Epiphytes are hyper‐diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non‐vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer‐reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non‐vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non‐vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events.

A vegetação de caatinga do nordeste brasileiro ocorre principalmente sobre dois tipos de substrato principais: sobre solos derivados do embasamento cristalino pré-cambriano e sobre a cobertura arenosa das bacias sedimentares. Evidências recentes têm demonstrado variações na dinâmica, estrutura e composição florística da caatinga desses dois macroambientes, o que fundamenta a necessidade de estudos com enfoque nas diferenças florísticas entre esses diferentes substratos. O presente estudo florístico das ecorregiões de caatinga, Depressão Sertaneja Meridional e Raso da Catarina, no município de Tucano, Bahia, é de especial interesse porque neste município ocorrem esses dois substratos em escala geográfica local, permitindo ampliar o conhecimento sobre a heterogeneidade do Domínio da Caatinga. Neste trabalho é apresentado um inventário florístico de 14 localidades nestas duas ecorregiões da Caatinga. Em conjunto, as caatingas amostradas apresentaram uma alta riqueza florística em comparação com outras áreas no nordeste do Brasil. Foram coletadas 450 espécies, 288 gêneros e 82 famílias. A maior riqueza em espécies foi das Leguminosae, seguida por Euphorbiaceae. Nas localidades sobre substrato derivado do embasamento cristalino ocorreram 226 espécies, enquanto nas de substrato arenoso ocorreram 284 espécies. A proporção de espécies em comum entre esses dois tipos de substrato foi de apenas 13%. Diferenças em composição florística reforçam a hipótese de duas biotas distintas associadas aos dois principais tipos de substrato, que compõem a vegetação da caatinga. Palavras-chave: floresta sazonalmente seca, Depressão Sertaneja Meridional, Raso da Catarina, semiárido brasileiro. AbstractThe caatinga vegetation of northeastern Brazil occurs mainly in Pre-Cambrian, crystalline-derived soils and also on sedimentary-basin-derived sandy soils. Recent evidence has shown variations in the dynamics, structure and floristic composition of the caatinga over these two different edaphic macro-environments, which justifies the need for studies focusing on different substrates. A floristic study of the caatinga ecoregions Depressão Sertaneja Meridional and Raso da Catarina in the municipality of Tucano, Bahia, Brazil, is of special interest because both substrates occur in a local scale, allowing the opportunity to broaden our knowledge on ecological heterogeneity within the Caatinga biome. In the current study we carried out a floristic survey of 14 sites distributed throughout the ecoregions of caatinga in Tucano. We found high species diversity in the caatingas of Tucano when compared to other areas in northeastern Brazil. A total of 450 species, 288 genera, and 82 families were collected. The most species rich families are Leguminosae and Euphorbiaceae. There occur 226 species in the sites on crystalline basement, whereas 284 species were collected in the sandy areas. The ecoregions were only 13% similar in floristic composition. We found strong differences between the ecoregions with respect to floristic composition and predominan...

The Cactaceae are known to be amongst the most endangered plant families of the world due to reduction of their habitats and activities of collectors. As the species of the family are dependent on animals to perform cross pollination, and hence seed production, their population performance may be further negatively affected by interrupted biotic interactions. For efficient conservation of rare species, knowledge on reproductive biology and pollinators is of prime importance. In our study we focused on Uebelmannia buiningii Donald, a microendemic cactus from the Serra Negra State Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. During four field expeditions to three localities of the species between September 2012 and September 2013, we measured flowers, detected nectar-guides and osmophores and performed pollen viability tests. We studied the reproductive system of the species using manual self-and cross-pollination tests and observed pollinators. Our results revealed that the flowering period takes place during the dry season, between April and October, and that the diurnal flowers open between 7:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. The flowers are shortly tubular with yellow perianth-segments. We found neither nectar nor nectar-guides, and osmophores appeared as glands within the flower tube. Whereas pollen viability was 90.25%, manual crosspollination tests have shown cross-pollination with gametophytic incompatibility. We observed two bee species visiting the flowers and acting as effective pollinators: Dialictus opacus and Plebeia sp. The combination of low reproductive activity with gametophytic incompatibility, together with the reduced number of individuals in a population and low number of populations, makes the endemic cactus U. buiningii a critically endangered species.

Aquatic and marsh plants are those that have the capacity to withstand a continuous or periodic submersion in water, at least of their roots. Such plants are thus able to occupy environments that are at least periodically waterlogged. The knowledge about this plant group is still rather incomplete for various parts of Brazil including the Northeast. The present study was conducted in Bahia state, through collections in 20 municipalities within the Recôncavo basin between 2009 and 2015. All species were classified across six life forms. We report 316 species in 206 genera and 71 families, including 11 fern species, with helophytes and emergent being the commonest ones. Collection efforts in aquatic environments in the Recôncavo region added nine families of angiosperms to those already reported in previous studies of such plants in Northeastern Brazil. The region presents a wide variety of aquatic and marsh plants and the respective habitats play an important role in the conservation/maintenance of biodiversity and especially of water bodies in Eastern Bahia.