BIOGEOGRAFIA DOS COMPLEXOS RUPESTRES DE ALTITUDE EM QUARTZITO NO SUL DE MINAS GERAIS.

This paper intends to discuss biogeographic and geoecological features of the high altitude rocks complexes in quartzite in the southern portion of the state of Minas Gerais. Such associations occupy an area of approximately 285 Km? and keep it occurrence depending on the quartzitic ridges that constitute important regional structural surfaces. The use of the complex word becomes appropriate according to the physiognomic variations given by the thickness of the soil and its capacity of water retention, encompassing both the called rocks fields and the altitude fields, the first ones with its occurrence linked to the litholic environments and the second ones to the substratum formed by shallow and dystrophic soils. The results obtained reveal lithoestructural, geomorphological, pedological, climatic and anthropic factors acting together in the occurrence of the vegetable physiognomy at issue, substantiating quite singular geoenvironments that comprehend one of the most sui generis vegetations of the brazilian flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]