ABSTRACT
The colonizer vegetation was studied six months after fire disturbance in an area of the Campus of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (20o 45 ' S, 42o 51 ' W), MG. The total burned area of the secondary forest was of 12 ha presenting differentiated levels of vegetation destruction. The study was concentrated in the space where the effect from fire was more drastic, and a total destruction of the vegetative cover occurred. Within the study area, two relief toposequences were compared: concave (ravine) and convex (ridge). In each toposequence, 18 contiguous plots (5 x 5 m) were installed, totalizing 36 plots, where all vascular plants were identified. A total of 75 species pertaining to 26 families were sampled. In relation to the species, the richest ones were: Asteraceae (14), Poaceae (10), Malvaceae (7) and Fabaceae (6). In the toposequence ridge, the species showing higher soil covering values were Sida carpinifolia followed by Melinis minutiflora, Diodia alata and Eupatorium laevigatum, while in ravine they were Melinis minutiflora, Eupatorium laevigatum, Sida carpinifolia and Sidastrum paniculatum. All plots presented more than 90% of the area covered by herbaceous and subshrubby vegetation, so emphasizing the importance of this initial vegetation in protecting the soil against erosion processes on uneven reliefs.
Key words:
Regeneration; fire ecology; forest degradation; tropical forest