Similar vegetation structure in protected and non-protected wetlands in Central Brazil: conservation significance

Abstract

SUMMARYAppropriate legislation based on in-depth ecological evidence is essential for ecosystem conservation. Wetland areas in the Brazilian Cerrado hotspot are facing difficulties in terms of status under environmental law: only those wetlands with the palm Mauritia flexuosa (veredas) are recognized as protected. Comprehensive fieldwork in central-western Brazil (72 50-m transects) coupled with both exploratory and confirmatory analyses showed that communities with (MP) and without (MA) M. flexuosa are similar in terms of the floristics and ecology. The results demonstrate that the analysed wetlands are part of a continuum, in which a gradual replacement of species and community structure occurs without a pattern related to physiognomy. Considering such floristic and structure patterns when legally defining the ecosystem would promote a more comprehensive and realistic view of the ecosystem's characteristics and functions, and result in laws with a stronger scientific support. Conservationists should further examine the lack of consistent separation of plant community attributes between the MP and MA areas, and reconsider the scientific definition of veredas.

Floristic Elements as Basis for Conservation of Wetlands and Public Policies in Brazil: The Case of Veredas of the Prata River

“…The soils are hydromorphic, rich in organic matter, wet, generally associated with water table outcrop and headwaters of small watercourses (Melo 2008). As a vegetation type, the vereda is part of the Cerrado domain , Brandão et al 1991, Ribeiro & Walter 1998, with indicator plants, such as M. flexuosa (IBGE 2007) and grasses of filiform (narrow or cylindric) leaves, characteristic of veredas and present in the wetlands of Bonito (Scremin-Dias et al 2018) and in another 12 veredas studied by Moreira et al (2015) in Mato Grosso do Sul. The vegetation of veredas is composed of hydrophilous plants generally surrounded by wet grassland, and often (Ribeiro & Walter 1998) or always associated with the M. flexuosa palm .…”

Natural Regeneration and Biological Invasion by Pinus caribaea Morelet in Two Vereda Sites: Woody Vegetation Response

“…This physiognomy only occurs when there is a water table outcrop surrounded by Mauritia flexuosa L.f. (buriti), palm trees [3]. Nonetheless, since the tree-shrub layer is prevailing, this palm tree species occurrence is questionable when it comes to identify this sort of environment, so there might be areas bearing similar structure and plant composition in which this species does not occur [4].…”

Regeneração natural, relações ambientais e invasão biológica em duas veredas do Triângulo Mineiro

“…A diversidade de espécies lenhosas encontrada neste estudo foi semelhante à vereda de menor riqueza analisada por Araújo et al (2002) (MOREIRA et al 2015;MUNHOZ, 2012;ARAÚJO et al 2002), provavelmente devido às condições ambientais restritas desses ambientes.…”

“…[3]. Nonetheless, since the tree-shrub layer is prevailing, this palm tree species occurrence is questionable when it comes to identify this sort of environment, so there might be areas bearing similar structure and plant composition in which this species does not occur [4].…”

“…Objetivou-se, nesse capítulo, descrever as condições ambientais e as características do solo em duas veredas e relacionar estas características com a regeneração natural lenhosa, cobertura relativa do solo e invasão biológica por Pinus caribaea, Trembleya parviflora e gramíneas exóticas. Composição florística de veredas no Município de Uberlândia, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica, v. 25, n. 4, p. 475-493, 2002 A vegetação presente nas veredas é dominada pelo estrato herbáceo-arbustivo com emergência de indivíduos esparsos de espécies lenhosas subarbustivas e arbóreas (MOREIRA et al 2015;. A caracterização das veredas é comumente relacionada a presença da espécie de palmeira Mauritia flexuosa (buriti), no entanto, composições florísticas muito similares ocorrem na presença e na ausência dessa espécie (MOREIRA et al, 2015).…”