Summary1 Survival, resprouting and growth dynamics of the clonal shrub Andira legalis were studied for 2 years after fire, on a sandy spit on the coastal plain of Brazil. We examined the importance of resprouting for post-fire persistence, the relationship between resprouting patterns and injury suffered and size of individuals, and whether ramet growth was determined by competition and self-thinning. 2 Post-fire resprouting was responsible for production of new ramets and led to an increase in the mean number of ramets per A . legalis individual. 3 There was a negative association between resprouting from overground vs. underground. Highly injured individuals showed a significant tendency to sprout new ramets from underground organs whereas less damaged plants produced new branches and leaves from stem buds. Ramet production was related to an individual's prefire size (basal area), but to a lesser extent than to injury. 4 Immediately after fire, the G ( t , x ) function (mean of absolute growth rates of shoots of size x at time t ) was size-independent, suggesting an absence of competition. G ( t , x ) then became size-dependent, while D ( t , x ) (variance of absolute growth rates of shoots of size x at time t ) remained size-independent, indicating that any competition between ramets was symmetric. 5 Size-dependent mortality and a negative linear relationship between mean ramet size and density indicated self-thinning. However, the low ramet mortality (7.7%) and the absence of size hierarchies (coefficients of variation remained constant) suggest that competition and self-thinning were not intense.

-(Spatial variation in the structure and floristic composition of "restinga" vegetation in southeastern Brazil). We examined large-scale spatial variation of structural parameters and floristic composition in open Clusia scrub, a vegetation type of the Brazilian "restingas" (sandy coastal plain vegetation). This vegetation is organized in islands separated by sandy stretches with sparse herbaceous vegetation. We located 12 sample areas on three consecutive beach ridges, lying parallel to the coastline and at different distances from the ocean, in close proximity to two lagoons (Cabiúnas and Comprida). Each sample area was divided into three strips. We used the line intercept method to sample all woody plants ³ 50 cm tall. We used nested ANOVA to verify structural variation between different sampling scales. TWINSPAN analysis was performed to examine the variation in floristic composition between areas. The overall diversity index was 3.07. Six species are repeatedly dominant throughout the entire sampling area. There was homogeneity in relation to diversity and species richness between beach ridges but not within beach ridges. Floristic composition and structural parameters did not vary in relation to distance from the sea but floristic composition did vary as a function of proximity to Cabiúnas or Comprida lagoon. Differences in plant cover between sample areas may be related to the paleoformation of this sandy coastal plain.Key words -phytosociology, plant community, sampling scale, sandy coastal plain RESUMO -(Variação espacial na estrutura e composição florística de uma vegetação de restinga no Sudeste brasileiro). A variação em ampla escala espacial para parâmetros estruturais e composição florística foi examinada para uma formação aberta de Clusia, um tipo vegetacional das restingas brasileiras. Esta vegetação é organizada em moitas separadas por areia com esparsa vegetação herbácea. Foram levantadas 12 áreas amostrais em três cordões arenosos paralelos, às margens de duas lagoas costeiras (Cabiúnas e Comprida). Estes cordões estavam dispostos a diferentes distâncias do mar. Cada área amostral foi dividida em três faixas. Usamos o método de intercepto de linha para amostrar todas as plantas lenhosas ³ 50 cm de altura. Foi empregada ANOVA hierárquica para verificar a variação estrutural em diferentes escalas amostrais, e análise de TWINSPAN para examinar a variação na composição florística entre áreas. A diversidade total da área (H') foi de 3,07. Apenas poucas espécies foram repetidamente dominantes ao longo de toda a área amostral. Houve homogeneidade em relação à diversidade e riqueza de espécies entre cordões arenosos, mas não dentro destes cordões. Composição florística e parâmetros estruturais não variaram em relação à distância do mar, mas a composição florística variou em função da lagoa que margeava. As diferenças observadas na cobertura vegetal podem estar relacionadas com a história geológica desta área de restinga.

Effects of prescribed fires on survival and release of seeds of the woody species Kielmeyera coriacea (Clusiaceae) were investigated in two plots of cerrado sensu stricto, a savanna vegetation of Central Brazil. The first plot was burnt in June, at the beginning of the dry season, and the second in August, in the middle of the dry season. Seed survival was measured after fire in both areas and related to internal and external fruit temperatures measured during the June fire. The proportion of open fruits per individual of K. coriacea was also assessed at two-week intervals. Maximum external temperatures during fire (393 to 734 o C) were strongly reduced inside the fruits (61 to 63 o C). Before the June fire, the majority of the fruits were closed in both plots. Most fruits in the June plot opened within two weeks following the burning while, in the same period, most fruits remained closed in the August plot. Fifteen days after the prescribed fire in the August plot most fruits opened, as observed in the June plot. No germination was observed in seeds from closed fruits collected before the fire, while those from fruits that were closed during the burning showed a high mean germination rate (June = 79 ± 12%; August = 69 ± 14%). The results indicate that fruits of K. coriacea are good insulators for seeds during fires and that seed release is anticipated independently of the burning season. Key words: Cerrado, fire season, fruit temperature, germination, seed release Efeito de queimadas prescritas na sobrevivência e dispersão de sementes de Kielmeyera coriacea (Spr.) Mart. (Clusiaceae) em áreas de cerrado sensu stricto: Os efeitos de queimadas prescritas na sobrevivência e na dispersão de sementes de Kielmeyera coriacea (Clusiaceae) foram investigados em duas parcelas de cerrado sensu stricto, uma queimada no início da estação seca (junho) e outra, em agosto, meio da estação seca. A sobrevivência das sementes após as queimadas foi relacionada às temperaturas externa e interna dos frutos medidas durante a queimada de junho. A proporção de frutos abertos por indivíduos de K. coriacea foi observada quinzenalmente. As temperaturas externas máximas durante a passagem do fogo (393 a 734 o C) foram fortemente reduzidas dentro dos frutos (61 a 63 o C). Nas duas parcelas, a maior parte dos frutos estava fechada antes da queimada realizada em junho. Cerca de 60% dos frutos observados na parcela queimada em junho abriram nas duas semanas após a queimada sendo que, no mesmo período, a maior parte dos frutos na parcela a ser queimada em agosto permaneceu fechada. Da mesma forma, nas duas semanas seguintes à queimada realizada em agosto, foi observada a abertura da maioria dos frutos. Nenhuma semente dos frutos coletados antes das queimadas germinou. Entretanto, foi alta a germinação das sementes coletadas dos frutos que estavam fechados durante as queimadas (junho = 79 ± 12%; agosto = 69 ± 14%). Os resultados indicam que os frutos de K. coriacea oferecem boa proteção para as sementes durante as queimadas e que, independentemen...