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This book is a pioneer attempt to bring forward the first synthesis on the most diverse and threatened mountain top vegetation of South America, the rupestrian grasslands. It brings to light the state of the art information on this ecosystem geology, soil formation and distribution, environmental filters that lead to biodiversity, species interactions and their fine tuned adaptations to survive the harsh mountain environment. The human dimensions of the rupestrian grassland are also addressed, including the anthropogenic threats that may irreversibly impact biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book also highlights the ongoing studies on ecological restoration and first attempt to model the impacts of climate change on its speciose biota.
List of contents
1. TheMegadiverse Rupestrian Grassland.- 2. The Physical Environment of Rupestrian Grasslands (Campos Rupestres) inBrazil: Geological, geomorphological and pedological characteristics, andinterplays.- 3. Soils associated with rupestrian grasslands.- 4. Thermic andhydric dynamics of Ironstone (Canga) and Quartzite Rupestrian Grasslands in theQuadrilátero Ferrífero: the ecological importance of water.- 5. Water resources inthe rupestrian grasslands of the Espinhaço Mountains.- 6. Rupestrian grassland vegetation, diversity and origin.- 7. Archipelago of montane forests surrounded by rupestrian grasslands: newinsights and perspectives.- 8. Arbuscular mycorrhiza andendophytic fungi in ruspestrian grasslands .- 9. Successionon the rocky outcrop vegetation: a rupestrian grassland scheme.- 10. SeedGermination Ecology in Rupestrian Grasslands.- 11.Ecophysiology of campos rupestresplants.- 12. Phenologypatterns acrossa rupestrian grassland altitudinal gradient.- 13. Mutualisticinteractions among free-living species in Rupestrian Grasslands.- 14. Antagonisticinteractions in the rupestrian grasslands: new insights and perspective.- 15. Cerrado to Rupestrian grasslands:patterns of species distribution and the forces shaping them along analtitudinal gradient.- 16. Termite role in soil nutrient cycling in Ironstone Rupestrian Grasslands (canga)in Carajás, Brazilian Amazonia.- 17. Afforestationin the rupestrian grasslands: the augmenting presssure of Eucalyptus.- 18. Fire in RupestrianGrasslands: Plant Response and Management.- 19. Challenges in the restoration of quarzitic and ironstone rupestriangrasslands.- 20. The people of the mountains: thebiocultural heritage of Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais State, Brazil.- 21. The Human Dimension in the EspinhaçoMountains: Land Conversion and Ecosystem Services.- 22.RupestrianGrassland: past, present and future distribution.- 23. The shady future of the Rupestrian Grassland: majorthreats to conservation and challenges in the Anthropocene
About the author
Editor of the contributed volume: Prof Geraldo Wilson Fernandes, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Summary
This book is a pioneer attempt to bring forward the first synthesis on the most diverse and threatened mountain top vegetation of South America, the rupestrian grasslands. It brings to light the state of the art information on this ecosystem geology, soil formation and distribution, environmental filters that lead to biodiversity, species interactions and their fine tuned adaptations to survive the harsh mountain environment. The human dimensions of the rupestrian grassland are also addressed, including the anthropogenic threats that may irreversibly impact biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book also highlights the ongoing studies on ecological restoration and first attempt to model the impacts of climate change on its speciose biota.
