Relation Between the Geomorphometric variables and Forest Vegetation of Hidrographic Basin of the Arroio Caverá – west of the RS State/Brazil

Abstract

The vegetation in the western region of the Rio Grande do Sul State has as main physiognomical characteristic the predominance of the countryside training with relation to the forest vegetation, however, some authors explain that the southern grasslands should be interpreted as "relictual formations" in relation to forests in the current rainy climate. The "advancement" of forest vegetation about the original predominance countryside in the west of the RS state may be associated with topographical variations in the terrain and water dynamics in soil. However there are extremely few detailed studies that make the relation between these elements of the landscape, with the use of information spatialized. This study seeks to demonstrate the relation between the distribution of the typologies of forest vegetation and the forms components of the slopes in the hydrographic basin of the arroio Caverá (BHAC), utilizing geomorphometric variables extracted from SRTM data (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) and map of vegetation generated through the GIS ArcGIS 10.1 (ESRI, 2013), utilizing images Landsat 8 Sensor OLI (Operational Land Imager). From the parameters elevation, slope, profile and plan curvature, were identified and described 12 geomorphometric units for the basin. The forest vegetation in the BHAC is presented in two typologies: riparian woods and groves/ forests of slope.