Ferruginous Rupestrian Savannah: a floristic and structural analysis of these rare environments

Abstract

The flora of the Rupestrian Savannah (Cerrado Rupestre) is composed of widely distributed species and endemic species from high altitude rocky outcrops. The aim of this study was to characterise the floristic composition, structure and diversity of fragments of Rupestrian Savannah in south-eastern Brazil and to examine the similarity with other rupestrian cerrado vegetations and with cerrado sensu stricto on profound soils. For this, phytosociological parameters, evenness and diversity were calculated and compared with other studies. The survey exhibited 72 species, 45 genera, 30 families and high floristic similarity with cerrado on profound soils. There were no indicator species of the Rupestrian Savannah, but there were typical species of rocky environments. The basal area was significantly larger in the profound soil cerrado in relationship to the Rupestrian Savannah and evenness was lower in the Rupestrian Savannah of this study compared to others. These variables reflect the lower exploration capacity of the root of rocky environments. The highest similarity between the Rupestrian Savannah and cerrado on profound soils refers to the canga ferruginous nature, which represents the limit of the tableland of cerrado on the edge of the plateaus, allowing greater sharing of flora.

The importance of pollination and dispersal syndromes for the conservation of Cerrado Rupestre fragments on ironstone outcrops immersed in an agricultural landscape

“…Five fragments of Cerrado Rupestre were studied, predominantly composed of a continuous crust of canga, also known as "canga couraçada" (Jacobi and Carmo 2008). The types of canga observed in these areas form a rigid layer on the ground, with the roots accessing the soil through cracks or settling in rock crevices (Pereira et al 2019). All fragments have between 10 and 15 ha, are at an altitude between 1150 and 1250 meters, and are close to the urban area.…”

“…The coordinates of the five studied fragments are: fragment 1 = 19°20'55"S, 46°25'81"W; fragment 2 = 19°18'63"S, 46°27'30"W; fragment 3 = 19°18'37"S, 46°25'36"W; fragment 4 = 19°18'65"S, 46°23'62"W; and fragment 5 = 19°16'69"S, 46°22'93"W (For more details on these fragments, see Fig. 1B and Pereira et al 2019).…”