-date taxonomy. We show that the species abundance distribution of Amazonia is best approximated by a logseries with aggregated individuals, where aggregation increases with rarity. By averaging several methods to estimate total richness, we confirm that over 15,000 tree species are expected to occur in Amazonia. We also show that using ten times the number of plots would result in an increase to just ~50% of those 15,000 estimated species. To get a more complete sample of all tree species, rigorous field campaigns may be needed but the number of trees in Amazonia will remain an estimate for years to come. Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517 Systems Ecology Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087 Instituto de Biociências - Dept. Ecologia Universidade de Sao Paulo - USP Rua do Matão Trav. 14 no. 321 Cidade Universitária Ecology & Biodiversity Group Utrecht University, Padualaan 8 Coordenação de Biodiversidade Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA Av. André Araújo 2936 Petrópolis Programa Professor Visitante Nacional Sênior na Amazônia - CAPES Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia Av. Perimetral s/n Coordenação de Botânica Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi Av. Magalhães Barata 376 C.P. 399 EMBRAPA – Centro de Pesquisa Agroflorestal de Roraima BR 174 km 8 – Distrito Industrial School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad Medio Ambiente y Salud-BIOMAS Universidad de las Américas Campus Queri Keller Science Action Center The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive Departamento de Botânica Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Amapá - IEPA Rodovia JK Km 10 Campus do IEPA da Fazendinha Herbario Amazónico Colombiano Instituto SINCHI Calle 20 No 5-44 Coordenação de Pesquisas em Ecologia Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA Av. André Araújo 2936 Petrópolis Dep. of Wetland Ecology Institute of Geography and Geoecology Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - KIT Josefstr.1 Biogeochemistry Max Planck Institute for Chemistry Hahn-Meitner Weg 1 AMAP IRD Cirad CNRS INRA Université de Montpellier Coordenação de Dinâmica Ambiental Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA Av. André Araújo 2936 Petrópolis Science and Education The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive Jardín Botánico de Missouri Oxapampa Centro de Biociências Departamento de Ecologia Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte Av. Senador Salgado Filho 3000 Departamento de Ecologia Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP – Instituto de Biociências – IB Av. 24 A 1515 Bela Vista Herbario Vargas Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco Avenida de la Cultura Nro 733 Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Stirling Divisao de Sensoriamento Remoto – DSR Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais – INPE Av. dos Astronautas 1758 Jardim da Granja Programa de Pós- Graduação em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia PPG- Bionorte Universidade Federal de Rondônia Campus Porto Velho Km 9,5 bairro Rural Department of Biology and Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Departamento de Biologia Universidade Federal de Rondônia Rodovia BR 364 s/n Km 9,5 - Sentido Acre Unir Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (IIAP) Av. A. Quiñones km 2,5 Instituto Boliviano de Investigacion Forestal Av. 6 de agosto #28 Km. 14 Doble via La Guardia Casilla 6204 Departamento de Ciencias Forestales Universidad Nacional de Colombia Calle 64 x Cra 65 Agteca-Amazonica Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno Geography College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter International Center for Tropical Botany (ICTB) Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University 11200 SW 8th Street OE 243 Cirad UMR Ecofog AgrosParisTech,CNRS,INRA,Univ Guyane Campus agronomique Natural History Museum University of Oslo Postboks 1172 Centro de Investigaciones Ecológicas de Guayana Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana Calle Chile urbaniz Chilemex Puerto Ordaz Prédio da Botânica e Ecologia Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia Parque Estação Biológica Av. W5 Norte Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA Av. André Araújo 2936 Petrópolis Diretoria Técnico-Científica Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Estrada do Bexiga 2584 Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal do Pará Av. Augusto Corrêa 01 Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis da Amazônia (EDTA) Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane Fiocruz Rua Terezina 476 Adrianópolis Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Saúde Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - IOC/FIOCRUZ Pav. Arthur Neiva – Térreo Av. Brasil 4365 – Manguinhos Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia Universidade Federal do Pará Av. Augusto Corrêa 01 Embrapa Amazônia Oriental Trav. Dr. Enéas Pinheiro s/n° Programa de Ciencias del Agro y el Mar Herbario Universitario (PORT) UNELLEZ-Guanare Instituto de Biociências - Dept. Botanica Universidade de Sao Paulo - USP Rua do Matão 277 Cidade Universitária Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología Universidad de los Andes Carrera 1 # 18a- 10 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia (Botânica) Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA Av. André Araújo 2936 Petrópolis Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Sciencepark 904 Endangered Species Coalition, 8530 Geren Rd. Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno Avenida Irala 565 Casilla Post al 2489 Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Ambientales Instituto de Investigaciones para el Desarrollo Forestal Universidad de los Andes Via Chorros de Milla Inventory and Monitoring Program National Park Service, 120 Chatham Lane Center for Conservation and Sustainability Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW Suite 3123 Universidade Federal do Amapá Ciências Ambientais Rod. Juscelino Kubitschek km2 Department of Integrative Biology University of California Biologia Vegetal Universidade Estadual de Campinas Caixa Postal 6109 Department of Ecology University of Brasilia Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University, Corson Hall, 215 Tower Road Peruvian Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (PCBC) Department of Global Ecology Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama St. Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program Faculty of Natural Sciences Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Silwood Park South Kensington Campus Escola de Negócios Tecnologia e Inovação Centro Universitário do Pará Universidade Federal do Pará Rua Augusto Corrêa 01 Ecosistemas Biodiversidad y Conservación de Especies Universidad Estatal Amazónica Km. 2 1/2 vía a Tena (Paso Lateral) Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Departamento de Genética Ecologia e Evolução Av. Antônio Carlos 6627 Pampulha Department of Biology University of Miami Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Environmental Change Institute University of Oxford Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária Embrapa Amapá Rod. Juscelino Kubitschek km 5 Direccíon de Evaluación Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre Av. Javier Praod Oeste 693 Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM Km 7 via Muyuna Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Fauna y Flora Silvestre Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Imani Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Amazonia Escuela de Biología Herbario Alfredo Paredes Universidad Central Ap. Postal 17.01.2177 Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development Museu Universitário/Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Natureza/Laboratório de Botânica e Ecologia Vegetal Universidade Federal do Acre Department of Biological Sciences Humboldt State University, 1 Harpst Street Institute of Biological and Health Sciences Federal University of Alagoas Av. Lourival Melo Mota s/n Tabuleiro do Martins Servicios de Biodiversidad EIRL Jr. Independencia 405 School of Geosciences University of Edinburgh, 201 Crew Building, King’s Buildings Tropical Diversity Section Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row New York Botanical Garden 2900 Southern Blvd Bronx Natural Capital and Plant Health Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299 Universidad Nacional de Jaén Carretera Jaén San Ignacio Km 23 School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Department for Identification & Naming Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Richmond Herbario Nacional de Bolivia Universitario UMSA Casilla 10077 Correo Central Biology Department and Center for Energy Environment and Sustainability Wake Forest University, 1834 Wake Forest Rd Department of Anthropology University of Texas at Austin SAC 5.150 2201 Speedway Stop C3200 Fundación Estación de Biología Cra 10 No. 24-76 Oficina 1201 Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique CNRS and Université Paul Sabatier UMR 5174 EDB Biosystematics group Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1 Fundación Puerto Rastrojo Cra 10 No. 24-76 Oficina 1201 Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales-COCIBA & Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences-GAIAS Universidad San Francisco de Quito-USFQ Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall ICNHS Federal University of Mato Grosso Av. Alexandre Ferronato 1200 Setor Industrial Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Universidad Nacional de Colombia Apartado 7945 ACEER Foundation Jirón Cusco N° 370 PROTERRA Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (IIAP) Av. A. Quiñones km 2,5 Laboratory of Human Ecology Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas - IVIC Ado 20632 Universidad Autónoma del Beni José Ballivián Campus Universitario Final Av. Ejercito Direction régionale de la Guyane ONF Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Amazon Conservation Team Doekhieweg Oost #24 Environmental Change Institute Oxford University Centre for the Environment Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road Instituto de Ciência Agrárias Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia Av. Presidente Tancredo Neves 2501 Escuela Profesional de Ingeniería Forestal Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco Jirón San Martín 451 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan University of Nottingham Geography and the Environment University of Texas at Austin 305 E. 23rd Street CLA building GeoIS El Día 369 y El Telégrafo 3° Piso School of Agriculture and Food Sciences - ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions CEED The University of Queensland Instituto de Investigaciones para el Desarrollo Forestal (INDEFOR) Universidad de los Andes Conjunto Forestal School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington Environmental Science and Policy Northern Arizona University Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road Resource Ecology Group Wageningen University & Research Droevendaalsesteeg 3a Lumen building number 100 Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Av. Alberto Lamego 2000 University of Campinas Plant Biology Department Rua Monteiro Lobato 255 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz Barão Geraldo Campinas Departamento de Biologia Universidade Federal do Amazonas - UFAM – Instituto de Ciências Biológicas – ICB1 Av General Rodrigo Octavio 6200 Cambridge University Botanic Garden 1 Brookside Medio Ambiente PLUSPRETOL The Mauritius Herbarium Agricultural Services Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security Escuela de Ciencias Forestales (ESFOR) Universidad Mayor de San Simon (UMSS) FOMABO Manejo Forestal en las Tierras Tropicales de Bolivia Tropenbos International Lawickse Allee 11 PO Box 232 Living Earth Collaborative Washington University in Saint Louis Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Building 1540 Ny Munkegade Aarhus C School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Marlowe Building Canterbury Department of Biology University of Missouri Facultad de Biologia Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana Pevas 5ta cdra Herbario Nacional del Ecuador Universidad Técnica del Norte Instituto de Biodiversidade e Floresta Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará Rua Vera Paz Campus Tapajós Departamento de Ecologia Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP – Instituto de Biociências – IB Av. 24 A 1515 Bela Vista

New records of Tibouchina papyrus for Mato Grosso State extend its distribution in the northern part of the Brazilian Savanna, contributing to the conservation of this species and the areas in which it occur.

Aboveground tropical tree biomass and carbon storage estimates commonly ignore tree height (H). We estimate the effect of incorporating H on tropics-wide forest biomass estimates in 327 plots across four continents using 42 656 H and diameter measurements and harvested trees from 20 sites to answer the following questions: 1. What is the best H-model form and geographic unit to include in biomass models to minimise site-level uncertainty in estimates of destructive biomass? 2. To what extent does including H estimates derived in (1) reduce uncertainty in biomass estimates across all 327 plots? 3. What effect does accounting for H have on plot- and continental-scale forest biomass estimates? The mean relative error in biomass estimates of destructively harvested trees when including H (mean 0.06), was half that when excluding H (mean 0.13). Power- and Weibull-H models provided the greatest reduction in uncertainty, with regional Weibull-H models preferred because they reduce uncertainty in smaller-diameter classes (≤40 cm D) that store about one-third of biomass per hectare in most forests. Propagating the relationships from destructively harvested tree biomass to each of the 327 plots from across the tropics shows that including H reduces errors from 41.8 Mg ha−1 (range 6.6 to 112.4) to 8.0 Mg ha−1 (−2.5 to 23.0). For all plots, aboveground live biomass was −52.2 Mg ha−1 (−82.0 to −20.3 bootstrapped 95% CI), or 13%, lower when including H estimates, with the greatest relative reductions in estimated biomass in forests of the Brazilian Shield, east Africa, and Australia, and relatively little change in the Guiana Shield, central Africa and southeast Asia. Appreciably different stand structure was observed among regions across the tropical continents, with some storing significantly more biomass in small diameter stems, which affects selection of the best height models to reduce uncertainty and biomass reductions due to H. After accounting for variation in H, total biomass per hectare is greatest in Australia, the Guiana Shield, Asia, central and east Africa, and lowest in east-central Amazonia, W. Africa, W. Amazonia, and the Brazilian Shield (descending order). Thus, if tropical forests span 1668 million km2 and store 285 Pg C (estimate including H), then applying our regional relationships implies that carbon storage is overestimated by 35 Pg C (31–39 bootstrapped 95% CI) if H is ignored, assuming that the sampled plots are an unbiased statistical representation of all tropical forest in terms of biomass and height factors. Our results show that tree H is an important allometric factor that needs to be included in future forest biomass estimates to reduce error in estimates of tropical carbon stocks and emissions due to deforestation.

O desmatamento, a fragmentação florestal e as mudanças no clima têm chamado a atenção pelos seus efeitos na intensificação das secas e nos regimes de incêndios nas florestas tropicais, alterando a diversidade nos fragmentos remanescentes. Este estudo traz informações sobre algumas das respostas da vegetação a diferentes frequências e intensidades de incêndios no sudeste da Bacia Amazônica. No capítulo 1, analisamos o efeito da variação de combustível (serapilheira) na mortalidade de indivíduos lenhosos, nos danos, na área queimada e na regeneração pós-fogo. Observamos que o aumento de 50% no combustível elevou a mortalidade espécies de lenhosas em 14% (indivíduos entre 1-5 cm de DAP), os danos em 21% (indivíduos ≥ 5 cm DAP) e a área queimada em 33%. No capítulo 2, investigamos os efeitos de incêndios anuais (repetidos seis vezes; tratamento B6) e trienais (repetidos três vezes; tratamento B3) na diversidade de espécies regenerantes em comparação com o controle, não queimado (B0). A riqueza de espécies florestais da Amazônia, florestais coocorrentes no Bioma de Cerrado, espécies de hábito arbóreo-arbustivo e lianas foi reduzida na mesma proporção em ambos os tratamentos. Pyrostegia venusta foi a liana mais abundante em ambos os tratamentos, com ~42% dos indivíduos. Myrcia multiflora e Mabea fistulifera foram as arbóreas mais abundantes em B3. Todas as espécies arbóreas tardias na sucessão foram excluídas de B6. O número de espécies foi menor em B6 devido à redução do rebrotamento. Em contrapartida, o potencial de invasão da gramínea Aristida longifolia foi aumentado em B6. No capítulo 3, discutimos como os incêndios anuais e trienais alteram as fontes de sementes, plântulas e rebrotas; como estes são afetados pela borda florestal, e se as plântulas e as rebrotas persistem nos primeiros anos após os incêndios. Houve redução na chuva de sementes (-36%) e no banco de sementes (-56%) em B3 em comparação com B6. As sementes também foram reduzidas nas bordas. As plântulas foram afetadas em ambos os tratamentos (2,4% de recrutamento no controle, contra 0,6% em B3 e 0,7 em B6) e ao longo da borda. As rebrotas aumentaram no primeiro ano pós-fogo, principalmente em B3 (+5,5 rebrotas), mas declinaram nos anos subsequentes. Concluímos que deve haver maior investimento público no combate aos incêndios na floresta de transição Amazônia-Cerrado, a qual não está adaptada a incêndios recorrentes e intensos, uma vez que as principais vias de regeneração são negativamente afetadas. Deforestation, forest fragmentation and climate change have drawn attention to their effects on the drought intensification and changing fire regimes in tropical forests, reducing the diversity of remaining forest fragments. The current study assesses the vegetation responses to different burn frequencies and intensities in southeastern Amazon Basin. In chapter 1, we analyzed the effects of variation in fine fuel load (litter) on woody plant damages and mortality, burned area and post-fire regeneration. We showed that an addition of 50% more fine fuel increased in 14% the woody plant mortality (individuals within 1-5 cm DBH range), and increased in 21% the number of damaged boles (individuals ≥ 5 cm in DBH), after an increase in 33% in burned area. In chapter 2, we investigated the effects of annual burns (burned six times; B6 treatment) and triennial burns (burned three times; B6 treatment) on regeneration species diversity, comparing with a control (not burned, B0). Tree, shrub and liana species both exclusive from Amazon forests and forest-Cerrado co-occurring species were reduced at the same proportion in both treatments. Pyrostegia venusta was the liana species more abundant in both burned treatments (~42% of all individuals). Myrcia multiflora and Mabea fistulifera, both early succession tree species, were the most abundant species in B3. All late-succession tree species were excluded of B6. This treatment also showed a reduced number of woody species resprouts and an increase in abundance of Aristida longifolia, a dominant invasive grass. In chapter 3, we discussed how B3 and B6 treatments alter the seed sources (seed rain and seed bank), recruits (seedling and saplings) and resprouts and how the forest edge influence each treatment; and also whether the recruits and resprouts were persisting after fires. Our findings showed a reduced number of seeds in the litterfall traps (-36%) and in the soil seed bank (-56%) in B3 compared with B6. Seeds were also reduced at the forest edge. Recruits were altered in both burned treatments (2.4% of seeds recruited in control site versus 0.6% in B3 and 0.7 in B6) and along the forest edge. We found that B3 was linked with a 5.5-fold increase in resprouts, however, they declined across the three years post-fire. We concluded that public investments are needed to inhibit wildfires in Amazonia-Cerrado transition forest, which are not adapted to recurrent and intense fires, since the main regeneration pathways were negatively affected.

Este estudo teve como objetivo verificar a eficiência de carvão vegetal pirogênico como condicionante de substrato para o desenvolvimento de mudas florestais de alto vigor, testando-se o carvoeiro (Tachigali vulgaris) como espécie representativa do Bioma Cerrado. Foram tomados como modelo de produtividade os solos de elevada capacidade de troca catiônica com Horizonte A antrópico da Amazônia (Terras Pretas de Índio), ricos em carbono pirogênico derivado de carvão vegetal. O experimento foi realizado no viveiro da Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, no município de Nova Xavantina-MT. Foram utilizadas quatro concentrações de carvão de eucalipto (Eucalyptus sp.) com 5; 12,5; 25 e 50% do volume total do substrato base e 0% como testemunha. Foi avaliada a porcentagem de emergência no início do experimento. Durante oito meses, a cada 30 dias, foi contado o número de folhas e medida a altura total das mudas. No oitavo mês foi medido o diâmetro do coleto e determinada à massa seca da raiz e da parte aérea. Os tratamentos e a testemunha apresentaram emergência superior a 80%, não havendo influência do carvão. Entretanto, o carvão vegetal incrementou significativamente a altura das mudas, o número de folhas, o diâmetro do coleto e a massa seca radicular e da parte aérea, o que ficou evidenciado pela forte correlação positiva com as concentrações de carvão. Portanto, o carvão vegetal pirogênico é uma alternativa viável como condicionante de origem biológica do substrato para a produção de mudas potencialmente mais resistentes, requerimento importante para plantios em campo sob condições mais severas, como na recuperação de áreas degradadas no Bioma Cerrado.