Seasonally dry forests of tropical South America: From forgotten ecosystems to a new phytogeographic unit

Abstract

The Pleistocenic Arc, which must have originated from the climatic shifts in South America during the late Pleistocene, ranges from the Caatingas of north-eastern Brazil through south-eastern Brazil to the Paraguay and Paraná rivers confluence, into southwestern Bolivia and north-western Argentina, and extends sporadically into dry Andean valleys of Peru or coastal western Ecuador. It is regarded as a new phytogeographic unit for South America, here named the Tropical Seasonal Forests Region, as it is characterized by a considerable number of endemic plant taxa at both generic and species level. The paradigm of the arc is the distribution pattern of Anadenanthera colubrina (Fabaceae), which, when superimposed on those of other woody species of seasonal forests, permits a reasonably accurate mapping of the new region, which might also have biogeographic implications for endemic bird taxa. The plant communities of this newly recognized unit are unique in their nature and floristic composition, when compared with other floristic areas of the continent by means of classic phytosociological and numerical analyses (PCA). These ecosystems have remained submerged within other vegetation units in South American phytogeography (such as the Chaquenian or Amazonian regions), and have been particularly neglected in conservation policies. An urgent call is made for these areas to be preserved before they disappear, because they are located in areas with some of the best agricultural soils of tropical South America, and therefore subject to clearing for farming.