Veredas (Mauritia Flexuosa palm swamps) in the southeast Brazilian savanna: Floristic and structural peculiarities and conservation status

Abstract

The Mauritia flexuosa L. f. (Arecaceae) palm swamps (known as veredas in Brazil) are hygrophilous communities associated with hydromorphic soils in areas of headwaters, and feature special importance for water and biodiversity maintenance in the Cerrado biome. In northern Minas Gerais, the veredas have more complex structure and floristic composition in comparison with the veredas located in other parts of central Brazil, in the same biome. However, these areas are less studied and suffering various environmental impacts, which can uncharacterize them even before they are properly known. In the present work, a literature review was carried out, in which the age and the development of vegetation in the veredas of central Brazil and north of Minas Gerais were addressed. The conservation status and the importance of these areas for the biome were also discussed. Hence it was concluded that the veredas of the north of Minas Gerais are older than the veredas of central Brazil, suggesting that they are in a more advanced stage of ecological succession. However, many factors can influence the floristic composition and structure of these plant communities, requiring further studies involving ecological processes in veredas in order to elucidate those matters. Keywords: vegetational structure, ecological succession, palynological analysis.