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The Vegetation of Lagoa Santa Karst

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Lagoa Santa Karst: Brazil's Iconic Karst Region

Part of the book series: Cave and Karst Systems of the World ((CAKASYWO))

Abstract

Lagoa Santa Karst is located in the transition zone of two Brazilian biomes: Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. On limestone outcrops can be found an open deciduous vegetation, conditioned by physical restrictions imposed by low soil thickness and low moisture retention. Around limestone outcrops, in dolines and at cave entrances, deciduous forests occur on soils that present carbonate rock outcrops. Semideciduous forest occurs associated with deeper soils with higher water retention. Cerrado vegetation, typical of Brazilian central highlands, occurs associated with deep poor soils with high aluminium rate. In some dolines among limestone outcrops, shallow seasonal ponds are formed and on these partially flooded eutrophic soils, grow aquatic herb species. Considering taxonomically precise botanical registers of these several habitats, floristic surveys revealed a considerable richness related to the Lagoa Santa Karst region, with more than two thousand species. Regional vegetation phenology reflects the climate dynamic: at the end of the rainy summer, when temperature and photoperiod decrease and wind speed increase, the main phenological event is leaf falling and forest canopy opening. The beginning of a new leaf sprouting phase, to most species, occurs at the transition from dry season to the rainy season. Leaf loss seems to represent the most important strategy of the water economy in forest communities. Community flowering and fruiting present a less marked seasonality but increase at the transition from dry to rainy season. The forests show a peak of litter production from June to September, under water deficit. Leaves are the major constituent of litter composition and are responsible for the return of nutrients to the soil. The knowledge of karst vegetation composition and dynamics can help in the process of decision making involved in the choice of biodiversity protection areas and the valuation of environmental services.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Ataliba Coelho and Daniel Souza for providing photos, to Pablo Hendrigo Melo for the revision and suggestions, to Leandro Scoss for the analysis of Kernel density of plant registers and to José Pires de Lemos Filho for the orientation during master course.

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  1. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Rua Doutor Juvenal dos Santos 12/302, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30380-530, Brazil

    Ana Elisa Brina

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  1. Ana Elisa Brina
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  1. Instituto do Carste, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Augusto S. Auler

  2. Instituto do Carste, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Paulo Pessoa

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Brina, A.E. (2020). The Vegetation of Lagoa Santa Karst. In: S. Auler, A., Pessoa, P. (eds) Lagoa Santa Karst: Brazil's Iconic Karst Region. Cave and Karst Systems of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35940-9_3

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