Florística, similaridade e conservação de Bromeliaceae em um trecho do corredor central da Mata Atlântica no estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil

Abstract

Bromeliaceae is an excepcional case of adaptive radiation among angiosperms, and has in the east coast of Brazil one of its centers of diversity and Endemism. Standing out also for its ecologic and economic importance. These factors have placed this group in evidence in the context of the management and conservation of plants, so obtaining information on the biology of these organisms is a crucial step for the establishment of conservation strategies. The “Priority Ecological Corridor Burarama-Pacotuba-Cafundó” (CEPBPC), located in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim in the state of Espírito Santo, was established under the “Central Corridor of the Atlantic Forest” and is considered a priority area for Conservation, but it is present in an area in which the flora’s composition and similarity does not have a consolidated knowledge. The present study aims to increase knowledge of the taxonomic diversity and conservation of Bromeliaceae fragments of Atlantic Forest in the state of Espírito Santo. For that purpose, a floristic inventory of family and the qualitative characterization of the species’ distribution in different habitats were conducted in CEPBPC. Aspects of floristic similarity among the study area and other places of Atlantic Forest were also investigated by multivariate analysis, classification and ordination, and analysis of correlation with geographic distance. Fifty one species distributed in seventeen genera in CEPBPC have been raised, being Vriesea and Tillandsia, the genera with the richest of species. Nine species threatened to extinction and the first record of distribuition of V. correia-araujoi Pereira & Penna in the state of Espírito Santo have also been recorded. Besides the forest environments, the region of Semideciduous Seasonal Forest and with less than 300m altitude had higher affluence of species.However, the species that stand out for their concentration and the need for conservation policies, the physiognomies of Ombrophilous Forest, the rocky outcrops in the region of Semideciduous Seasonal Forests and among anthropogenic environments, the areas associated with rocks, or floodable Riparian. In the classification analysis, the CEPBPC showed greater floristic similarity with the region of Pedra dos Pontões in Mimoso do Sul and later with areas in the mountainous region in the state of Espírito Santo, forming a large block with coastal regions of this state and southern Bahia. In ordination analysis, the CEPBPC held an intermediate position along the latitudinal gradient of Atlantic Forest, being also close to areas located in the northern state of Rio de Janeiro. The results of both analyzes proved to be complementary to explain the floristic relationships of Bromeliaceae in the region, and the influence of the geographic distance on these patterns confirmed by correlation analysis. However, additional studies involving direct analysis of geoclimatic variables may add new information to elucidate the factors that determine the patterns of floristic similarity of Bromeliaceae in the region.