Cerrado

Map of the cerrado ecoregion. Satellite image from NASA. Ecoregion boundary based on World Wide Fund for Nature ecoregions. National borders shown in black.

The cerrado (English: "closed" or "inaccessible") is a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil. The cerrado is characterised by an enormous range of plant and animal biodiversity. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, it is biologically the richest savanna in the world.

Climate

The cerrado region's typical climate is hot, semi-humid, with pronounced seasonality marked by a dry winter season from May through October. The annual rainfall is around 800 to 1600 mm. The soils are generally very old, deep, and naturally nutrient poor.^[1]

Flora

Cerrado vegetation of Brazil

The "cerrado" landscape is characterized by extensive savanna formations crossed by gallery forests and stream valleys. Cerrado includes various types of vegetation. Humid fields and "buriti" palm paths are found where the water table is near the surface. Alpine pastures occur at higher altitudes and mesophytic forests on more fertile soils.

See also

• List of plants of Cerrado vegetation of Brazil

Notes

References

1. Oliveira, Paulo S.; Marquis, Robert J. The Cerrados of Brazil: Ecology and Natural History of a Neotropical Savanna (2002) New York City: Columbia University Press ISBN 0-231-12043-5
2. (Portuguese) BRANDÃO, M.; GAVILANES, M. L. (1992). Espécies árboreas padronizadoras do Cerrado mineiro e sua distribuição no Estado. Informe Agropecuário 16 (173): 5-11.
3. (Portuguese) BRANDÃO, M.; CARVALHO, P. G. S.; JESUÉ, G. (1992). Guia Ilustrado de Plantas do Cerrado. CEMIG.
4. CASTRO, A. A. J. F., MARTINS F. R., TAMASHIRO, J. Y., SHEPHERD G. J. (1999). How rich is the flora of Brazilian Cerrados? Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 86 (1): 192-224.
5. (Portuguese) COUTINHO, L. M. Cerrado São Paulo: University of São Paulo.
6. RATTER, J.A.; RIBEIRO,J.F. & BRIDGEWATER, S. (1997) The Brazilian Cerrado vegetation and Threats to its Biodiversity. Annals of Botany, 80: pp. 223-230.
7. (Portuguese) LEITÃO FILHO, H.F. (1992). A flora arbórea dos Cerrados do Estado de São Paulo. Hoehnea 19 (1/2): 151-163.
8. (Portuguese) MENDONÇA, R. C.; FELFILI, J. M.; WALTER, B. M. T.; SILVA, M. C.; REZENDE, FILGUEIRAS, T. S.; NOGUEIRA, P. E. Flora vascular do bioma Cerrado. ("Vascular flora of Cerrado biome") IBGE
9. GOTTSBERGER, G.; SILBERBAUER-GOTTSBERGER, I. (2006): Life in the Cerrado Reta Verlag, Ulm 2006, ISBN 3-00-017928-3 Volume 1, ISBN 3-00-017929-1 Volume 2

External links

• The Chapada dos Veadeiros, Cerrado de Altitude
• "2006 World Food Prize winners opened Brazil's 'closed lands'" - press release
• Cerrado - Brazilian Government
• Cerrado (World Wildlife Fund)
• Cerrado biodiversity Hotspot (Conservation International)
• Nature Conservancy in Brazil - Cerrado
• The Biodiversity of the Brazilian Cerrado
• The Cerrado Flora in a CD-ROM
• (Portuguese) EMBRAPA (Brazilian Government): Bioma Cerrado

Coordinates: 14°0′20.5″S 47°41′4.6″W / 14.005694°S 47.684611°W / -14.005694; -47.684611