XVI International Botanical Congess

The tree flora of southeastern Brazilian Atlantic forests is investigated in two main aspects: (a) the floristic variations of both rain (RF) and semideciduous forests (SF) are correlated to geographic and climatic variables through multivariate analyses of 125 checklists, and (b) their links with Amazonian forests and cerrados are assessed. The following patterns were detected for the species, genus, and family levels: (a) RF and SF are part of a continuum of taxa distribution which is strongly correlated with rainfall seasonality, (b) Altitude and temperature are strongly correlated with the internal variation of both RF and SF, (d) There is greater floristic similarity between Atlantic RF and SF than between these and either Amazonian forests or cerrados. Therefore, we support a sensu lato concept for Atlantic forests.