Lycophytes and ferns composition of Atlantic Forest conservation units in western Paraná with comparisons to other areas in southern Brazil

Raquel S Viveros,Mayara Lautert,Alexandre Salino,Lívia Godinho Temponi

doi:10.1590/0102-33062015abb0057

Raquel S Viveros, Mayara Lautert + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-33062015abb0057

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Abstract

This study surveyed lycophyte and fern species in four forest fragments in western Parana, Brazil, and compared them to 15 other fragments with different plant formations from the Atlantic Forest biome in southern Brazil. In total, five lycophyte species (in two families and two genera) and 98 species and two varieties of ferns (in 16 families and 38 genera) were registered in the four fragments. The most represented families were Pteridaceae (23 spp.), Polypodiaceae (18 spp.), Aspleniaceae (13 spp.), and Thelypteridaceae (11 spp.). Asplenium (12 spp.), Thelypteris (10 spp.), and Blechnum (seven spp.) were among the most represented genera. The occurrence of Dicksonia sellowiana was noteworthy because it was associated with seasonal semideciduous forest and is threatened in Brazil. Similarity among areas was determined by a cluster analysis (UPGMA and Sorensen’s index) and the relation between similarity and geographic distance was determined through Matel’s analysis. The analyses revealed greater similarity among the four study areas and, for these areas as a whole, greater similarity to fragments in Rio Grande do Sul, which is evidence that these areas have similar environmental conditions.

Highlights

Lycophytes and ferns are represented by about 13,600 species
The occurrence of Dicksonia sellowiana was noteworthy because it was associated with seasonal semideciduous forest and is threatened in Brazil
Similarity among areas was determined by a cluster analysis (UPGMA and Sørensen’s index) and the relation between similarity and geographic distance was determined through Matel’s analysis

Summary

Introduction

Lycophytes and ferns are represented by about 13,600 species The distribution of these groups follows a pattern known as the latitudinal gradient of diversity, where in both hemispheres, from poles to equator, the number of species per unit area increases more than 30 times (Moran 2008). Pteridophyte richness is not regular, and around 75% of this group occurs in tropical and subtropical humid regions (Tryon & Tryon 1982). The Atlantic Forest is one of the 34 global “hotspots” of biodiversity (Mittermeier et al 2004), is the second largest tropical forest in the Americas, and originally extended continuously along the Brazilian coast, to eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina at its southern limit (SOS Mata Atlântica 2015). Out of the total number of species in the Atlantic Forest, 840 are lycophytes and ferns (Salino & Almeida 2009)

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