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The vegetation of Brazilian ‘murundus’ – the island-effect on the plant community

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Ary Teixeira De Oliveira-Filho
Ary Teixeira De Oliveira-Filho*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Escola Superior de Agricultura de Lavras, 37200, Lavras, MG, Brazil
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Abstract

The ‘campos de murundus’ (carthmound fields) are typical landscapes of the cerrado (savanna) region of Central Brazil and are characterized by many rounded earthmounds called ‘murundus’ which are scattered over a grassland surface. As these areas are normally liable to seasonal water-logging, the earthmounds are true habitat islands capable of bearing woody plants typical of the cerrado, which are normally very intolerant of root inundation. The vegetation of an area of murundus field at Cuiaba, in the State of Mato Grosso, Central Brazil, was surveyed for the purpose of evaluating the island-effect on the plant community growing on the mounds/islands. Two main aspects were considered: the influence of the size of the mound and the differences between the types of cerrado occurring on the mounds and on the areas surrounding the murundus field. Most plant species occurring on the mounds were also present in the flora of the surrounding cerrado. However, only a fraction of these species was able to colonize the mounds successfully. The number of species on the mounds was found to be significantly correlated with mound area. Speciesarea relationships were better described with the power model S = C(Az) than with the exponential model S = C + z (logA) (fitted with linear regression). The mound size also had a strong influence on the spatial distribution of the species on the surface of the mounds. The species were organized in an increasing number of concentric topographic belts corresponding to a gradient of soil depth above the Hooding level.

Resumo

(A vegetação dos murundus do Brasil Central – o efeito ilha sobre a comunidade vegetal). ‘Campos de murundus’ são paisagens típicas da região do cerrado, no Brazil Central, caracterizadas por incontaveis montes de terra arredondados, os murundus, que se acham distribuídos sobre a superficic de um campo. Como estas áreas são normalmente sujeitas a excesso hídrico estacional, os murundus tornam-se verdadciras ilhas ecológícas capazes de abrigar plantas lenhosas de cerrado, as quais são normalmente muito intolerantes à saturação hidrica no solo. A vegetação dc uma árca de campo de murundus em Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, foi inventariada com o propósito de avaliar o efeito ilha na comunidade vegetal que cresce sobre os murundus/ilhas. Dois aspectos principals foram considerados: a influência da área do murundu e as difcrenças e semelhanças entre o cerrado dos murundus e o cerrado das áreas circunvizinhas ao campo. A maioria das espécies de plantas dos murundus também foi encontrada no cerrado circunvizinho. Contudo, apenas uma parte destas espécies demonslrou capacidade para colonizar com sucesso os murundus. Foi encontrada uma significativa correlação entre o número de espécies de plantas e a área do murundu. As relaçãoes espécie-área foram melhor descritas pelo modelo log-log; S = C(Az); do que pelo modelo exponencial; S = C + z (logA) (ajustados por regressão linear). O tamanho das ilhas demonstrou exercer também uma grande influência na distribuição espacial da comunidade vegetal. As espécies se mostraram organizadas em um número crescente de anéis topográficos concêntricos corrcspondentes a um gradiente de profundidade do solo acima do nîvel das inundações.

Keywords

Brazilcerradosavannamurundusisland biogeography
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , November 1992 , pp. 465 - 486
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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