ABSTRACT
The dominant vegetation of the Cerrado Biome of central Brazil is composed of mosaics of savanna woodland and grasslands. This study deals with only one of the main savanna woodland physiognomies, cerrado sensu stricto. Floristic and structural patterns of the woody flora of cerrado s.s. are studied over an area of 10° latitude and 8° longitude. Data from 220 (20 × 50 m) plots containing 22,306 stems of woody plants ³5 cm diameter at 30 cm above ground level were compared to determine phytogeographical patterns. Two main phytogeographical units were detected, the highlands in the central area, and the lowlands in the north-north-eastern borders of the biome. β-diversity was high especially due to the variation in density of species between sites. The floristic and structural variations fitted well with the pattern of land system zoning of the Cerrado Biome based on variation in climate, landscape and soil types. Sites grouped in the same physiographical unit as defined by Cochrane et al. (1985) showed a higher similarity in the presence of preferential species related to altitude, latitude and soil types.
