کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
4392903 1618248 2014 6 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Patterns of species richness and conservation in the Caatinga along elevational gradients in a semiarid ecosystem
موضوعات مرتبط
مهندسی و علوم پایه علوم زمین و سیارات فرآیندهای سطح زمین
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Patterns of species richness and conservation in the Caatinga along elevational gradients in a semiarid ecosystem
چکیده انگلیسی


• The number of plant species increases with altitude in the Brazilian semiarid.
• The mountains of the Brazilian semiarid region are refuges of native vegetation.
• Humans have altered the pattern of plant richness in the Caatinga.

Altitudinal gradients provide a useful model for studying plant community composition along environmental gradients. Altitudinal gradients also vary in their degree of human exploitation, as human activity is generally greater at lower elevations than at higher elevations. We examined the effect of altitude on plant community composition along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 400 to 600 m a.s.l. by sampling 75 plots in a Brazilian savanna steppe characterized by a diversity of plant community types. Plant species richness increased with elevation, and the lowest species richness was associated with lower elevation areas dominated by human disturbance. Our results suggest that increased human pressure at lower altitudes, together with enhanced microclimates and reduced access at higher altitudes, determine the plant species richness patterns in dry tropical forests.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Journal of Arid Environments - Volume 110, November 2014, Pages 47–52
نویسندگان
, , , , ,