Phytogeographic Domains
Amazon rainforest
Found in northern and central-western Brazil, and comprising a great variety of vegetation forms, of which the flooded and tall “terra firme” lowland forest predominate (Ter Steege et al. 2003). Covers 49.3% of the Brazilian territory, extending well beyond Brazil through to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas (Kress et al. 1998).
Caatinga
Xerophilous thorny forest and scrub of the drylands of northeastern Brazil. Covers 9.9% of the Brazilian territory, exclusively Brazilian (Andrade-Lima 1981).
Cerrado (lato sensu)
An assemblage of different profiles that occurs within the Cerrado Biome, where forested (Cerradão), savannas (Cerrado stricto sensu) and grasslands (Campo Sujo) share a xeromorphic flora. Amongst the more frequent plant families are Asteraceae, Leguminosae, Malpighiaceae, Poaceae, Rubiaceae e Vochysiaceae.
Central Brazilian Savanna
Predominantly a grassland with woody elements and comprising a diverse mosaic of vegetations known as campos rupestres (Giulietti and Pirani 1988). Covers 23.9% of the Brazilian territory, with marginal continuous extensions in northeastern Paraguay and Bolivia (Ab’Sáber 1983, Mendonça et al. 2008).
Atlantic Rainforest
A narrow strip of forest from sea level to the eastern highlands of Brazil, becoming broader toward the south. Covers 13% of the Brazilian territory, and 95% of it occurs within Brazil (Stehmann et al. 2009).
Pampa
Grasslands from southern Brazil. Covers 2.1% of the Brazilian territory, found also in Argentina, Uruguay, and eastern Paraguay (Boldrini 2009).
Pantanal
Periodically flooded grasslands by the rivers Paraná and Paraguay in central-western Brazil. Covers 1.8% of the Brazilian territory, continuing into Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina (Pott and Pott 1997).