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Floristic composition and phytogeography of an Araucaria Forest in the Serra da Mantiqueira, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio (PESP) harbors some unusual fragments of mixed needle-broadleaved forest (MNF) of Minas Gerais state. This study aims to analyze the floristic composition and geographic distribution of the genera represented in the MNF of the PESP. Collections of fertile specimens of vascular plants (excluding epiphytes) were conducted monthly (March 2012-June 2013) in the alluvial and slope areas of MNF in the PESP, in altitudes ranging from 1,650-2,000 m above sea level. The genera were classified into seven phytogeographic groups that were delimited according to their current diversity centers available in the literature. We recorded 310 species belonging to 168 genera and 82 families of vascular plants. The richest families were Asteraceae (49 species), Melastomataceae (33 species) and Rubiaceae (16 species). We observed the presence of species often found in montane and high montane forests of southeastern region, besides of temperate genera, showing that low temperatures caused by high altitude influence the floristic composition of the area. The high richness found denotes the importance of altitude areas for diversity in Atlantic Forest and highlights the biogeographic importance of the region for presenting an unusual phytophysiognomy in the state with endemic and endangered species.

Key words:
Altitude; Atlantic Forest; Mixed Ombrophilous Forest; Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio; Araucaria angustifolia

Resumo

O Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio (PESP) possui fragmentos incomuns de Floresta Mista Lati-aciculifoliada (MNF) do estado de Minas Gerais. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram analisar os aspectos florísticos e a distribuição geográfica dos gêneros presentes na MNF do PESP. Foram realizadas coletas mensais (de março de 2012 a junho de 2013) de exemplares férteis (excluindo-se as epífitas) nas áreas de MNF aluvial e de encosta do PESP, com altitudes entre 1.650-2.000 m. Os gêneros foram classificados em sete grupos fitogeográficos de acordo com seu centro de diversidade disponível na literatura. Foram registradas 310 espécies pertencentes a 168 gêneros e 82 famílias de plantas vasculares, sendo as famílias mais ricas: Asteraceae (49 espécies), Melastomataceae (33 espécies) e Rubiaceae (16 espécies). Foi observado a presença de espécies frequentes na floresta montana e alto-montana da Região Sudeste do Brasil, além de gêneros de origem temperada, mostrando que a baixa temperatura causada pela altitude influencia na composição florística da área. A elevada riqueza encontrada denota a importância das áreas de altitude para a diversidade da Floresta Atlântica e evidencia a importância biogeográfica da região por apresentar um fitofisionomia incomum no estado e com espécies endêmicas e ameaçadas.

Palavras-chave:
Altitude; Floresta Atlântica; Floresta Ombrófila Mista; Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio; Araucaria angustifolia

Introduction

The Atlantic Forest is one of the 25 world-biodiversity hotspots (Myers et al. 2000Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, Fonseca GAB & Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403: 853-858.) and harbors about 2.7% of the world flora, or ~12,000 plant species, of which a large percentage is endemic to this phytogeographic domain, highlighting its enormous diversity (MMA 2000MMA - Ministério do Meio Ambiente (2000) Avaliação e ações prioritárias para a conservação da biodiversidade da Mata Atlântica e Campos Sulinos. Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Brasília. 40p.). Minas Gerais state has an extensive land area, rugged terrain and abundant water resources, which enable the development of extremely rich and diverse vegetation (Drummond et al. 2009Drummond GM, Greco MB & Vieira F (2009) Introdução. In: Drummond GM, Martins CS, Greco MB & Vieira F (eds.) Biota Minas - diagnóstico do conhecimento sobre a biodiversidade no estado de Minas Gerais, subsídio ao programa Biota Minas. Fundação Biodiversitas, Belo Horizonte. Pp. 22-27.). The Serra da Mantiqueira is one of the largest and most important mountain chain of the southeastern region of Minas Gerais and contains several forest remnants of the Atlantic Domain (Costa & Herrmann 2006Costa C & Herrmann G (2006) O corredor ecológico da Mantiqueira. In: Costa CMR, Hermann G, Pinto IA & Costa PAM (eds.) Plano de ação do corredor ecológico da Mantiqueira. Valor Natural, Belo Horizonte. Pp. 13-29.).

Currently, the most conserved forest fragments are found in regions of difficult access, such as mountain tops, and altitude is one of the main indirect environmental factors acting on the composition and structure of the vegetation (Whitmore 1998Whitmore TC (1998) An introduction to tropical rain forests. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 296p.; Oliveira Filho & Fontes 2000Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810.). The vegetation at high altitudes often contains species with a narrow geographic distribution, harboring groups absent or with lower richness at lower altitude. Several of these groups have temperate origin and Andean centers of dispersal (Gentry 1988Gentry AH (1988) Changes in plant community diversity and floristic composition on environmental and geographical gradients. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: 1-34.; Safford 2007Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722.).

We can find fragments of Araucaria forest at high altitudes in the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira mountain ranges, in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, a forest type whose main distribution area is in Southern Brazil. (Klein 1960Klein RM (1960) O aspecto dinâmico do pinheiro brasileiro. Sellowia 12: 17-48.; IBGE 2012IBGE (2012) Manual técnico da vegetação brasileira. 2a ed. Série Manuais Técnicos em Geociências, Rio de Janeiro. 274p.). In Minas Gerais state, native Araucaria forests are unusual and in literature this type of physiognomy occurs only in Camanducaia and Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio (França & Stehmann 2004França GS & Stehmann JR (2004) Composição florística e estrutura do componente arbóreo de uma floresta altimontana no município de Camanducaia, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 27: 19-30.; Silva et al. 2008Silva LVC, Viana PL & Mota NFO (2008) Plano de Manejo do Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Instituto Estadual de Florestas, Belo Horizonte. 118p.). According to Oliveira Filho (2009)Oliveira Filho AT (2009) Classificação das fitofisionomias da América do Sul Cisandina Tropical e Subtropical: proposta de um novo sistema - prático e flexível - ou uma injeção a mais de caos? Rodriguésia 60: 237-258., this physiognomy is classified as mixed needle-broadleaved forest (MNF) due to the presence of Araucaria angustifolia, the only native species of the Araucariaceae family in the Brazilian flora. The other species are broadleaved, with the exception of Podocarpus lambertii, which also can be abundant. This species can account for more than 50% of the canopy, reaching up to 30 m in height. The main fragments of MNF are located in the Southern Region of Brazil (Klein 1960Klein RM (1960) O aspecto dinâmico do pinheiro brasileiro. Sellowia 12: 17-48.; Hueck 1972Hueck K (1972) As florestas da América do Sul: ecologia, composição e importância econômica. Polígono, São Paulo. 466p.). Today, however, there are estimations that these remnants contain around only 5% of the original area (MMA 2000MMA - Ministério do Meio Ambiente (2000) Avaliação e ações prioritárias para a conservação da biodiversidade da Mata Atlântica e Campos Sulinos. Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Brasília. 40p.), so they are among the most endangered physiognomies of the Atlantic Forest domain.

In the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio (PESP), located in the southern region of Minas Gerais, the occurrence of this physiognomy has high ecological value (Silva et al. 2008Silva LVC, Viana PL & Mota NFO (2008) Plano de Manejo do Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Instituto Estadual de Florestas, Belo Horizonte. 118p.). The region of the PESP was visited in the 19th century by Saint Hilaire, who crossed Aiuruoca in 1822 and recorded several interesting plant species, which he did not find in any other place until then (Saint Hilaire 1932Saint Hilaire A (1932) Segunda viagem do Rio de Janeiro a Minas Gerais e a São Paulo - 1822. Cia. Editora Nacional, São Paulo. 223p.).

The goals of this study are to provide information about the floristic composition of a remnant of MNF in PESP, an unusual forest physiognomy in Minas Gerais state and evaluate the proportion of tropical and temperate elements. Our analyses were guided by the following questions: "Does the floristic composition of the MNF in PESP demonstrate a similar pattern to those observed in others southern MNF and montane and high montane forests of southeastern Brazil?"; "Is the altitude an important factor in floristic composition?"; and "What are the implications on floristic composition with the presence of genera from different origins?".

Materials and Methods

Study area

The Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio is located at the Planalto do Itatiaia, southern Mantiqueira range, at the southern limit of Minas Gerais state near the border with Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states. It contains an area of 22,917 ha encompassing parts of the municipalities of Aiuruoca, Alagoa, Baependi, Itamonte, and Pouso Alto (IEF 2013IEF - Instituto Estadual de Florestas (2013) Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio. Available at <http://www.ief.mg.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=211&Itemid=37>. Access on 26 September 2013.
http://www.ief.mg.gov.br/index.php?optio...
) (Fig. 1) (22º8'33.5"S, 44º43'42.2"W - Datum: WGS84, at the administrative office of the park). The climate of the region is Cwb (highland tropical), according to the classification of Köppen, with warm and moist summers and cold and dry winters. The annual mean temperature is 18-19 ºC, and the mean annual rainfall is 1,500 mm (Simas et al. 2005Simas FNB, Schaefer CEGR, Fernandes Filho EI, Chagas AC, Brandão PC (2005) Chemistry, mineralogy and micropedology of highland soils on crystalline rocks of the Serra da Mantiqueira, southeastern Brazil. Geoderma: 187-201.). The altitude of PESP ranges from 1,200 m to 2,360 m a.s.l. The PESP integrates the "Corredor Ecológico da Serra da Mantiqueira" (Ecological Corridor of Mantiqueira) and is connected geographically with the northern part of the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, which has high numbers of endemic species (Brade 1956Brade AC (1956) A flora do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Boletim do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia 5: 1-92.). According to Silva et al. (2008)Silva LVC, Viana PL & Mota NFO (2008) Plano de Manejo do Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Instituto Estadual de Florestas, Belo Horizonte. 118p., the PESP is a vegetation mosaic composed of MNF, broadleaved cloud forest, broadleaved seasonal forest and cloud grassland, using nomenclature according to the system of Oliveira Filho (2009)Oliveira Filho AT (2009) Classificação das fitofisionomias da América do Sul Cisandina Tropical e Subtropical: proposta de um novo sistema - prático e flexível - ou uma injeção a mais de caos? Rodriguésia 60: 237-258..

Figure 1
Map showing the location of Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, in southern Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Floristic survey

The MNF of the PESP contain two types of formation (Fig. 2). The first is a forest along the Rio do Charco that has a moister soil, at an altitude around 1,650 m a.s.l., and named "mixed needle-broadleaved cloud evergreen tropical high montane talweg forest" (Oliveira Filho 2009Oliveira Filho AT (2009) Classificação das fitofisionomias da América do Sul Cisandina Tropical e Subtropical: proposta de um novo sistema - prático e flexível - ou uma injeção a mais de caos? Rodriguésia 60: 237-258.) or "alluvial mixed ombrophilous forest" (IBGE 2012IBGE (2012) Manual técnico da vegetação brasileira. 2a ed. Série Manuais Técnicos em Geociências, Rio de Janeiro. 274p.). The other type of forest formation occurs in the slopes where the altitude is 1,800-2,000 m, classified as "mixed needle-broadleaved cloud evergreen tropical high montane slope forest", according to Oliveira Filho 2009Oliveira Filho AT (2009) Classificação das fitofisionomias da América do Sul Cisandina Tropical e Subtropical: proposta de um novo sistema - prático e flexível - ou uma injeção a mais de caos? Rodriguésia 60: 237-258., or "high montane mixed ombrophilous forest" (IBGE 2012IBGE (2012) Manual técnico da vegetação brasileira. 2a ed. Série Manuais Técnicos em Geociências, Rio de Janeiro. 274p.). In the latter formation, both Araucaria angustifolia and Podocarpus lambertii are represented by a lower number of individuals. Some patches of forest also occur interspersed with the "campos de altitude" adjacent to the slope formation. Hereafter, the acronym "MNF" is used for both formations.

Figure 2
a-d. Areas of mixed needle-broadleaved forest (MNF) in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio - a. View of the Rio do Charco valley; b. Transition between the alluvial MNF and the "campo de altitude"; c,d. Interior of the MNF. Photos: D.S. Santiago; J.H.C. Ribeiro; L. Menini Neto.

Fertile specimens of vascular plants were collected, with the exception of the epiphytes, which were subject of another study (Furtado & Menini Neto 2015Furtado SG & Menini Neto L (2015) Diversity of vascular epiphytes in two high altitude biotopes of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Brazilian Journal of Botany 38: 295-310.; Furtado & Menini Neto 2016Furtado SG & Menini Neto L (2016) Vascular epiphytic flora of a high montane environment of Brazilian Atlantic Forest: composition and floristic relationships with other ombrophilous forests. Acta Botanica Brasilica 30: 422-436.). Data recorded to fertile specimens at the field were: habitat, habit, estimated height, and vegetative and reproductive features, according to Mori et al. (1989)Mori SA, Silva LAM, Lisboa G & Coradin L (1989) Manual de manejo de herbário fanerogâmico. 24a ed. Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, Ilhéus. 104p.. The classifications of life forms followed Gonçalves & Lorenzi (2007)Gonçalves EG & Lorenzi H (2007) Morfologia vegetal: organografia e dicionário ilustrado de morfologia das plantas vasculares. Plantarum, São Paulo. 448p.. Fifteen collections were conducted monthly, from April 2012-June 2013, with mean durations of 3 days. An area of about 79 ha was covered via walking method (Filgueiras et al. 1994Filgueiras TS, Brochado AL, Nogueira PE & Guala GF (1994) Caminhamento - Um método expedito para levantamentos florísticos qualitativos. Cadernos de Geociências 12: 39-43.).

The collected specimens were herborized according to the protocol proposed by Mori et al. (1989)Mori SA, Silva LAM, Lisboa G & Coradin L (1989) Manual de manejo de herbário fanerogâmico. 24a ed. Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, Ilhéus. 104p. and deposited in the Herbarium CESJ of Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (acronym according Thiers, continuously updatedThiers B [continuously updated] Index Herbariorum: a global directory of public herbaria and associated staff. New York Botanical Garden's Virtual Herbarium. Available at <http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/>. Access on 31 March 2015.
http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/...
). Identifications were conducted based on the literature, comparison with the herbarium collection, and assistance of specialists in the respective families. The names of angiosperm families are according to APG IV (2016)APG IV (2016) An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 181: 1-20., and fern families are according to PPG I (2016)PPG I (2016) A community-derived classification for extant lycopods and ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54: 563-603.. The names of species and respective authors were conferred in the Brazilian list of the flora BFG (2015)BFG (2015) Growing knowledge: an overview of seed plant diversity in Brazil. Rodriguésia 66: 1085-1113.. Several specimens from sporadic collections since 2010 and deposited in the Herbarium CESJ also were included in the floristic list.

Phytogeographic groups

The genera were classified into seven phytogeographic groups: Austral-antarctic, Holartic, Widespread Temperate, Cosmopolitan, Endemic to Brazil, Neotropical and Widespread Tropical, defined according to the current diversity centers presented in Safford (2007)Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722.. The phytogeographic distribution of the genera was obtained based on the taxonomic literature and complemented with specialized sites (e.g., <http://splink.cria.org.br> and <http://www.tropicos.org>).

Results

Floristic composition

We recorded 310 species distributed into 168 genera and 82 families, of which 290 were angiosperms, two were gymnosperms, and 18 were ferns. Of the total species, 255 were identified at the species level, 34 at the genus level, and 14 at family; seven were not identified (Tab. 1 in supplementary material <https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7265741>). The richest families were Asteraceae (49 spp.), Melastomataceae (33 spp.), Rubiaceae (16 spp.), Solanaceae (15 spp.), Myrtaceae (13 spp.), Fabaceae (10 spp.), Orchidaceae (8 spp.) and Ericaceae (7 spp.) (Fig. 3). The richest genera were Leandra (14 spp.), Solanum (11 spp.), Baccharis (9 spp.), Myrcia (8 spp.), Tibouchina (8 spp.), Miconia (6 spp.) and Mimosa (5 spp.) (Fig. 4).

Figure 3
Richest families in the mixed needle-broadleaved forest of the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio.

Figure 4
Richest genera in the mixed needle-broadleaved forest of the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio.

Were found 105 herbs, 98 trees, 68 shrubs, 33 lianas and 6 hemiparasites according to their habitat (Fig. 5). Among the trees, Melastomataceae contained 13 species, followed by Myrtaceae (12), Asteraceae (eight), and Solanaceae (six). Among the shrubs, Melastomataceae was also the richest with 15 species, followed by Asteraceae (14) and Ericaceae and Solanaceae (five species each). Among the herbs, Asteraceae was the richest family with 19 species, followed by Orchidaceae and Rubiaceae (eight species each) and Melastomataceae (six). Among the lianas, Asteraceae was the richest family with eight species, followed by Passifloraceae and Smilacaceae (four species each). Among the hemiparasites, only two families were recorded: Santalaceae (four species) and Loranthaceae (two).

Figure 5
Richest habits in the mixed needle-broadleaved forest of the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio.

Three species are endemic to Minas Gerais: Gaylussacia salicifolia (Fig. 6), Myrsine glazioviana, and Serjania laxiflora. Two new occurrences were recorded in the state: Justicia plumbaginifolia and Wedelia hookeriana.

Figure 6
a-l. Some species of the mixed needle-broadleaved forest of the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio - a. Anemone sellowii; b. Araucaria angustifolia; c. Collaea speciosa; d. Drimys brasiliensis; e. Eremanthus erythropappus; f. Fuchsia regia; g. Gaylussacia salicifolia; h. Pavonia cf. schrankii; i. Pentacalia desiderabilis; j. Phoradendron fragile; k. Piptocarpha axillaris; l. Podocarpus lambertii. Photos: L. Menini Neto; D.S. Santiago.

Phytogeographic distribution

The genera of tropical distribution represented 73% of total, distributed among 45 wide tropical (27%), 68 Neotropical (40%), and 10 endemic to Brazil (6%). The genera of temperate origin corresponded to 27% of total, distributed as follows: 13 (8%) of Austral-Antarctic origin, three (2%) Holarctic, eight (5%) wide temperate, and 21 (12%) present cosmopolitan distribution (Tab. 2).

Table 2
Phytogeographic groups of the collected genera in the formations of mixed needle-broadleaved forest in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio.

Discussion

Floristic composition

According to the red book of the Brazilian flora (Martinelli et al. 2013Martinelli G, Valente ASM, Maurenza D, Kutschenko DC, Judice DM, Silva DS, Fernandez EP, Martins EM, Barros FSM, Sfair JC, Santos Filho LAF, Abreu MB, Moraes MA, Monteiro NP, Pietro PV, Fernandes RA, Hering RLO, Messina T & Penedo TSA (2013) Avaliações de risco de extinção de espécies da flora brasileira. In: Martinelli G & Moraes MA (orgs.) Livro vermelho da flora do Brasil. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro. Pp. 60-103.), Minas Gerais harbors a great number of threatened species. Despite this fact, in the MNF of the PESP, only two species are considered "endangered": Araucaria angustifolia (Fig. 6) and Dicksonia sellowiana (Carlucci et al. 2013Carlucci MB, Prieto PV, Hering RLO, Judice DM & Monteiro NP (2013) Araucariaceae. In: Martinelli G & Moraes MA (orgs.) Livro vermelho da flora do Brasil. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro. Pp. 185-186.; Santiago et al. 2013Santiago ACP, Mynssen CM, Maurenza D, Penedo TSA & Sfair JC (2013) Dicksoniaceae. In: Martinelli G & Moraes MA (orgs.) Livro vermelho da flora do Brasil. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro. Pp. 475-476.). Regarding the epiphytic species of the same area, some new records in Minas Gerais and threatened species at different scales also were noticed (Menini Neto et al. 2013Menini Neto L, Furtado SG, Alves FE, Barbosa DEF, Basílio GA, Delgado CN & Salimena FRG (2013) Novos registros de Orchidaceae epífitas para o estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Orquidário 27: 77-86.; Furtado & Menini Neto 2015Furtado SG & Menini Neto L (2015) Diversity of vascular epiphytes in two high altitude biotopes of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Brazilian Journal of Botany 38: 295-310.), which reinforce the need for conservation of the area. It is also important to highlight the presence of Abutilon itatiaiae, an endemic species to Serra da Mantiqueira. In São Paulo state it is restricted to 1,200 m a.s.l. (Takeuchi & Esteves 2012Takeuchi C & Esteves GL (2012) Synopsis of Abutilon (Malvoideae, Malvaceae) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Phytotaxa 44: 39-57.).

The new records contribute to the knowledge of state flora, as only a few floristic studies have been conducted in the PESP, which shows lack of knowledge of regional flora. These results point out that the PESP is a corridor in the Mantiqueira, protecting the fragments with connectivity of the landscape and avoiding the genetic erosion of several populations (Kageyama et al. 2003Kageyama PY, Gandara FB & Oliveira RE (2003) Biodiversidade e restauração da floresta tropical. In: Kageyama PY, Gandara FB & Oliveira RE (eds.) Restauração ecológica de ecossistemas naturais. FEPAF, Botucatu. Pp. 27-48.; Metzger 2003Metzger JP (2003) Como restaurar a conectividade de paisagens fragmentadas? In: Kageyama P, Oliveira RE, Moraes LFD & Gandara FB (orgs.) Restauração ecológica de ecossistemas naturais. Fundação de Estudos e Pesquisa Agrícolas e Florestais, Botucatu. Pp. 49-76.; Costa & Herrmann 2006Costa C & Herrmann G (2006) O corredor ecológico da Mantiqueira. In: Costa CMR, Hermann G, Pinto IA & Costa PAM (eds.) Plano de ação do corredor ecológico da Mantiqueira. Valor Natural, Belo Horizonte. Pp. 13-29.), in addition to highlighting the need for conservation and an action plan for the protection of species.

Asteraceae is one of the most diverse families at the global scale and can be found in several habitats around the world (Judd et al. 2009Judd WS, Campbell CS, Kellogg EA, Stevens PF & Donoghue MJ (2009) Sistemática vegetal: um enfoque filogenético. 3a ed. Artmed, Porto Alegre. 632p.), although it is highly common in the tropical, mountainous regions of South America. Floristic studies conducted in the MNF of the Southern Region of Brazil also presented Asteraceae as the richest family (Britez et al. 1995Britez RM, Silva SM, Souza WS & Motta JTW (1995) Levantamento florístico em Floresta Ombrófila Mista. São Mateus do Sul, Paraná, Brasil. Arquivos de Biologia e Tecnologia 38: 1147-1161.; Kozera et al. 2006Kozera C, Dittrich VAO & Silva SM (2006) Composição florística da floresta ombrófila mista montana do parque municipal do Barigüi, Curitiba, PR. Revista Floresta 36: 45-58.; Iurk et al. 2008Iurk MC, Santos EP, Dlugosz FL & Tardiv RC (2008) Levantamento florístico de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista Aluvial do Rio Iguaçu, município de Palmeira (PR). Floresta 39: 605-617; Gasper et al. 2013Gasper AL, Sevegnani L, Vibrans AC, Sobral M, Uhlmann A, Lingner DV, Rigon Júnior MJ, Verdi M, Stival Santos A, Dreveck S & Korte A (2013) Inventário florístico florestal de Santa Catarina: espécies da Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Rodriguésia 64: 201-210.). This pattern is also found in the Southeasten Region, in the MNF of São Paulo state (Pereira Silva et al. 2007Pereira Silva EFL, Hardt E & Francisco CES (2007) Caracterização florística da vegetação lenhosa de um fragmento urbano de Floresta Ombrófila Mista Alto Montana, Campos do Jordão, SP. Holos Environment 7: 154-170.; Polisel et al. 2014Polisel RT, Ivanauskas NM, Assis MC, Shepherd GJ & Yamamoto K (2014) Structure of the understory community in four stretches of Araucaria forest in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 28: 86-101.). In the cloud broadleaved dwarf-forest of Serra Fina, Meireles & Shepherd (2015)Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72. highlighted the importance of this family in addition to other studies conducted in the upper highlands of the Atlantic Domain, where the abundance of Asteraceae species is associated with high elevation (Brade 1956Brade AC (1956) A flora do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Boletim do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia 5: 1-92.; Falkenberg 2003Falkenberg DB (2003) Matinhas nebulares e vegetação rupícola dos Aparados da Serra Geral (SC/RS), sul do Brazil. Tese de Doutorado. Universidade de Campinas, Campinas. 558p.; Meireles et al. 2014Meireles LD, Kinoshita LS & Shepherd GJ (2014) Composição florística da vegetação altimontana do distrito de Monte Verde (Camanducaia, MG), Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, Sudeste do Brasil. Rodriguésia 65: 831-859.).

Baccharis is one of the richest genera in the MNF of the PESP. Meireles & Shepherd (2015)Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72. and Falkenberg (2003)Falkenberg DB (2003) Matinhas nebulares e vegetação rupícola dos Aparados da Serra Geral (SC/RS), sul do Brazil. Tese de Doutorado. Universidade de Campinas, Campinas. 558p. also found this genus among the richest in forests of Serra Fina (in the triple border of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo state) and Aparados da Serra (between Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul), respectively. The Andes and mountainous regions of Southeastern Brazil are the main centers of diversity for Baccharis (Müller 2006Müller J (2006) Systematics of Baccharis (Compositae-Astereae) in Bolivia, including an overview of the genus. Systematic Botany Monographs 76: 1-341.).

Among the most common species of Asteraceae in the MNF of the PESP, Piptocarpha axillaris (Fig. 6) must be highlighted, which is considered abundant in the Paraná state and typical of the MNF, but it also can be found in the cloud broadleaved forest of Serra do Mar and rarely found in the seasonal broadleaved forest (Grokoviski et al. 2009Grokoviski L, Cervi AC & Tardivo RC (2009) O gênero Piptocarpha R. Br. (Asteraceae: Vernonieae) no estado do Paraná, Brasil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 23: 486-498.). The liana Pentacalia desiderabilis (Fig. 6) was found in the canopy at sites with light incidence and, according to Cabrera & Klein (1975)Cabrera AL & Klein RM (1975) Compostas - Tribo: Senecioneae. In: Reitz R (ed.). Flora ilustrada catarinense. Herbário Barbosa Rodrigues, Itajaí. Pp. 126-222., it is a common species in forest borders between 400-2,040 m a.s.l. Eremanthus erythropappus (Fig. 6) also was observed in the forest borders, although it is common in transition areas and in field physiognomies of the Cerrado Domain, occurring in the Atlantic Domain above 700 m a.s.l. (Macleish 1987Macleish NFF (1987) Revision of Eremanthus (Compositae: Vernonieae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 74: 265-290.). In Serra Negra, this species exists in large populations in the "campos rupestres" (Salimena et al. 2013Salimena FRG, Matozinhos CN, Abreu NL, Ribeiro JHC, Souza FS & Menini Neto L (2013) Flora fanerogâmica da Serra Negra, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Rodriguésia 64: 311-320.), whereas in the Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca there is a monodominance in the cloud dwarf-forests (Oliveira Filho et al. 2013bOliveira Filho AT, Fontes MAL, Viana PL, Valente ASM, Salimena FRG & Ferreira FM (2013b) O mosaico de fitofisionomias do Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca. In: Forzza RC, Menini Neto L, Salimena FRG & Zappi D (orgs.) Flora do Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca e seu entorno. Editora UFJF, Juiz de Fora. Pp. 53-94.).

Melastomataceae is the second-richest family with 33 species, corroborating the studies conducted in the MNF of Paraná (Liebsch & Acra 2004Liebsch D & Acra LA (2004) Riqueza de espécies de sub-bosque de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista em Tijucas do Sul, PR. Ciência Florestal 14: 67-76.; Liebsch et al. 2009Liebsch D, Mikich SB, Possette RFS & Ribas OS (2009) Levantamento florístico e síndromes de dispersão em remanescentes de Floresta Ombrófila Mista na região centro-sul do estado do Paraná. Hoehnea 36: 233-248.) and in the cloud forests of Aparados da Serra (Falkenberg 2003Falkenberg DB (2003) Matinhas nebulares e vegetação rupícola dos Aparados da Serra Geral (SC/RS), sul do Brazil. Tese de Doutorado. Universidade de Campinas, Campinas. 558p.). This family also has high richness in the Atlantic Forest of the Southeastern Region, such as the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, neighboring the PESP (Brade 1956Brade AC (1956) A flora do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Boletim do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia 5: 1-92.; Pereira et al. 2006Pereira IM, Oliveira Filho AT, Botelho SA, Carvalho WAC, Fontes MAL, Schiviani I & Silva AF (2006) Composição florística do compartimento arbóreo de cinco remanescentes florestais do maciço do Itatiaia, Minas Gerias e Rio de Janeiro. Rodriguésia 57: 103-126), and in the high montane forests of Monte Verde and Serra Fina (Meireles et al. 2008Meireles LD, Shepherd GJ & Kinoshita LS (2008) Variações na composição florística e na estrutura fitossociológica de uma floresta ombrófila densa alto-montana na Serra da Mantiqueira, Monte Verde, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 31: 559-574.; Meireles et al. 2014Meireles LD, Kinoshita LS & Shepherd GJ (2014) Composição florística da vegetação altimontana do distrito de Monte Verde (Camanducaia, MG), Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, Sudeste do Brasil. Rodriguésia 65: 831-859.).

The species of Melastomataceae are very common in the understory of the MNF in the studied area, especially Leandra aurea, L. quinquenodis, Miconia budlejoides, M. hyemalis, and Tibouchina foveolata. Goldenberg et al. (2012)Goldenberg R, Baumgratz JFA & Souza ML (2012) Taxonomia de Melastomataceae no Brasil: retrospectiva, perspectivas e chave de identificação para os gêneros. Rodriguésia 63: 145-161. reported that in forests of the Atlantic Domain, mainly at high altitudes, species of the tribe Miconiae are among the most common, especially those belonging to Leandra and Miconia, justifying their representation in the MNF of the PESP, as also indicated by Meireles & Shepherd (2015)Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72. in Serra Fina. Leandra, Miconia, and Tibouchina also are listed among the richest genera of mountainous areas both in the Atlantic Domain (Chiea 1990Chiea SC (1990) Flora fanerogâmica da Reserva do Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga (São Paulo, Brasil): Melastomataceae. Hoehnea 17: 127-151.; Lima & Guedes Bruni 1997Lima HC & Guedes Bruni RR (1997) Diversidade de plantas vasculares na Reserva Ecológica de Macaé de Cima. In: Lima HC & Guedes Bruni RR (eds.) Serra de Macaé de Cima: diversidade florística e conservação em Mata Atlântica. Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro. Pp. 29-40.; Falkenberg 2003Falkenberg DB (2003) Matinhas nebulares e vegetação rupícola dos Aparados da Serra Geral (SC/RS), sul do Brazil. Tese de Doutorado. Universidade de Campinas, Campinas. 558p.; Meireles et al. 2008Meireles LD, Shepherd GJ & Kinoshita LS (2008) Variações na composição florística e na estrutura fitossociológica de uma floresta ombrófila densa alto-montana na Serra da Mantiqueira, Monte Verde, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 31: 559-574.) and other Neotropical forests (Gentry 1982Gentry AH (1982) Neotropical floristic diversity: phytogeographical connections between Central and South America, Pleistocene climatic fluctuations, or an accident of the Andean orogeny? Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 69: 557-593., 1988Gentry AH (1988) Changes in plant community diversity and floristic composition on environmental and geographical gradients. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: 1-34., 1995Gentry AH (1995) Patterns of diversity and floristic composition in neotropical montane forests. In: Churchill SP, Balslev H, Forero E & Luteyn JL (eds.) Biodiversity and conservation of Neotropical montane forests. The New York Botanical Garden, New York. Pp. 103-126.).

Rubiaceae is the third-richest family of the MNF and owes its occurrence to understory environments (Carvalho et al. 2000Carvalho LMT, Fontes MAL & Oliveira Filho AT (2000) Tree species distribution in canopy gaps and mature Forest in an area of cloud forest of the Ibitipoca Range, south-eastern Brazil. Plant Ecology 149: 9-22.; Liebsch & Acra 2004Liebsch D & Acra LA (2004) Riqueza de espécies de sub-bosque de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista em Tijucas do Sul, PR. Ciência Florestal 14: 67-76.). Two species must be highlighted, Coccocypselum condalia and Psychotria suterella. The former is widely distributed in the forest interior, commonly found in moist and shade sites (Costa & Mamede 2002Costa CB & Mamede MCH (2002) Sinopse do gênero Coccocypselum P. Browne (Rubiaceae) no estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Biota Neotropica 2: 1-14.), while the latter is cited in the literature as frequent in the understory of such forest physiognomy (Liebsch & Acra 2004Liebsch D & Acra LA (2004) Riqueza de espécies de sub-bosque de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista em Tijucas do Sul, PR. Ciência Florestal 14: 67-76.).

Myrtaceae is also a prominent family in the MNF of the PESP (Santana 2016Santana LD (2016) Impacto do incêndio florestal na comunidade arbórea de uma floresta ombrófila mista aluvial altomontana na Serra da Mantiqueira meridional (Minas Gerais). Dissertação de Mestrado. Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora. 81p.), and it is known for its expressive participation in the floristic composition of the tree/shrub component in the Southern Region of Brazil (Rambo 1951Rambo B (1951) O elemento andino no pinhal riograndense. Anais Botanicos do Herbário Barbosa Rodrigues 3: 7-39.), where it is cited as the richest in several studies (Nascimento et al. 2001Nascimento ART, Longhi SJ & Brena AD (2001) Estrutura e padrões de distribuição espacial de espécies arbóreas em uma amostra de Floresta Ombrófila Mista em Nova Prata, RS. Ciência Florestal 11: 105-119.; Rondon Neto et al. 2002Rondon Neto RM, Watzlawick LF, Caldeira MVW & Schoeninger ER (2002) Análise florística e estrutural de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista Montana, situado em Criúva - RS, Brasil. Ciência Florestal 12: 29-37.; Budke et al. 2004Budke JC, Giehl ELH, Athayde EA, Eisinger SM & Záchia RA (2004) Florística e fitossociologia do componente arbóreo de uma floresta ribeirinha, arroio Passo das Tropas, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 18: 581-589.; Klauberg et al. 2010Klauberg C, Paludo GF, Bortoluzzi RLC & Mantovani A (2010) Florística e estrutura de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista no Planalto Catarinense. Biotemas 23: 35-47.; Selusniaki & Acra 2010Selusniaki M & Acra LA (2010) O componente arbóreo-arbustivo de um remanescente de floresta com Araucária no município de Curitiba, Paraná. Floresta 40: 593-602.; Higuchi et al. 2012Higuchi P, Silva AC, Ferreira TS, Souza ST, Gomes JP, Silva KM & Santos KF (2012) Floristic composition and phytogeography of the tree component of Araucaria Forest fragments in southern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Botany 35: 145-157., 2013Higuchi P, Silva AC, Almeida JA, Bortoluzzi RLC, Mantovani A, Ferreira TS, Souza ST, Gomes JP & Silva KM (2013) Florística e estrutura do componente arbóreo e análise ambiental de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista Alto-montana no município de Painel, SC. Ciência Florestal 23: 153-164.; Lingner et al. 2013Lingner DV, Schorn LA, Vibrans AC, Meyer L, Sevegnani L, Gasper AL, Sobral MG, Kruger A, Klemz G, Schmidt R & Anastacio Junior C (2013) Fitossociologia do componente arbóreo/arbustivo da Floresta Ombrófila Mista em Santa Catarina. In: Vibrans AC, Sevegnani L, Gasper AL & Lingner DV (orgs.) Inventário florístico florestal de Santa Catarina - Vol. III - Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Edifurb, Blumenau. Pp. 157-189.). In the Southeastern Region, it can be the richest family (e.g., in the cloud broadleaved forest with elements of MNF in Camanducaia, southern region of Minas Gerais) (França & Stehmann 2004França GS & Stehmann JR (2004) Composição florística e estrutura do componente arbóreo de uma floresta altimontana no município de Camanducaia, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 27: 19-30.; Meireles et al. 2008Meireles LD, Shepherd GJ & Kinoshita LS (2008) Variações na composição florística e na estrutura fitossociológica de uma floresta ombrófila densa alto-montana na Serra da Mantiqueira, Monte Verde, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 31: 559-574.). Fontes (1997)Fontes MAL (1997) Análise da composição florística das florestas nebulares do Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Disseração de Mestrado. Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras. 50p. also noted the importance of Myrtaceae, Rubiaceae, and Melastomataceae in forests above 1,000 m a.s.l. in southeastern Brazil. Tabarelli & Peres (2002)Tabarelli M & Peres CA (2002) Abiotic and vertebrate seed dispersal in the Brazilian Atlantic forest: implications for forest regeneration. Biological Conservation 106: 165-176. showed that Myrtaceae are dispersed mainly by frugivorous animals, contributing to the high richness of species in the Neotropical forests.

Myrcia presented eight species, and it also exhibited significant richness in the MNF of Santa Catarina (Gasper et al. 2013Gasper AL, Sevegnani L, Vibrans AC, Sobral M, Uhlmann A, Lingner DV, Rigon Júnior MJ, Verdi M, Stival Santos A, Dreveck S & Korte A (2013) Inventário florístico florestal de Santa Catarina: espécies da Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Rodriguésia 64: 201-210.). Some species were common: Myrcia pulchra, M. splendens, M. laruotteana and M. obovata.Andrade (2003)Andrade MA (2003) Árvores zoocóricas como núcleos de atração de avifauna e dispersão de sementes. Dissertação de Mestrado. Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras. 91p. observed that M. splendens, among the tree species with zoocoric dispersal, exhibited one of the largest interaction frequencies, involving the consumption of fruits by birds, resulting in a "seed rain" of great importance to the dispersal and abundance of this species. The occurrence of M. laruotteana can be explained by its strict relationship with highly moist soils (Curcio et al. 2006Curcio GR, Bonnet A, Pestana D, Souza L, Socher LG, Galvão F & Roderjan CV (2006) Compartimentação topossequencial e caracterização fitossociológica de um capão de Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Revista Floresta 36: 361-69.).

Another representative genus was Myrceugenia, which is distributed along the east coast of Brazil, in areas above 1,000 m a.s.l., with moist and cold climates (Landrum 1981Landrum LR (1981) A monograph of the genus Myrceugenia (Myrtaceae). Flora Neotropica 29: 1-137.). In the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, this genus has high richness in different montane physiognomies (Lima & Guedes Bruni 2004Lima WG & Guedes Bruni RR (2004) Myrceugenia (Myrtaceae) ocorrentes no Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro. Rodriguésia 55: 73-94.). Gasper et al. (2013)Gasper AL, Sevegnani L, Vibrans AC, Sobral M, Uhlmann A, Lingner DV, Rigon Júnior MJ, Verdi M, Stival Santos A, Dreveck S & Korte A (2013) Inventário florístico florestal de Santa Catarina: espécies da Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Rodriguésia 64: 201-210. also report the importance of the genus in MNF of southern Brazil. In the present study, only three species were found, with emphasis on Myrceugenia regnelliana, locally known as "cambuí", which is widely distributed in the MNF of the PESP, especially along the valley of Rio do Charco, frequently forming dense groups in the moist understory. In the Southern Region of the country, this species is cited in several studies in MNF, occurring at 900 m a.s.l. (Kozera et al. 2006Kozera C, Dittrich VAO & Silva SM (2006) Composição florística da floresta ombrófila mista montana do parque municipal do Barigüi, Curitiba, PR. Revista Floresta 36: 45-58.; Liebsch et al. 2009Liebsch D, Mikich SB, Possette RFS & Ribas OS (2009) Levantamento florístico e síndromes de dispersão em remanescentes de Floresta Ombrófila Mista na região centro-sul do estado do Paraná. Hoehnea 36: 233-248.; Martins Ramos et al. 2011Martins Ramos D, Chaves CL, Bortoluzzi RLC & Mantovani A (2011) Florística de floresta ombrófila mista altomontana e de campos em Urupema, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Biociência 9: 156-166.; Higuchi et al. 2012Higuchi P, Silva AC, Ferreira TS, Souza ST, Gomes JP, Silva KM & Santos KF (2012) Floristic composition and phytogeography of the tree component of Araucaria Forest fragments in southern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Botany 35: 145-157., 2013Higuchi P, Silva AC, Almeida JA, Bortoluzzi RLC, Mantovani A, Ferreira TS, Souza ST, Gomes JP & Silva KM (2013) Florística e estrutura do componente arbóreo e análise ambiental de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista Alto-montana no município de Painel, SC. Ciência Florestal 23: 153-164.). In the Southeastern Region, M. regnelliana also occurs in cold sites at high altitudes (Pereira et al. 2006Pereira IM, Oliveira Filho AT, Botelho SA, Carvalho WAC, Fontes MAL, Schiviani I & Silva AF (2006) Composição florística do compartimento arbóreo de cinco remanescentes florestais do maciço do Itatiaia, Minas Gerias e Rio de Janeiro. Rodriguésia 57: 103-126; Meireles et al. 2008Meireles LD, Shepherd GJ & Kinoshita LS (2008) Variações na composição florística e na estrutura fitossociológica de uma floresta ombrófila densa alto-montana na Serra da Mantiqueira, Monte Verde, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 31: 559-574.; CRIA 2014).

Mimosa scabrella is an important species of the Fabaceae family in the studied area, occurring at moist sites with high light incidence, frequently near the Rio do Charco. It is often found in southern Brazil (Kozera et al. 2006Kozera C, Dittrich VAO & Silva SM (2006) Composição florística da floresta ombrófila mista montana do parque municipal do Barigüi, Curitiba, PR. Revista Floresta 36: 45-58.; Klauberg et al. 2010Klauberg C, Paludo GF, Bortoluzzi RLC & Mantovani A (2010) Florística e estrutura de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista no Planalto Catarinense. Biotemas 23: 35-47.; Higuchi et al. 2012Higuchi P, Silva AC, Ferreira TS, Souza ST, Gomes JP, Silva KM & Santos KF (2012) Floristic composition and phytogeography of the tree component of Araucaria Forest fragments in southern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Botany 35: 145-157., 2013Higuchi P, Silva AC, Almeida JA, Bortoluzzi RLC, Mantovani A, Ferreira TS, Souza ST, Gomes JP & Silva KM (2013) Florística e estrutura do componente arbóreo e análise ambiental de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista Alto-montana no município de Painel, SC. Ciência Florestal 23: 153-164.) and is a typical species of disturbed vegetation physiognomies above 800 m a.s.l. (Barneby 1992Barneby RC (1992) Sensitivae censitae: a description of the genus Mimosa Linnaeus (Mimosaceae) in the New World. Systematic Botany 17: 694-695.). In addition, dated pollen records of the Holocene show that this species already was present in association with Araucaria during the expansion of the MNF in southern Brazil (Behling et al. 2004Behling H, Pillar V, Orlóci L & Bauermann SG (2004) Late Quaternary Araucaria forest, grassland (Campos), fire and climate dynamics, studied by high resolution pollen, charcoal and multivariate analysis of the Cambará do Sul core in southern Brazil. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 203: 277-297.). Collaea speciosa (Fig. 6) also was common along the Rio do Charco or the border of the forest, and it often is recorded in the literature in open areas and secondary vegetation. In Serra do Itatiaia, this species is found in transition areas between montane and high montane vegetation, around 2,000 m a.s.l. (Morim 2006Morim MP (2006) Leguminosae arbustivas e arbóreas da Floresta Atlântica do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Sudeste do Brasil: padrões de distribuição. Rodriguésia 57: 27-45.).

Solanum is the second-richest genus, justified by the great number of species commonly found at high altitudes, as highlighted by Oliveira Filho & Fontes (2000)Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810., and corroborated by Meireles et al. (2014)Meireles LD, Kinoshita LS & Shepherd GJ (2014) Composição florística da vegetação altimontana do distrito de Monte Verde (Camanducaia, MG), Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, Sudeste do Brasil. Rodriguésia 65: 831-859. in the Serra Fina above 1,500 m a.s.l. In the Southern Region, Gasper et al. (2013)Gasper AL, Sevegnani L, Vibrans AC, Sobral M, Uhlmann A, Lingner DV, Rigon Júnior MJ, Verdi M, Stival Santos A, Dreveck S & Korte A (2013) Inventário florístico florestal de Santa Catarina: espécies da Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Rodriguésia 64: 201-210. recorded Solanum as the richest genus. In addition to the relationship with altitude, the occurrence of pioneer species and species commonly found in disturbed areas and forest borders (such as Solanum sisymbriifolium and S. viarum) can represent a regeneration after disturbance events, as fire was recorded in the studied area in 2011. Among the recorded species in the MNF of the PESP, Solanum capoerum is noteworthy, as previous records were known from Serra da Maria Comprida, in Petrópolis, state of Rio de Janeiro, and in Camanducaia, in southern Minas Gerais (CRIA 2016CRIA - Centro de Referência e Informação Ambiental (2016) Species Link. Available at <http://www.splink.org.br>. Access on 12 July 2016.
http://www.splink.org.br...
), above 1,500 m a.s.l.

Among the Lauraceae species, Ocotea pulchella should be highlighted, cited as "endangered" in the list of threatened species of Minas Gerais state (COPAM 1997COPAM (1997) Lista das espécies ameaçadas de extinção da flora do estado de Minas Gerais. Resolução COPAM 085/97. Available at <http://www.biodiversitas.org.br/florabr/mg-especies-ameacadas.pdf>. Access on 18 November 2013.
http://www.biodiversitas.org.br/florabr/...
), and common in the understory of the studied area. Klein (1960)Klein RM (1960) O aspecto dinâmico do pinheiro brasileiro. Sellowia 12: 17-48. pointed out the species as typical of the MNF, representing a pioneer stage. O. pulchella is also cited in several floristic studies of the Southern Region of Brazil (Budke et al. 2004Budke JC, Giehl ELH, Athayde EA, Eisinger SM & Záchia RA (2004) Florística e fitossociologia do componente arbóreo de uma floresta ribeirinha, arroio Passo das Tropas, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 18: 581-589.; Eskuche 2007Eskuche U (2007) El bosque de Araucaria con Podocarpus y los campos de Bom Jardim da Serra, Santa Catarina (Brasil meridional). Boletín de la Sociedad Argentina de Botánica 42: 295-308.; Martins Ramos et al. 2011Martins Ramos D, Chaves CL, Bortoluzzi RLC & Mantovani A (2011) Florística de floresta ombrófila mista altomontana e de campos em Urupema, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Biociência 9: 156-166.; Vibrans et al. 2011Vibrans AC, Sevegnani L, Uhlmann A, Schorn LA, Sobral M, Gasper, ALD, Lingner DV, Brogni E, Klemz G, Godoy MB & Verdi M (2011) Structure of mixed ombrophyllous forests with Araucaria angustifolia (Araucariaceae) under external stress in Southern Brazil. Revista de Biologia Tropical 59: 1371-1387.; Mognon et al. 2012Mognon F, Dallagnol FS, Corte APD, Sanquetta CR & Maas G (2012) Uma década de dinâmica florística e fitossociológica em Floresta Ombrófila Mista Montana no Sul do Paraná. Revista de Estudos Ambientais 14: 43-59.).

Other genera recorded in the MNF of the PESP are cited as important in the floristic composition of the high montane forests and strongly related to the high altitudes of the Southeastern Region of Brazil, as follows: Chusquea, Clethra, Drymis, Escallonia, Ilex, Mollinedia, Myrsine, Myrceugenia, Mikania, Podocarpus, Prunus, Roupala, and Tibouchina (Holmes 1995Holmes WC (1995) Review preparatory to infrageneric classification of Mikania (tribe: Eupatorieae). In: Hind DJN, Jeffrey C & Pope GV (eds.) Advances in Compositae systematics. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Pp. 239-259.; Webster 1995Webster GL (1995) The panorama of Neotropical cloud forests. In: Churchill SP, Balslev H, Forero E & Luteyn JL (eds.) Biodiversity and conservation of Neotropical Montane Forests. The New York Botanical Garden, New York. Pp. 53-77.; Fontes 1997Fontes MAL (1997) Análise da composição florística das florestas nebulares do Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Disseração de Mestrado. Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras. 50p.; Oliveira Filho & Fontes 2000Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810.; Meireles et al. 2008Meireles LD, Shepherd GJ & Kinoshita LS (2008) Variações na composição florística e na estrutura fitossociológica de uma floresta ombrófila densa alto-montana na Serra da Mantiqueira, Monte Verde, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 31: 559-574., 2009; França & Stehmann 2004França GS & Stehmann JR (2004) Composição florística e estrutura do componente arbóreo de uma floresta altimontana no município de Camanducaia, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 27: 19-30.). Ilex is common in montane and high montane forests of Paraná (Portes & Galvão 2002Portes MCGO & Galvão F (2002) A floresta alto-montana do sul do Brasil: considerações climáticas, pedológicas e vegetacionais. Cadernos da Biodiversidade 3: 44-50.). Roupala has species typical of high altitudes and is cited as dominant in the high montane physiognomies of the Serra do Itatiaia (Segadas Viana & Dau 1965Segadas-Vianna F & Dau L (1965) Ecology of Itatiaia range, southeastern Brazil. II. Climates and altitudinal climatic zonation. Arquivos Museu Nacional Rio de Janeiro 53: 31-53.). Mikania has a dispersal center in the highlands of the Southeastern Region of Brazil (Holmes 1995Holmes WC (1995) Review preparatory to infrageneric classification of Mikania (tribe: Eupatorieae). In: Hind DJN, Jeffrey C & Pope GV (eds.) Advances in Compositae systematics. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Pp. 239-259.). Chusquea is another genus related to altitude, commonly found in the montane and high montane forests of South America (Beard 1955Beard JS (1955) The classification of tropical American vegetation types. Ecology 36: 89-100.) and important in the forest physiognomy of Monte Verde (Meireles et al. 2008Meireles LD, Shepherd GJ & Kinoshita LS (2008) Variações na composição florística e na estrutura fitossociológica de uma floresta ombrófila densa alto-montana na Serra da Mantiqueira, Monte Verde, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 31: 559-574.). Symplocos also exhibits great floristic importance in the high montane forest, containing several endemic species of mountainous areas (Aranha Filho et al. 2007Aranha Filho JLM, Fritsch PW, Almeida F & Martins AB (2007) A revision of Symplocos Jacq. section Neosymplocos Brand (Symplocaceae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 58: 407-446.).

At the species level, Drimys brasiliensis (Fig. 6) is common in MNF and cited as an indicator species of altitude forests by Oliveira Filho & Fontes (2000)Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810., often associated with A. angustifolia, despite its occurrence in cloud broadleaved forests of Minas Gerais (França & Stehmann 2004França GS & Stehmann JR (2004) Composição florística e estrutura do componente arbóreo de uma floresta altimontana no município de Camanducaia, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 27: 19-30.; Meireles et al. 2008Meireles LD, Shepherd GJ & Kinoshita LS (2008) Variações na composição florística e na estrutura fitossociológica de uma floresta ombrófila densa alto-montana na Serra da Mantiqueira, Monte Verde, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 31: 559-574., 2014Meireles LD, Kinoshita LS & Shepherd GJ (2014) Composição florística da vegetação altimontana do distrito de Monte Verde (Camanducaia, MG), Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, Sudeste do Brasil. Rodriguésia 65: 831-859.; Valente et al. 2011Valente ASM, Garcia PO, Salimena FRG & Oliveira Filho AT (2011) Composição, estrutura e similaridade florística da Floresta Atlântica, na Serra Negra, Rio Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Rodriguésia 62: 321-340). Another noteworthy taxon is Berberis laurina, which represents an important Andean element in the MNF, endemic to this physiognomy, along with Miconia hyemalis and Mimosa scabrella (Bauermann & Behling 2009Bauermann SG & Behling H (2009) Dinâmica paleovegetacional da Floresta com Araucária a partir do final do Pleistoceno: o que mostra a palinologia. In: Fonseca CR, Souza AF, Leal-Zanchet AM, Dutra TL, Backers A & Granade G (eds.) Floresta com Araucária: ecologia, conservação e desenvolvimento sustentável. Holos, Ribeirão Preto. Pp. 35-38.; Evaldt et al. 2009Evaldt ACP, Bauermann SG, Fuchs SCB, Diesel S & Cancelli RR (2009) Grãos de pólen e esporos do Vale do Rio Caí, nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: descrições morfológicas e implicações paleoecológicas. Gaea Journal of Geoscience 5: 86-106.). Podocarpus lambertii (Fig. 6) is a dominant species of the canopy along the Rio do Charco associated with A. angustifolia (Santana 2016Santana LD (2016) Impacto do incêndio florestal na comunidade arbórea de uma floresta ombrófila mista aluvial altomontana na Serra da Mantiqueira meridional (Minas Gerais). Dissertação de Mestrado. Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora. 81p.). These species may be present in regions of temperate climates where there is not a hydric deficit during the dry season [or it is moderated (Carvalho 2002Carvalho PER (2002) Pinheiro-do-paraná. Embrapa Florestas 60: 1-17.)], and the water supply is provided by the common presence of fog. Furthermore, the majority of epiphytic species in the MNF of the PESP have P. lambertii as their main phorophyte (Furtado & Menini Neto 2015Furtado SG & Menini Neto L (2015) Diversity of vascular epiphytes in two high altitude biotopes of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Brazilian Journal of Botany 38: 295-310.).

Terricolous ferns were represented by 18 species distributed in 14 genera and 11 families. Furtado & Menini Neto (unpublished data) found 42 species of epiphytic ferns, totaling 60 species in the MNF of the PESP. The Atlantic Forest is considered one of the largest centers of richness of ferns in the Neotropical region (Tryron 1972Tryon RM (1972) Endemic areas and geographic speciation in tropical American ferns. Biotropica 4: 121-131.; Tryon & Tryon 1982Tryon RM & Tryon AF (1982) Ferns and allied plants, with special reference to tropical America. Springer Verlag, New York. 857p.; Moran 1995Moran RC (1995) The importance of montains to pteridophytes, with emphasis on neotropical montane forests. In: Churchill SP, Balslev H, Forero E & Luteyn JL (eds.) Biodiversity and conservation of neotropical montane forests. The New York Botanical Garden, New York. Pp. 359-363.; Roos 1996Roos M (1996) Mapping the world's pteridophyte diversity - systematics and floras. In: Camus JM, Gibby M & Johns RJ (eds.) Pteridology in Perspective. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Pp. 29-42.).

Dicksonia sellowiana is a species found in the moist environments of the interior of MNF and is widely distributed in the Neotropical region. Mantovani (2004)Mantovani M (2004) Caracterização de populações naturais de xaxim [Dicksonia sellowiana (Presl.) Hook.], em diferentes condições edafo-climáticas no estado de Santa Catarina. Dissertação de Mestrado. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis. 180p. stated the need of moisture for growth and development of this species, which occurs close to watercourses and in steep slopes with lower insolation. Behling et al. (2004)Behling H, Pillar V, Orlóci L & Bauermann SG (2004) Late Quaternary Araucaria forest, grassland (Campos), fire and climate dynamics, studied by high resolution pollen, charcoal and multivariate analysis of the Cambará do Sul core in southern Brazil. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 203: 277-297. also noted that D. sellowiana is often found in gallery forests, occurring since the late Holocene. Popularly known as "xaxim", D. sellowiana experienced a significant reduction in population, since it is highly exploited as raw materials for the fabrication of vases and substrates for ornamental plants, and it is considered "endangered" in Brazilian flora (Santiago et al. 2013Santiago ACP, Mynssen CM, Maurenza D, Penedo TSA & Sfair JC (2013) Dicksoniaceae. In: Martinelli G & Moraes MA (orgs.) Livro vermelho da flora do Brasil. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro. Pp. 475-476.). Another fern found in highly humid habitats is Cyathea corcovadensis, recorded along the Rio do Charco. According to Oliveira Filho & Fluminhan Filho (1999)Oliveira Filho AT & Fluminhan Filho M (1999) Ecologia da vegetação do Parque Florestal Quedas do Rio Bonito. Cerne 5: 50-63., the Cyatheaceae family typically occurs in riparian environments of the altitude forests.

Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae, and Asteraceae were the richest in tree species. The first two families also were noted as the richest for the Atlantic Forest regarding this habit (Oliveira Filho & Fontes 2000Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810.). Among the most important families with shrubby habits in a MNF, Liebsch & Acra (2004)Liebsch D & Acra LA (2004) Riqueza de espécies de sub-bosque de um fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista em Tijucas do Sul, PR. Ciência Florestal 14: 67-76. highlighted Melastomataceae and Solanaceae, which is corroborated in the present study. The herbaceous species contribute to the floristic increment of forest areas as well as soil composition, as they have shorter life cycles than arboreal species (Martin Ramos et al. 2011) but are often relegated to the background or even ignored in most previous studies (Kozera et al. 2006Kozera C, Dittrich VAO & Silva SM (2006) Composição florística da floresta ombrófila mista montana do parque municipal do Barigüi, Curitiba, PR. Revista Floresta 36: 45-58.; Polisel et al. 2014Polisel RT, Ivanauskas NM, Assis MC, Shepherd GJ & Yamamoto K (2014) Structure of the understory community in four stretches of Araucaria forest in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 28: 86-101.).

In general, A. angustifolia occurs in altitudes above 200 m a.s.l. in the Southern Region and above 600 m in the Southeastern Region, between the latitudes 31º30'S at Canguçu (RS) and 19º15'S at Serra do Padre Ângelo, in Conselheiro Pena, Alto Rio Doce (MG) (Carvalho 2002Carvalho PER (2002) Pinheiro-do-paraná. Embrapa Florestas 60: 1-17.). Thus, the decrease of latitude is compensated for by increased elevation, so the climatic features (e.g., low temperature and high humidity) demanded by this species are maintained, allowing its presence in the MNF of Serra da Mantiqueira. Despite this, there is a greater similarity with the MNF of the Southern Region, at the family and genus levels, like discussed here. Regarding species, Jarenkow & Budke (2009)Jarenkow JA & Budke JC (2009) Padrões florísticos e análise estrutural de remanescentes florestais com Araucaria angustifolia no Brasil. In: Fonseca CR, Souza AF, Leal Zanchet AM, Dutra T, Backes A & Ganade G (orgs.) Floresta com araucária: ecologia, conservação e desenvolvimento sustentável. Holos Editora, Ribeirão Preto. Pp. 35-38. conducted a study with shrub and tree species of 38 areas of the MNF, of which 36 lie in the Southern Region and two in the Southeastern Region, observing only 16 species that exhibited relative constancy greater than 80%. Among those species, only six were recorded in the MNF of the PESP: Allophylus edulis, Araucaria angustifolia, Myrsine umbellata, Prunus myrtifolia, Sapium glandulosum and Styrax leprosus. In fact, some authors observed that the remnants of MNF in the Southeastern Region are different at the species level from those of the Southern Region (Jarenkow & Budke 2009Jarenkow JA & Budke JC (2009) Padrões florísticos e análise estrutural de remanescentes florestais com Araucaria angustifolia no Brasil. In: Fonseca CR, Souza AF, Leal Zanchet AM, Dutra T, Backes A & Ganade G (orgs.) Floresta com araucária: ecologia, conservação e desenvolvimento sustentável. Holos Editora, Ribeirão Preto. Pp. 35-38.; Oliveira Filho et al. 2013aOliveira Filho AT, Budke JC, Jarenkow JA, Eisenlohr PV & Neves DRM (2013a) Delving into the variations in tree species composition and richness across South American subtropical Atlantic and Pampean forests. Journal of Plant Ecology 8: 242-260.), although Furtado & Menini Neto (unpublished data) showed that the flora of vascular epiphytes of the MNF of the PESP are more similar to that of areas in the southern region than with areas of dense ombrophilous forests in Southeastern and Southern regions of Brazil.

Some species of MNF in the Southern Region and in Minas Gerais are tolerant to low temperature and frost, which is one of the main physiological adaptations of plants from high altitudes (Safford 2007Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722.). According to Meireles & Shepherd (2015)Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72., the record of species with disjunct distribution in southern Brazil likely is due to the absence of a temperate climate in sites of intermediary elevation between the Serra da Mantiqueira and the Southern Plateau.

The relationship of MNF with seasonal broadleaved forests is demonstrated by some shared species such as Aegiphila sellowiana, Cabralea canjerana, Clethra scabra, Drimys brasiliensis, Eremanthus spp., Miconia chartacea, M. theaezans, Myrcia laruotteana, Ocotea corymbosa, Psychotria suterella and Trembleya parviflora (Oliveira Filho & Ratter 1995Oliveira Filho AT & Ratter JA (1995) A study of the origin of central Brazilian forests by the analysis of plant species distribution patterns. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 52: 141-194.; Oliveira Filho & Fontes 2000Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810.; Scolforo & Carvalho 2006Scolforo JRS & Carvalho LMT (2006) Mapeamento e inventário da flora nativa e dos Reflorestamentos de Minas Gerais. Editora UFLA, Lavras. 288p.). Falkenberg & Voltolini (1995)Falkenberg DB & Voltolini JC (1995) The montane cloud forest in Southern Brazil. In: Hamilton LS, Juvik JO & Scatena FN (eds.) Tropical montane cloud forests. Springer-Verlag, New York. Pp. 138-149. considered the high montane forests of southern Brazil a transition between the coastal cloud broadleaved forests and the MNF or a transition with the "campos de altitude". The Serra da Mantiqueira is located in a predominantly seasonal matrix, and its high montane forests are in contact with the neighboring montane forests, with fragments of MNF or interspersed with the "campos de altitude" (Meireles & Shepherd 2015Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72.), justifying the presence of elements originating from other physiognomies. Oliveira Filho et al. (2013a)Oliveira Filho AT, Budke JC, Jarenkow JA, Eisenlohr PV & Neves DRM (2013a) Delving into the variations in tree species composition and richness across South American subtropical Atlantic and Pampean forests. Journal of Plant Ecology 8: 242-260. showed that the MNF and seasonal broadleaved forest have similar floras, occurring as a continuous transition of species, allowing a high sharing index. In addition, the presence of elements from other vegetation physiognomies can be indicating that this area is an ecological corridor and transition region between these physiognomies. The presence of these floristic elements coming from neighboring physiognomies highlights the importance of vegetation matrix on the floristic composition of the MNF of the PESP, contributing to the increased diversity.

The presence of MNF at the top of Serra da Mantiqueira always has been discussed regarding the Quaternary Period expansion of forest toward to the Southeastern Region (Hueck 1972Hueck K (1972) As florestas da América do Sul: ecologia, composição e importância econômica. Polígono, São Paulo. 466p.). Behling (1998)Behling H (1998) Late Quaternary vegetational and climatic changes in Brazil. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 99: 143-156. recorded the expansion of the southern MNF toward the southeast during the cold and moist periods of the Quaternary. Pollen records show that this expansion occurred only in the moist depressions and valleys of the Southeastern Region. This author concluded that the MNF remnants of the high-altitude areas of the Southeastern Region occupied these regions about 3,000 years ago. In addition, Behling et al. (2007)Behling H, Dupont L, Safford HF & Wefer G (2007) Late Quaternary vegetation and climate dynamics in the Serra da Bocaina, southeastern Brazil. Quaternary International 161: 22-31. noted the occurrence of A. angustifolia since the later Pleistocene in the region of Serra da Bocaina (SP), about 50 km distance (in a straight line) from the PESP. According to these authors, the isolated patches of MNF acted as refugia, and they have been connected to other MNF fragments of the Southeastern Region since the last ice age, indicating that, in the past, the MNFs of this region were in contact. This substitution of vegetation by the MNF occurred during the drastic shifts in the climate and influenced the distribution of the species that were associated with this physiognomy. The presence of pollen grains of Araucaria and Podocarpus as well as those of Myrtaceae, Myrsine, Mimosa scabrella, and Ilex, in addition to spores of Dicksonia sellowiana, during the Middle and Higher Holocene (4,320-1,000 years ago), pointed to a floristic composition similar to that of the current MNF (Bauermann & Behling 2009Bauermann SG & Behling H (2009) Dinâmica paleovegetacional da Floresta com Araucária a partir do final do Pleistoceno: o que mostra a palinologia. In: Fonseca CR, Souza AF, Leal-Zanchet AM, Dutra TL, Backers A & Granade G (eds.) Floresta com Araucária: ecologia, conservação e desenvolvimento sustentável. Holos, Ribeirão Preto. Pp. 35-38.).

Phytogeographic distribution

The high montane forests have floristic compositions different from those of lower-altitude forests, and the presence of endemic species is common, with much of them belonging to genera of high richness in montane forests of the Andes (Falkenberg & Voltolini 1995Falkenberg DB & Voltolini JC (1995) The montane cloud forest in Southern Brazil. In: Hamilton LS, Juvik JO & Scatena FN (eds.) Tropical montane cloud forests. Springer-Verlag, New York. Pp. 138-149.; Oliveira Filho & Fontes 2000Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810.; Meireles et al. 2008Meireles LD, Shepherd GJ & Kinoshita LS (2008) Variações na composição florística e na estrutura fitossociológica de uma floresta ombrófila densa alto-montana na Serra da Mantiqueira, Monte Verde, MG. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 31: 559-574.). Brade (1956)Brade AC (1956) A flora do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Boletim do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia 5: 1-92. highlighted the remarkable presence of several Andean genera of ferns in the Itatiaia. According to Smith (1962)Smith LB (1962) Origins of the flora of southern Brazil. Contributions from the US National Herbarium 35: 215-249, the flora of the Southeastern Region of Brazil has elements derived from other phytogeographic regions due to migrations of species that took place at different times. According to Safford (2007)Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722., there is a hybrid flora coming from the Andes and the Brazilian high-altitude mountains. Those plants are from different origins (e.g., tropical, temperate, and cosmopolitan) that developed at these sites along the periods of environmental shifts, and migrations also play a role.

Araucaria, Dicksonia, Drimys, Escallonia, Fuchsia, Gaultheria, Hydrocotyle, Myrceugenia, Podocarpus, Sticherus, and Sisyrinchium are genera from Austral-Antarctic origin and are part of an ancient flora dispersed between Australia, Antarctica, and South America (Landrum 1981Landrum LR (1981) A monograph of the genus Myrceugenia (Myrtaceae). Flora Neotropica 29: 1-137.; Meireles & Shepherd 2015Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72.; Safford 2007Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722.). Safford (2007)Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722. reports that during the dry periods of the Tertiary Period, the Atlantic mountain chains acted as refugia for the species adapted to cold and humidity, especially the Austral-Antarctic taxa. During long periods of cold climate, the author suggested still that there was greater contact between the formations of eastern and western South America, favoring the colonization of Atlantic tropical forests by the Andean elements.

In the cloud broadleaved dwarf-forest of Serra Fina, the predominance of tropical genera was observed, but Austral-Antarctic taxa of trees also were well represented among the temperate genera (Meireles & Shepherd 2015Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72.). Species belonging to genera of Austral-Antarctic and tropical origins that speciated at sites of high altitude exhibited high conservation of their climatic niche, and several of them are restricted to the tops of the Atlantic mountains (Safford 2007Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722.; Meireles & Shepherd 2015Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72.). This speciation can be related to the drastic climatic shifts that occurred during the Late Quaternary (Behling 1998Behling H (1998) Late Quaternary vegetational and climatic changes in Brazil. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 99: 143-156.; Behling & Negrelle 2001Behling H & Negrelle RRB (2001) Late Quaternary tropical rain forest and climate dynamics from the Atlantic lowland in southern Brazil. Quaternary Research 56: 383-389.).

Safford (2007)Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722. verified that at least 11% of the plant species of the Brazilian "campos de altitude" were shared with the Andean regions, and the majority belonged to the Asteraceae, of which several have a ruderal behavior. In the Serra da Mantiqueira, Fontes (1997)Fontes MAL (1997) Análise da composição florística das florestas nebulares do Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Disseração de Mestrado. Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras. 50p. observed similarity between the shrubby/arborous flora of altitude forests in the Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca with the forests of the Andes, especially in species richness of Myrtaceae, Melastomataceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae.

Oliveira Filho & Fontes (2000)Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810. described the enhancement of the relative importance of Asteraceae, Melastomataceae, and Solanaceae to the Atlantic Forest of the Brazilian Southeastern Region, according to the elevation enhancement. A similar pattern was found by Gentry (1995)Gentry AH (1995) Patterns of diversity and floristic composition in neotropical montane forests. In: Churchill SP, Balslev H, Forero E & Luteyn JL (eds.) Biodiversity and conservation of Neotropical montane forests. The New York Botanical Garden, New York. Pp. 103-126. in the Andes, where Melastomataceae and Rubiaceae are the richest in woody species in altitudes above 1,500 m a.s.l., indicating that low temperature is not a limiting factor on the occurrence of these families. Escalloniaceae also has exclusive taxa from high-altitude and cold areas of South America (Safford 1999Safford HD (1999) Brazilian Páramos II. Macro- and mesoclimate of the campos de altitude and affinities with mountain climates of the tropical Andes and Costa Rica. Journal of Biogeography 26: 713-737.), including Serra do Itatiaia (Brade 1956Brade AC (1956) A flora do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Boletim do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia 5: 1-92.; Pereira et al. 2006Pereira IM, Oliveira Filho AT, Botelho SA, Carvalho WAC, Fontes MAL, Schiviani I & Silva AF (2006) Composição florística do compartimento arbóreo de cinco remanescentes florestais do maciço do Itatiaia, Minas Gerias e Rio de Janeiro. Rodriguésia 57: 103-126), but the genus is absent in the middle- and low-altitude forests of the Brazilian Southeastern Region.

Among the genera found, 40% are Neotropical, with emphasis on Cabralea, Leandra, Miconia, Mollinedia, Myrcia, Myrciaria, Piptocarpha, Roupala, Siphoneugena, Tibouchina, and Vernonanthura, that can contain exclusive species of the high montane forests and tolerate adverse conditions in higher altitude (Oliveira Filho & Fontes 2000Oliveira Filho AT & Fontes MAL (2000) Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate. Biotropica 32: 793-810.; Meireles & Shepherd 2015Meireles LD & Shepherd GJ (2015) Structure and floristic similarities of upper montane forests in Serra Fina mountain range, southeastern Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 29: 58-72.). Among the Neotropical genera, some are commonly found in the Andes, such as Baccharis, Chusquea, Dasyphyllum, Dendrophorbium, Gaylussacia, and Pentacalia, and present great importance to the floristic composition of high montane vegetation of the Brazilian Southeastern Region (Brade 1956Brade AC (1956) A flora do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Boletim do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia 5: 1-92.; Safford 1999Safford HD (1999) Brazilian Páramos II. Macro- and mesoclimate of the campos de altitude and affinities with mountain climates of the tropical Andes and Costa Rica. Journal of Biogeography 26: 713-737.; Müller 2006Müller J (2006) Systematics of Baccharis (Compositae-Astereae) in Bolivia, including an overview of the genus. Systematic Botany Monographs 76: 1-341.; Meireles et al. 2014Meireles LD, Kinoshita LS & Shepherd GJ (2014) Composição florística da vegetação altimontana do distrito de Monte Verde (Camanducaia, MG), Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, Sudeste do Brasil. Rodriguésia 65: 831-859.).

Trembleya genera is the only endemic to Brazil in the Melastomataceae family (Lista do Brasil 2017Lista do Brasil (2017) Lista de Espécies da Flora do Brasil. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. Available at <http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/>. Access on 25 May 2017.
http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/...
). The Huberia genera, together with Eremanthus, Inulopsis, and Macropeplus, are common in high-altitude vegetation in the Atlantic Forest (Nakajima & Semir 2001Nakajima JN & Semir J (2001) Asteraceae do Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 24: 471-478.; Santos & Peixoto 2001Santos IS & Peixoto AL (2001) Taxonomia do gênero Macropeplus Perkins (Monimiaceae, Monimioideae). Rodriguésia 52: 65-105; Romero & Martins 2002Romero R & Martins AB (2002) Melastomataceae do Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Botânica 25: 19-24.; Baumgratz 2004Baumgratz JFA (2004) Sinopse de Huberia DC. (Melastomataceae: Merianieae). Revista Brasileira de Botânica 27: 545-561.).

Safford (2007)Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722. suggested that several species from temperate and cosmopolitan climates arrived first in the Southern Region of Brazil through migration using suitable habitats instead of long-distance dispersal. According to Brade (1956)Brade AC (1956) A flora do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Boletim do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia 5: 1-92., the Holarctic elements used the Andes as a migration bridge going from North to South America and later advancing toward the eastern portion of the continent to the Serra do Mar and Mantiqueira. Those genera tolerate lower temperature, exhibiting physiological adaptations to their occurrence in high altitudes in mountain chains (Smith & Young 1987Smith AP & Young TP (1987) Tropical alpine plant ecology. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 18: 137-158.; Safford 1999Safford HD (1999) Brazilian Páramos II. Macro- and mesoclimate of the campos de altitude and affinities with mountain climates of the tropical Andes and Costa Rica. Journal of Biogeography 26: 713-737., 2007Safford HD (2007) Brazilian Páramos IV. Phytogeography of the campos de altitude. Journal of Biogeography 34: 1701-1722.); in the PESP, these are represented by Berberis, Rhamnus and Valeriana.

Thus, the results show similar floristic patterns at family level to the MNF of southern. At species level we observed a greater sharing with those found in montane and high montane forests of southern and southeastern Brazil. Besides that, the presence of temperate genera shows that the low temperatures caused by high altitude influence the floristic composition of the area.

The presence of elements from other vegetation physiognomies indicates that this area is an ecological corridor and transition region, highlighting its importance. Thus, floristic surveys in unexplored regions of Serra da Mantiqueira and others highland in the Brazilian Southeast may, in the future, extend the knowledge of the distribution of typical species of Atlantic Forest.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), for the Master of Science degree scholarship to the first author; the Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, and the Instituto Estadual de Florestas de Minas Gerais, for logistic support. We also thank the taxonomists that assisted in the identification of species and the colleagues of the Herbário CESJ and Laboratório de Ecologia Vegetal da UFJF, for the support in the collections.

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Edited by

Editor de área: Dr. Gustavo Carvalho

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Oct-Dec 2018

History

  • Received
    08 Feb 2017
  • Accepted
    13 Sept 2017
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