ABSTRACT
This study aims at detecting patterns of diversity on 'campos rupestres', providing useful information to conservation strategies. Four sites in the Chapada Diamantina´s summits were studied, including two kinds of open physiognomies, one more grassy and homogenous (continuous habitat) and the other more shrubby and heterogeneous (insular habitat). The vegetation in each one of the four sites was sampled by four simple random 10 × 10 m units. Besides these 16 units, more 16 were stratified to the insular habitat, four in each site. The number of species, families, vascular cryptogams, eudicots, and monocots, besides coverage areas estimations of vascular plants (vegetation) and lichens were analyzed. The total number of species was 202, 11 vascular cryptogams and 191 flowering plants (97 monocots, 93 eudicots, and one Piperaceae). The number of species increases with vegetation area and slope up to 13º. Similarity cluster shows that species compositions are different among the sites studied. Nevertheless, vegetation area between them did not show significant differences, like species richness, family richness, mono and eudicot richness, suggesting a relative steady system. The areas of lichens and vascular cryptogams were different among sites, which is probably affected by different humidity and insulation.
Key words:
campo rupestre; Espinhaço Range; floristic; richness; mountain vegetation