Epiphytes are hyper‐diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non‐vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer‐reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non‐vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non‐vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events.

A vegetação de caatinga do nordeste brasileiro ocorre principalmente sobre dois tipos de substrato principais: sobre solos derivados do embasamento cristalino pré-cambriano e sobre a cobertura arenosa das bacias sedimentares. Evidências recentes têm demonstrado variações na dinâmica, estrutura e composição florística da caatinga desses dois macroambientes, o que fundamenta a necessidade de estudos com enfoque nas diferenças florísticas entre esses diferentes substratos. O presente estudo florístico das ecorregiões de caatinga, Depressão Sertaneja Meridional e Raso da Catarina, no município de Tucano, Bahia, é de especial interesse porque neste município ocorrem esses dois substratos em escala geográfica local, permitindo ampliar o conhecimento sobre a heterogeneidade do Domínio da Caatinga. Neste trabalho é apresentado um inventário florístico de 14 localidades nestas duas ecorregiões da Caatinga. Em conjunto, as caatingas amostradas apresentaram uma alta riqueza florística em comparação com outras áreas no nordeste do Brasil. Foram coletadas 450 espécies, 288 gêneros e 82 famílias. A maior riqueza em espécies foi das Leguminosae, seguida por Euphorbiaceae. Nas localidades sobre substrato derivado do embasamento cristalino ocorreram 226 espécies, enquanto nas de substrato arenoso ocorreram 284 espécies. A proporção de espécies em comum entre esses dois tipos de substrato foi de apenas 13%. Diferenças em composição florística reforçam a hipótese de duas biotas distintas associadas aos dois principais tipos de substrato, que compõem a vegetação da caatinga. Palavras-chave: floresta sazonalmente seca, Depressão Sertaneja Meridional, Raso da Catarina, semiárido brasileiro. AbstractThe caatinga vegetation of northeastern Brazil occurs mainly in Pre-Cambrian, crystalline-derived soils and also on sedimentary-basin-derived sandy soils. Recent evidence has shown variations in the dynamics, structure and floristic composition of the caatinga over these two different edaphic macro-environments, which justifies the need for studies focusing on different substrates. A floristic study of the caatinga ecoregions Depressão Sertaneja Meridional and Raso da Catarina in the municipality of Tucano, Bahia, Brazil, is of special interest because both substrates occur in a local scale, allowing the opportunity to broaden our knowledge on ecological heterogeneity within the Caatinga biome. In the current study we carried out a floristic survey of 14 sites distributed throughout the ecoregions of caatinga in Tucano. We found high species diversity in the caatingas of Tucano when compared to other areas in northeastern Brazil. A total of 450 species, 288 genera, and 82 families were collected. The most species rich families are Leguminosae and Euphorbiaceae. There occur 226 species in the sites on crystalline basement, whereas 284 species were collected in the sandy areas. The ecoregions were only 13% similar in floristic composition. We found strong differences between the ecoregions with respect to floristic composition and predominan...

The Cactaceae are known to be amongst the most endangered plant families of the world due to reduction of their habitats and activities of collectors. As the species of the family are dependent on animals to perform cross pollination, and hence seed production, their population performance may be further negatively affected by interrupted biotic interactions. For efficient conservation of rare species, knowledge on reproductive biology and pollinators is of prime importance. In our study we focused on Uebelmannia buiningii Donald, a microendemic cactus from the Serra Negra State Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. During four field expeditions to three localities of the species between September 2012 and September 2013, we measured flowers, detected nectar-guides and osmophores and performed pollen viability tests. We studied the reproductive system of the species using manual self-and cross-pollination tests and observed pollinators. Our results revealed that the flowering period takes place during the dry season, between April and October, and that the diurnal flowers open between 7:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. The flowers are shortly tubular with yellow perianth-segments. We found neither nectar nor nectar-guides, and osmophores appeared as glands within the flower tube. Whereas pollen viability was 90.25%, manual crosspollination tests have shown cross-pollination with gametophytic incompatibility. We observed two bee species visiting the flowers and acting as effective pollinators: Dialictus opacus and Plebeia sp. The combination of low reproductive activity with gametophytic incompatibility, together with the reduced number of individuals in a population and low number of populations, makes the endemic cactus U. buiningii a critically endangered species.

Aquatic and marsh plants are those that have the capacity to withstand a continuous or periodic submersion in water, at least of their roots. Such plants are thus able to occupy environments that are at least periodically waterlogged. The knowledge about this plant group is still rather incomplete for various parts of Brazil including the Northeast. The present study was conducted in Bahia state, through collections in 20 municipalities within the Recôncavo basin between 2009 and 2015. All species were classified across six life forms. We report 316 species in 206 genera and 71 families, including 11 fern species, with helophytes and emergent being the commonest ones. Collection efforts in aquatic environments in the Recôncavo region added nine families of angiosperms to those already reported in previous studies of such plants in Northeastern Brazil. The region presents a wide variety of aquatic and marsh plants and the respective habitats play an important role in the conservation/maintenance of biodiversity and especially of water bodies in Eastern Bahia.

Resumo Na flora aquática do Brasil, o gênero Ludwigia apresenta ca. 48 espécies. A maioria das espécies de Ludwigia é anfíbia, apresentando uma grande plasticidade fenotípica, o que torna sua identificação complexa. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento taxonômico e analisar caracteres diagnósticos na delimitação das espécies de Ludwigia ocorrentes no Recôncavo da Bahia. As coletas foram feitas de 2013 a 2016. Foram realizadas análises morfológicas, com ênfase nos frutos e sementes de materiais coletados e exsicatas de acervos de herbários da Bahia. Foram encontradas cinco espécies para o Recôncavo da Bahia: L. erecta, L. hyssopifolia, L. leptocarpa, L. octovalvis e L. peploides, sendo apresentada uma chave de identificação, além de descrições, fotos e comentários taxonômicos sobre as espécies. Os caracteres diagnósticos avaliados como mais relevantes neste estudo foram: forma e inserção dos óvulos nos lóculos, forma, dimensão e coloração das sementes e características do endocarpo e da rafe.

The objective of this study was to characterize the spatial distribution pattern at different altitude gradients as well as to investigate the flora associated with A. nahoumii, considered to be endemic and vulnerable. The study was carried out in Serra da Jibóia, Santa Teresinha, Bahia, Brazil. An inventory was conducted of young and adult A. nahoumii specimens along with taxonomic identification and quantification of the associated species. The cover percentage of A. nahoumii, rock slope, organic matter percentage and exposed rock percentage were calculated, as well as the following phytosociological parameters: absolute density, relative density, absolute frequency, relative frequency, and dominance of A. nahoumii. For the spatial distribution, three indices were tested (Morisita, McGuinnes and Payandech). Canonical correspondence analysis was also applied to test the association of the environmental variables with the species in the community. A total of 1,660 individuals were encountered and classified according to taxonomy in 17 families, 25 genera and 28 species. The spatial distribution pattern of the A. nahoumii population is aggregate. The results demonstrate that the population structure of A. nahoumii is stable, but events such as fires and extractive exploitation make the species vulnerable, along with the other species that inhabit the area. Key words: Bromeliaceae, conservation, endemism, dispersion index, floristic survey, plant diversity. ResumoO objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar o padrão de distribuição espacial da A. nahoumii em diferentes gradientes de altitudes, bem como realizar o levantamento florístico da vegetação associada a A. nahoumii, considerada endêmica e "Vulnerável". O estudo foi realizado na Serra da Jibóia, Santa Teresinha, Bahia, Brasil. Foi realizado um inventário de plantas jovens e adultas da A. nahoumii, bem como a identificação taxonômica e quantificação das espécies associadas, percentagem de cobertura da vegetação, percentagem de cobertura da A. nahoumii, inclinação da rocha, percentagens de matéria orgânica e rocha exposta. Foram calculados os parâmetros fitossociológicos: densidade absoluta, densidade relativa, frequência absoluta, frequência relativa e dominância da A. nahoumii. Para a distribuição espacial foram testados três índices: Índice de Morisita, McGuinnes e Payandech. Também foi realizada uma Análise de Correspondência Canônica para as variáveis ambientais com as espécies da comunidade. Um total de 1.660 indivíduos foram encontrados e classificados taxonomicamente em 17 famílias, 25 gêneros e 28 espécies. O padrão de distribuição espacial da população de A. nahoumii é agregado. Os resultados demonstram que a estrutura populacional da A. nahoumii está estável, mas eventos como queimadas e exploração extrativista, as tornam vulnerável, juntamente com as demais espécies que habitam a área. Palavras-chave: Bromeliaceae, conservação, endemismo, índice de dispersão, inventário florístico, diversidade de plantas.Spatial distribution and associated f...

The Chapeu-de-couro (Echinodorus macrophyllus (Kunth) Micheli) is a native plant from Brazil, which has been mainly used in medicinal application being a potent antirheumatic and diuretic, in the production of soft drinks, and also in the ornamentation of aquariums. In this paper, the metals and metalloids for the leaves of chapeu-de-couro collected in the Paraguacu River from the city Cachoeira, Bahia State, Brazil, was determined and evaluated using multivariate analysis. The samples were digested using nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide and were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by analysis of a certified reference material of apple leaves, furnished by National Institute of Standard and Technology. The study involved 15 samples of the Paraguacu River. The results expressed as milligrams of element per kilogram of sample demonstrated that the concentration ranges varied: 1.39-5.27 for chromium, 44.85-165.39 for manganese, 0.55-0.84 for arsenic, 0.01-3.94 for antimony, and 0.18-0.31 for lead. The principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis evidenced that the concentrations of the metals and metalloids varied according with the variations in the water of the Paraguacu.

Este estudo apresenta a descrição detalhada, ilustração e comentários morfológicos das nove espécies de Commelinaceae registradas para as cangas da Serra dos Carajás, no estado do Pará: Commelina benghalensis, C. erecta, C. obliqua, C. rufipes, Dichorisandra hexandra, D. villosula, Floscopa peruviana, Murdannia nudiflora e Tripogandra diuretica. Palavras-chave: Commelina, espécies ameaçadas, Pará, taxonomia. AbstractThis study provides detailed descriptions, illustrations, and morphological comments of the nine species of Commelinaceae registered for the cangas of Serra dos Carajás, Pará state: Commelina benghalensis, C. erecta, C. obliqua, C. rufipes, Dichorisandra hexandra, D. villosula, Floscopa peruviana, Murdannia nudiflora, and Tripogandra diuretica.