Publicações

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.