Cerrado BioProvince

This BioProvince (as defined by Armen Takhtajan) encompasses the uplands of Central Brazil (most of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Tocantins, western Minas Gerais and Bahia, southern Maranho and Piaul, all Distrito Federal, small portions of Sao Paulo and Paran), northeastern Paraguay and eastern Bolivia. It is an area of plateaux and high tablelands ranging in altitude from about 300-1000 m and has a tropical wet to dry climate being wetter in the northwest and southeast and dryer in the northeast. The dry season (during winter time) can last from three to five months. The Cerrado is the largest savanna region in South America and said to be the most biodiverse savanna in the World. However, it is more of a mosaic of different vegetation types determined primarily by soil conditions. In places true forest formation known as cerradão occurs. This is a closed-canopy dry forest but is confined to the more fertile soils. Cerrado sensu stricto is a woodland savanna with a well-developed herbaceous layer and widespread on the red and yellow latosols. Other formations include campo sujo (dirty savanna), a form of scrub grassland, and campo limpo (clean savanna) a type of open grassland. Gallery forests associated with streams and rivers are also common features of the landscape but these are not classified as typical Cerrado formations. The flora is extremely rich with an estimated 10,400 vascular plants, of which 4400 are considered to be endemic.

The following accounts for this BioProvince have been written or will be written with particular reference to endemic and locally important species. Accounts available are displayed in green or yellow. Those displayed in red are either in the pipeline or awaiting expert contributions.

 

Index
Major Ecosystems
Vascular Plant Flora
Bryophyte Flora
Fungus Flora
Lichen Flora
Invertebrate Fauna
Amphibian Fauna
Reptile Fauna
Bird Fauna
Mammal Fauna
Conservation Status