Plant diversity on granite/gneiss rock outcrop at Pedra do Pato, Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, Brazil

Abstract

Campo de Altitude, one of the ecosystems associated with the Atlantic Forest, occurs mainly in high plateaus of Southeastern Brazil. The study area is in Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, Southeastern Brazil. We sampled six habitats (swamp field, Vellozia field, high mountain field, scrub slope, high altitude scrub, and cloud forest) that represent three physiognomies (grassland, scrub, and woodland). Overall, 180 species were recorded, belonging to 128 genera and 58 families. The richest families were Orchidaceae (20 species), Asteraceae (19), Melastomataceae (18), Rubiaceae (11), Myrtaceae (9) and Cyperaceae, Lauraceae, Solanaceae and Poaceae with five species each. The genera with highest number of species were: Baccharis, Miconia and Tibouchina with five species each; Solanum with four; Paepalanthus, Myrcia, Myrciaria and Vellozia with three.

Community composition, beta diversity and structure of high altitude grasslands along an altitudinal gradient in southeastern Brazil

“…With regard to the most species rich families our data are consistent with results of other surveys on HAG (Safford, 1999a;Tinti et al, 2015;Campos et al, 2018) as well as other rupestrian vegetation types in Southeastern Brazil (Conceição & Pirani, 2007;Porembski, 2007). We can highlight Asteraceae that generally is the richest family in floristic inventories in all neotropical mountain ecosystems in South and Central America (Safford, 2007).…”

Upper montane grassland structure within six subranges of Serra do Mar, Southern Brazil

“…Therefore, further studies and surveys are required in order to obtain a more widely applicable ecological knowledge. However, we conducted a brief analysis relating to upper montane grasslands of the present study with other vegetation studies about altitude rocky outcrops in Serra da Mantiqueira (Southeastern Brazil) (Caiafa & Silva 2007, Ribeiro et al 2007, Tinti et al 2015 as well as two sites of Serra do Mar (Araras & Madalena) in the State of Rio de Janeiro (Meirelles et al 1999). We learned that neither of the species found in the upper montane grasslands within Serra do Mar in Paraná was found in these two areas in Rio de Janeiro.…”

“…Perhaps because such species might be more adapted to grasslands than rocky outcrops. Based on studies carried out at Serra da Mantiqueira only two species were found (Caiafa & Silva 2007) to approximately two dozen species (Tinti et al 2015) in common with the ones found within the subranges studied in Paraná, which in addition to the distances between them, may be related to the surrounding phytogeographic aspects. The floristic study reported by Tinti et al (2015) (Serra do Brigadeiro -Mantiqueira, in the State of Minas Gerais) is in alignment with the grasslands of our study, for instance, the following taxa: Achyrocline satureoides, Stevia clausseni, Gaultheria serrata, "Croton mullerianus"(Croton splendidus), Hesperozygis nitida, Lycopodium clavatum, Doryopteris crenulans and Galium hypocarpium.…”

“…Based on studies carried out at Serra da Mantiqueira only two species were found (Caiafa & Silva 2007) to approximately two dozen species (Tinti et al 2015) in common with the ones found within the subranges studied in Paraná, which in addition to the distances between them, may be related to the surrounding phytogeographic aspects. The floristic study reported by Tinti et al (2015) (Serra do Brigadeiro -Mantiqueira, in the State of Minas Gerais) is in alignment with the grasslands of our study, for instance, the following taxa: Achyrocline satureoides, Stevia clausseni, Gaultheria serrata, "Croton mullerianus"(Croton splendidus), Hesperozygis nitida, Lycopodium clavatum, Doryopteris crenulans and Galium hypocarpium. Whereas, the phytosociological analysis by Caiafa & Silva (2007), shares only Esterhazya splendida, ranking in the twenty-fourth position in terms of structural importance value, in Serra da Mantiqueira (Minas Gerais) as well as the physiognomy dominated by Chusquea mimosa within Serra do Ibitiraquire (Serra do Mar) in Paraná.…”

“…(e.g. Rizzini 1979, Ferri 1980, Veloso et al 1991, IBGE 1992, Martinelli 1996, Safford 1999a, b, Tramujas 2000, Roderjan et al 2002, Caiafa & Silva 2005, Garcia & Pirani, 2005, Ribeiro et al 2007, Mocochinski & Scheer 2008, IBGE 2012, Vasconcelos 2011, Scheer et al 2011a, 2013a, b, 2014, Meireles et al 2014, Alves et al 2014, Tinti et al 2015.…”