Oceanic islands are highly vulnerable to environmental changes. Thus, the vegetation mapping of these systems are of fundamental importance. The objective of the present work was to study the composition and distribution of plant species to classify and describe the vegetation types of the islands of Abrolhos (Santa Barbara, Siriba, Sueste, Redonda and Guarita) in southern Bahia during August, October and December 1995 and in March and May 1996. The isolation of the archipelago from the mainland and its structural features offer a great potential for geographic studies. The spatial distribution of seven vegetation types (after beach, after rocks, mild slope, sheer slope, top shrub, top herb, top grass) were delimited, using as indicators physiognomy, relief and floristic composition. The vegetation types were classified according to their geographic characteristics and vegetation structure, were associated to the 40 species identified.
Abrolhos; Bahia; Brazil; island vegetation; vegetation mapping
