Abstract
Most Rupestrian Grasslands are associated with the more resistant and prominent rocks in the landscape (quartzites and itabirites). However, there is little knowledge on the ecological importance of water and near-surface temperature regime to this peculiar vegetation, as well as their relationship with the soil and environmental importance. We characterized and compared the thermic and hydric dynamics of soils on ironstone and quartzite in the Iron Quadrangle (IQ ). In situ monitoring of moisture and soil temperature and air temperature in four different environments, namely: Rupestrian Grassland on Ironstone, Forest on Ironstone, Rupestrian Grassland on Quartzite, and Forest on Quartzite are reported. The soil moisture monitoring method was based on the TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer), by means of sensors calibration in a laboratory, in which the propagation time of electromagnetic pulse detected by sensors installed in the soil were converted into gravimetric moisture values. The pioneer data indicated that temperature, and soil moisture and depth have strong influence on vegetation physiognomies in both rupestrian grassland environments. The magnitude of soil temperature and soil moisture variations in the rupestrian grasslands is very high; hence highlighting the extreme environmental conditions to which they are subjected. Results allowed a deeper understanding of the pedoclimatic dynamics on these environments.
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We thank Vale and CNPq for grants and scholarships that made possible this study, as well as for all logistic support.
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Ferrari, L.T. et al. (2016). Thermic and Hydric Dynamics of Ironstone (Canga) and Quartzite Rupestrian Grasslands in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero: The Ecological Importance of Water. In: Fernandes, G. (eds) Ecology and Conservation of Mountaintop grasslands in Brazil. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29808-5_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29808-5_4
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