Floristic and dispersion syndromes of Cerrado species in the Chapada do Araripe, Northeast of Brazil

Abstract

Through this study, the objective was to contribute to the knowledge regarding floristic composition, classification and conservation status of the studied plant species as well as the dispersion syndromes of flora found in a disjoint Cerrado area ​in the Chapada do Araripe, Crato-CE. For the research development Rapid Survey method, applied in three walking lines (Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3) was adopted. Floriferous branches, fruits and seeds from species in the study area were collected in order to identify them and to characterize their diaspores, in view of fitting them into the corresponding dispersion syndromes. A total of 103 species were identified, the richest species taxa were: Fabaceae, Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malpighiaceae and Myrtaceae. The most abundant species in the studied area were: Cordiera myrciifolia (“bola”) Miconia albicans (“Candeiro-de-pelo”), Caryocar coriaceum (pequi) and Copaifera langsdorffii (“pau d'oleo”). Three new occurrences were also recorded for the state of Ceará: Eriope tumidicaulis, Myrciaria cf. tenella and Stachytapheta cf. crassifolia. The most frequent dispersion syndrome was zoochoria, followed by anemocoria. Considering that most of the species occurring in the study area have their dispersion diaspores transported by a fauna element, the importance of these species for the maintenance of the observed floristic richness is evident.

Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. (Caryocaraceae): Botany, Ethnomedicinal Uses, Biological Activities, Phytochemistry, Extractivism and Conservation Needs

“…In the latter, the presence of the species is more abundant due to its occurrence in areas of environmental protection (APA), such as the APA-Araripe and the Araripe National Forest (FLONA) (Figure 2). Among the municipalities of the Ceará state, there are collection records for Araripe (municipality number 4 on the map), Santana do Cariri (5), Nova Olinda (6), Crato (7), Barbalha (8), Missão Velha (9), Brejo Santo (11), Porteiras (12) and Jardim (13) [15,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. In Chapada do Araripe, C. coriaceum occurs in Cerrado sensu stricto enclaves.…”

“…According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List, C. coriaceum is an endangered plant species [31]. Such conservation status is due to a number of factors, such as increasing extractivism, slow germination, the reduction of dispersing animals, deforestation and fires in the Cerrado [10,24,88].…”

“…To meet the demand, thousands of fruits are used to produce oil and to be sold in natura. Thus, if there is no proper control of extractivism in accordance with the replacement standards, this overexploitation may lead to the collapse of these natural resources, because, with the extractive pressure and the reduced amount of diaspores at the end of the harvest, there is a low recruitment of seedlings, which already present a low frequency and restricted distribution in the ecosystem [24,97]. In addition to these factors, the seeds of C. coriaceum present a slow germination.…”

Structure, spatial distribution and phenology of two Vochysiaceae species in Cerrado fragment in the Caatinga, Southern Ceará, Brazil

“…Enclaves are landscapes that show different configurations in comparison to their surroundings, resulting from their own dynamics, arising from natural factors, especially biogeographic, over geological time (Freire, 2007). In the Brazilian Northeast, the existence of Cerrado patches is attributed, mainly, to altitude, forming fragments resulting from the association with edaphic factors (Santos et al 2014;Bezerra et al 2020).…”

Composição florística e potencial de uso das espécies em uma área do bioma Cerrado em Bandeirantes – MS

“…menos preocupante; (**QA) = Quase ameaçada; (***VU) = vulnerável); (C) = Clímax; (P) = Pioneira; (PS) = Formação primária/secundária; (S) = Formação secundária; δ = espécies de valor madeireiro (menor valor); δδ = espécies de valor madeireiro (maior valor) (F) = frutífera; (FM) = frutífera/medicinal; (M) = medicinal; (An) = Anemocoria; (Au) = Autocórica; e, (Z) = Zoocoria. Fonte: Autores.Mediante o levantamento, os resultados apontaram que a família Fabaceae foi, quantitativamente, a mais representativa, com 12 espécies (57,14%) (uma não identificada), perfazendo 24,56% do total dos indivíduos Bezerra et al (2020),. em trabalho na região da Chapada do Araripe, Crato -Ceará, também identificaram Fabaceae possuindo a maior riqueza de espécies, demonstrando sua importância no bioma Cerrado.…”