Bromeliaceae species from coastal restinga habitats, Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, and Bahia

Bromeliaceae is one of the most representative plant families in restinga habitats. We analyzed the species richness and composition of Bromeliaceae in 13 restinga habitats along the Brazilian coast. We found a total of 41 species distributed along the restinga habitats studied. The restinga of Praia do Sul, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, had the highest number of species (15), whereas the restinga of Abaeté, in the state of Bahia, had the lowest (4). Our data are suggestive that the Doce River may represent the limit of distribution for some bromeliad species, with some species occurring only south of that river and others occurring only to the north of it. The differences in Bromeliaceae species composition among restinga habitats probably are not only due to differences in local environmental conditions, but also due to the geographic distribution pattern of each species and to the present degree of disturbance at each restinga.