Brazilian Páramos II. Macro‐ and mesoclimate of the campos de altitude and affinities with high mountain climates of the tropical Andes and Costa Rica

Abstract

Summary Aim This paper presents a basic analysis of the macro‐ and mesoclimate of the Brazilian campos de altitude, a series of cool–humid, mountaintop grasslands in southeastern Brazil, and compares results with data from other tropical as well as temperate alpine sites. Location Beginning at altitudes of 1800–2000 m, the campos de altitude are found atop the highest summits of the main ranges of the southeastern Brazilian Highlands, between the states of Santa Catarina and Minas Gerais/Espírito Santo. Methods Macro‐ and mesoclimatic parameters for the campos de altitude are derived from both original data and previously reported results. Parameters include approximate radiation budgets, temperature lapse rates, seasonal and diurnal patterns in temperature, occurrence of frost, elevational gradients in precipitation, and interannual and seasonal patterns in precipitation. Using multivariate techniques and simple numerical contrasts, the climate of the campos de altitude is compared to climates of other tropical as well as temperate alpine sites. Results With respect to patterns of seasonality and the marked influence of polar frontal activity, the macroclimate of the campos de altitude is typically tropical‐marginal. However, in reference to actual temperature and precipitation values, the length and profundity of the dry season, average humidities and cloudiness, the climate of the campus de altitude more closely corresponds to that of more inner‐tropical systems. These commonalities are best developed with respect to páramo climates of the northern Andes and, especially, Costa Rica. Main conclusions Their very different latitudinal and geographic positions notwith‐ standing, the campos de altitude and high mountain formations of the N. Andean and Central American Cordillera show clear macroclimatic congruities. In these congruities reside both the environmental basis for strong Andean–southeast Brazilian biogeographic connections, and the context within which evolutionary and ecological parallelisms have developed in the biota of these two widely separate neotropical mountain systems.

Plant diversity on granite/gneiss rock outcrop at Pedra do Pato, Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, Brazil

“…The causes of Campo de Altitude formation are complex and rooted in the ancient landscape evolution, during the late Pleistocene, when the cold and dry climate was dominant in southeastern South America (Safford 1999b). The great number of endemic species indicates that they had a long term evolution and the paleobotanical evidence suggests that rock outcrops have covered the mountains tops of Southeastern Brazil since the Pleistocene (Behling and Lichte 1997;Safford 1999a).…”

“…According to Safford (2007), the Campo de Altitude is island of temperate climate above the tropical Atlantic Forest domain. Analysing the macroclimatic patterns, Safford (1999b) suggested that the Campo de Altitude is essentially a high latitude variant of tropical Andean páramos, with enhanced seasonality.…”

“…Those isolated habitats present spatial and ecological isolation that works as a barrier against dispersion and migration. Ecological isolation can be attributed to the lack of soil and also the climate, whereas they are considered the coldest orobiome (sensu Walter 1984) in eastern South America, because of the high altitude and geographic exposure to southern winds and polar fronts (Safford 1999a(Safford , 1999b.…”

Simulating Regional Vegetation‐climate Dynamics for Middle America: Tropical Versus Temperate Applications

“…Fires are a reported occurrence in páramo for at least the past 10,000 years (League & Horn ) but are likely to burn differently than the ‘traditional’ savanna. The southeastern Brazilian Highlands is home to the Brazilian version of the páramo, called campos de altitude, similar to páramo in many ways but also different (DeForest‐Safford , b).…”

Baccharis magnifica (Asteraceae, Astereae): a striking new species endemic to the summits of Serra do Caparaó, southeastern Brazil

“…Ongoing taxonomic studies of Baccharis, with extensive study of herbaria specimens and fieldwork across the main centers of species diversity for the genus in Brazil, have allowed the recognition of a remarkable undescribed species of Baccharis from the summits of Serra do Caparaó. The Serra do Caparaó mountain range is the highest and northernmost of the tropical high altitude grasslands area (campos de altitude) in Brazil (Safford 1999a(Safford , 1999b. It is located in the Parque Nacional do Caparaó, which encompasses the highest mountain of eastern South America (Pico da Bandeira) and its surroundings.…”