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Determinants of variation in heath vegetation structure on coastal dune fields in northeastern South America

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Abstract

Despite its implications for carbon storage, animal conservation, and plant regeneration, the variation in the structure of heath vegetation in South America is still poorly studied. In this study, we aimed at examining the edaphic and topographic determinants of this variation along 85 plots (5 × 5 m) randomly distributed in a restinga heath vegetation occurring on coastal dune fields in northeastern Brazil. We carried out a PCA analysis to reduce eleven vegetation descriptors into a small number of structural gradients, which were then assessed by a stepwise standard least-squares multiple regression to reveal the effects of the abiotic environment on structure. The three following hypotheses were tested: (1) both soils and topography are important to explain variation in vegetation structure at local scale; (2) herbaceous plants, cactus, and woody plants show differential responses to soil and topographic variations; and (3) soil acidity and salinity are more important determinants of herbaceous cover than woody plant variation. PCA analysis revealed three major structural gradients related to biomass, herbaceous cover, and leaning plants, respectively. These gradients were only related to calcium and nitrogen contents, which partially supports our first hypothesis. Our results also suggest that different groups of plants have different responses to abiotic gradients that are exposed. The effect of the soil acidity and salinity did not appear to present an immediate strong influence on the herbaceous community. It seems that a reduced number of edaphic factors promote the variation in vegetation structure in the restinga heath vegetation.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support was provided by Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (FAPERN) through the Grant Edital Nº005/2011 – Programa Primeiros Projetos IV, by CAPES through a master scholarship to JLAS, and by CNPq through a scientific initiation scholarship to ACS. The authors thank the Brazilian Air Force, Aviator Cel. Luiz Guilherme S. Medeiros, and Glauberto Leilson for facilitation of access to the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center. The authors are thankful to Amarilys D. Bezerra, Átila D.E. Melo, Angélica A. Souza, and Morvan França for their invaluable help in the field. Comments by Adriano C. F. Silva and Luiz A. Cestaro greatly helped to improve an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecologia, CB, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, 59072-970, Brazil

    Augusto C. Silva, José Luiz A. Silva & Alexandre F. Souza

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  1. Augusto C. Silva
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  2. José Luiz A. Silva
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  3. Alexandre F. Souza
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Correspondence to Augusto C. Silva.

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Silva, A.C., Silva, J.L.A. & Souza, A.F. Determinants of variation in heath vegetation structure on coastal dune fields in northeastern South America. Braz. J. Bot 39, 605–612 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-016-0273-z

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