Check List 8(1): 032-042, 2012 © 2012 Check List and Authors Chec List ISSN 1809-127X (available at www.checklist.org.br) Journal of species lists and distribution PECIES S the central west region of São Paulo state, Brazil OF Richness and similarity of the Cerrado vascular flora in Katia Losano Ishara* and Rita C. S. Maimoni-Rodella ISTS L Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica. Distrito de Rubião Júnior. Caixa Postal 510. CEP 18618-000. Botucatu, SP, Brazil. * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: This study aims to characterize and compare three Cerrado areas (one cerradão and two cerrado sensu stricto found belonging to four species of pteridophytes, one species of an exotic gymnosperm and 243 species of angiosperms. Differencesareas) in Patrânia, in species São number Paulo andstate, proportion southeastern of the Brazil, woody concerning and herbaceous the floristic components composition. were observed In total, among 250 taxa the threewere Cerrado areas. The similarity analysis revealed that the cerradão seems quite peculiar, showing low similarity level with the cerrado sensu stricto areas contiguous to it, being more similar to other cerradão areas located in nearby municipalities. Introduction physiognomic diversity become very important because According to Coutinho (1978, 2002), the Cerrado they can support future actions of management, restoration (Brazilian savanna) is a vegetation complex encompassing and conservation in the Cerrado region, also expanding a series of physiognomies from open grasslands (campo knowledge about these different physiognomies. limpo) to dense woodlands (cerradão) and three Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze intermediate physiognomies (campo sujo, grasslands with Cerrado a scattering of shrubs and small trees; campo cerrado, physiognomies in the Pratânia municipality, Central West grasslands with more shrubs and trees; and cerrado sensu regionthe floristic of São Paulocomposition state, Southeastern of three different Brazil, aiming to stricto, where trees and shrubs dominate but with a fair answer the following questions: 1) Is there variation in amount of herbaceous vegetation). species composition among the studied physiognomies? The Cerrado presents great diversity of plant species, 2) Are there differences in the proportional distribution of and in this biome the occurrence of 385 species of the plants habit in the three areas of study? 3) Are there pteridophytes and 11,242 species of phanerogams was species characteristic of each physiognomy? 4) Are there registred until this moment (Mendonça et al. 2008). similarities between the studied areas when compared This high number of species seems to be related to the with other Cerrado areas in the same region? wide range of environmental conditions present at the Cerrado due to its large area, covering about 25% of Brazil Materials and Methods surface (MMA 2009). The environmental diversity that The study was carried out at the Fazenda Palmeira is associated with different physiognomic vegetation in da Serra, in a Cerrado fragment (ca. 176 ha) located in Patrânia, SE Brazil (22°48’ S, 48°44’ W: 714–753 m a.s.l.; composition. Figure 1). The regional climate is Cwa (humid temperate this domain provides a wide variation in the total floristic climate with dry winter and hot summer) according to in the Cerrado remnants of São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil,Among there the severalis a floristicpredominance surveys conductedof inventories to date 20.8°C and average annual precipitation is 1453.6 mm encompassing only the woody vegetation, and few studies (CEPAGRIKöppen classification. 2010). The soil Average types found annual in Pratânia temperature are Red- is cover all plant habits. Considering studies that include all Yellow Latosol and Red Latosol (Oliveira et al. 1999). plant habits some research previously done in the Pratânia Three areas were selected in the fragment of Cerrado, municipality can be highlighted (Machado et al. 2005; that is, one area of cerradão and two areas of cerrado sensu Carvalho et al. 2010), as well as in other municipalities in stricto (named in this study as cerrado sensu stricto I and the region, such as Águas de Santa Bárbara (Meira Neto II). The studied fragment is surrounded by pastures and et al. 2007), Assis (Durigan et al. 1999) and Botucatu plantations of sugarcane, Eucalyptus and Citrus. (Gottsberger and Silberbauer-Gottsberger 2006; Ishara et The location and general characterization of the three al. 2008). studied areas of Cerrado In recent years the Cerrado suffered intense destruction considering the altitude, the density and the average in São Paulo state leading to such reduction that this height of woody plants present were madein each as area. a profile diagram vegetation now occupies less than 1% of the original area (SMA 2010). Hence, studies that provide additional 2007 to December 2009, by collecting on a weekly basis The floristic survey was carried out from September information about the floristic heterogeneity and in the first two years and then monthly, vascular plants in 032 Ishara and Maimoni-Rodella | Cerrado vascular flora in Patrânia, Brazil reproductive phase preferably. These plants were sampled Delanova Gemtchújnicov” (BOTU), Instituto de Biociências by the pathway method in the three physiognomies of Cerrado, which together make approximately 3 ha of study performed using specialized bibliography, as well as area. comparisonde Botucatu, with UNESP. specimens The ofspecies the Herbarium identification BOTU wasand Species of all habits were included in the survey, UNBA (UNESP, Bauru) and virtual international herbaria following the general descriptions contained in Durigan through the worldwide web. et al. (1999) and Gill and Lorenzi (2007), with some adjustments, as follows: (a) tree: woody plant with branches at 50 cm above the ground level and more to 1 angiospermsThe floristic and list on was Tryon compiled and inTryon accordance (1982) withfor m height; (b) shrub: woody plant with branches emerging pteridophytes,the classification being system the basedspecies on names APG IIand (2003) authors for from the base of the trunk and larger than 1 m height; (c) et al. (2008), the subshrub: small woody plant with less than 1 m height; (d) Missouri Botanical Garden (2010) and The International herb: non-woody plant of small size; (e) vine: woody or Plantconfirmed Names and Index updated (2010). after Mendonça non-woody plant whose stem requires support, climbing on other plants or substrate; (f) epiphyte: plant which studied areas and other Cerrado areas located at the grows on another plant or on some mechanical support to SãoTo Paulo analyze state the (Table floristic 1), similaritya presence/absence between the matrix three obtain light, but that is not a parasite; (g) hemiparasite: was prepared including all species. The cluster analysis plant which grows on another plant where it penetrates was performed using the Jaccard Index of Similarity feeder roots to obtain water and salts. (Mueller-Dombois and Ellenberg 1974) and the UPGMA The botanical material was herborized and voucher algorithm (Sneath and Sokal 1973) being processed by specimens were deposited in the Herbarium “Irina the BioDiversity Professional Program (McAleece 1997). Figure 1. Location of the study area of Cerrado in the Pratânia municipality, São Paulo state, Brazil. Table 1. Cerrado areas of São Paulo state compared with the three studied areas in Pratânia municipality, SP, Brazil. CODE STUDY SITE ALTITUDE (M) PHYSIOGNOMY REFERENCE PRAT_C Pratânia 742 cerradão Present study PRAT_SS I Pratânia 725 cerrado sensu stricto I Present study PRAT_SS II Pratânia 718 cerrado sensu stricto II Present study ASB_1 Águas de Santa Bárbara 600-680 cerrado sensu stricto Meira Neto et al. (2007) ASB_2 Águas de Santa Bárbara 600-680 cerradão Meira Neto et al. (2007) AGUD Agudos 550 cerrado sensu stricto Bertoncini (unpublished data) ASS_1 Assis 520-590 cerrado sensu stricto Durigan et al. (1999) ASS_2 Assis 520-590 cerradão Durigan et al. (1999) BAUR Bauru 580 cerradão Faraco (unpublished data) BTU_1 Botucatu 500 cerradão Bicudo (unpublished data) BTU_2 Botucatu 550 cerrado sensu stricto Gottsberger and Silberbauer -Gottsberger (2006) BTU_3 Botucatu 830 cerrado sensu stricto Ishara et al. (2008) PRAT Pratânia 720 cerrado sensu stricto Carvalho et al. (2010) SRPQ Santa Rita do Passa Quatro 600 cerrado sensu stricto Weiser and Godoy (2001) 033 Ishara and Maimoni-Rodella | Cerrado vascular flora in Patrânia, Brazil in a single location were excluded, according to the specimens was possible only to genus level and other one methodologySpecies with described incomplete in Ratter identification et al. (2003). or recorded only(34.47%) to family were level. recorded. Thus, Besides, it is possible the identification that an increase of 12 occurs in the number of new records for the area. Results and Discussion In the cerradão area 52 families were recorded and The studied Cerrado remnant comprises three adjacent Myrtaceae (13 species) and Fabaceae (11) were the richest families. In the area of cerrado sensu stricto I, density and height of the woody plants (Figure 2). In the 51 families were recorded and among the richest are studyareas areathat a differtotal of mainly 250 taxa on were the registered. floristic composition, Four species Fabaceae (25 species), Asteraceae (20), Myrtaceae (13) of pteridophytes belonging to two families,