Abstract
We report changes after frost in cerrado species populations and community structure in Assis, São Paulo State, Brazil and consider the possible impacts of frost on cerrado types and their distribution. Four permanent plots (10 m × 10 m) were established and 736 individuals were marked with enumerated plastic labels and measured one week after the frost. Frost damage for each individual was assessed: 0 - not affected; 1 - slightly affected; 2 - substantially affected; and 3 - strongly affected. The frost impact on vegetation structure was high, reducing tree canopy cover from 88% to 19% in the upper stratum and that of the lower stratum from 48% to 8.5%. Floristic richness did not change, even though a small number (3%) of individuals of some species died. Conversely, the relative dominance of species changed dramatically in the short-term because of varying susceptibility to frost of different species. The largest reductions in crown cover were observed in Xylopia aromatica and Vochysia tucanorum. Of the 57 species recorded, 15% were unaffected, 19% had only their leaves damaged, 25% had some of their leaves and branches damaged, and 41% had all their aerial parts killed. The majority of individuals in the community belonged to frost tolerant species. The regeneration of the stand structure was remarkably rapid; height and canopy cover of the lower stratum recovered completely after five months, and those of the arboreal stratum showed a recovery of about 80% after 11 months. We consider that the frequency and intensity of frosts can maintain more open forms of cerrado vegetation even in sites where both water and nutrient availability could support denser vegetation. It is also probable that some frost-resistant heliophyte species are confined to areas where frosts prevent the development of denser cerrado vegetation. Much of the characteristic floristic composition of the southern region of the cerrado biome may be related to the selection of frost-resistant species. Our study shows, however, that a full complement of cerrado plants is capable of occupying and colonizing frost susceptible sites.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bannister P. and Polwart A. 2003. The frost resistance of ericoid heath plants in the British Isles in relation to their biogeography. Journal of Biogeography 28: 589–596.
Bowen M.J. and Pate J.S. 1993. The significance of root starch in postfire shoot recovery of the resprouter Stirlingia latifolia R.Br. (Proteaceae). Annals of Botany 72: 7–16.
Camargo M.B.P., Pedro Junior M.P., Alfonsi R.R., Ortolani A.A., Brunini O. and Chiavegatto O.M.D. 1990. Probabilidade de ocorrência de geadas nos Estados de São Paulo e Mato Grosso do Sul. Instituto Agronômico, Campinas, Brazil.
Castro A.A.J.F. and Martins F.R. 1999. Cerrados do Brasil e do nordeste: caracterização, área de ocupação e considerações sobre a sua fitodiversidade. Pesquisa em Foco 7(9): 147–178.
Cirne P. and Scarano F.R. 2001. Resprouting and growth dynamics after fire of the clonal shrub Andira legalis (Leguminosae) in a sandy coastal plain in southeastern Brazil. Journal of Ecology 89: 351–357.
Cole M.M. 1986. The Savannas: biogeography and Geobotany. Academic Press, London, UK.
Coutinho L.M. 1982. Ecological effects of fire in Brazilian cerrado.. In: Huntley B.J. and Walker B.H. (eds), Ecology of Tropical Savannas. Ecological Studies 42: 273–291.
Coutinho L.M. 1990. O cerrado e a ecologia do fogo. Ciência Hoje 12(68): 23–30.
Coutinho L.M., De Vuono Y.S. and Lousa J.S. 1982. Aspectos ecológicos do fogo no cerrado. A época da queimada e a produtividade primária líquida epigéia do estrato herbáceo-subarbustivo. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 5: 37–41.
Crawford R.M.M. 1989. Studies in plant survival. Blackwell, Oxford, UK.
Delitti W.B.C. 1984. Aspectos comparativos da Ciclagem de Nutrientes Minerais na Mata Ciliar, no Campo Cerrado e na Floresta Implantada de Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliotti (Mogi-Guaçu, SP). PhD Thesis. Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Dias B.F.S. 1992. Cerrados: uma caracterização.. In: Dias B.F.S. (ed.), Alternativas de desenvolvimento do cerrado: manejo e conservação dos recursos naturais renováveis. FUNATURA -IBAMA, Brasília, Brazil, pp. 11–25.
Durigan G., Bacic M.C., Franco G.A.D.C. and Siqueira M.F. 1999. Inventário florístico do cerrado na Estação Ecológica de Assis. Hoehnea 26(2): 149–172.
Durigan G., Contieri W.A., Franco G.A.D.C., Garrido M.A.O. 1998. Indução do processo de regeneração da vegetação de cerrado em áreas de pastagem, Assis, SP. Acta botanica Brasilica 12(3): 421–429.
Durigan G., Franco G.A.D.C., Pastore J.A. and Aguiar O.T. 1997. Regeneração natural da vegetação de cerrado sob floresta de Eucalyptus citriodora. Revista do Instituto Florestal 9(1): 71–85.
Durigan G., Saraiva I.R., Garrido M.A.O., Garrido L.M.A.G. and Peche Filho A. 1987. Fitossociologia e evolução da densidade da vegetação de cerrado em Assis, SP. Boletim Técnico do Instituto Florestal 41: 59–78.
Eiten G. 1972. The cerrado vegetation of Brazil. Botanical Reviews 38: 201–341.
Eiten G. 1990. Vegetação do cerrado.. In: Pinto M.N. (ed.), Cerrado caracterização e perspectivas, 2nd ed. UnB/SEMATEC, Brasília, Brazil, pp. 11–25.
Filgueiras T.S. 1989. Efeito de uma geada sobre a flora do cerrado na Reserva Ecológica do IBGE, DF. Brasil. Cadernos de Geocêincias 2: 67–70.
Flint H.L. 1972. Cold hardiness of twigs of Quercus rubra L. as a function of geographic origin. Ecology 53: 1163–1170.
Green J.W. 1969. Temperature response in altitudinal populations of Eucalyptus pauciflora Sieb. Ex Spreng. New Phytologist 68: 399–410.
Gutschick V.P. and BassiriRad H. 2003. Extreme events as shaping physiology, ecology, and evolution of plants: toward a unified definition and evaluation of their consequences. New Phytologist 160: 1–21.
Hoffmann W.A. 1998. Post burn reproduction of woody plants in a Neotropical savanna. Journal of Applied Ecology 35: 422–433.
Hoffmann W.A. 2000. The relative importance of sexual vegetative reproduction in Cerrado woody plants. In: Cavalcanti T.B. and Walter B.M.T. (eds), Temas atuais em botânica. EMBRAPA, Brasília, Brazil, pp. 231–234.
Inouye D.W. 2000. The ecological and evolutionary significance of frost in the context of climate change. Ecology Letters 3(5): 457–463.
Larcher W. 1995. Physiological Plant Ecology: Ecophysiology and Stress Physiology of Functional Groups. Springer Verlag, New York.
Levitt J. 1972. Responses of Plants to Environmental Stresses. Academic Press, New York.
Loik M.E. and Nobel P.S. 1993. Freezing tolerance and water relations of Opuntia fragilis from Canada and the United States. Ecology 74: 1722–1732.
Loik M.E. and Redar S.P. 2003. Freezing tolerance and cold acclimation for seedlings of Artemisia tridentata along an elevation gradient. Journal of Arid Environments 54: 769–782.
Lüttge U. 1997. Physiological ecology of Tropical Plants. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Mendonça R.C., Felfili J.M., Walter B.M.T., Silva Jr M.C., Rezende A.V., Filgueiras T.S. and Nogueira P.E. 1998. Flora vascular do cerrado. In: Sano S.M. and Almeida S.P. (eds), Cerrado: ambiente e flora. EMBRAPA-CPAC, Planaltina, Brazil, pp. 289–556.
Miranda H.S., Saito C.H. and Dias B.F.S., (eds) 1996. Impacto de Queimadas em Áreas de Cerrado e Restinga. ECL/UnB, Brasília, Brazil.
Myers N., Mittermeier R.A., Mittermeier C.G., Fonseca G.A.B. and Kent J. 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403: 853–858.
Oliveira-Filho A.T. and Ratter J.A. 2002. Vegetation physiognomies and woody flora of the Cerrado Biome. In: Oliveira P.S. and Marquis R.J. (eds, The Cerrados of Brazil: Ecology and Natural History of a Neotropical Savanna. Columbia University Press, USA.
Oliveira-Filho A.T., Vilela E.A., Gavilanes M.L. and Carvalho D.A. 1994. Comparison of the woody flora and soils of six areas of montane semi-deciduous forest in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Edinburg Journal of Botany 51: 355–389.
Ratter J.A., Bridgewater S., Ribeiro J.F., Dias T.A.B. and Silva M.R. 2000. Distribuição das espécies lenhosas da fitofisionomia Cerrado sentido restrito nos estados compreendidos pelo bioma Cerrado. Boletim do Herbário Ezechias Paulo Heringer 5: 5–43.
Ribeiro J.F. and Walter B.M.T. 1998. Fitofisionomias do bioma cerrado.. In: Sano S.M. and Almeida S.P. (eds, Cerrado: ambiente e flora. EMBRAPA-CPAC, Planaltina, Brazil, pp. 89–166.
Silberbauer-Gottsberger I., Morawetz W. and Gottsberger G. 1977. Frost damage of cerrado plants in Botucatu, Brazil, as related to the geographical distribution of species. Biotropica 9(4): 253–261.
Silva J.M.C. and Bates J.M. 2002. Biogeographic patterns and conservation in the South American Cerrado: a tropical savanna hotspot. Bioscience 52(3): 225–233.
Smith S.D., Monson R.K. and Anderson J.E. 1997. Physiological Ecology of North American Desert Plants. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Smithberg M.H. and Weiser C.J. 1968. Patterns of variation among climatic races of red-osier dogwood. Ecology 49: 495–505.
Toledo Filho D.V. 1984. Composiç™o florística e estrutura fitossociológica da vegetação do cerrado no município de Luís Antonio (SP). Campinas, Instituto de Biologia da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. MSc Dissertation.
Vuono Y.S., Barbosa L.M., Batista E.A. and Gurgel Filho O.A. 1982. Efeitos biológicos da geada na vegetação do cerrado. Silvicultura em São Paulo 16A(1): 545–547.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brando, P.M., Durigan, G. Changes in cerrado vegetation after disturbance by frost (São Paulo State, Brazil). Plant Ecol 175, 205–215 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-0014-z
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-0014-z