Development of Plants in Central America

Abstract

Only 6 to 7% of the Earth is covered by tropical forest, yet at least 50% of the biota are located in this region (Robles & Villalobos 1998). Central America is fortunate to have most of its territory covered by tropical forest; the richness this land possesses should be measured by this coverage and its diversity. For more than 150 million years, the flora and fauna from North and South America evolved separated in two continents creating a huge diversification of species (Valerio 1999), but when the archipelago at the Central American channel appeared, an exchange of biota began to occur between the two continents. Later, when the isthmus was created during the Pliocene period, there was migration in both directions, to the North and to the South, establishing a rich biodiversity in the region. The major contribution to the Central American biodiversity originated in the South because of the similarities in the weather, but the presence of species from the North, enriches the diversity of the region. The exchange of species still continues in the present time, but in Costa Rica and Panama there are barriers that prevent the passing of some species, due to the unique characteristics of these countries,