A phytogeographic analysis of the woody elements of New World savannas

Abstract

An analysis was made of the floristic composition of 45 savanna sites located throughout the southern neoarctic and neotropics. A total of 533 woody species were recorded from published and reliable unpublished floristic lists; of these, 234 species (44%) were from 10 Brazilian cerrado sites, with 187 (80%) of them restricted to the cerrado biome. The cerrados were clearly shown to be the most diverse New World savanna system with a high degree of endemism. The data were analysed using two multivariate techniques: TWINSPAN and DCA. Four phytogeographic zones were identified: Central Brazil and Bolivia extending to Southern Amazonia; north of Amazonia extending across the isthmus of Central America and including the Caribbean; Belize, Guatemala and Southern Mexico; and north of the Mexican Plateau. The analyses revealed gradients of floristic variation associated with latitude and longitude, and showed the great heterogeneity of savanna vegetation.