Abstract
Abstract: This study investigated the current Leguminosae tree species composition in coastal forests over lithosoil soil or sandy plains in the eastern and central portion of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. A comparative study between the Atlantic Forest areas of the Southeast Region of Brazil was conducted to evaluate the influence of environmental variables on floristic differentiation. A total of 34 areas of the Southeast Region was selected from the NeoTropTree platform and the Leguminosae species in these areas were the basis for a similarity analysis. The Jaccard Similarity Index and the UPGMA method were applied for grouping analysis. The relationships between the Leguminosae species composition and the environmental variables were investigated via Cannonical Correspondance Analysis (CCA). The cluster analysis showed that the Leguminosae tree species group of this portion of Rio de Janeiro coastline share floristic affinity with seasonal forests, a result confirmed by CCA. This floristic differentiation is sustained by an exclusive group of Leguminosae species established over lithosoils or sandy plains, and signals that the extent of dry forests in Rio de Janeiro state might be larger than currently stated. The results justify distinct conservation actions in view of the floristic singularities of these areas.
Highlights
The Atlantic Domain is well known for its great heterogeneity, notably its latitudinal extent and topographic variation (OliveiraFilho & Fontes, 2000; Joly et al, 2014)
A total of 34 areas corresponding to ombrophilous forests, seasonal forests and restinga forests in the Southeast Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest in the NeoTropTree database were analyzed, of which 21 are in Rio de Janeiro state, six in Minas Gerais, four in Espírito Santo and three in São Paulo (Table 1; Figure 1)
The Centre-East Coastal Forests were included in Group 1, together with Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo seasonal forests
Summary
The Atlantic Domain is well known for its great heterogeneity, notably its latitudinal extent and topographic variation (OliveiraFilho & Fontes, 2000; Joly et al, 2014). The climate in the Brazilian Southeastern Region at the central portion of the Atlantic Coast varies drastically, with seasonal forests reaching as far as the Rio de Janeiro northern coastal zone (Oliveira-Filho & Fontes, 2000). This drier coastal climate is caused by the cold oceanic resurgence phenomena in the Região dos Lagos (Araujo, 1997), which spreads in both north and south directions along the Rio de Janeiro coastline (Barbiére, 1984; Oliveira-Filho et al, 2005). Precipitation decreases gradually with the distancing from top of Serra do Mar towards the coast and in the westeast direction, due to less orographic control (Bohrer et al, 2009)
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