The diversity of ecophysiological strategies in a Cerrado herbaceous communities: a case study involving distinct environmental constraints

Abstract

The "Cerrado" is a savanna biome which is distributed along a wide geographical range along the Brazilian territory. Its most prominent vegetation type is the cerrado sensu stricto, which consists of a dominant herbaceous layer (rich in herbs and grasses) where woody species occur scattered distributed, possessing different degrees of density. This typical vegetation appears throughout the territorial distribution of the Cerrado, being subject to structural changes according to the degree of density of individual trees. Many typical herbaceous species of savanna formations are supposed to be intolerant to shade, especially when typical Cerrado regions undergoes extensive successional changes due to the increase of arboreal species. This is an important fact especially in marginal areas of Cerrado distribution, where the degree of density of tree species has increased dramatically over the past 40 years. This project aims to study how communities of herbaceous species differ in their structure and species diversity given regional and local variants, especially relative to changes caused by the increase of tree species. Also, it intends to study the functional responses of herbaceous plants against light variations caused by the increase in the density of woody species. It is expected that the results will provide a contribution to the knowledge of the functional adaptations and community structure of herbaceous plants in response to environmental changes. (AU)