Diversity of aquatic macrophytes in the Lagoa do Peixe National Park

Abstract

Floristic surveys are significant tools to get to know species diversity and distribution. Little is known about the diversity of aquatic macrophytes in the palustrine wetlands of the Lagoa do Peixe National Park. The goal of this study was to survey aquatic macrophytes in the park wetlands. It identified 176 aquatic macrophyte species distributed in 98 genera and 44 families. Families with the largest number of species included Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Juncaceae, and Asteraceae. The most diverse genera were Eleocharis (14 species), Juncus (10 species), Cyperus (7 species), Utricularia (7 species), Rhynchospora (6 species), and Ludwigia (6 species). The most frequent species were Hydrocotyle bonariensis, Centella asiatica, Ischaemum minus, Nymphoides indica. The predominant biological forms were amphibious (45% of the species) and emergent (28% of the species) macrophytes. The floating ones represented 16% of the species, and the submerged macrophytes represented 11% of the species. The diversity of the palustrine wetlands is high and comparable to other extensive wetlands in Brazil, such as Pantanal and Taim. The information in this study is important to improve the knowledge about the biological diversity of the National Park. Key words: Lagoa do Peixe, floristic survey, aquatic plants, biological forms.