Abstract Detail

Floristics & Taxonomy

Viana, Pedro [1], Zappi, Daniela C. [2], Mota, Nara F.O. [2], Watanabe, Maurício T.C.  [2], Trovó, Marcelo [3], Harley , Raymond Mervyn [4], Mansano, Vidal [5], Giulietti-Harley, Ana M. [6].

Flora of the canga of the Serra dos Carajás: unexpected diversity of seed plants growing on iron outcrops in the Brazilian Amazon.

The Amazon Rainforest occupies ca. 6 million km², including nine different countries, with its largest extent in Brazil. This biome is characterized predominantly by its forest vegetation, but it is also home to diverse formations, such as savannas, tepuis, campinarana and campo rupestre, the latter on rocky or stony substrate, generally on elevated ground. The Serra dos Carajás is located in the Southeastern region of the state of Pará, between 500 and 800 m a.s.l., with high annual rainfall between January and May (ca. 2,000mm) followed by a dry winter. This area is considered one of the largest mineral provinces in the world, and characterized by massive, exposed iron-ore outcrops. Including diverse plateaus, comprising a preserved area of sustainable use, the National Forest of Carajás, and a recently created permanent conservation unit, the National Park of the Campos Ferruginosos. The rich mosaic of vegetation that develops over these ferruginous plateaus is known as canga or campo rupestre on canga, that, at the Serra dos Carajás, occurs immersed in a forest matrix. Due to the iron-ore and other mineral exploitation that occurs in the region, environmental licensing processes require detailed diagnostic studies pertaining endangered, rare and endemic species, as well as regarding the utilization of native species in the recovery of degraded areas. Species composition also needs to be known in order to determine and set aside suitable areas for conservation. The history of botanical research in the area dates back to 1960, when researchers from the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG) were the first to study the local flora, resulting in the description of the first known endemic plant species from the area as well as to a significant plant collection that provides interesting insights of the local flora. The Flora das cangas da Serra dos Carajás project was established in 2014 through a collaboration between MPEG and Instituto Tecnológico Vale to elaborate a complete flora of the region. More than 19.000 exsiccatae (including collections made between 2015-2017) currently held at several herbaria (MG, BHCB, HCJS, INPA, IAN, NY and RB) were available to 131 researchers from Brazil and abroad to complete floristic treatments organized by family. The resulting flora on canga comprises 120 families monographs and 977 species, and is being published in the Rio de Janeiro Botanic Garden journal, Rodriguésia: vols. 67(5), 2016; 68 (3), 2017; 69 (1) and 69 (3), 2018.

1 - Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Botânica, Av. Perimetral, 1901, Belém, Pará, 66077-830, Brazil
2 - Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Rua Boaventura da Silva, 955, Belém, Pará, 66055090, Brasil
3 - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Botânica, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941590, Brazil
4 - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Herbarium, Kew Green,, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK
5 - Instituto De Pesquisas Jardim Botânico Do Rio De Janeiro, Diretoria De Pesquisas, Rua Pacheco Leão 915, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, 22460-030, Brazil
6 - Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Rua Boaventura da Silva , 955, Belém, Pará, 66055090, Brazil

Keywords:
canga
campo rupestre
seed plants
Brazilian Amazon.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 46, Floristics & Taxonomy
Location: 105/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Wednesday, July 25th, 2018
Time: 5:00 PM
Number: 46014
Abstract ID:863
Candidate for Awards:None