Abstract

The Brazilian savannah complex, known as Cerrado, is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. It is also the most threatened biome in Brazil, because a large portion of its area has been disturbed by anthropogenic activities. Ethanol production has increased and the demand for cropland continues to grow, which may cause high deforestation pressure on the remaining intact areas. It is important to understand the factors controlling species distribution in the Cerrado, assess the distribution of woody plants and the effects of sugarcane crops. In terms of ecosystem effects, an increase in the NOx emissions is predicted due to the fertilization and irrigation on sugarcane fields, and the magnitude of those emissions is uncertain. Regarding to the climate change, warmer and drier conditions have been predicted for Cerrado. Thus, studies combining sugarcane ecophysiology and environmental conditions are important for planning the ethanol production in this region. I will present the results of my first year work regarded to species distribution and habitat loss. Future work will also be described.