High ant diversity in cerrado with intermediate fire disturbance - Alta diversidade de formigas em cerrado com perturbação intermediária de fogo

Class I. Data set descriptors A. Data set identity: TREE_BA_FIREPROJ_RECOR_JAN2012 B. Data set identification code: C. Data set description 1. Originator(s) Jonas Maravalhas and Dr. Herlado Vasconcelos,Universidade de Uberlƒndia, Campus Umuarama, bloco 2D, sala 26 - Uberlƒndia - MG. - CEP 38400-902. [e-mail]. 2. Abstract We estimated basal area of trees with stem >16 cm perimeter at 30 cm height in five different fire regimes: one control and four different long term fire regime plots of sensu stricto cerrado vegetation at the IBGE Reserve at Brasilia, Brasil. Data show marked differences in density of trees between treatments, showing a high density of woody plants in unburned plots with reducing density as the fire regime increases in intensity. Class II. Research origin descriptor A. Overall project description 1. Identity: Fire Project ? Effects of fire regimes on the structure of cerrado communities 2. Originator: Dr. Heloisa Miranda. Universidade de Bras¡lia, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Instituto de Biologia - Departamento de Ecologia - Bras¡lia - DF ? CEP: 70910-900. 3. Period of study: prescribed fires where lit between 1991-2008. 4. Objectives: * Study the structure of plant and animal communities at areas with history of frequent fires. * Study historical and cultural aspects of the use of fire in the cerrado. * Study fire behavior (soil and air temperature, speed and intensity of fire front). * Study the strategies of animals to escape fire hazard. * Study patterns and models of regeneration and sucession of the cerrado vegetation with different fire regimes. 5. Abstract: The project aimed to give scientific support to fire management techniques that can be applied to areas with cerrado vegetation so to reduce the risk of uncontrolled fires and to maintain the structure of this savanna ecosystem. The project also investigates the effects of fire frequency and season of burning on the structure and dynamics of plant and animal populations. B. Specific subproject description 1. Site description a. Site type: sensu stricto cerrado vegetation. b. Geography: the IBGE Reserve has 1.300 ha of protected area, located 26 km south of Brasilia, DF, Brazil. Lat -15.94472, long -47.885. c. Habitat: cerrado vegetation is characterized by an herbaceous layer dominated by grasses with shrubs and trees forming a short and non-continuous canopy. As the dominance of either grasses or trees is determined by the intensity of fire, the plots ranged from open landscapes to dense woodlands. d. Geology, landform: the region is located at the central chapada, the soil in the area are red latosol and elevation at 1100 m.a.s.l. e. Taquara watershed. f. The whole 50 ha area has been protected from fire since 1974. g. Climate: Aw according to K”ppen classification, with high annual precipitation (1.400 mm) between October and May, and a marked dry season between June and September. 2. Experimental design a. Fire regimes: from 1991 to 2008 prescribed fires where held at 10 10 ha parcels (200 x 500 m), two parcels kept unburned, six received biennial fires, two early in the dry season (July), a mild and fuel-reducing fire; two at the middle of the dry season (August), a more intense fire, commonly used in agriculture practices; and two late at the dry season (September), the most hazardous to trees, because of the lost of investment in new leaves. b. Data collected in January 2012. 3. Research methods a. Sampling: due to the significant distance between the extremes of each parcel, these are considered to be independent from each other, so the project includes four independent plots of each treatment, totaling 20 plots. In each plot, three 4 x 50 m quadrats with 15 m spacing between them was delimited, all trees inside the quadrat counted and perimeter at 30 cm height measured with a measuring tape. 4. Project personnel: Coordinator: J. Maravalhas; Supervisor: H. Vasconcelos; Fire Project coordinator: H. Miranda. 5. The project was funded by CNPq through a master?s scholarship to J. Maravalhas. Class III. Data set status and accessibility A. Status 1. Latest update: 28 June 28, 2012 B. Accessibility 1. Contact person(s): Jonas Maravalhas, Universidade de Uberlƒndia, Campus Umuarama, bloco 2D, sala 26 - Uberlƒndia - MG. - CEP 38400-902. [e-mail]. 2. Copyright restrictions: data are restricted to use in meta-data analysis and replications of the study design. 3. Proprietary restrictions: after the date above assigned the data can be used in any scientific study with references to the original publication. a. Release date: June 28, 2013. b. Citation: Maravalhas & Vasconcelos unpublished data. Data categories CODE: unique code assigned to each individual tree measured. PLOT: one of 20 plots assigned to one of five different fire regimes treatments. TREAT: type of fire treatment applied to 10 ha plots between 1991-2008: C. control plot, unburned since 1978; Q. mid-season (july) burning each 4 years; M. mid-season (july) burning each 2 years; P. early-season (june) burning each 2 years; T. late-season (september) burning each 2 years. QUADRAT: one of three 200 m2 quadrats delimited in each plot. FIRE: a uncontrolled fire burned most of the study site prior to sampling, this categorie indicates wheather the specific quadrat was burned or not in this fire. Trees with perimeters above 16 cm were able to survive this fire. PERIMETER (cm): each tree insade a quadrat with perimeter > 16 cm at 30 cm height was measured usind a measuring tape. BASAL AREA (cm2): calculated with the formula: 3.14*(PER/6.28)^2