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• Roesch, LWurdig
• Vieira, FCosta Beber
• Pereira, VAlves
• Schünemann, A
• Teixeira, IFilippi
• Senna, ATeixeira
• Stefenon, V
• [+] on Google Scholar
• Roesch, LWurdig
• Vieira, FCosta Beber
• Pereira, VAlves
• Schünemann, A
• Teixeira, IFilippi
• Senna, ATeixeira
• Stefenon, V
• [+] on PubMed
• Roesch, LWurdig
• Vieira, FCosta Beber
• Pereira, VAlves
• Schünemann, A
• Teixeira, IFilippi
• Senna, ATeixeira
• Stefenon, V

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Diversity 2009, 1(2), 182-198; doi:10.3390/d1020182

Review

The Brazilian Pampa: A Fragile Biome

Luiz Fernando Wurdig Roesch* , Frederico Costa Beber Vieira, Vilmar Alves Pereira, Adriano Luis Schünemann, Italo Filippi Teixeira, Ana Julia Teixeira Senna and Valdir Marcos Stefenon

Universidade Federal do PAMPA-Campus São Gabriel. Av. Antonio Trilha, 1847-São Gabriel-RS-Zip: 97300-000, Brazil

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 17 November 2009 / Accepted: 9 December 2009 / Published: 21 December 2009

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity Feature Papers)

Download PDF Full-Text [517 KB, uploaded 21 December 2009 14:36 CET]

Abstract: Biodiversity is one of the most fundamental properties of Nature. It underpins the stability of ecosystems, provides vast bioresources for economic use, and has important cultural significance for many people. The Pampa biome, located in the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, illustrates the direct and indirect interdependence of humans and biodiversity. The Brazilian Pampa lies within the South Temperate Zone where grasslands scattered with shrubs and trees are the dominant vegetation. The soil, originating from sedimentary rocks, often has an extremely sandy texture that makes them fragile—highly prone to water and wind erosion. Human activities have converted or degraded many areas of this biome. In this review we discuss our state-of-the-art knowledge of the diversity and the major biological features of this regions and the cultural factors that have shaped it. Our aim is to contribute toward a better understanding of the current status of this special biome and to describe how the interaction between human activities and environment affects the region, highlighting the fragility of the Brazilian Pampa.

Keywords: biodiversity; soil conservation; plant diversity; ecosystem

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