At roughly two million square kilometers, the Cerrado savanna – Brazil's second largest biome – contains wetlands, which are collectively known as the Veredas. These are situated within valleys embedded in the landscape where the water table is characteristically shallow. Occupying a high plateau in the center of Brazil, the Cerrado functions as the country's “water tank”, stocking and distributing water to different regions through rivers that flow in all cardinal directions. Thus, local and regional supplies of fresh water are supported mainly by the thousands of Veredas wetlands distributed throughout the biome.

However, woody plants are encroaching on the Veredas (Web Ecol 2021; doi.org/10.5194/we-21-55-2021), which may consequently reduce the water recharge of groundwater reserves (Phil Trans R Soc B 2016; doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0313), and negatively affect water supply on a massive scale. Nevertheless, the savanna is subject to naturally occurring fires that may reduce woody biomass, and native herbaceous plants in the Veredas appear to be adapted to such periodic burning events (Plant Ecol 2013; doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0268-9). In addition, the encroaching shrubs and trees are sensitive to the region's occasional frosts. Therefore, both fires and frosts may be important in driving ecological communities toward earlier (and more open) successional stages. What are the effects of fire and frost on the structure and dynamics of the Veredas’ plant and animal communities? Understanding these impacts and their interplay is key to promoting conservation strategies in the Veredas, especially given the current (and likely future) water crises.

塞拉多稀树草原（巴西第二大生物群落）面积约 200 万平方公里，包含湿地，统称为Veredas。它们位于嵌入景观中的山谷内，那里的地下水位通常很浅。塞拉多河位于巴西中部的高原上，是该国的“水库”，通过流向各个方向的河流将水储存并分配到不同地区。因此，当地和区域的淡水供应主要由分布在整个生物群落中的数千个维雷达斯湿地提供支持。

然而，木本植物正在侵蚀Veredas（Web Ecol 2021；doi.org/10.5194/we-21-55-2021），这可能会减少地下水储备的水补给（Phil Trans R Soc B 2016；doi.org） /10.1098/rstb.2015.0313），并对供水产生大规模负面影响。然而，稀树草原容易遭受自然发生的火灾，这可能会减少木质生物量，而韦雷达斯的本土草本植物似乎适应了这种周期性的燃烧事件（植物生态2013年；doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0268-9）。此外，侵入的灌木和树木对该地区偶尔出现的霜冻很敏感。因此，火灾和霜冻可能对于推动生态群落走向更早（更开放）的演替阶段很重要。火灾和霜冻对维雷达斯植物和动物群落的结构和动态有何影响？了解这些影响及其相互作用是促进维雷达斯保护战略的关键，特别是考虑到当前（以及可能的未来）水危机。