Fire initiated by lightning or human activity is a common event in the cerrado, and one of the major determinants of vegetation structure. Indigenous groups have used fire for hunting and to control vegetation structure for millennia, although frequency of fires across the biome has undoubtedly greatly increased with intensive human occupation and agricultural development since the 1960s. As the flora has evolved with fire as a constantly present element of the environment, not surprisingly it is adapted to withstand it to a degree, although frequent fires over a long period of time can destroy much of the woody element. Many of the tree and shrub species have thick corky bark that acts as an insulating layer against fire, with many also having xylopodia (ligno-tubers), woody underground structures that can re-sprout if fire-damaged. Herbaceous species often have surprisingly large xylopodia, protective fire-resistant leaf bases, rhizomes or bulbs providing them with protection when fire occurs. Annual species are extremely rare in the cerrado - a widespread characteristic of dystrophic soils. Some plant species depend upon fire as a stimulus to reproduce, with orchids, lilies and grasses frequently showing increased flowering after burning, and seeds of some other groups showing increased germination. Detailed reviews of fire in the cerrado can be found in Miranda et al. (2002) and Hoffman & Moreira (2002).

Cerrado species show a great diversity of pollination systems, with bees being amongst the most important pollinators in cerrado sensu lato, although hummingbird, beetle, bat, moth and small insect syndromes can all be found. Most species are believed to rely on a broad range of pollinators rather than on highly species-specific interactions, although some plant groups such as the genus Byrsonima, for example, are pollinated primarily by oil-collecting Centrinidinae bees. Most woody species are obligate outbreeders although the herbaceous and small shrub component can exhbit self-compatibility. Most of the outbreeding woody species have hermaphrodite flowers. An excellent recent review of cerrado pollination and reproductive biology is provided by Oliveira & Gibbs (2006).

Unlike the African savanna, the cerrado biome has lost the large native herbivorous mammal fauna with which it co-evolved. This loss has been attributed to competition with the North American fauna (e.g. jaguar) that came south in the Great American Interchange during the late Pliocene, and due to subsequent hunting by humans. Thus the vegetation can be considered to be out of its original balance, and as a result termites are now amongst the most important grazers. The reintroduction of grazers in the form or horses and cattle in the last few hundred years might have partially restored the balance, although such introductions are frequently accompanied by the creation of pastures involving the removal of woody species and the introduction of exotic (usually African) grasses (see for instance, Ratter et al., 1997).

Hoffman, W. A. & Moreira, A. G. (2002). The role in population dynamics of woody plants. In: Oliveira, P. S. & Marquis, R. J. (eds). The Cerrados of Brazil. Columbia University Press, New York. 398 pp.

Miranda, S. M., Bustamente, M. C. & Miranda, A. C. (2002). The fire factor. In: Oliveira, P. S. & Marquis, R. J. (eds). The Cerrados of Brazil. Columbia University Press, New York. 398 pp.

Oliveira, P. E. & Gibbs, P. E. (2002). Pollination and reproductive biology in cerrado plant communities. In: Oliveira, P. S. & Marquis, R. J. (eds). The Cerrados of Brazil. Columbia University Press, New York. 398 pp.

Ratter, J. A., Ribeiro, J. F. & Bridgewater, S. 1997. The Brazilian cerrado vegetation and threats to its biodiversity. Annals of Botany 80: 223-230.