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Inselbergs from Brazilian Atlantic Forest: high biodiversity refuges of vascular epiphytes from Espírito Santo

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Talitha Mayumi Francisco at Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica
Talitha Mayumi Francisco
  • Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica
Couto Dayvid
Couto Dayvid
Marina Moreira at Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro
Marina Moreira
André Paviotti Fontana
André Paviotti Fontana
André Paviotti Fontana
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Abstract and Figures

Inselbergs are old outcrops, characterized by large expanses of open rocks and by distinct environmental filters. Many studies have been carried out on inselberg’s flora in the last decades. In contrast, vascular epiphytes received little attention compared to lithophytic groups. We aimed to investigate the role of inselbergs of the Espírito Santo as a refuge for epiphytic flora in Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. In addition, we provide and discuss data on taxonomic representativeness, endemism, and threat status of the epiphyte species We used a combination of two online national databases of flora, species data collected by the authors and previously published studies. We record 266 species of vascular epiphytes (220 angiosperms; 43 ferns and three lycophytes), belonging to 89 genera and 18 families. Of these, three species (two orchids and one bromeliad) are restricted on Vellozia stems and represent an exceptional case of epiphyte-phorophyte specificity. For these species, we propose the term “specialist rock epiphytes”. The richest families were Orchidaceae, followed by Bromeliaceae and Polypodiaceae, while Vriesea, Acianthera, Epidendrum, Maxillaria, Peperomia, and Tillandsia represent the richest genera. The Espírito Santo inselbergs host endangered, endemic species, and a high number of species (77.0%) that are typical of the surrounding forest core of the Atlantic Forest, reinforcing the relevance of these xeric ecosystems as refuges for vascular epiphytes and that sometimes constitute the only chances of survival for native species epiphytes.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Biodiversity and Conservation (2023) 32:2561–2584
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02618-7
1 3
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Inselbergs fromBrazilian Atlantic Forest: high biodiversity
refuges ofvascular epiphytes fromEspírito Santo
TalithaMayumiFrancisco1 · DayvidRodriguesCouto1 · MarinaMunizMoreira2 ·
AndréPaviottiFontana3· ClaudioNicolettideFraga4
Received: 1 December 2022 / Revised: 25 February 2023 / Accepted: 20 April 2023 /
Published online: 2 May 2023
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023
Abstract
Inselbergs are old outcrops, characterized by large expanses of open rocks and by distinct
environmental filters. Many studies have been carried out on inselberg’s flora in the last
decades. In contrast, vascular epiphytes received little attention compared to lithophytic
groups. We aimed to investigate the role of inselbergs of the Espírito Santo as a refuge for
epiphytic flora in Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. In addition, we provide and discuss
data on taxonomic representativeness, endemism, and threat status of the epiphyte species
We used a combination of two online national databases of flora, species data collected by
the authors and previously published studies. We record 266 species of vascular epiphytes
(220 angiosperms; 43 ferns and three lycophytes), belonging to 89 genera and 18 families.
Of these, three species (two orchids and one bromeliad) are restricted on Vellozia stems and
represent an exceptional case of epiphyte-phorophyte specificity. For these species, we pro-
pose the term “specialist rock epiphytes”. The richest families were Orchidaceae, followed
by Bromeliaceae and Polypodiaceae, while Vriesea, Acianthera, Epidendrum, Maxillaria,
Peperomia, and Tillandsia represent the richest genera. The Espírito Santo inselbergs host
endangered, endemic species, and a high number of species (77.0%) that are typical of the
surrounding forest core of the Atlantic Forest, reinforcing the relevance of these xeric eco-
systems as refuges for vascular epiphytes and that sometimes constitute the only chances of
survival for native species epiphytes.
Keywords Angiosperms· Conservation· Epiphyte-phorophyte specificity· Ferns· Granite
rock outcrops
Communicated by Lily Rodriguez.
* Talitha Mayumi Francisco
talithamayumi@gmail.com
1 Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica (INMA), Av. José Ruschi, 4, SantaTeresa, ES, Brazil
2 Departamento de Botânica, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal doRio de Janeiro (UFRJ),
RiodeJaneiro, RJ, Brazil
3 Herbário doMuseu de Biologia Mello Leitão (MBML), SantaTeresa, ES, Brazil
4 Jardim Botânico doRio de Janeiro, RiodeJaneiro, RJ, Brazil
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... The Espírito Santo state in southeast Brazil has a high concentration of Atlantic Forest inselbergs, mainly dome-shaped outcrops commonly referred to as sugarloaves (sensu de Paula et al. 2020). Few studies have been published on the inselberg flora of Espírito Santo (e.g., Manhães et al. 2016, Couto et al. 2017, Pena & Alves-Araújo 2017, Covre et al. 2021, Francisco et al. 2023, and they show that the flora is peculiar, rich in endemics and threatened species, suggesting that these environments are important to maintain biodiversity, although they are still insufficiently studied. The high number of new species described in different families in the last decade, including narrowly endemic species of Asteraceae (e.g., Teles & Freitas 2013, Calvo & Roque 2018, Teles 2018, Monge et al. 2018, indicates this lack of studies on the inselberg flora of Espírito Santo. ...
... Although this population is located on the exposed slopes of a large inselberg (Pedra do Fio complex), it falls outside the boundaries of any conservation unit. The region is home to one of the largest ornamental stone mining centers in the world (Sardou-Filho et al. 2013, Manhães et al. 2016, Couto et al. 2017Francisco et al. 2023), which represents the greatest global threat to inselberg vegetation (Porembski et al. 2016). In addition, Pedra dos Cabritos is surrounded by agricultural activities, mainly coffee plantations, and extensive livestock farming. ...
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Stigmatodon medeirosii (Bromeliaceae, Tillandsioideae), a new hyperepilithic species, restricted to vertical rock walls of the inselbergs of eastern Minas Gerais, in the medium Rio Doce River basin, southeastern Brazil, is described and illustrated. Diagnostic characters and affinities of the new species are discussed, accompanied by notes on its ecology, geographic distribution, and conservation status. The new species is most similar to S. fontellanus and S. lemeanus from Espírito Santo state but distinguished by a set of vegetative and reproductive characters. Following the criteria of the IUCN Red List, S. medeirosii is to be assessed as Vulnerable (VU), reinforcing the need for attention to the conservation of inselbergs and associated vegetation in eastern Minas Gerais.
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... Hietz and Hietz-Seifert, 1995, Benavides et al., 2005, Einzmann et al., 2015 were excluded, unless the authors included accidental or facultative epiphytes (e.g. Werner et al., 2005, Francisco et al., 2023. Similarly excluded were all checklists that assigned all species to just one category (e.g. ...
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