We studied the bromeliads at the Jurubatiba National Park in five vegetation zones: psamophilous halophilous creeper vegetation (PHR); closed rear beach (FPP); open shrubby Clusia (AAC); open shrubby Ericaceae (AAE) and temporarily flooded forest (MPI). We sampled 98 plots of 100 m² (10 x 10 m) recording the bromeliad species and abundance, density, mass, richness, species diversity, evenness, and similarity among the zones. We estimated the amount of water reserved inside the bromeliads in each zone and by bromeliad species. We found a total of ten bromeliad species at the Jurubatiba National Park that occurred differently along the vegetation zones, with a total density of 10386 ind.ha-1. No bromeliads were found in the PHR zone. The FPP zone had the highest total mass (7721.2 kg.ha-1) and Bromelia antiacantha was the most abundant, having the highest mass (1366.5 kg.ha-1). The AAE zone had the highest total bromeliad density (15725 ind.ha-1), the highest bromeliad diversity (H’= 2.358), evenness (0.786) and amount of water reserved inside bromeliads (3294.8 L.ha-1). In the MPI zone, Aechmea bromeliifolia was the most abundant, being found exclusively in this zone. The highest similarity occurred between zones AAC and AAE (88.9%). We conclude that the structure and composition of the bromeliads at the Jurubatiba National Park varied consistently among the vegetation zones of the restinga, and each zone is characterised by a different set of dominant bromeliads and different abundance distribution.
Bromeliad species diversity; abundances distribution; Jurubatiba National Park; restinga
