Influence of fire history and soil properties on plant species richness and functional diversity in a neotropical savanna
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Data
2013-09
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Editor
Sociedade Botânica do Brasil
Resumo
Differences in plant species richness and composition are associated with soil properties and disturbances such as fire, which can therefore be key determinants of species occurrence in savanna plant communities. We measured species richness, using nine plant functional traits and abundance to calculate three functional diversity indices. We then used model selection analyses to select the best model for predicting functional diversity and richness based on soil variables at sites with three different fire frequencies. We also calculated the community-weighted mean of each trait and used ordination to examine how traits changed across fire frequencies. We found higher species richness and functional dispersion at sites that were more fertile and where fire was frequent, and the opposite at such sites
where fire was infrequent. However, soil properties influenced functional evenness and divergence only where fire was infrequent, with higher values where soils were poorer. Fire can change functional traits directly by hindering development of plants and indirectly by altering competition. Different fire frequencies lead to different plant-soil relationships, which can affect the functioning of tropical savanna communities. Functional diversity components and functional identity of the communities are both affected by fire frequency and soil conditions.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Cerrado, Complementarity, Fertility effect, Plant traits, Soil nitrogen
Citação
SILVA, Danilo Muniz; BATALHA, Marco Antônio; CIANCIARUSO, Marcos Vinicius. Influence of fire history and soil properties on plant species richness and functional diversity in a neotropical savanna. Acta Botanica Brasílica, Belo Horizonte, v. 27, n. 3, p. 490-497, July/Sept. 2013.