Growing knowledge: an overview of Seed Plant diversity in Brazil

ZAPPI, D.C.; RANZATO FILARDI, F.L. ; LEITMAN, P.; SOUZA, V.C.; WALTER, B. M.T.; PIRANI, J. R.; MORIM, M.P.; QUEIROZ, L.P.; CAVALCANTI, T. B.; MANSANOVIDAL, F. ; FORZZA, R. C.; ABREU, M. C.; ACEVEDO, P.; AGRA, M. F.; FORTUNATO, R. H. & COL.

RODRIGUESIA

Jardin Botanico de Rio de Janeiro

Lugar: Rio de Janeiro; Año: 2015 vol. 66 p. 1085 - 1113

0370-6583

An updated inventory of Brazilian seed plants is presented and offers important insights into the country?sbiodiversity. This work started in 2010, with the publication of the Plants and Fungi Catalogue, and has beenupdated since by more than 430 specialists working online. Brazil is home to 32,086 native Angiosperms and23 native Gymnosperms, showing an increase of 3% in its species richness in relation to 2010. The AmazonRainforest is the richest Brazilian biome for Gymnosperms, while the Atlantic Rainforest is the richest one forAngiosperms. There was a considerable increment in the number of species and endemism rates for biomes, exceptfor the Amazon that showed a decrease of 2.5% of recorded endemics. However, well over half of Brazillian seedplant species (57.4%) is endemic to this territory. The proportion of life-forms varies among different biomes:trees are more expressive in the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforest biomes while herbs predominate in the Pampa,and lianas are more expressive in the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforest, and Pantanal. This compilation serves not onlyto quantify Brazilian biodiversity, but also to highlight areas where there information is lacking and to provide aframework for the challenge faced in conserving Brazil?s unique and diverse flora.Key words: Angiosperms, biomes, endemism, Gymnosperms, life-forms.