After-fire Variations in Floristic Composition at the Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah) Phytophysiognomies in Curvelo, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the floristic composition at the Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah) stricto sensu and Cerradão (xeromorphic forest) phytophysiognomies. In the first inventory in 2010, 15 soil plots of 20 × 50 m in the Cerrado stricto sensu (CSS) and 10 soil sample plots of 20 × 50 m in the Cerradão (CD) were separated, and individual samples with diameter at soil height ≥ 5 cm were measured. The second inventory, conducted in 2015, used the same criteria. A fire hit both phytophysiognomies after the first inventory. Species loss and a mortality rate higher than recruitment rate were observed in both phytophysiognomies. Species richness and individual density have been diversified over time. Floristic changes were more intense in CD, with significant alterations between mortality and recruitment rates -the species that disappeared were represented by a few individuals; in the CSS, the changes were not significant.