Abstract
Aims
Tropical dry forests (TDFs) present unique conditions for understanding biogeographical patterns, such as in Caatinga, northeast Brazil, which consists of two contrasting edaphic environments: crystalline and sedimentary terrains. We used Caatinga as a case study to test whether edaphic differences led to differences in life zones, vegetation types, β-diversity, and indicator species.
Methods
Compiling 124 floristic surveys (75 in crystalline and 49 in sedimentary terrains) and bioclimatic variables from 1,214 municipalities, we calculated Holdridge life zones, vegetation types, indicator species, and β-diversity based on generalized dissimilarity modeling. Then, we compared these parameters between terrains.
Results
We identified five life zones, 10 transition zones, and five vegetation types. The tropical dry/moist forest transition and the steppe-savanna occurred only in the sedimentary, whereas the herbaceous caatinga occurred only in the crystalline terrains. β-Diversity was more dissimilar between regions (north–south and east–west) than between terrains. β-Diversity was better predicted by July temperature, May and September precipitation, soil pH, and June solar radiation. We identified 27 indicator species in crystalline terrain and 56 in sedimentary terrain.
Conclusions
Contrasting edaphic environments can restrict the distribution of a subset of species from the regional pool (indicator species), which can be used to characterize each terrain. However, as the other parameters were similar between terrains, and soil properties were not as crucial as climatic variables in explaining β-diversity, soil type seems to have a secondary role in species distribution. Our results help to elucidate how habitat differentiation affects phytogeographical patterns in TDFs.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are publicly available in the Mendeley Data repository: https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/rdfwst7xxb.
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We thank Marcelo Moro for clarifying some questions regarding the Caatinga distribution maps.
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All the authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Paulo W. P. Gomes prepared the materials and collected data. Vinicius Londe performed the analyses and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors commented on the previous versions of the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
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Londe, V., Gomes, P.W.P. & Martins, F.R. The role of edaphic differentiation on life zones, vegetation types, β-diversity, and indicator species in tropical dry forests. Plant Soil 493, 573–588 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06249-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06249-3