João Paulo Fernandes Zorzanelli

List of angiosperm species in an Atlantic Forest fragment reveals collection gaps in Espírito Santo state, Brazil

This study presents a list of angiosperm species in an Atlantic Forest fragment in the southern portion of Espirito Santo state, Brazil, a region that represents a collection gap within the Atlantic Forest. The studied site is a relatively small fragment of 144 ha located within a conservation unit, the Mata das Flores State Park. The site belongs to a conservation priority area for the Atlantic Forest in Espirito Santo, and is under strong anthropic pressure. Of the 239 species listed here, 21 are new records for the state, eight are endemic, and 20 figure either in the country’s or the state’s Red Lists of endangered species. Rubiaceae and Piperaceae were the families with the highest number of species. We show that small fragments that were never inventoried before can reveal a relatively large number of threatened species and that collection gaps need to be filled in order to refine our understanding about conservation priorities within the Atlantic Forest Biome.

A First Record of Freziera (Pentaphylacaceae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, with the Description of a New Species

Abstract Freziera atlantica is described and illustrated. The species resembles F. grisebachii in terms of the size and shape of its leaves but differs especially by the serrate and villous margin of the leaf blade and larger petals. The new species is known from two disjunct localities in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, in extremely endangered environments. All known specimens of F. atlantica were collected within the last three years. This new generic record for the Brazilian Atlantic Forest highlights the need for further floristic studies of forest remnants in the states of Bahia and Espírito Santo.

New records of angiosperms from Espírito Santo, Brazil

This study aims to report six new occurrences of angiosperm species from the state of Espirito Santo, widening their geographic distribution. These floristic novelties evidence the presence of knowledge gaps regarding the flora and little collecting effort in Espirito Santo, in addition to demonstrating the floristic importance of Serra do Valentim, with restricted distribution species.

Vascular plant diversity in a Brazilian hotspot: floristic knowledge gaps and tools for conservation

We present one of the first lists of vascular plants for an area in the Brazilian State of Espírito Santo (ES). Field expeditions were carried out between 2011 and 2016 in four portions of vegetation in Serra do Valentim, ES, to collect samples of reproductive botanical material. After identification, we found a total of 590 species distributed in 327 genera and 112 botanical families. Orchidaceae (61 spp.), Melastomataceae (40), Asteraceae (37), Rubiaceae (29) and Polypodiaceae and Solanaceae (24) were some of the families with the highest species richness. We report 11 new records of species for Espírito Santo, three new species for science and 54 endangered species, demonstrating the floristic importance of Serra do Valentim. Our efforts were decisive in helping to fill knowledge gaps regarding the flora of Espirito Santo state, providing a basis for conducting species conservation and enhancing the value of small forest remnants, which should be considered in research and inventory proposals.

First record of Piper scabrellum Yunck. from Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil

We present here the first records of Piper scabrellum for the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. Taxonomic comments, distribution map and pictures of the species are presented.

Estrutura e sucessão ecológica de uma comunidade florestal urbana no sul do Espírito Santo

Abstract Forest communities are dynamic environments in which succession processes occur naturally, may lead to the maturity of the forest. The objective of this study was to evaluate the structure of the woody component of a fragment of semideciduous forest and characterize their successional stage. The study was conducted in the municipality of Alegre, Espirito Santo, in ARIE Laerth Paiva Gama . The sampling of all individuals with DBH ≥ 5 cm was performed by points quadrants. In addition to the ecological parameters it was obtained diameter structure to the community. The species were classified according to environmental group in pioneers, early secondary and late secondary, and the degree of threat of extinction. Were recorded the 112 species, 81 genera and 34 families, of which have excelled in importance value were Pseudopiptadenia contorta (15.33), Apuleia leiocarpa (5.08), Acosmium lentiscifolium (4.42) and Parapiptadenia pterosperma (4.30). The Shannon index was 4.17 and the evenness of 0.87 and are considered high values for semideciduous forests. As to the evaluation of ecological groups, late and early secondary stood out in wealth, however initials were more abundant in the community. Thus, the remaining forest studied can be characterized as belonging to the initial-intermediate stage succession.