Biodiversity and Conservation of Plants in Brazil

Abstract

With more than 56,000 species (excluding fungi), Brazil has one of the richest floras in the worldnearly 19% of the world flora. Our knowledge of the diversity and status of nonvascular plants in Brazil is still fragmentary, although localized studies on algae have revealed loss of species resulting from environmental pollution. Emphasis on local floral surveys, rather than wider taxonomic studies, has obscured estimates of national totals for most taxonomic groups. Knowledge of angiosperms, especially monocotyledons (of which 45% of the species are endemic), is more complete than most. For this group figures are more reliable, with some distribution patterns, endemism levels, and centers of diversity identified. Much, however, still awaits discovery. Coordinated efforts to catalog Brazil's flora are in progress and include projects such as the conservation priority-setting workshops of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, which have identified key conservation areas in the major biomes; development of threatened species lists for plants; and the assembly of type data on species of northeastern Brazil through the Darwin Initiative-all of which greatly assist in increasing our knowledge. These initiatives also underline the urgent need to expand the numbers and geographic spread of projects on plant systematics and taxonomy in Brazil, a measure that demands adequate provision of funding and training programs for plant specialists. Finally, Brazil's environmental agency (IBAMA) could play a proactive role in opening protected areas under its jurisdiction, thereby facilitating botanical research by university departments and research institutes. Biodiversidad y Conservación de Plantas en BrasilResumen: Con más de 56,00 especies (excluyendo hongos), Brasil tiene una de las floras más ricas del mundo-casi 19% de la flora mundial. Nuestro conocimiento de la diversidad y del estatus de plantas no vasculares aun es muy incompleto, aunque estudios sobre algas han revelado la pérdida de especies debido a la contaminación ambiental. Elénfasis en estudios florísticos locales, en lugar de estudio taxonómicos más amplios, ha enmascarado a las estimaciones de totales nacionales en casi todos los grupos taxonómicos. El conocimiento sobre angiospermas, especialmente monocotiledóneas (de las cuales 45% de las especies son endémicas), es el más completo. Las cifras para este grupo son más confiables, y se han identificado algunos patrones de distribución, niveles de endemismo y centros de diversidad. Sin embargo, falta mucho por descubrir. Están en progreso esfuerzos coordinados para catalogar la flora de Brasil e incluyen proyectos-que contribuyen enormemente al incremento de nuestro conocimiento -como talleres de definición de prioridades organizados por el Ministerio del Ambiente, que ha identificadoáreas clave para la conservación en los principales biomas; desarrollo de listas de especies de plantas amenazadas; y la organización de datos sobre especies tipo del noreste de Brasil por medio de la Iniciativa Darwin. Sin emb...

As Leguminosae arbóreas das florestas estacionais do Parque Estadual do Itacolomi, Minas Gerais, Brasil

“…No Brasil, encontram-se cerca de 3.200 espécies nativas de Leguminosae reunidas em 176 gêneros (Giulietti et al 2005), e distribuídas em quase todas as formações vegetacionais (Barroso et al 1991). A família tem sido considerada como uma das mais representativas em formações campestres de altitude (Pirani et al 2003;Dutra et al 2008a), cerrados (Mendonça et al 1998) e formações florestais (Oliveira-Filho et al 1994;Ribeiro 1998;Lima 2000), confirmando sua importância para a flora do Brasil.…”

Tree species composition in areas of Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil is consistent with a new system for classifying the vegetation of South America

“…Brazil harbors nearly 20% of the global flora, making it the most biodiverse region in the world (Giulietti et al 2005). The Atlantic Forest Biome, in particular, is one of 35 areas listed as global hotspots for wildlife conservation (Myers et al 2000;Mittermeier et al 2004;Zachos & Habel 2011).…”

Chemical constituents of Habenaria petalodes Lindl. (Orchidaceae)

“…Among the 22,000 members of the family Orchidaceae that have been described worldwide, approximately 1,800 grow endemically in Brazil. 1 In spite of its size and diversity when compared with other plant families, a relatively small number of orchid species have been investigated regarding their chemical composition, with about 300 secondary metabolites reported so far. These included, among others, flavonoids, terpenoids, quinones, phenanthrenes, stilbenes, lignans, and glucosylated benzyl esters of succinic, malic, tartaric and citric acids.…”

“…was chemically investigated so far, resulting in the identification of habenariol, a compound with potent feeding deterrent activity. [10][11][12] In the present paper we report the first phytochemical investigation of Habenaria petalodes Lindl., describing the isolation and structure elucidation of six compounds (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6), including a new 2-malic acid derivative (4) denominated habenarioside. Vol.…”