257
11.2 Study System
The Brazilian Atlantic Forest harbors one of the highest levels of endemism and
threat globally, representing one the world’s hotspots of biodiversity (Myers et al.
2000). Although only about 16% of the original forest persists (Ribeiro et al. 2009),
the Atlantic Forest is topographically and environmentally complex, spanning more
than 1,700 m in altitude and about 25° of latitude (Ribeiro et al. 2009). Climatic
analyses of the forest, along with molecular studies of its biota, suggest that it
encompasses multiple environmental spaces and associated species pools. More
specifically, the northern (mostly lowland) and southern (mostly montane) elements
are largely different in species composition and have responded differently to past
climatic changes (Carnaval et al. 2014; Leite et al. 2016).
Melastomes represent the first clade selected for our study. The tribe Miconieae
(Melastomataceae) is exclusively Neotropical, with ca. 1,900 species, mostly shrubs
and small trees, but also herbs, lianas, epiphytes, and large trees (Michelangeli et al.
2004, 2008; Goldenberg et al. 2008). In the Atlantic Forest, the tribe is represented
by ca. 310 species, 70% of which are endemic (“Flora do Brasil 2020”; Goldenberg
et al. 2009). These species are largely grouped into three clades: the Leandra clade
with ca. 215 species (Caddah 2013; Reginato and Michelangeli 2016), the Miconia
section Chaenanthera clade (Goldenberg et al. 2018), and the Miconia sect. discolor clade. Most of these species are small trees and shrubs (although the
Pleiochiton clade contains 12 species of shrubby epiphytes; Reginato et al. 2010,
2013), and the great majority are bee pollinated and have berry fruits that are dispersed by birds. In the Atlantic Forest, species of Miconieae are found throughout
most environments and at all elevations, with species ranges varying from widely
distributed within the domain and beyond, to microendemics found in a single
mountain top (Michelangeli et al. 2008).
Bromeliads represent the second clade included in this investigation. The
Bromeliaceae is an almost exclusively Neotropical family, with ca. 3,300 species of
terrestrial or epiphytic rosette-forming herbs. In the Atlantic Forest, the Bromeliaceae
is represented by 816 species, over 75% of which are endemic (Martinelli et al.
2009). The data set used here represents a clade of 70 species belonging to the
Ronnbergia-Wittmackia alliance (Aguirre-Santoro et al. 2016; Aguirre-Santoro
2017). With the exception of one species, the basal grade of 26 species of Wittmackia
is composed of species restricted to the Atlantic Forest. All of them are tank- forming
epiphytes found in forested environments, many with very restricted distributions
(Aguirre-Santoro 2017). In the Atlantic Forest, Wittmackia is found predominantly
in the central and northern states.
Bignones are the third plant clade used in this analysis. The tribe Bignonieae
(Bignoniaceae) originated at around 50 million years ago (mya) in the Brazilian
Atlantic Forest and subsequently occupied Amazonia and the dry areas of Central
Brazil (Lohmann et al. 2013). The group is very diverse ecologically, including species pollinated by hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and bats (Gentry 1974; Alcantara
and Lohmann 2010). Ant-plant interactions are extremely common and play an
11 Predicting Patterns of Plant Diversity and Endemism in the Tropics Using Remote…
11.2 Study System
The Brazilian Atlantic Forest harbors one of the highest levels of endemism and
threat globally, representing one the world’s hotspots of biodiversity (Myers et al.
2000). Although only about 16% of the original forest persists (Ribeiro et al. 2009),
the Atlantic Forest is topographically and environmentally complex, spanning more
than 1,700 m in altitude and about 25° of latitude (Ribeiro et al. 2009). Climatic
analyses of the forest, along with molecular studies of its biota, suggest that it
encompasses multiple environmental spaces and associated species pools. More
specifically, the northern (mostly lowland) and southern (mostly montane) elements
are largely different in species composition and have responded differently to past
climatic changes (Carnaval et al. 2014; Leite et al. 2016).
Melastomes represent the first clade selected for our study. The tribe Miconieae
(Melastomataceae) is exclusively Neotropical, with ca. 1,900 species, mostly shrubs
and small trees, but also herbs, lianas, epiphytes, and large trees (Michelangeli et al.
2004, 2008; Goldenberg et al. 2008). In the Atlantic Forest, the tribe is represented
by ca. 310 species, 70% of which are endemic (“Flora do Brasil 2020”; Goldenberg
et al. 2009). These species are largely grouped into three clades: the Leandra clade
with ca. 215 species (Caddah 2013; Reginato and Michelangeli 2016), the Miconia
section Chaenanthera clade (Goldenberg et al. 2018), and the Miconia sect. discolor clade. Most of these species are small trees and shrubs (although the
Pleiochiton clade contains 12 species of shrubby epiphytes; Reginato et al. 2010,
2013), and the great majority are bee pollinated and have berry fruits that are dispersed by birds. In the Atlantic Forest, species of Miconieae are found throughout
most environments and at all elevations, with species ranges varying from widely
distributed within the domain and beyond, to microendemics found in a single
mountain top (Michelangeli et al. 2008).
Bromeliads represent the second clade included in this investigation. The
Bromeliaceae is an almost exclusively Neotropical family, with ca. 3,300 species of
terrestrial or epiphytic rosette-forming herbs. In the Atlantic Forest, the Bromeliaceae
is represented by 816 species, over 75% of which are endemic (Martinelli et al.
2009). The data set used here represents a clade of 70 species belonging to the
Ronnbergia-Wittmackia alliance (Aguirre-Santoro et al. 2016; Aguirre-Santoro
2017). With the exception of one species, the basal grade of 26 species of Wittmackia
is composed of species restricted to the Atlantic Forest. All of them are tank- forming
epiphytes found in forested environments, many with very restricted distributions
(Aguirre-Santoro 2017). In the Atlantic Forest, Wittmackia is found predominantly
in the central and northern states.
Bignones are the third plant clade used in this analysis. The tribe Bignonieae
(Bignoniaceae) originated at around 50 million years ago (mya) in the Brazilian
Atlantic Forest and subsequently occupied Amazonia and the dry areas of Central
Brazil (Lohmann et al. 2013). The group is very diverse ecologically, including species pollinated by hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and bats (Gentry 1974; Alcantara
and Lohmann 2010). Ant-plant interactions are extremely common and play an
11 Predicting Patterns of Plant Diversity and Endemism in the Tropics Using Remote…