Análise florística e estrutural da vegetação xerofítica das savanas metalófilas na floresta nacional de Carajás: subsídios à conservação

Abstract

Savanna metalófila is the name given to a special kind of vegetation that grows over the iron rocky outcrop, "hematitic canga" on the mineral province of Carajás-Pa. Its occurrence is peculiar, exclusive of the canga, what gives it a great importance firom the conversation point of view. Allied to this, the pressure of mineral exploitation demands conservationist actions to be implemented urgently. Thus, the study of the local flora components and its interaction with the environment are necessary as a starting point to make decisions about the local preservation. The general objective of bis work was to analyze the floristic composition and the structure of one of the metalophylic savanna phitofisonomy, named xerophytic vegetation on Carajás National Forest, aiming to provide subsidies to conservation strategies and restoring of depredated arcas. It were used 180 sample units, where three levei of approaches were adopted, which correspond to three parcels size: a) 5 x 20 m to the upper layer ( woody plants with diameter at ground levei bigger or equal to 3cm); b) 2 x 5 m to médium layer (woody plants with diameter at ground levei bigger or equal to 1 and smaller than 3 cm); c) 1 x 1 m to the lower layer (herbaceous or woody plants with diameter smaller than 1 cm). To ali layers there were identification and the counting of the individuais, being thought to the upper and médium layers it were made the measuring of the diameter and of the height, and to the lower layer it was evaluated the vegetation covering percentage of each specie. The data were analyzed with the aid of the program Mata Nativa and with the usage of electronic tables. On the upper layer it were sampled 54 tree species, constituted mainly of small size trees and bushes. The médium layer presented 44 species, constitute mainly of young arboreal individuais and few sub - bushes. The outstanding species in importance value (VI), on this two layers were: Callisthene minor and Mimosa aculislipula var. ferrea. On the lower extract it were registered 79 species, most of them being herbaceous and some very young individuais of arborous and bushes species, outstanding among them: Paspalum sp., Sobralia liliastrum e Croton lomenlosus. The xerophytic vegetation of Carajás presented characteristics specific of neotropical savannas, such as, the high density and low values of basal arcas, richness and diversity of species. There was observed a high concentration of individuais distributed in few species, indicating that this phitofisonomy é strongly influenced by limiting factors that are quite severe. The floristic composition of the lower layer presented few similarities with the ones firom the other extracts. The high number of rare specie found in the present study confirms the importance of Carajás savanna on the maintenance of the local biodiversity. This species together with the endemic ones and the ones restricted to microenvironment must be the focus of conservationist programs. The high quantity of endemism and the low number of species shared with other open formation suggest that the studied arca can be considered as a vegetation refuge.