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Restricted geographic distribution of tree species calls for urgent conservation efforts in the Subtropical Atlantic Forest

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Abstract

The Atlantic Forest encompasses a high level of biodiversity, endemism and degradation; hence, it is a biome of particular interest for biological conservation. We aimed to investigate the actual geographic distribution of tree species and, among the indicator species of each vegetation type, the conservation status and potential distribution of each species along a vegetation gradient of the Subtropical Atlantic Forest. We analysed the species’ relative constancy to determine their actual distribution, obtained 21 indicator species of the different vegetation types and modelled their potential distribution using the maximum entropy algorithm. The potential distribution models were pooled to yield a single map, which was used to predict the distribution of climatic suitability for these species in South America. Our results showed that the actual geographic distribution is restricted for most species (~72 %). Araucaria angustifolia and Euterpe edulis were categorized as threatened species. The sum of the indicator-species maps showed reduced climatic suitability across most of South America. The southern region of Brazil and the southeastern Brazilian highlands, as well as a few areas of seasonal forests on higher elevations of the Bolivian Chiquitanía and Andean Piedmont, exhibited the best climatic suitability. Elevation was the most important variable in our models. Given the concerning level of forest degradation and the presence of endangered and geographic restricted species, our results are a relevant contribution to biodiversity conservation in the Subtropical Atlantic Forest areas, highlighting their floristic and environmental uniqueness and, therefore, the urgent necessity of preserving their biological heritage.

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Acknowledgments

We thank CAPES for the Master’s scholarship granted to the first author; CNPq for the grants that were awarded to the second, third and fifth authors; and FAPESC for supporting the IFFSC. We are also indebted to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable contribution to the manuscript.

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  1. Pedro V. Eisenlohr

    Present address: Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas e Agrárias, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, 324, Alta Floresta, MT, 78580-000, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30161-970, Brazil

    Vanessa Leite Rezende, Ary T. de Oliveira-Filho, Pedro V. Eisenlohr & Luciana Hiromi Yoshino Kamino

  2. Inventário Florístico Florestal de Santa Catarina, Universidade Regional de Blumenau, Rua São Paulo, 3250, Itoupava Seca, Blumenau, SC, 89030-000, Brazil

    Alexander Christian Vibrans

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  1. Vanessa Leite Rezende
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  2. Ary T. de Oliveira-Filho
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  3. Pedro V. Eisenlohr
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  4. Luciana Hiromi Yoshino Kamino
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Correspondence to Pedro V. Eisenlohr.

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Communicated by Francis Brearley.

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Rezende, V.L., de Oliveira-Filho, A.T., Eisenlohr, P.V. et al. Restricted geographic distribution of tree species calls for urgent conservation efforts in the Subtropical Atlantic Forest. Biodivers Conserv 24, 1057–1071 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0721-7

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