ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess

Abstract Number: 3647
Poster No. = 986


BIODIVERSITY PATTERNS IN SOUTH AFRICAN AND MEDITERRANEAN HEATHLANDS


F. Ojeda (1), M.T. Simmons (2), J. Arroyo (1), T, Marañón (1) & R.M. Cowling (2), (1) Dept. Biología Vegetal y Ecología, University of Seville, Spain and (2) Institute for Plant Conservation, University of Cape Town, South Africa


Heathland is a vegetation type common in temperate Europe and mediterranean South Africa, but much less frequent in the Mediterranean Basin, although this vegetation is dominant in the Strait of Gibraltar region and other areas within the W Mediterranean Basin. We carry out a comparison between these N and S Hemisphere mediterranean heathlands at two spatial scales, regional (floras) and local (communities). At the regional level, we analyze the species-area relationship, and the distribution of endemics and life-forms. At the local level, we study the environmental and historical correlates of heathland biodiversity considering several components: species richness, endemism and taxonomic singularity.

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