-(Acanthaceae of Mata do Paraíso Forest Reserve, Viçosa, Minas Gerais). A floristic survey of Acanthaceae is presented for the Mata do Paraíso Forest Reserve in the city of Viçosa, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The vegetation is mainly composed by forests belonging to the Atlantic Rain Forest Complex. Four genera and six species are recognized: Geissomeria schottiana Nees, Justicia scheidweileri V.A.W. Graham, Mendoncia velloziana Mart., Ruellia brevifolia (Pohl) C. Ezcurra, R. menthoides (Nees) Hiern, and R. subsessilis (Nees) Lindau. R. menthoides is a new record for the state of Minas Gerais. Identification keys for genera and species are provided, as well as descriptions, illustrations, geographic distributions, and comments on the taxonomic problems, uses and habitats of the species.RESUMO -(Acanthaceae da Reserva Florestal Mata do Paraíso, Viçosa, Minas Gerais). O trabalho apresenta o levantamento das Acanthaceae da Reserva Florestal Mata do Paraíso, no Município de Viçosa, MG, uma área predominantemente florestal do complexo vegetacional da Mata Atlântica. Foram registrados quatro gêneros e seis espécies: Geissomeria schottiana Nees, Justicia scheidweileri V.A.W. Graham, Mendoncia velloziana Mart., Ruellia brevifolia (Pohl) C. Ezcurra, R. menthoides (Nees) Hiern e R. subsessilis (Nees) Lindau, sendo que R. menthoides constituiu uma nova citação para Minas Gerais. São apresentadas chaves analíticas para gêneros e espécies, descrições, ilustrações, comentários taxonômicos e informações sobre usos e distribuição geográfica das espécies.

Recebido em 16/05/2011. Aceito em 9/07/2012 RESUMO (Interação microrganismo, solo e flora como condutores da diversidade na Mata Atlântica). O presente trabalho teve como objetivo fornecer dados para uma melhor compreensão entre a interação de microrganismos, flora e solo. O estudo foi realizado no Parque Natural Municipal do Curió, Paracambi, RJ. Foram selecionadas duas áreas, com diferentes graus de alteração antrópica, sendo em cada uma destas delimitado um talhão de aproximadamente 1.000 m 2 , e nestes foram realizados levantamentos floristicos e coletas de amostras de terra e serrapilheira para a avaliação da fertilidade e dos microrganismos. Nas duas áreas quantificou-se um total de 89 espécies, reunidas em 59 gêneros e 33 famílias, entre espécies arbóreas, arbustivas, herbáceas e trepadeiras. Na área com maior grau de antropização ocorreram os maiores valores de pH, Ca e K, indicando um ambiente de maior eutrofismo. Já na área com menor grau de alteração, observaram-se maiores valores de H + Al, decorrentes da maior quantidade de material orgânico. Para a serrapilheira, foi verificado um padrão com tendência similar a observada para o solo. Os maiores valores de serrapilheira aportada, também contribuem para os maiores valores de K, elemento facilmente lixiviável no material em decomposição. Quanto à abundância dos microrganismos tanto na serrapilheira como no solo foi observada uma distribuição diferenciada dos microrganismos devido a variação da umidade relativa e temperatura, sendo as bactérias as predominantes, padrão este também observado para as diferentes áreas. Palavras-chave:Ecossistema funcional, Decomposição, Utilização do substrato, Sucessão ecológica, Atividade microbiana ABSTRACT (Interaction of microorganisms, soil and flora as drivers of diversity in the Atlantic Forest). This study aimed to better understand the interaction between microorganisms, plants and soil. The study was conducted in Parque Natural Municipal do Curió (Paracambi, RJ). We selected two areas with different degrees of human disturbance, and in each of these enclosed a plot of 1,000 m 2 . Floristic surveys were carried out and litter and soil samples were collected to evaluate fertility and the microorganisms. In both areas, 89 species were found, within 59 genera and 33 families, of trees, shrubs, herbs and vines. The highest values of pH, Ca and K were found in the area with the highest degree of human disturbance, indicating an environment of increased tropism. In the area with a lower degree of alteration, we observed higher values of H + Al, resulting from a higher amount of organic material. For the litter, the pattern was similar to that found for the soil. The highest values for the leaf litter also contributed to higher values of K, which is an element that easily leaches from mulch. Considering the abundance of microorganisms in both the litter and in soil, an uneven distribution of microorganisms was found due to the variation of relative humidity and temperature; bacteria were predominant, a pattern observed...

The State of Rio de Janeiro still holds unknown portions of the Atlantic Forest, which represent gaps in the knowledge of this ecosystem. Paracambi and neighbor municipal districts comprise a vast stretch of virtually unknown forest that makes up part of the Serra do Mar biodiversity corridor. The following study describes the tree community structure in a stretch of the ombrophilous Atlantic Forest, in the Parque Natural Municipal do Curió (Curio MNP), Paracambi, Rio de Janeiro, which serves as the basis to evaluate species diversity and conservation status. The altitudes in the area ranges from 100 to 690 m and the climate varies from mild subtropical to tropical hot and humid. Forty plots (10x10m) were randomly placed along the area, where all the stems equal to or greater than five centimeters (5 cm) diameter at breast high from ground level were measured. A total of 749 individuals, pertaining to 128 genera and 210 species were recorded, eight of which are listed as threatened of extinction in the Brazilian flora. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H′) was 4.7 nat.ind.-1 and the species with greater importance value was Pseudopiptadenia contorta (1.6460 m2; 18 individuals) while the most common species wereSenefeldera vertcilata (48) and Actinostemon verticilatus (47 individuals). Despite the sample area being a little smaller than that commonly adopted in tropical studies, data pointed to a richness hitherto not registered in any other study for the State of Rio de Janeiro, no matter the inclusion criteria used, and also confirmed by the two estimator indices used, which have revealed very similar results. The vertical forest structure, the values associated to the successional stage of the species and other aspects of community structure indicate that the Curio MNP encompasses forest stretches in advanced stages of ecological succession. Besides its key location for the connectivity of forest fragments in the region, the results emphasize the ecological importance of this forest remnant and the need for its conservation.

The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.

Resumo -Abstract -The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance and select probability density functions to describe the diametric distributions of the forest community and the main three species in a tropical rain forest in southern of Rio de Janeiro State. We tested the functions: Normal, Normal Log, Beta, Gamma, Sb Johnson and Weibull. Adjustments were carried out using Solver tool (MSExcel®) which uses the reduced linear gradient algorithm, optimizing the functions parameters. Value D Kolmogorov-Smirnov and estimation of standard error (Syx%) were evaluate to select the best model. In general, Sb Johnson and Weibull functions presented better statistics adjustment and greater precision in the estimates. Even representing the reality of the distribution, the smaller class intervals did not provide better adjustments, more precise estimates being provided by the larger ranges and smaller classes. ISSN: 1983ISSN: -2605 IntroduçãoAs florestas tropicais são caracterizadas pela alta densidade de plantas e pela grande diversidade de espécies, cujos ritmos de crescimento são, em geral, diferentes (Rangel et al., 2006;Puig, 2008). Em resposta aos ritmos distintos de crescimento e à grande variação de idade das árvores, a estrutura diamétrica apresenta configuração diferenciada entre tipologias florestais, estágios sucessionais e para espécies ou grupos de espécies quando analisadas individualmente.O estudo das distribuições de diâmetros teve início em 1898, quando François De Liocourt estabeleceu seu conceito para florestas naturais multiâneas (Barros et