Murundus are small usually round mounds, that often present soil and vegetation different from the surrounding level area. All micro-elevations incountered in a 1.08ha murundu field had their length, width and height measured. The depth of the water table was measured and soil characteristics were obtained within and outside the murundus. All woody plants (lianas, trees, and shrubs) with a diameter of > 5 mm at ground level were identified. A total 434 elevations (31.4% of the total area) were encontered, of which 48 (24.3%) contained woody plants. The mound vegetation comprised 116 species belonging to 72 genera, and 42 families. The depth of the water table for those murunduns with woody plants varied between 99.2 and 206.8cm. The studied soil showed a low content of exchangeable bases, but only slight differences were observed between murundus and level soils. Matayba guianensis Aubl. and Erythroxylum suberosum A. St.-Hil. had the highest densities, while Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. and Blepharocalyx salicifolius (Kunth) O. Berg. showed the highest basal areas. The heigher diversity encountered here in comparison to other published reports may be due to cattle grazing and trampling as well as burning.
cerrado; earthmounds; vegetation; water table
