Changes in soil properties and vegetation characteristics along a forest-savanna gradient in southern Venezuela

Vegetation cover in the Gran Sabana highlands (southern Venezuela) appears as a complex mosaic of tall to low forests, bush vegetation and savannas. In this study we described the changes in structure and floristic composition along a forest-savanna gradient consisted of tall forest (TF), medium forest (MF), low forest (LF) and open savanna (S), and analyse the possible reasons for the observed changes. The results showed no obvious differences in the soils properties along the vegetation gradient. All sites presented shallow soils (<50 cm depth) with high percentage of sand and with dominance of quartz, kaolinite and oxides of iron and aluminum. The soil chemical characteristics were unfavorable and similar along the vegetation gradient. The major soil difference was related with the presence of an organic layer on the soil surface of TF and MF and their absence on the soils of LF and S. Abundant residues of large trees were found on the forest floor of TF, MF and LF. These residues presented no signs of burning in TF, while in MF and particularly in LF were charred. This observation joined to the presence of charcoal within the mineral soil of S and the absence of the organic surface layer in LF and S indicated that fire has affected with different intensity or frequency the studied vegetation gradient. Large differences in the structure and floristic composition were found between TF, MF, LF and S. These differences could not be explained by changes in the mineralogical and chemical characteristics of the soil but only by fire which triggers the conversion. We concluded that the studied vegetation gradient represents stages in a temporal change from forest to savanna caused by fire, and this change has implied an impoverishment of tree species, a drastic reduction of biomass in terms of basal area, a drastic change of the floristic composition and the loss of the organic surface layer, which play an important role to maintain the fertility of these soils.