Disentangling the veil line for Brazilian biodiversity: An overview from two long-term research programs reveals huge gaps in ecological data reporting.

The lack of synthesized information regarding biodiversity is a major problem among researchers, leading to a pervasive cycle where ecologists make field campaigns to collect information that already exists and yet has not been made available for a broader audience. This problem leads to long-lasting effects in public policies such as spending money multiple times to conduct similar studies in the same area. We aim to identify this knowledge gap by synthesizing information available regarding two Brazilian long-term biodiversity programs and the metadata generated by them. Using a unique dataset containing 1904 metadata, we identified patterns of metadata distribution and intensity of research conducted in Brazil, as well as where we should concentrate research efforts in the next decades. We found that the majority of metadata were about vertebrates, followed by plants, invertebrates, and fungi. Caating was the biome with least metadata, and that there's still a lack of information regarding all biomes in Brazil, with none of them being sufficiently sampled. We hope that these results will have implications for broader conservation and management guiding, as well as to funding allocation programs.

Floristic composition, environmental variation and species distribution patterns in burned grassland in southern Brazil

In regularly burned grassland on Morro Santana, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, we investigated differences in the floristic composition and their relation to soil properties, aspect and distance from the forest border. In 48 plots of 0.75 m², we identified a total of 201 species from a local species pool of approximately 450 to 500 species. Most species occurred in low frequencies, showing clumpy distribution patterns in the studied area. Multivariate analysis showed that plots close to the forest edge clearly differed from plots in the open grassland concerning composition and structure. Plots exposed to the north differed from plots on the top of the hill both in the composition of species as well as in soil variables, mainly due to shallower soil in the former. No strong relation between soil properties and variation in vegetation composition could be detected at a finer scale. The studied grassland, as all grassland vegetation in southern Brazil, is very rich in species compared to other grassland formations worldwide. However, this high biodiversity and conservational value of Campos vegetation in general has so far not been recognized properly. Disturbance is essential to maintain this open vegetation type and its species richness. Fire should be considered as a management option in the absence of grazing.

Em um campo regularmente queimado no Morro Santana, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil, foram investigadas diferenças na composição florística e suas relações com as propriedades do solo, a distância da borda florestal e a exposição do relevo. Em 48 parcelas de 0,75 m², foram amostradas 201 espécies identificadas, de um total estimado para o local de aproximadamente 450 a 500 espécies. A maioria das espécies apresentou baixas freqüências e uma distribuição aglomerada na área de estudo. A análise multivariada dos dados indicou que as parcelas adjacentes à borda florestal claramente diferem florística e estruturalmente das parcelas do campo. As parcelas com exposição norte diferiram das do topo do morro, tanto pela composição florística quanto pelas variáveis do solo, principalmente em relação à menor profundidade do solo no norte. Nenhuma relação forte foi detectada entre as propriedades do solo e a variação na composição da comunidade em escala mais fina. A área estudada, assim como a vegetação campestre no sul do Brasil em geral, apresenta-se muito rica em espécies, se comparada a outras formações de campo ou savana no mundo. Apesar disso, a alta biodiversidade e o valor de conservação da vegetação campestre não têm sido reconhecidos. Na ausência do pastejo, o fogo é um imporante fator de manejo para a conservação da vegetação campestre, uma vez que o distúrbio parece ser necessário para manter esse tipo de vegetação aberta, com alta riqueza em espécies.

Floristic composition, environmental variation and species distribution patterns in burned grassland in southern Brazil.

In regularly burned grassland on Morro Santana, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, we investigated differences in the floristic composition and their relation to soil properties, aspect and distance from the forest border. In 48 plots of 0.75 m2, we identified a total of 201 species from a local species pool of approximately 450 to 500 species. Most species occurred in low frequencies, showing clumpy distribution patterns in the studied area. Multivariate analysis showed that plots close to the forest edge clearly differed from plots in the open grassland concerning composition and structure. Plots exposed to the north differed from plots on the top of the hill both in the composition of species as well as in soil variables, mainly due to shallower soil in the former. No strong relation between soil properties and variation in vegetation composition could be detected at a finer scale. The studied grassland, as all grassland vegetation in southern Brazil, is very rich in species compared to other grassland formations worldwide. However, this high biodiversity and conservational value of Campos vegetation in general has so far not been recognized properly. Disturbance is essential to maintain this open vegetation type and its species richness. Fire should be considered as a management option in the absence of grazing.