Pollen taxa, northeastern Brazil.

1. Pollen taxa vegetation in mountain forests,
northeastern Brazil
Ivan Jeferson Sampaio Diogo - IFPB, Brazil
Vincent Montade – Georg-August University, Germany
Christiano Franco Verola - UFC, Brazil
Itayguara Ribeiro da Costa – UFC, Brazil

2. Introduction
Paleoclimatic fluctuation
Carnaval-Moritz, 2008; Carnaval, 2009; Antonelli & Sanmartín, 2011
Eocene – 23Ma
Pleistocene and Holocene – 1,6Ma
These montane rainforests harbor
endemic species of Atlantic and
Amazonian forests showing a past
connection between these two
biomes (Andrade-Lima, 1982).

3. Material & Methods
Surface soil samples were
collected in three mountainous
massifs in north-eastern Brazil to
characterize the different
vegetation types according to their
respective pollen assemblages.

4. Results

5. Discussion
- Distribution of surface soil samples at different altitude and mountain
sides also allows to characterize vegetation variation according to several
environmental parameters;
- The precipitation increase with altitude is confirmed as the main
environmental factor controlling vegetation distribution. However, the
forests located close to the crest with a proportion increase of pollen taxa
characteristic of heliophilous and pioneer trees (Alchornea, Miconia,
Clusia), are also influenced by changes of edaphic conditions.
- In addition to provide useful information in understanding of fossil pollen
records, this approach improves our understanding of the ecosystem
functioning in mountainous massifs in northeastern Brazil, an useful
knowledge for conservation or restoration purposes.