Gustavo Hiroaki Shimizu

Amazon plant diversity revealed by a taxonomically verified species list

Significance Large floristic datasets that purportedly represent the diversity and composition of the Amazon tree flora are being widely used to draw conclusions about the patterns and evolution of Amazon plant diversity, but these datasets are fundamentally flawed in both their methodology and the resulting content. We have assembled a comprehensive dataset of Amazonian seed plant species from published sources that includes falsifiable data based on voucher specimens identified by taxonomic specialists. This growing list should serve as a basis for addressing the long-standing debate on the number of plant species in the Amazon, as well as for downstream ecological and evolutionary analyses aimed at understanding the origin and function of the exceptional biodiversity of the vast Amazonian forests. Recent debates on the number of plant species in the vast lowland rain forests of the Amazon have been based largely on model estimates, neglecting published checklists based on verified voucher data. Here we collate taxonomically verified checklists to present a list of seed plant species from lowland Amazon rain forests. Our list comprises 14,003 species, of which 6,727 are trees. These figures are similar to estimates derived from nonparametric ecological models, but they contrast strongly with predictions of much higher tree diversity derived from parametric models. Based on the known proportion of tree species in neotropical lowland rain forest communities as measured in complete plot censuses, and on overall estimates of seed plant diversity in Brazil and in the neotropics in general, it is more likely that tree diversity in the Amazon is closer to the lower estimates derived from nonparametric models. Much remains unknown about Amazonian plant diversity, but this taxonomically verified dataset provides a valid starting point for macroecological and evolutionary studies aimed at understanding the origin, evolution, and ecology of the exceptional biodiversity of Amazonian forests.

An illustrated angiosperm flora of Cerrado and Riparian Forest, São Carlos, Brazil

We surveyed a Cerrado and Riparian Forest vegetation area located at Sao Carlos Federal University (21°58’ S, 47°51’ W). The objective of the survey was to provide a full inventory of the area’s angiosperm flora. This inventory was conducted in a region in which few remnants of Cerrado and Riparian Forest are left because of the destruction of these habitats to provide land for sugar cane and citrus cultivation. We identified 188 species. These species belong to 140 genera and 55 families. We obtained images of 117 species, including details of inflorescences, flowers and fruits, to support our identifications. These results highlight the importance of the preservation of this reserve because the area offers a species-rich flora in a location where few fragments of native vegetation exist and because the area could be of interest for establishing ecological corridors.

Vochysiaceae na região do Planalto de Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Vochysiaceae is represented in Brazil by ca. 160 species, distributed mainly the in Amazon Forest, Atlantic Forest, and Cerrado. The Diamantina Plateau is located between the north of Serra do Cipo and the south of Grao Mogol, in the Espinhaco Range central southern region. We have found 22 species of Vochysiaceae in the studied area, distributed among the genera Vochysia (13 spp.), Qualea (5 spp.), Callisthene (3 spp.), and Salvertia (1 sp.). We present identification keys and morphological descriptions of genera and species, as well as information about the geographical distribution, taxonomic and ecological remarks, and illustrations of diagnostic features.

Flora of the cangas of Serra dos Carajás, Pará, Brazil: Vochysiaceae

This study presents the species of Vochysiaceae that occur in canga vegetation of Serra dos Carajás, in the Pará state, Brazil, including morphological descriptions, illustrations, and comments. Four species were recorded: Callisthene microphylla, Qualea multiflora, Q. parviflora and Vochysia haenkeana.