Nitrogen budget in a soil-plant system after brachiaria grass desiccation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Do woody and herbaceous species compete for soil water across topographic gradients? Evidence for niche partitioning in a Neotropical savanna

Savannas are characterized by sparsely distributed woody species within a continuous herbaceous cover, composed mainly by grasses and small eudicot herbs. This vegetation structure is variable across the landscape, with shifts from open grassland to savanna woodland determined by factors that control tree density. These shifts often appear coupled with environmental variations, such as topographic gradients. Here we investigated whether herbaceous and woody savanna species differ in their use of soil water along a topographic gradient of about 110 m, spanning several vegetation physiognomies generally associated with Neotropical savannas. We measured the delta H-2 and delta O-18 signatures of plants, soils, groundwater and rainfall, determining the depth of plant water uptake and examining variations in water uptake patterns along the gradient. We found that woody species use water from deeper soil layers compared to herbaceous species, regardless of their position in the topographic gradient. However, the presence of a shallow water table restricted plant water uptake to the superficial soil layers at lower portions of the gradient. We confirmed that woody and herbaceous species are plastic with respect to their water use strategy, which determines niche partitioning across topographic gradients. Abiotic factors such as groundwater level, affect water uptake patterns independently of plant growth form, reinforcing vegetation gradients by exerting divergent selective pressures across topographic gradients. (C) 2013 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acúmulo de macronutrientes e decomposição da palhada de braquiárias em razão da adubação nitrogenada durante e após o consórcio com a cultura do milho

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Restauração do cerrado: a influência das técnicas e de fatores ecológicos sobre o desenvolvimento inicial da comunidade lenhosa

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Desempenho de frangos de corte e produção de energia em biodigestores, utilizando-se três tipos de cama

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FCAV

Feedbacks between vegetation and disturbance processes promote long-term persistence of forest-grassland mosaics in south Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Reproductive site selection in the leaf-frog Phyllomedusa azurea Cope, 1862 (Anura: Hylidae) in altered areas of the Brazilian Cerrado

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Does fire induce flowering in Brazilian subtropical grasslands?

QuestionsWe aimed to analyse the effect of fire on flowering in subtropical grasslands, by addressing the following questions: will fire history affect flowering? If yes, do fire feedbacks influence flowering or is it just the removal of above-ground biomass? Are there differences in burned and mowed plots?LocationSubtropical grasslands in Southern Brazil (30 degrees 03S, 51 degrees 07W).MethodsWe established plots in areas with different fire histories: 30d (30 plots: five replicates), 1yr (14 replicates), 3yr (30 plots: five replicates) since the last fire, in experimentally burned and mowed plots (14 replicates each). We counted the number of flowering species, as well as the number of flowering stalks.ResultsGraminoid species flowered in highest numbers 1yr after fire, whilst forbs had more species flowering just after fire, indicating different reproductive strategies in post-fire environments. Mowing was not as efficient as fire in stimulating flowering. Finally, the different functional groups showed different flowering responses to time since last fire and to the different types of management.ConclusionsOur results show fire stimulated flowering. Although mowing can be a good alternative for maintaining plant diversity, our study showed that this practice is not as efficient as fire in stimulating flowering. However, fire season should be noted as a limiting factor to the recovery of C-3 grasses in these subtropical grasslands, and annual burns may be harmful to C-4 grasses, since they delay their flowering to the next post-fire growing season.

Building the sugarcane genome for biotechnology and identifying evolutionary trends

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação da produtividade em áreas de campo sujo com diferentes históricos de fogo

Fire is a common event in different ecosystems and can both be caused by humans or have natural sources.. In many of these ecosystems, natural fires are an important factor that determines the vegetation. The reduction of tree cover by fire for example, resulted in the evolution of several species-rich ecosystems, dominated by C4 grasses. However, the fire caused by human actions may have greater intensity and lead to negative responses of vegetation, since man changed the fire regime in many parts of the world, such as in the Cerrado. The passage of fire can benefit herbaceous and woody seedlings that cannot compete with the dominant grass layer. It removes the dead biomass and litter (major components of the fuel load), opening up spaces within the grass matrix that allow the establishment of other species. After some time without fire, an increase in shrub cover and decrease herbaceous layer can be observed. One of the major consequences of the absence of fire in savanna and grassland ecosystems is the accumulation of flammable dead biomass (mainly composed of graminoids), which will probably be the fuel load of the next burning thus, fires will be more intense and hotter. Moreover, very frequent burns lead to a reduction in the frequency and density of grasses. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the quantity and quality of biomass in areas with different fire history (fire exclusion for 2 and 7 years) in areas of campo sujo in central Cerrado. Plots (1x1m) were established in both areas and all aboveground biomass of each plot was cut at ground level and put in paper bags in the field. In the laboratory, the material was sorted into live and dead biomass. In addition, live biomass was separated into different functional groups (graminoids, forbs, Vellozia spp, palm and shrubs). The material was oven dried for two days at 80°C and subsequently weighed. In both areas, we found a dominance of graminoid and dead biomass. The area...

Efeito da aplicação de água residuária de graxaria em elementos químicos do solo e na produção e composição mineral de duas espécies forrageiras

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Resistência de cultivares de milho convencional e transgênico à Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius, 1794) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Avaliação de diferentes técnicas de manejo para o controle de gramíneas invasoras em unidade de conservação de cerrado

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Sistemas de cultivo com milho e braquiária e nitrogênio em cobertura no feijoeiro em sucessão no plantio direto

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Resistência a fungicidas estrobilurinas em populações de Pyricularia oryzae de áreas de trigo no Brasil

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS