Functional traits of savanna trees, shrubs, grasses and herbaceous species in Cerrado, Brazil, 2021
https://doi.org/10.5285/e8cff3f4-60e5-46cf-a4d0-0f7ecf222ae4
Download/Access
This data comprises key hydraulic and photosynthetic traits, nutrient concentration and plant structure for savanna species (trees, shrubs, grasses and herbaceous) of the Cerrado, collected in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (PNCV; 14°05' S, 47°40' W), located in the central plateau region of Brazil in 2021. These data were collected throughout May-September 2021 on 19 woody species across 11 botanical families, and for 20 monocot species across 6 botanical families, including grasses, herbs and Velloziaceae. 32 plant functional traits were measured on the 19 woody species, and 17 plant functional traits were measured on the 20 monocot species. Trait collections followed standardised published methodologies. The aim of this data was to assess the functional trait space occupied by Cerrado species and whether they differed according to vegetation type, and whether certain species or plants from certain environments were more or less resistant to drought stress.
This research was supported by Natural Environment Research Council (Grant: NE/S000011/1).
This research was supported by Natural Environment Research Council (Grant: NE/S000011/1).
Publication date: 2026-01-27
359 views
Format
Comma-separated values (CSV)
Spatial information
Study area
Spatial representation type
Tabular (text)
Spatial reference system
WGS 84
Spatial resolution
100 metres
Temporal information
Temporal extent
2021-05-01 to 2021-09-30
Provenance & quality
To measure photosynthetic trait values and leaf water potential values on woody species, 1-2m length branches were extracted from the top of each tree crown and leaves from these branches were measured in-situ in the field. For monocots, photosynthetic traits were measured directly on the plant in-situ, and for leaf water potential, 2-3 leaves were extracted and measured in-situ. For all other traits, either leaves (monocots) or branches (woody species) were extracted from the plant. Immediately after sampling material, it was sealed in moist bags and transported to Alto Paraíso de Goiás (10-30 minutes' drive), where all other functional traits were measured. The traits measured included structural, hydraulic, and nutritional characteristics of leaves and wood. A complete list of the traits measured, along with the procedures used for these measurements, is provided in the supporting information. All data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and saved as a .csv file.
Licensing and constraints
This dataset will be available under the terms of the Open Government Licence 
Cite this dataset as:
De Vasconcellos Barros, F.; Lira-Martins, D.; Mazzochini, G.G.; Maracahipes, L.; Stein, B.; Furtado, M.N.; Munhoz, C.B.R.; Rodrigues Pinto, J.R.; Silva, M.; Mencuccini, M.; Pennington, T.; Oliveira, R.; Rowland, L. (2026). Functional traits of savanna trees, shrubs, grasses and herbaceous species in Cerrado, Brazil, 2021. NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/e8cff3f4-60e5-46cf-a4d0-0f7ecf222ae4
Correspondence/contact details
Other contacts
Publisher
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
info@eidc.ac.uk
Rights holder
University of Exeter
Additional metadata
Funding