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Woody Encroachment and Its Control in Periodically Flooded Grasslands of the Pantanal, a Large Brazilian Wetland

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Flora and Vegetation of the Pantanal Wetland

Part of the book series: Plant and Vegetation ((PAVE,volume 18))

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Abstract

The loss of natural tropical grasslands as a result of the encroachment of native woody species is a major concern of cattle ranchers in the Pantanal, Brazil. Woody plant encroachment has also been documented elsewhere in the world. Tropical wetlands are highly susceptible to vegetation dynamics, including those of native and exotic plants, but the effects on biodiversity and ecological processes remain poorly understood, especially in the Neotropics. Here we present information on the impact of the expansion of native trees and shrubs, specifically Byrsonima cydoniifolia A. Juss., Curatella americana L., Combretum laxum Jacq., and Vochysia divergens Pohl., on the composition and structure of plant and animal assemblages in native grassland savanna. Our evaluation of the encroachment levels related to differences in vegetation structure and species composition revealed a shift from a grass- to a woody-dominated state, related to reductions in important grassland-obligate species and forage resources for herbivore livestock and wildlife. These changes have impacted both the ecological dynamics and the economy of ranchers in the Pantanal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Áreas Úmidas INCT/INAU-UFMT, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil

    Cátia Nunes da Cunha & Wolfgang Johannes Junk

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso, Brazil

    Cátia Nunes da Cunha

  3. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica (PPGBOT), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Fernando Henrique Barbosa da Silva

  4. Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil

    Cândida Pereira da Costa

Authors
  1. Cátia Nunes da Cunha
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  2. Fernando Henrique Barbosa da Silva
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  3. Cândida Pereira da Costa
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  4. Wolfgang Johannes Junk
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biociências, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Geraldo Alves Damasceno-Junior

  2. Instituto de Biociências, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Arnildo Pott

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Nunes da Cunha, C., Barbosa da Silva, F.H., da Costa, C.P., Junk, W.J. (2021). Woody Encroachment and Its Control in Periodically Flooded Grasslands of the Pantanal, a Large Brazilian Wetland. In: Damasceno-Junior, G.A., Pott, A. (eds) Flora and Vegetation of the Pantanal Wetland. Plant and Vegetation, vol 18. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83375-6_11

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