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Groundwater depth as a constraint on the woody cover in a Neotropical Savanna

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Abstract

Aims

To identify the role of soil properties and groundwater depth on the structure of a fire-protected neotropical savanna. We aimed to address: i) What is the contribution of soil properties and groundwater depth to the physiognomic variation? ii) Are these factors associated with patterns in woody structure? iii) Are open physiognomies maintained by shallow groundwater?

Methods

We measured soil properties, tree basal area, density, richness, and monitored groundwater depth in two types of grassland and three types of savanna during two years. We also investigated vegetation dynamics over three decades using remote sensing.

Results

There were no differences in soil properties between physiognomies, except for a greater soil organic matter content in flood-prone grasslands. Woody structure attributes were related to groundwater depth and clay content at coarse spatial scales (1 ha) and to groundwater depth and organic matter at fine spatial scales (100 m). Open savannas and grasslands remained unchanged and occurred where the groundwater depth was lower than 4 m.

Conclusion

Soil fertility did not drive the spread of closed physiognomies. Low clay content and shallow groundwater depth tended to decrease the woody cover, favoring the occurrence of open savannas and grasslands.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) for funding granted to the first and fourth authors; to the Cearense Foundation of Scientific and Technological Support (FUNCAP) for funding to the first author; to the São Paulo Research Foundation for the scholarship granted to the second and third authors (FAPESP, Grant N.15/05134-0 and 2011/21019-6, respectively); to the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel for the scholarship granted to the forth author; to the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development for financial support and scholarship granted to the forth author (CNPq, grant 307839/2014-1); to the São Paulo Forestry Institute for the research permit and to the Itirapina Ecological Station staff for logistical assistance and support. We also thank K. Dexter and four anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions and A. L. Somavilla and P. Dodonov for reviewing the final version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecology and Conservation Lab, Department of Hydrobiology, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil

    Marcelo Boccia Leite, Rafael Oliveira Xavier & Dalva Maria Silva Matos

  2. Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, CxP. 549, Campo Grande, MS, 79070-900, Brazil

    Paulo Tarso Sanches Oliveira

  3. Phytogeography Lab, Department of Biology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Santa Catarina, CE 60020-181, Brazil

    Fernanda Kelly Gomes Silva

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  1. Marcelo Boccia Leite
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  2. Rafael Oliveira Xavier
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  5. Dalva Maria Silva Matos
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Correspondence to Marcelo Boccia Leite.

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Leite, M.B., Xavier, R.O., Oliveira, P.T. et al. Groundwater depth as a constraint on the woody cover in a Neotropical Savanna. Plant Soil 426, 1–15 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-018-3599-4

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