Floristic composition and phytogeography of an Araucaria Forest in the Serra da Mantiqueira, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio (PESP) harbors some unusual fragments of mixed needle-broadleaved forest (MNF) of Minas Gerais state. This study aims to analyze the floristic composition and geographic distribution of the genera represented in the MNF of the PESP. Collections of fertile specimens of vascular plants (excluding epiphytes) were conducted monthly (March 2012-June 2013) in the alluvial and slope areas of MNF in the PESP, in altitudes ranging from 1,650-2,000 m above sea level. The genera were classified into seven phytogeographic groups that were delimited according to their current diversity centers available in the literature. We recorded 310 species belonging to 168 genera and 82 families of vascular plants. The richest families were Asteraceae (49 species), Melastomataceae (33 species) and Rubiaceae (16 species). We observed the presence of species often found in montane and high montane forests of southeastern region, besides of temperate genera, showing that low temperatures caused by high altitude influence the floristic composition of the area. The high richness found denotes the importance of altitude areas for diversity in Atlantic Forest and highlights the biogeographic importance of the region for presenting an unusual phytophysiognomy in the state with endemic and endangered species.

Phanerogamic flora and phytogeography of the Cloud Dwarf Forests of Ibitipoca State Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…The tree species are represented mainly by the families Melastomataceae and Myrtaceae. This floristic pattern meets the standards obtained by Oliveira-Filho & Fontes (2000), Santiago et al (2018), and Eisenlohr & Oliveira-Filho (2015), who found Myrtaceae and Melastomataceae as the richest families in tree species for the Atlantic Forest in other regions of high altitude. These families also are found with high species richness in the survey carried out by Pereira et al (2006) in remnants of vegetation in the Serra do Itatiaia.…”

“…In the present study, the terrestrial herbs correspond to about 21.5% of the total species, a value close to that obtained for the shrub species (22.3%). Pereira-Silva et al (2007), Meireles et al (2014), and Santiago et al (2018), in studies carried out in different regions of the Serra da Mantiqueira, recorded Asteraceae as the family with the highest species richness. The high richness of this family in the terrestrial herbaceous stratum can be related to the direct contact of the cloud dwarf forests with the adjacent altitude fields, which facilitates the establishment of Asteraceae species in these areas (Pillar et al 2009).…”

“…The forests of Serra da Mantiqueira are still little known, and their floristic composition and richness have been described in some places by Oliveira-Filho & Fontes (2000), França & Stehmann (2004), Meireles et al (2008), Valente et al (2011), Salimena et al (2013), Meireles et al (2014), Santiago et. al.…”

Patterns of richness and distribution of Cactaceae in the Serra da Mantiqueira, Southeast Brazil, and implications for its conservation

“…Maciço do Itatiaia (Southern Plateau of SM) lies in grid square 24, and has been studied by the Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro for many decades (Brade 1956;. Other areas of southern Minas Gerais have also been studied previously (França & Stehmann 2004;Meireles et al 2008;2014;Ferreira & Forzza 2009;Furtado & Menini Neto 2015;2016;Santiago et al 2018).…”

Rediscovery and expansion of the distribution of Phyllanthus itatiaiensis Brade (Phyllanthaceae) in southeastern Brazil

“…Recent discoveries of new taxa (Cardoso et al 2019;Vanderplank 2020) and biogeographic records (Santiago et al 2018), as well as the rediscovery of numerous species (Miranda and Menini Neto 2010;Guimarães et al 2020) in the Serra da Mantiqueira region, reinforce the view that the area comprises significant floristic richness and diversity, and needs to be further explored with floristic and phytosociological focuses (Pompeu et al 2014).…”