Metabarcoding of Soil Fungal Communities in Rupestrian Grassland Areas Preserved and Degraded by Mining: Implications for Restoration.

Rupestrian grasslands are vegetation complexes of the Cerrado biome (Brazilian savanna), exhibiting simultaneously great biodiversity and important open-pit mining areas. There is a strong demand for the conservation of remaining areas and restoration of degraded. This study evaluated, using next-generation sequencing, the diversity and ecological aspects of soil fungal communities in ferruginous rupestrian grassland areas preserved and degraded by bauxite mining in Brazil. In the preserved and degraded area, respectively, 565 and 478 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were detected. Basidiomycota and Ascomycota comprised nearly 72% of the DNA, but Ascomycota showed greater abundance than Basidiomycota in the degraded area (64% and 10%, respectively). In the preserved area, taxa of different hierarchical levels (Agaromycetes, Agaricales, Mortierelaceae, and Mortierella) associated with symbiosis and decomposition were predominant. However, taxa that colonize environments under extreme conditions and pathogens (Dothideomycetes, Pleoporales, Pleosporaceae, and Curvularia) prevailed in the degraded area. The degradation reduced the diversity, and modified the composition of taxa and predominant ecological functions in the community. The lack of fungi that facilitate plant establishment and development in the degraded area suggests the importance of seeking the restoration of this community to ensure the success of the ecological restoration of the environment. The topsoil of preserved area can be a source of inocula of several groups of fungi important for the restoration process but which occur in low abundance or are absent in the degraded area.

Gender differences in traditional knowledge of useful plants in a Brazilian community.

Genders differ in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) about plants, but how gender influences TEK sharing is still poorly understood. Here, we examined how gender is associated with the diversity, transmission, and structure of TEK. We tested whether women and men differ in terms of plant knowledge (species richness, α-diversity), knowledge heterogeneity (ß-diversity), and in the structure of social-ecological networks they form. The study was carried out in a suburban community in the city of Ouro Preto, Southeastern, Brazil. Using the snow-ball technique, semi-structured interviews, guided tours, and participant observation, we gathered information from 33 women and 33 men in the community. We collected information about their culture, social-economic profiles, and plant knowledge from which we identified 291 plant species in 10 use categories. Overall, our results indicated that the cognition and sharing of ethnobotanical knowledge are structured by gender. Women rated better in their plant knowledge repertory (greater α-diversity), while plant knowledge among men was more heterogeneous (greater ß-diversity), suggesting less information sharing among them. We observed that the network among women is more connected, exhibited greater information sharing, with a greater number of central individuals, who likely provide the cohesion and maintenance of TEK in the community. Our findings indicate how social-ecological networks can provide insights and information to unveil social patterns of knowledge transmission. Understanding how TEK is fostered and shared among community members will favor better planning of ethnobotanical studies, as well as inform decision-makers about strategies for the conservation of plant TEK.

Monitoring of forest components reveals that exotic tree species are not always invasive in areas under ecological restoration.

Exotic species are known to become invasive in several ecosystems, including areas undergoing restoration. But does that always happen? We monitored the tree layer, seed rain, and regenerating layer of 10-year and 20-year-old forests under restoration in southeast Brazil to verify if planted exotic trees were behaving as invasive; if they were influencing the species richness and abundance of regenerating native plants; and the probabilities of exotic trees perpetuating over time. Data from the three forest components (trees, seed rain, and regenerating) were collected in 12 permanent plots of 100 m2 each in each study area. Collected data were analyzed through generalized linear models (GLM) and Markov chains. We verified that exotic species were not behaving as invasive species. Of the five species planted, Acacia mangium, Syzygium cumini, and Psidium guajava were dispersing seeds but recruiting only six new individuals. In general, the species richness and abundance of exotic trees were not related to the richness and abundance of regenerating native plants. In addition, the chances of individuals' transition between forest components were in most cases nil, so that exotic species should continue not to spread in the 10- and 20-year-old forests. We assume that biotic resistance was occurring in the assembled communities and this prevented exotic trees from behaving as invaders. Monitoring of forest components helped to better understand the role of non-native species in the dynamics of these novel ecosystems. Monitoring also indicated that not all recovering forests need management actions against exotic trees after a decade or two of restoration.

Life-form spectra of quartzite and itabirite rocky outcrop sites, Minas Gerais, Brazil / Formas de vida em campos rupestres sobre quartzito e itabirito, em Minas Gerais, Brasil

Vascular species and their respective life-forms and coverage were recorded in a Brazilian quartzite and itabirite rocky outcrop site at Serra de Ouro Preto, producing the floristic, frequency and vegetational spectra. Three habitats in both lithologies were defined by geomorphology as: 1) Sloped areas near the mountain summit, with grasslands; 2) Plateaus in the middle of the slope, with grasslands; and 3) Lower and/or concave parts of the slopes, with woody savannas. The life-forms followed Raunkiaer's System. We aimed to answer the following questions: Do quartzite and itabirite rocky outcrops have different biological spectra? Are the biological spectra different in the geomorphologic habitats? Do the floristic, vegetational and frequency spectra differ from one another? What spectrum stacks up to a rocky outcrop physiognomy description? The results portrayed that: a) the most represented life-forms were the phanerophytes and hemicryptophytes; b) the floristic and frequency spectra did not differ from each other, but both differed from the vegetational one; c) all the floristic spectra were similar, but there were significant differences in the frequency and vegetational spectra among the lithology and geomorphology habitats; d) higher phanerophyte and lesser hemicryptophyte coverages were found in the itabirite areas and also in the lower or concave parts of the slopes of both lithologies; and e) the vegetational spectrum was more efficient for the studied rocky outcrop comparison. Relationships between the environmental aspects and life-form spectra are discussed. This study will help advance the development of restoration projects for these areas by adding knowledge of their flora composition, structure and function.

Realizou-se um levantamento das espécies vasculares e suas respectivas formas de vida e coberturas, em campos rupestres na Serra de Ouro Preto, sobre quartzito e itabirito, para construção dos espectros florísticos, de freqüência e vegetacional. Em cada litologia foram delimitados, pela geomofologia, três tipos de habitats: 1) Áreas inclinadas, nos topos das montanhas, com campos limpos; 2) Platôs, na parte mediana das encostas, com campos limpos e 3) Partes mais baixas ou côncavas das encostas, com campos sujos. As formas de vida seguiram o sistema de Raunkiaer. Averiguaram-se as seguintes questões: Campos rupestres sobre itabirito e quartzito possuem diferentes espectros biológicos? Os habitats estratificados pela geomorfologia diferem quanto aos espectros biológicos? Os espectros florísticos, de frequência e vegetacional diferem entre si? Qual espectro se destaca como descritor da fisionomia de campos rupestres? Os resultados evidenciaram que: a) fanerófitas e hemicriptófitas são as formas de vida predominantes; b) os espectros florísticos e de frequência não diferiram entre si e ambos foram estatisticamente diferentes do espectro vegetacional; c) os habitats estratificados pela litologia e geomorfologia apresentaram espectros florísticos similares, mas os espectros de frequência e vegetação mostraram diferenças significativas; d) maior cobertura de fanerófitas e menor cobertura de hemicriptófitas foram encontradas nas áreas sobre itabirito, assim como nas partes mais baixas ou côncavas das encostas, em ambas litologias; e e) o espectro vegetacional mostrou-se mais eficiente para comparação dos habitats. Aspectos do ambiente relacionados com a distribuição de formas de vida são discutidos. Este estudo subsidia programas de restauração ambiental, ampliando o conhecimento da vegetação de campos rupestres.