Vegetation patterns of Brazilian rocky savannas, with emphasis on limestone cerrado

Floristic studies were conducted in three rocky cerrados, two limestone (designated as A1 and B) and one arenitic (A2), in the Pontal do Triângulo Mineiro region. We aimed to identify floristic patterns of their shrub-tree components that could contribute to the characterization of these rocky cerrados, especially the limestone ones. We surveyed 20 plots (10 m x 10 m) in areas A1 and A2, and 85 quadrants in B. To understand the species' contributions in terms of habitat occurrence, we classified then as generalists (G), savanna-associated (S), or forest-associated (F), and identified those occurring in rocky environments. We studied species richness through rarefaction curves and performed floristic similarity analyses using UPGMA (Jaccard index - between A1 and A2) and NMDS (Horn index - among the three rocky cerrados, 15 savanna areas, and eight deciduous forest areas). We observed a lower occurrence of strict savanna or forest species and rocky environments in all three studied areas, confirming findings from other authors. Despite a higher similarity with savanna formations, floristic differences recorded locally (UPGMA) and regionally (NMDS) supported the hypothesis that limestone cerrados may exhibit floristic patterns distinguishing them from other rocky cerrados.