Abstract
The present study was carried out on three trails, each presenting a different degree of disturbance, within the Pau-Ferro Forest Environmentally Protected Area, a 600 ha area of highland forest located in the municipality of Areia (06°58'12"S; 35°42'15"W; elevation, 400-600 m), in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. In 2005, we analyzed the species richness, abundance, constancy and phenology of myxomycetes over seven consecutive months (rainy and dry seasons) in five types of microhabitats: dead tree trunks, the bark of living trees, basidiomata, ground litter and aerial litter. A total of 753 specimens of 48 species were obtained from the trails known as Flores (4 km), Boa Vista (3 km) and Cumbe (700 m). The Sørensen similarity coefficient revealed that the three trails are similar. The most constant and abundant species were Hemitrichia calyculata, H. serpula, Arcyria cinerea, A. denudata and Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa. Although myxomycetes sporulate throughout the year, some species have well-defined sporulation seasons. In terms of the constancy and abundance of species, Trichiaceae is the most important family in the rain forest studied, which is representative of the highland forests of northeastern Brazil.
Highlights
In northeastern Brazil, there are currently 2626.68 km2 of highland forests, which account for a large portion of the remaining Atlantic Forest that still covers the coastal zone of the region (IBGE 1985)
Among the 753 specimens collected, 48 species were recorded for the Pau-Ferro Forest (PFF), revealing a high level of species richness for myxomycetes in this type of highland forest
For the PFF, we recorded three species of the subclass Ceratiomyxomycetidae, which is found on the lists of the five highland forests in the state of Pernambuco (Cavalcanti et al 2008)
Summary
In northeastern Brazil, there are currently 2626.68 km2 of highland forests (known locally as brejos de altitude), which account for a large portion of the remaining Atlantic Forest that still covers the coastal zone of the region (IBGE 1985). Common only to the Cumbe and Boa Vista Trails, these species were accidental in the myxobiota studied; P. nucleatum, S. smithii and S. splendens can be classified as accessory on the Cumbe Trail (Tab. 2).
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