Diversity of Vascular Epiphytes in Urban Green Areas of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the floristic composition and community structure of vascular epiphytes in 13 green areas of Juiz de Fora, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The calculated parameters were relative and absolute frequencies, Shannon diversity (H') and Pielou evenness (J) indices. 56 species belonging to 22 families were recorded, with the richest species being Bromeliaceae (eight spp.). Tillandsia tricholepis, T. recurvata, Microgramma squamulosa, and Rhipsalis lindbergiana were dominant (comprising 79.5% of relative frequency). Most species were accidental epiphytes (26 spp.), probably due to an effect of the disturbed environment. The richest and most diverse area was the Parque Halfeld (26 species and H'=2.2), which is also the oldest sampled area. There was a higher concentration of epiphytes in the tree crowns, possibly representing a response to anthropic actions. The results highlighted the importance of thorough studies to achieve a better understanding of this ecologically relevant synusia in such disturbed environments.

Vascular epiphytes of the Serra do Relógio: the surprising richness of the seasonal forests in the mountains of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil

“…The facultative holoepiphytes are mainly represented by Bromeliaceae, Begoniaceae, and Cactaceae species, while as expected Araceae is responsible for the majority of the hemiepiphytes (Blum et al 2011;Barbosa et al 2019). The record of only two accidental epiphytes probably reinforces that such studied fragments must present a good conservation condition, once is expected that anthropized areas present a high number of species of this category (Barthlott et al 2001;Furtado & Menini Neto 2015a;Santana et al 2017;Alvim et al 2020).…”

“…Studies on vascular epiphytes in Minas Gerais have intensified in the last decade and have been performed in several types of vegetations such as urban green areas (Alvim et al 2020;Kaeser et al 2020), urban forests (Furtado & Menini Neto 2015a;Santana et al 2017;Martins et al 2020), Cerrado sensu stricto , ombrophilous forests (Alves & Menini Neto 2014;Furtado & Menini Neto 2015b, 2018a and seasonal semi-deciduous forests (Barbosa et al 2015(Barbosa et al , 2019Basílio et al 2015). It is worth mentioning that the last vegetation type presented higher richness of vascular epiphytes in the Atlantic Forest (Zona da Mata) of Minas Gerais than in any other Brazilian states in the same type of phytophysionomy (Barbosa et al 2015(Barbosa et al , 2019.…”

Accidental epiphytes: Ecological insights and evolutionary implications

“…are repeatedly observed epiphytically in relatively dry forests in southern Mexico (Wolf, 2005), and in French Guiana, Mori et al (2002) observed two aroid species as accidental epiphytes. A considerable number of studies investigated assemblages of vascular epiphytes in southeastern Brazil along the Atlantic coast, where accidental epiphytes are an important part of the epiphytic flora (e.g., Alves & Neto, 2014; Couto et al, 2016; Couto et al, 2019, 2017; Furtado & Neto, 2015a, 2016; Menini Neto et al, 2020), especially in urban areas (Alvim et al, 2020, 2021; Furtado & Neto, 2015b). Among 35 cactus species observed epiphytically in Bolivia, Ibisch et al (2000) classified 14 as accidental.…”

“…Apart from that, study areas differ not only in climatic conditions but also in a number of other abiotic and biotic factors, such as host species composition, forest age, degree and type of human impact, isolation from potential seed sources, and so forth, making unambiguous interpretations of the observed differences difficult. For instance, in urban areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, accidental epiphytes constitute a much higher proportion of the overall number of epiphytically growing species than in nonurban areas, illustrating that, apart from climate, disturbance is a major factor affecting the species richness of accidental epiphytes (Figure 4) (e.g., Alvim et al, 2020, 2021; Santana et al, 2017). In this context, the potential influence of the higher proportion of nonnative species in urban areas compared to nonurban areas should also be considered (cf.…”

Comparison of the Waterlogging Tolerance and Morphological Responses of Five Urochloa spp. Grasses

“…Llanero [9,10], U. hybrid cv. Cayman [11], U. arrecta (Tanner grass), and U. arrecta x U. mutica (Brachipará grass) [12][13][14], are recognized as more suitable for humidity areas.…”