Vascular epiphytes in seasonal semideciduous forest in the Espírito Santo State and similarity with other seasonal forests in Eastern Brazil

Ludovic Jean Charles Kollmann,Gláucio De Mello Cunha,Dayvid Rodrigues Couto,Vitor Da Cunha Manhães,André Paviotti Fontana,Talitha Mayumi Francisco

doi:10.4025/actascibiolsci.v38i2.31320

Ludovic Jean Charles Kollmann, Gláucio De Mello Cunha + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.4025/actascibiolsci.v38i2.31320

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Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the floristic composition of vascular epiphytes in seasonal semideciduous forest fragments of the Itapemirim River basin, Southern State of Espírito Santo, in order to verify its similarity to other semideciduous forests studied in Brazil. Excursions were conducted every fortnight between June 2008 and May 2009, and epiphytes were collected and recorded (55 species, 34 genera and six families). Orchidaceae (21 species) was the richest family, whereas the genera presenting the greatest richness were Tillandsia (seven), Rhipsalis (four), Aechmea, Epidendrum and Peperomia (three species each). The category the most representative was characteristics holoepiphytes (84%). The riparian forests were the most important environments for the epiphytic flora. Similarity analysis and PCA supported four groups, where the study area appears disjointed from the others, supporting the hypothesis that geographical proximity, elevation and climate have a strong effect on the floristic composition, conditioning the formation of distinct floras. Detailed surveys on the floristic composition and structure of this community are important for the elaboration of studies on coherent environmental impacts, since epiphytes are typical in tropical rainforests, and they are an important floristic, structural and functional component of these ecosystems.

Highlights

Vascular epiphytes are characteristic and distinctive components of tropical forests and they have attracted the attention of researchers since Schimper (1888) published the first monograph on Neotropical epiphytes.Acta Scientiarum
The present study evaluated the richness of vascular epiphytic species in seasonal semideciduous forest fragments subjected to the direct influence of the small Santa Fé hydroelectric system, Itapemirim River Basin, State of Espirito Santo
The survey in the semideciduous seasonal forests of the Itapemirim River presented a total of 55 species identified, representing 34 genera and 6 families (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Vascular epiphytes are characteristic and distinctive components of tropical forests and they have attracted the attention of researchers since Schimper (1888) published the first monograph on Neotropical epiphytes.Acta Scientiarum. The seasonal semideciduous forest corresponds to one of the main forest formations in Brazil, and it occurs in almost all the phytogeographic areas of the country, such as the Atlantic Forest, the Amazon and the Pantanal (Projeto de Conservação e Utilização Sustentável da Diversidade Biológica Brasileira [PROBIO] 2007). This forest formation covered approximately 23% of the territory in the State of Espírito Santo (Instituto de Pesquisas da Mata Atlântica [IPEMA], 2005). The knowledge about the flora in this important forest formation in the Southern region of the State of Espírito Santo is scarce, since there are only few scientific papers on the topic (Abreu, Silva & Silva, 2013; Couto, Manhães, Campanharo & Faria, 2013)

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