Although Brazil is known by its forests, a great part of the country is covered by tropical savanna and grasslands. Thus, our group is interested in understanding savanna and grassland dynamics, mostly their responses to disturbances (fire). We are investigating vegetation responses to fire, productivity and carbon dynamics (above- and belowground). We are building a database with different traits of savanna species.

Projects:

Digging the Cerrado: the contribution of belowground structures to the functioning of old-growth grasslands
(NGS 51903C-18)

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 Since we believe that fire is a key factor (both ecological and evolutive) in Cerrado vegetation, we are analyzing the fire-related germination cues of Cerrado species. We perform heat shock and smoke experiments to evaluate both seed dormancy break and germination enhancement.  We also carry out experiments both in the lab and in the field with daily temperature fluctuations. We are also building a database of germination and seed traits, with more than 100 species from different sites in Brazil.

Projects:

Fire-adapted seed traits in Cerrado species (FAPESP 19/09903-0)

  We are trying to evaluate different techniques to control invasive species (mostly African grasses) in Cerrado areas,  such as fire, mowing and herbicide. Moreover, we want to know how these techniques will affect the natural vegetation. We are also studying the Cerrado regeneration after the removal of old pine stands. We carry out some experiments to accelerate Cerrado regeneration, such as the removal of pine needles. We have experiments in Central and Southeastern Brazil.

Projects:

Optimising the long term management of invasive species affecting biodiversity and the rural economy using adaptive management (FAPESP 18/14995-8)

We want to understand the regeneration strategies in fire-driven open ecosystems, by investigating the resprouting ability of plants. Therefore, we investigate bud bank traits (above and belowground) in communities under fire disturbance, in order to understand the post-fire vegetation responses.

Projects:

How fire season affects Cerrado vegetation? (FAPESP JP 2015/06743-0)

Digging the Cerrado: the contribution of belowground structures to the functioning of old-growth grasslands (NGS 51903C-18)

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