Cerrado physiognomies in Chapada das Mesas National Park (Maranhão, Brazil) revealed by patterns of floristic similarity and relationships in a transition zone

Abstract

The Chapada das Mesas National Park is a federal reserve located in the State of Maranhão, in an ecotonal region of the Brazilian Northeast Cerrado. Aiming to assess the infl uence of biogeographic patterns and support restoration actions for regions where information is scarce, we analyzed the fl oristic composition of savanna and forest Cerrado physiognomies, the fl oristic relationships with other Brazilian Cerrado areas and investigated the fl oristic relationships between the Cerrado and the Amazon, and the Caatinga and Atlantic Forest biomes. A total of 242 species in 181 genera and 64 families are recorded in our study. Fabaceae was the most representative family.We report 50 new records of species for Maranhão, four new records for the Cerrado biome and one vulnerable species. The separation of the gallery forest from cerradão and typical cerrado by ordination shows the infl uence of water availability and soil characteristics on fl oristic composition. In Cerrado ecotonal regions, such as Mato Grosso and Maranhão, the presence of species shared with the Amazon is expressive.In addition to the Amazon, physiognomies had greater fl oristic connection with the Caatinga fl ora. Our data demonstrates that the marginal areas of the Brazilian Cerrado may present high species diversity.

First records of Symphyllophyton campos-portoi Gilg-Ben. (Gentianaceae) in Maranhão and Tocantins states, Brazil

“…Furthermore, studies on the flora of Maranhão at PEM have found new records for the state (Saraiva et al 2020;Silva et al 2020), which is still botanically undersampled. One of the major problems in determining species distribution and endemism patterns is related to the poor knowledge on the distribution limits of the known species.…”

Turnera carolina (Turneraceae, Passifloraceae s.l.): A New Species from Chapada das Mesas, Maranhão, Northeastern Brazil

“…obs.). According to Saraiva et al (2020), 25% of the flora of the rupestrian cerrado from Chapada das Mesas are composed of endemic plants, exemplified by the recently described Dyckia maranhensis Guarc ¸oni & Saraiva (Guarc ¸oni et al 2020).…”

Millennial-scale variability of vegetation and fire activity in a northern Cerrado driven by an east-west rainfall gradient during the Holocene

“…While Chapada das Mesas is within the domain of the Cerrado, it shares a considerable number of species with Amazonian forests (76.03%). However, the park also has a high level of floristic similarity with the Caatinga, in both woody (60%) and herbaceous strata (65%) (Ferraz et al, 2020). Five Cerrado physiognomies can be observed: gallery forest, woody cerrado or cerradão , cerrado sensu stricto , palm swamp, and rocky grassland (Ferraz et al, 2020; Gouvêa, 2021; Moraes and Lima, 2007).…”

“…However, the park also has a high level of floristic similarity with the Caatinga, in both woody (60%) and herbaceous strata (65%) (Ferraz et al, 2020). Five Cerrado physiognomies can be observed: gallery forest, woody cerrado or cerradão , cerrado sensu stricto , palm swamp, and rocky grassland (Ferraz et al, 2020; Gouvêa, 2021; Moraes and Lima, 2007). Cerrado sensu stricto and rocky grassland dominate on the nutrient-poor shallow sandy soils (Marques, 2012; Moraes and Lima, 2007).…”