Soil attributes and leaf litter composition in forest communities of the Brazilian Pantanal.

Leaf litter is an important component related to nutrient cycling and conservation of soil biodiversity. In this context, the objective of our study was to investigate the relationship between soil and leaf litter in different forest communities in sub-regions of the Pantanal (Nhecolândia and Abobral/Miranda). To this end, we collected soil and leaf litter samples from 152 sample plots divided in physiognomies regionally called as Cordilheira, Capão, Murundu, Corixo and Cambará/Canjiqueira forest.

From forest to savanna and back to forest: Evolutionary history of the genus Dimorphandra (Fabaceae).

The tree genus Dimorphandra (Fabaceae), which contains 26 species divided into three subgenera, was studied using DNA sequence data from six chloroplast genome regions (cpDNA) and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The analyses, which included Bayesian phylogenies and haplotype networks, ancestral area reconstructions, and ecological niche modeling, allowed for exploring the evolutionary history of Dimorphandra. Within the subgenus Phaneropsia, the cpDNA sequence data were more closely-related to species from the genus Mora, while the ITS sequence data displayed a closer phylogenetic relationship with the subgenus Pocillum.

Climate and evolutionary history define the phylogenetic diversity of vegetation types in the central region of South America.

In South America the biogeographic history has produced different biomes with different vegetation types and distinct floras. As these vegetation types may diverge in evolutionary histories, we analysed how alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity vary across them and determine the main drivers of variation in phylogenetic diversity. To this end, we compiled a list of 205 sites and 1222 tree species spread over four biomes and eight vegetation types in central South America.

Genetic and Historical Colonization Analyses of an Endemic Savanna Tree, , Reveal Ancient Connections Between Amazonian Savannas and Cerrado Core.

The evolutionary processes underlying the high diversity and endemism in the Cerrado, the most extensive Neotropical savanna, remain unclear, including the factors promoting the presence and evolution of savanna enclaves in the Amazon forest. In this study, we investigated the effects of past climate changes on genetic diversity, dynamics of species range and the historical connections between the savanna enclaves and Cerrado core for , a tree species widely distributed in the biome. Totally, 40 populations distributed in the Cerrado core and Amazon savannas were analyzed using chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences.