# Caatinga > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Caatinga > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Caatinga.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caatinga > Source revision: 1347963408 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Type of desert vegetation and an ecoregion in northeastern Brazil}} {{For|the white sand ecosystems of the Amazon region|Amazon caatinga}} {{Coord|6.0000|S|40.0000|W|source:wikidata|display=title}} {{Expand Portuguese|Caatinga|date=April 2014}} {{Infobox ecoregion |name = Caatinga |image = Um mundo chamado Sertão.jpg |image_size = |image_alt = Photo of arid landscape |caption = Landscape |map = Ecoregion NT1304.svg |map_size = |map_alt = |map_caption = Map of the Caatinga ecoregion. |ecozone = [Neotropical](/source/Neotropical_realm) |biome = [deserts and xeric shrublands](/source/deserts_and_xeric_shrublands) |animals = |bird_species = |mammal_species = |border1 = [Atlantic Coast restingas](/source/Atlantic_Coast_restingas) |border2 = [Atlantic dry forests](/source/Atlantic_dry_forests) |border3 = [Bahia interior forests](/source/Bahia_interior_forests) |border4 = [Caatinga moist-forest enclaves](/source/Caatinga_moist-forest_enclaves) |border5 = [Campos rupestres](/source/Campos_rupestres) |border6 = [Cerrado](/source/Cerrado) |border7 = [Maranhão Babaçu forests](/source/Maranh%C3%A3o_Baba%C3%A7u_forests) |border8 = [Northeastern Brazil restingas](/source/Northeastern_Brazil_restingas) |border9 = [Pernambuco coastal forests](/source/Pernambuco_coastal_forests) |border10 = [Pernambuco interior forests](/source/Pernambuco_interior_forests) |area = 730,850 |country1 = [Brazil](/source/Brazil) |state = [Alagoas](/source/Alagoas) |state1 = [Bahia](/source/Bahia) |state2 = [Ceará](/source/Cear%C3%A1) |state3 = [Minas Gerais](/source/Minas_Gerais) |state4 = [Paraíba](/source/Para%C3%ADba) |state5 = [Pernambuco](/source/Pernambuco) |state6 = [Piauí](/source/Piau%C3%AD) |state7 = [Rio Grande do Norte](/source/Rio_Grande_do_Norte) |region_type = |elevation = |geology = |seas = |rivers = |climate = |soil = |conservation = Vulnerable |global200 = |habitat_loss = |habitat_loss_ref = |coordinates = {{coord}} |protected = 44,133 km² (6 |protected_ref = )Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix014] |embedded = |state8=[Sergipe](/source/Sergipe)}} '''Caatinga''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|t|ɪ|ŋ|ɡ|ə|,_|ˌ|k|ɑː|ˈ|tʃ|ɪ|ŋ|ɡ|ə}}; {{IPAc-pt|k|a|a|ˈ|t|in|g|a|lang=br}}) is a type of [semi-arid](/source/semi-arid) [tropical vegetation](/source/tropical_vegetation), and an [ecoregion](/source/ecoregion) characterized by this vegetation in [interior](/source/Sert%C3%A3o) [northeastern Brazil](/source/northeastern_Brazil). The name "Caatinga" comes from the [Old Tupi](/source/Old_Tupi) word ''ka'atinga'', meaning 'white forest' (''ka'a'' = 'forest, vegetation'; ''tinga'' = 'white'). The Caatinga is a [xeric shrubland](/source/deserts_and_xeric_shrublands) and [thorn forest](/source/thorn_forest), which consists primarily of small, thorny trees that shed their leaves seasonally. [Cacti](/source/Cacti), thick-stemmed plants, thorny brush, and arid-adapted grasses make up the ground layer. Most vegetation experiences a brief burst of activity during the three-month-long [rainy season](/source/rainy_season). The Caatinga falls entirely within earth's [tropical zone](/source/tropical_zone) and is one of six major [biomes of Brazil](/source/Biomes_in_Brazil). It covers 912,529 km²,{{Cite book |last1=da Silva. |first1=J. M. C. |title=Caatinga |last2=Barbosa |first2=L. C. F. |last3=Leal |first3=I. R. |last4=Tabarelli |first4=M. |publisher=Springer |year=2017 |pages=3–19}} nearly 10% of Brazil's territory. It is home to 26 million peopleSalcedo, I.H., Menezes, R.S.C. (2009): Agroecosystem functioning and management in semi-arid Northeastern Brazil, in: Tiessen, H., Stewart, J.W.B. (eds.): Applying Ecological Knowledge to Landuse Decisions. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research - IICA-IAI-Scope, Paris, pp. 73–81. and over 2,000 species of plants, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. The Caatinga is the only exclusively Brazilian [biome](/source/biome), which means that a large part of its biological heritage cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. ==Geography== The Caatinga covers the interior portion of northeastern Brazil bordering the [Atlantic](/source/Atlantic_Ocean) seaboard (save for a fringe of [Atlantic Forest](/source/Atlantic_Forest)), extending across nine states: [Piauí](/source/Piau%C3%AD), [Ceará](/source/Cear%C3%A1), [Rio Grande do Norte](/source/Rio_Grande_do_Norte), [Paraíba](/source/Para%C3%ADba), [Pernambuco](/source/Pernambuco), [Alagoas](/source/Alagoas), [Sergipe](/source/Sergipe), [Bahia](/source/Bahia), and parts of [Minas Gerais](/source/Minas_Gerais). Altogether, the Caatinga comprises 850,000 km², about 10% of the surface area of Brazil.{{Cite web|url=https://ww2.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/21052004biomashtml.shtm|title=Mapa de Biomas e de Vegetação|date=21 May 2004|website=Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística|language=pt-br|trans-title=Biome and Vegetation Map|access-date=2019-02-22|archive-date=2019-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111202708/https://ww2.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/21052004biomashtml.shtm|url-status=dead}} By comparison, it is over nine times the surface area of [Portugal](/source/Portugal), whence came Brazil's early European settlers. thumb|Approximate vegetation map of Brazil. The Caatinga is brown. Located between 3°S 45°W and 17°S 35°W, the Caatinga experiences irregular winds from all directions. Rainfall is thus intermittent but intense, totaling {{cvt|20|-|80|cm}} on average.{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Caatinga of North-Eastern Brazil|encyclopedia=Centres of Plant Diversity|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|url=http://botany.si.edu/projects/cpd/sa/sa19.htm|last=Lleras|first=Eduardo|volume=3: The Americas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172623/http://botany.si.edu/projects/cpd/sa/sa19.htm|archive-date=3 March 2016}} Although the climate is typically hot and semi-arid, the Caatinga includes [several enclaves of humid tropical forest](/source/Caatinga_moist-forest_enclaves),{{Cite journal|last1=Leal|first1=Inara R.|last2=Silva|first2=José Maria Cardoso Da|last3=Tabarelli|first3=Marcelo|last4=Lacher|first4=Thomas E.|date=2005|title=Changing the Course of Biodiversity Conservation in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil|journal=Conservation Biology|language=en|volume=19|issue=3|pages=701–706|doi=10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00703.x|issn=1523-1739}} with trees {{cvt|30|-|35|m}} tall. [[Image:Chapada diamantina..jpg|thumb|[Chapada Diamantina](/source/Chapada_Diamantina) in [Bahia](/source/Bahia) state, in [Brazil](/source/Brazil)]] To the northwest, the Caatinga is bounded by the [Maranhão Babaçu forests](/source/Maranh%C3%A3o_Baba%C3%A7u_forests); to the west and southwest, the [Atlantic dry forests](/source/Atlantic_dry_forests) and [Cerrado](/source/Cerrado) savannas; to the east, the humid [Atlantic coastal forests](/source/Atlantic_forests); and to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean. ==Climate== During the dry winter periods there is no [foliage](/source/foliage) or undergrowth, as plants try to conserve water. Roots protrude through the surface of the stony soil, to absorb water before it is evaporated. Leaves fall off the trees to reduce [transpiration](/source/transpiration). With all the foliage and undergrowth dead during the drought periods and all the trees having no leaves the Caatinga has a yellow-grey, [desert](/source/desert)-like look. During the peak periods of drought the Caatinga's soil can reach temperatures of up to 60 °C. thumb|210px|Common rock formations in the caatinga, during the rainy season. thumb|220px|Brazilian soldiers of the 72.º Batalhão de Infantaria training in the caatinga. Note the spike protective Jibão clothing for the region. The drought usually ends in December or January, when the rainy season starts. Immediately after the first rains, the grey, desert-like landscape starts to transform and becomes completely green within a few days. Small plants start growing in the now moist soil and trees grow back their leaves. Rivers that are mostly dry during the past six or seven months start to fill up and streams begin to flow again. thumb|220px|Caatinga during the rainy season. ==Ecology== The Caatinga harbors a unique biota. To date, between 932 - 1,000 vascular plant species, 187 species of bees, 240 species of fish, 167 reptile and amphibian species, 510 bird species across 62 families, and 148 mammal species have been recorded in the Caatinga, with endemism levels varying from 9 percent in birds to 57 percent in fishes. The true proportion of endemic species of the Caatinga may be higher than is currently known, as 80% of surveyed areas were surveyed poorly, and 41% of the region has never been surveyed by scientists at all.{{cite journal|last=Santos|first=J.C.|author2=Leal, I.R.|author3=Almeida-Cortez, J.S.|author4=Fernandes, G.W.|author5=Tabarelli, M.|year=2011|title=Caatinga: the scientific negligence experienced by a dry tropical forest|journal=Tropical Conservation Science|volume=4|issue=3|pages=276–286|doi=10.1177/194008291100400306|doi-access=free}} ===Vegetation=== The Caatinga does not correspond to a single type of vegetation, but rather a broad mosaic. Nonetheless, all vegetative structure is adapted to the xeric climate. [Succulent](/source/Succulent_plant) and [crassulaceous](/source/Crassulaceae) species dominate; non-succulents exhibit small, firm leaves and intense branching at the base, akin to shrubs. Palm stands usually contain [carnaúba](/source/Carnauba_Palm) or [babaçu](/source/baba%C3%A7u) palms, but occasionally [tucumã](/source/Tucum%C3%A3_(Palm)) and [macaúba](/source/Acrocomia_aculeata). The Caatinga has enough endemic species to constitute a floristic province. [[Image:Mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru) 01.jpg|thumb|210px|''[Cereus jamacaru](/source/Cereus_jamacaru)'']] Most authors divide the Caatinga into two different subtypes: dry ("sertão") and humid ("agreste"), but categorizations vary to as many as eight different vegetative regimes. thumb|210px|Caatinga landscape. ===Fauna=== {{Unreferenced section|date=May 2016}} [[Image:Pseudoseisura cristata -Paraiba, Brasil-8.jpg|thumb|210px|''[Pseudoseisura cristata](/source/Pseudoseisura_cristata)'', an endemic species.]] The Caatinga is home to nearly 50 [endemic](/source/Endemism) species of birds, including [Lear's macaw](/source/Lear's_macaw) ''(Anodorhynchus leari)'', [Spix's macaw](/source/Spix's_macaw) ''(Cyanopsitta spixii)'',{{Refn|Now extinct.|group=Note}} [moustached woodcreeper](/source/moustached_woodcreeper) ''(Xiphocolaptes falcirostris)'', [Caatinga parakeet](/source/Caatinga_parakeet) (''Eupsittula cactorum''), [Caatinga antwren](/source/Caatinga_antwren) (''Radinopsyche sellowi''), [São Francisco black tyrant](/source/S%C3%A3o_Francisco_black_tyrant) (''Knipolegus franciscanus'') and [Caatinga cacholote](/source/Caatinga_cacholote) (''Pseudoseisura cristata''). There are also several endemic mammals, including an endemic primate, the [blond titi monkey](/source/Barbara_Brown's_titi_monkey) (''Callicebus barbarabrownae''); an endemic marsupial, [Karimi's fat-tailed mouse opossum](/source/Karimi's_fat-tailed_mouse_opossum) (''Thylamys karimii''); an endemic bat, [Vieira's long-tongued bat](/source/Vieira's_long-tongued_bat) (''Xeronycteris vieirai''); and several species of endemic rodents such as the [Caatinga vesper mouse](/source/Caatinga_vesper_mouse) (''Calomys expulsus''), [Yonenaga's Atlantic spiny-rat](/source/Yonenaga's_Atlantic_spiny_rat) (''Trinomys yonenagae)'', and the [white-spined Atlantic spiny rat](/source/white-spined_Atlantic_spiny_rat) (both the nominal subspecies ''Trinomys albispinus'' ''minor'' and ''T. a. sertonius''), and the [red-nosed mouse](/source/red-nosed_mouse) (''Wiedomys pyrrhorhinos''). === Indigenous peoples === {{inline citations needed|section|date=April 2025}} The oldest human remains in the Caatinga are found in the Serra da Capivara National Park, in Piauí, where artifacts, rock paintings, and a skull named "Zuzu" were discovered, dating back approximately 8,000 years. This fossil, under study, may be even older than the Luzia fossil, which is currently the oldest in the South American continent. The caatinga was inhabited by two major indigenous groups, the Macro-Jê and the Kariris, who have been in the Caatinga for at least two thousand years. After the 11th century, the Tupis arrived in the region, coming from the southeast and through the Atlantic coast. Contact with colonizers starting in the 16th century decimated numerous indigenous nations and tribes through diseases, enslavement, and invasion of territories for cattle ranching, sugar mills, and new settlements. Many of the Northeastern indigenous peoples chose assimilation, abandoning their customs, language, and religion to survive European advances, so many Northeasterners are mixed descendants of indigenous peoples and Europeans. Currently, the Caatinga still has indigenous peoples, the largest of which are the Potyguaras, of Tupi origin and also native to the Atlantic Forest, totaling more than 20,000 indigenous peoples. In the interior, the largest groups are the Xukurus and Pankarus, from the Pernambuco Caatinga, totaling 12,000 and 7,000 indigenous peoples, possibly of Macro-Jê origin. The Fulni-Ô people are known for being the only indigenous ethnic group in the Northeast to have kept their ancestral language alive, as well as having saved unique cultural elements such as the Ouricuri Ritual; they are one of the least acculturated Northeastern peoples by European invaders. Other notable Caatinga peoples are the Kambiwás, Tremembés, Pitaguarys, Kariris, Kiriris, and Tabajaras. === Possible anthropogenic origins === Based on [radiocarbon dating](/source/radiocarbon_dating) of [potsherds](/source/Sherd), proponents of [historical ecology](/source/historical_ecology) such as [William Denevan](/source/William_Denevan) and [William Balee](/source/William_Bal%C3%A9e) have suggested that large sections of the Caatinga region may be of [anthropogenic](/source/Human_impact_on_the_environment) origin. Over 1,000 years ago, native peoples may have unintentionally created the environment of the modern-day Caatinga through constant [slash-and-burn agriculture](/source/Slash-and-burn), thereby stymying [plant succession](/source/Ecological_succession) and preventing major rainforests from growing within the region.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ofKbPTg2r0wC|title=Cultural Forests of the Amazon: A Historical Ecology of People and Their Landscapes|last=Balée|first=William|date=2013-08-20|publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=9780817317867|pages=43|language=en}} Conversely, fossil evidence suggests that the Caatinga may historically have been part of a much larger dry belt. ==Conservation== The Caatinga is poorly represented in the Brazilian Conservation Area network, with only 1% in Integral Protection Conservation Areas and 6% in Sustainable Use Conservation Areas. Protected areas include [Chapada Diamantina National Park](/source/Chapada_Diamantina_National_Park), [Serra da Capivara National Park](/source/Serra_da_Capivara_National_Park), and [Serra das Confusões National Park](/source/Serra_das_Confus%C3%B5es_National_Park). Economic development has fragmented the native biome. Estimates on the amount of Caatinga transformed affected by economic development range 25-50%, making Caatinga the most degraded ecosystem in Brazil, following the Atlantic Forest, which has lost over 80% of its original cover. ==Economic exploitation== [[File:Plantação no semiárido (16077580847).jpg|thumb|220px|[''Opuntia'' spp.](/source/Opuntia) (locally known in [Portuguese](/source/Portuguese_language) as "palma", actually a [cactus](/source/cactus), thus not closely related to the family [Arecaceae](/source/Arecaceae)) plantation in the caatinga]] The local population lives in extreme poverty, and many rely on extraction of natural resources for a livelihood.{{Cite book|title=Bewässerungslandwirtschaft als Strategie zur kleinbäuerlichen Existenzsicherung in Nordost-Brasilien? - Handlunsspielräume von Kleinbauern am Mittellauf des São Francisco|last=Untied|first=B.|publisher=Philipps-Universität Marburg|year=2005|location=Marburg|language=de|trans-title=Can Irrigation be a Strategy for Small Farmers' Economic Security in Northeast Brazil?: Economic milieu of small farmers in the central São Francisco valley}} There are few drinkable water sources, and harvesting is difficult because of the irregular rainfall. === Agriculture === Native plants are used in local agriculture, much of it [slash-and-burn](/source/slash-and-burn). ''[Pilocarpus jaborandi](/source/Pilocarpus_jaborandi)'' appears to exhibit medicinal properties. The fruits of [umbú](/source/umb%C3%BA) and [mangabá](/source/Mangaba) are used as food directly, and other species are used for forage. Local palms produce commercial-grade [lauric](/source/Lauric_acid) and [oleic](/source/Oleic_acid) oils, which undergirds much of the economy of northeast Brazil. [Meliponiculture](/source/Meliponiculture) is also a well-developed and traditional activity in the region.{{cite journal|last1=Cortopassi-Laurino|first1=Marilda|last2=Imperatriz-Fonseca|first2=Vera Lucia|last3=Roubik|first3=David Ward|last4=Dollin|first4=Anne|last5=Heard|first5=Tim|last6=Aguilar|first6=Ingrid|last7=Venturieri|first7=Giorgio C.|last8=Eardley|first8=Connal|last9=Nogueira-Neto|first9=Paulo|title=Global meliponiculture: challenges and opportunities|journal=Apidologie|date=22 June 2006|volume=37|issue=2|pages=275–292|doi=10.1051/apido:2006027|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00892208/document|doi-access=free}} One of the most productive species, ''[Melipona subnitida](/source/Melipona_subnitida)'', known locally as jandaíra, produces up to 6 liters of honey a year, resulting in economic profit for the population.{{cite journal|last1=Bonnatti|first1=Vanessa|last2=Luz Paulino Simões|first2=Zilá|last3=Franco|first3=Fernando Faria|last4=Tiago|first4=Mauricio|date=3 January 2014|title=Evidence of at least two evolutionary lineages in Melipona subnitida (Apidae, Meliponini) suggested by mtDNA variability and geometric morphometrics of forewings|journal=Naturwissenschaften|volume=101|issue=1|pages=17–24|doi=10.1007/s00114-013-1123-5|pmid=24384774|bibcode=2014NW....101...17B |s2cid=18986069}} Irrigation along the [São Francisco River](/source/S%C3%A3o_Francisco_River) enables larger-scale agriculture, with existing irrigation infrastructure supporting the cultivation and export of [grape](/source/grape)s, [papaya](/source/papaya)s and [melon](/source/melon)s in the São Francisco Valley region. Although the soil is fertile, saline water and salt pans near the water table mean that salinization of soil due to irrigation is a significant ongoing concern. === Grazing === [Cattle](/source/Cattle) ([Guzerá](/source/Guzer%C3%A1) and [Red Sindhi](/source/Red_Sindhi) cattle) and [goat](/source/goat) farming are popular and very productive in the region.{{Cite web|url=https://www.milkpoint.com.br/noticias-e-mercado/giro-noticias/embrapa-guzera-e-sindi-sao-alternativas-para-produzir-leite-no-nordeste-63966n.aspx|website= Milk Point|title= Embrapa: Guzerá e sindi são alternativas para produzir leite no nordeste [do Brasil]|access-date= 10 January 2019|language=pt}}{{Cite web|url=http://nordesterural.com.br/a-importancia-da-criacao-de-caprinos-e-ovinos-no-nordeste/|website= Nordeste Rural|title= A importância da criação de caprinos e ovinos no nordeste [do Brasil]|access-date= 10 January 2019|language=pt}} [Overgrazing](/source/Overgrazing) and timbering for fuelwood have decimated local vegetative populations; outside irrigated regions, the area has begun to [desertify](/source/Desertification) [à la Sahara and Sahel](/source/Desertification_in_the_Sahel). ==See also== ===On Caatinga=== *[Caatinga moist-forest enclaves](/source/Caatinga_enclaves_moist_forests) *[Northeastern Brazil](/source/Northeastern_Brazil) *[Sertão](/source/Sert%C3%A3o) *[List of plants of Caatinga vegetation of Brazil](/source/List_of_plants_of_Caatinga_vegetation_of_Brazil) ===The five other major ecoregions of Brazil=== * [Amazon Basin](/source/Amazon_Basin) * [Pantanal](/source/Pantanal) * [Cerrado](/source/Cerrado) * [Atlantic Forest](/source/Atlantic_Forest) * [Pampas](/source/Pampas) ==Notes== {{Reflist|group=Note}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== * Vargas Llosa, Mario ''[The War of the End of the World](/source/The_War_of_the_End_of_the_World)'' ===Historical biogeographic surveys=== * Marcgrav (1638) * Spix & Martius (1817-1820) ==External links== * {{commons-inline||Caatinga}} *{{WWF ecoregion|id=nt1304|name=Caatinga}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060116235245/http://www.ibama.gov.br/ecossistemas/caatinga.htm IBAMA] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060202152517/http://www.brazilnature.com/caatinga.html Brazil Nature] *[http://www.agronline.com.br/artigos/artigo.php?id=81 Caatinga: Brazilian national heritage threatened] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025215757/http://www.agronline.com.br/artigos/artigo.php?id=81 |date=2010-10-25 }} *Associação Mãe-da-lua [http://www.mae-da-lua.org The Avifauna of northeastern Brazil] {{Authority control}} Category:Caatinga Category:Deserts and xeric shrublands Category:Ecoregions of Brazil Category:Neotropical ecoregions Category:Regions of Brazil Category:Natural regions of South America Category:Biosphere reserves of Brazil --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Caatinga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caatinga) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caatinga?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.