Fitossociologia de um fragmento de cerradão em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais

Abstract

The cerradão, a forest-type vegetation of the Cerrado biome, has been undergoing intense fragmentation due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier, which intensifies edge effects and compromises the integrity of plant communities. In this context, this study conducted a phytosociological survey in a fragment located in the British American Tobacco environmental reserve, in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In total, 50 plots of 10 × 10 m were installed sequentially (from the edge of the trails towards the interior of the cerradão), where data such as height and circumference were collected from all tree individuals with CAP (circumference at breast height) ≥ 10 cm, as well as from woody lianas, regardless of their diameters. In total, 1,868 individuals were sampled, comprising 919 live individuals belonging to 78 species, 55 genera, and 31 families, 384 standing dead trees, and 565 woody lianas. The Fabaceae family was the most prominent with 206 individuals distributed across 14 species. The species with the highest Importance Value Index (IVI) were Qualea grandiflora Mart. (25.60%), Pterodon pubescens (Benth.) Benth. (19.92%), Miconia albicans (Sw.) Steud. (14.16%), and Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. (13.88%). The Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H’ = 2.73) and Pielou's evenness index (J = 0.62) showed values below the expected for cerradão. The high number of dead individuals, the high abundance of lianas, and the reduced number of dominant species explain the low diversity recorded, indicating a strong ecological imbalance in the area. The results highlight the need to implement urgent liana control strategies so that the vegetation can recover.