A recent study showed that only **30 tree species** dominate the Cerrado in Brazil. This is the **largest savanna with the greatest floral diversity** in the world.
These species represent almost half of all its trees. The phenomenon is called **hyperdominance** and has important implications for understanding and conserving this ecosystem.
## Only these tree species dominate the largest and most diverse savanna in the world: Is it harmful?
The study, conducted by scientists from **Brazil, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands**, was published in *Communications Biology*. It is based on data from over 200 one-hectare plots, combined with **satellite images and spatial models**.
The findings show that 30 species (**less than 2%**) out of the 1605 tree species in the Cerrado represent almost half of all trees.
Among this distinctive group of hyperdominant trees, it was found that one species, *Qualea parviflora*, represents one out of every 14 trees.
“We were surprised by this level of hyperdominance in such a diverse ecosystem,” stated the lead author, Dr. Facundo Álvarez, from the State University of Mato Grosso (**UNEMAT**).
“This pattern is similar to what has been **observed in the Amazon rainforest**, even though the Cerrado is a savanna,” he expressed.
“Our research also determined that the Cerrado has lost approximately **24 billion trees since 1985**, a staggering number equivalent to three times the current human population of Earth. **Understanding the dominance of these few** species is essential in the face of such losses,” he warned.
## How is the Cerrado, the largest savanna in the world
With an extension of 2 million square kilometers, an area equivalent to **England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain** combined, the Cerrado is the largest savanna in the world.
Furthermore, it has the **greatest arboreal floral diversity**, acts as a **gateway to the Amazon**, and plays a vital role in providing drinking water and carbon capture.
The **Cerrado biome**, critically endangered, plays a crucial role as a gateway to the Amazon and other biomes, but only 8% is protected, and over half is deforested. To date, it has acted as a barrier, separating the Amazon from the densely populated and urbanized southeastern region of Brazil.
Researchers warned that up to **800 tree species could** remain **undetected** and become extinct in a few decades due to deforestation.
## The loss of species: a looming danger
The hyperdominance of a few species, currently present in both the Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado, **highlights the risks that both biomes face** in terms of species loss due to fragmentation, **deforestation, and land use change**.
“When so many ecosystem processes are concentrated in about 30 individual species, it means that if this system is altered, for example, due to **climate change, depending on how** these species respond to such alteration, there is a risk of losing key species to maintain the essential functionality of the savanna as a whole,” stated co-author Professor **Ted Feldpausch** from the **University of Exeter**.
As only 30 species dominate the Cerrado, its stability and functioning are very limited. However, Feldpausch explained that **focusing on these species could help researchers** understand how this vast ecosystem works.
