Ecology and Conservation of Mountaintop grasslands in Brazil [electronic resource] /

This book is a pioneer attempt to bring forward the first synthesis on the most diverse and threatened mountain top vegetation of South America, the rupestrian grasslands. It brings to light the state of the art information on this ecosystem geology, soil formation and distribution, environmental filters that lead to biodiversity, species interactions and their fine tuned adaptations to survive the harsh mountain environment. The human dimensions of the rupestrian grassland are also addressed, including the anthropogenic threats that may irreversibly impact biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book also highlights the ongoing studies on ecological restoration and first attempt to model the impacts of climate change on its speciose biota.1. The Megadiverse Rupestrian Grassland -- 2. The Physical Environment of Rupestrian Grasslands (Campos Rupestres) in Brazil: Geological, geomorphological and pedological characteristics, and interplays -- 3. Soils associated with rupestrian grasslands -- 4. Thermic and hydric dynamics of Ironstone (Canga) and Quartzite Rupestrian Grasslands in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero: the ecological importance of water -- 5. Water resources in the rupestrian grasslands of the Espinhaço Mountains -- 6. Rupestrian grassland vegetation, diversity and origin -- 7. Archipelago of montane forests surrounded by rupestrian grasslands: new insights and perspectives -- 8. Arbuscular mycorrhiza and endophytic fungi in ruspestrian grasslands -- 9. Succession on the rocky outcrop vegetation: a rupestrian grassland scheme -- 10. Seed Germination Ecology in Rupestrian Grasslands -- 11. Ecophysiology of campos rupestres plants -- 12. Phenology patterns across a rupestrian grassland altitudinal gradient -- 13. Mutualistic interactions among free-living species in Rupestrian Grasslands -- 14. Antagonistic interactions in the rupestrian grasslands: new insights and perspective -- 15. Cerrado to Rupestrian grasslands: patterns of species distribution and the forces shaping them along an altitudinal gradient -- 16. Termite role in soil nutrient cycling in Ironstone Rupestrian Grasslands (canga) in Carajás, Brazilian Amazonia -- 17. Afforestation in the rupestrian grasslands: the augmenting presssure of Eucalyptus -- 18. Fire in Rupestrian Grasslands: Plant Response and Management -- 19. Challenges in the restoration of quarzitic and ironstone rupestrian grasslands -- 20. The people of the mountains: the biocultural heritage of Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais State, Brazil -- 21. The Human Dimension in the Espinhaço Mountains: Land Conversion and Ecosystem Services -- 22. Rupestrian Grassland: past, present and future distribution -- 23. The shady future of the Rupestrian Grassland: major threats to conservation and challenges in the Anthropocene.This book is a pioneer attempt to bring forward the first synthesis on the most diverse and threatened mountain top vegetation of South America, the rupestrian grasslands. It brings to light the state of the art information on this ecosystem geology, soil formation and distribution, environmental filters that lead to biodiversity, species interactions and their fine tuned adaptations to survive the harsh mountain environment. The human dimensions of the rupestrian grassland are also addressed, including the anthropogenic threats that may irreversibly impact biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book also highlights the ongoing studies on ecological restoration and first attempt to model the impacts of climate change on its speciose biota