Phytogeographic relationships of the species of Leguminosae presents in an area of the Atlantic forest domain in the semi-arid region of Brazil

Abstract

Worldwide, the Atlantic forest domain is considered one of the 34 biodiversity hotspots. In the Northeast region of Brazil, only 2% of its original territory is covered by forests, and part of these forested areas are found in the form of enclaves (“Northeastern brejos”) surrounded by the Thorny woodland. This study aimed to identify the phytogeographic patterns of the species of Leguminosae present in an area of Atlantic forest domain in Northeast Brazil and relate these patterns to abiotic and/or biotic factors to explain the current distribution. For this goal, a floristic inventory was carried out with assessments of dispersal syndromes for each species and construction of maps with distribution patterns. For Baturité Mountain, 60 genera and 128 species of Leguminosae were found. Twelve distribution patterns were identified, ranging from restricted to the Northeast region of Brazil to extracontinental. Long-distance dispersion events were the best explanation for the extracontinental distribution pattern, whereas vicariance can explain distribution restricted to the American continent.