ANÁLISE DA INFLUÊNCIA DE MATRIZES AGRÍCOLAS EM FRAGMENTOS FLORESTAIS DO BIOMA CERRADO

Abstract

The Cerrado is one of the most biodiverse and threatened biomes in Brazil, being strongly impacted by agricultural expansion, which intensifies forest fragmentation and edge effects on natural remnants. This study evaluated the influence of different agricultural matrices on the structure and floristic composition of the arboreal community in a Cerrado forest fragment, as well as microclimatic alterations, through transects distributed between the edge and interior of the fragment. Microclimatic differences were observed among the evaluated environments, with agricultural matrices presenting higher temperatures, luminosity, and wind speed, in addition to lower relative humidity. The arboreal community showed high floristic richness, with 82 species distributed among botanical families, especially Fabaceae, Sapindaceae, Lauraceae, and Anacardiaceae. Species such as Bocageopsis mattogrossensis and Aegiphila integrifolia stood out due to their high ecological importance values. Multivariate analyses revealed high floristic and structural similarity among transects, suggesting that the environmental variations observed throughout the fragment were not sufficient to promote significant changes in the composition of the arboreal community. Nevertheless, small associations between species and environmental variables indicated gradual ecological responses within the fragment. The predominance of individuals in the smaller diameter classes and the high occurrence of standing dead individuals indicated a community under constant renewal and subject to continuous environmental pressures.