Vascular plant checklist in an area of extreme biological importance: filling gaps in the Caparaó National Park-ES, Brazil

Abstract Regional floristic lists are essential for defining biodiversity conservation strategies and are key to assist in filling knowledge gaps. They aim to provide a data source for applying tools to reduce extinction rates and to conserve ecosystems. Herein we present the results of an inventory of vascular plants in a rainforest in the Caparaó National Park (CNP) and approach their implications for conservation and management of this protected area and the surrounding communities. We conducted botanical expeditions between the years 2012 and 2017 in a montane and upper-montane forest of the CNP. We found 361 species distributed in 78 families and 181 genera. The study area is home to new species for science that have recently been described in other publications outside that location, and 4 new records for Espírito Santo State; also 43 species listed in different extinction threat categories (VU, EN and CR) and another 190 categorized with lesser concerns (LC and NT). The families with the highest species richness were: Melastomataceae (41 spp.), Lauraceae and Myrtaceae (30), Orchidaceae (26), Rubiaceae (24), and Asteraceae (20). Our results contribute to greater knowledge of the CNP flora, of the montane environments in Brazil and the vegetation of Espírito Santo state, in addition to demonstrate the importance of this protected area to the conservation Atlantic Forest biodiversity.


Introduction
Regional floristic listings consist of important tools for designing conservation plans and actions for different ecosystems, and forms the essential basis for biodiversity management, developing of regional flora projects, supporting knowledge expansion. Despite the need for cataloguing biological diversity globally, especially in biodiversity hotspots (Myers et al. 2000, Mittermeier et al. 2004, the number of large expeditions like those carried out in the past by great naturalists, for instance, von Martius, Saint Hilaire and more recently A.C. Brade, were considerably reduced (Christenhusz & Byng 2016) and there are no more. However, regional floristic surveys have been growing in the tropical region, enabling estimation of plant species richness in these tropical regions (Slik et al. 2015).
Brazil is the country that has the greatest plant richness in the world, with an estimated 34,459 species of vascular plants (BFG 2018). However, the state of knowledge on flora is still incipient in many regions of the country, as occurs in the Atlantic Forest, including protected areas (Lima et al. 2015, Zappi et al. 2016, Oliveira et al. 2017, which have the conservation of plant species among their goals. Despite this, many species of vascular plants are listed as "data deficient" (Sousa-Baena et al. 2014), compromising actions for their conservation.
The lack of floristic studies in forest remnants in Brazil, especially those in which the access is difficult higher, such as mountain areas, leads to a lack of data in estimating the richness, as well as the occurrence of species (Giulietti et al. 2009). Thus, the restricted knowledge on the distribution of species due to the low number of floristic inventories in some regions creates gaps and makes it harder to make decisions of public politics, since these studies work as tools for identifying potential places for the conservation, or even for establishing new strategies in areas already under protection regimes (IUCN 2017). Floristic inventories, in addition to generating information about the species composition of a certain area, also enable the feed a database that will serve as the basis for other taxonomic and ecologic studies, as well as studies on the restoration of degraded areas (Souza et al. 2009).
Given these justifications and for being recognized as an important Atlantic Forest remnant, as well as being in a priority area for conservation and having extremely high biological importance (Ministério do Meio Ambiente -MMA 2007), the efforts to know the flora in the Caparaó National Park (CNP) has started with the pioneering study by Brade (1942) has been expanding over the last decade (Mazine & Souza 2008;Forster & Souza 2013, Couto et al. 2016, Machado et al. 2016, Araujo et al. 2018, Campos et al. 2018, beyond fascicles published by the herbarium "Guido Pabst" (GFJP). Recently, the list of plants from CNP was made available on the digital platform "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil" (https://catalogo-ucs-brasil.jbrj.gov.br/), where there are 1,789 species of 714 genera and 198 botanical families, of these, 1,292 are angiosperms, 37 lycophytes, 262 ferns and 198 are avascular plants (Carrijo et al. 2020).
Therefore, herein we present the results of a floristic inventory of vascular plants in a rainforest in the CNP and approach its implications for the handling and conservation of this protected area. Moreover, we collaborate to fill the knowledge gaps for mountain environments in Brazil. Our intent is to show that floristic listings of plant species are indispensable tools for biodiversity conservation and that they should be encouraged.

Study area
The Caparaó National Park (CNP) is a protected area located between Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais states (Figure 1), within the Serra da Mantiqueira mountain range (20º18' -20º37'S and 41º42' -41º52'W). The park has 31,853.12 ha area, with 79% of being within the state of Espírito Santo (ICMBio 2015). It is located in the Atlantic Forest domain and protects different vegetation formations, such as montane forests (Dense Ombrophilous Forest and Semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest), high-altitude grasslands, and inselbergs (IBGE 2012, ICMBIO 2015, Couto et al. 2016, Campos et al. 2018. The Dense Ombrophilous Forest are exclusive to the Espírito Santo state side of the Park. The CNP surrounding areas consist mostly of agricultural and cattle ranching, with emphasis on coffee and cattle farming, as well as a recent growth in areas destined to silviculture. Activities with potential negative impacts for the CNP are performed in surrounding areas, i.e. the use of pesticides, irregular deforestation for expanding agricultural areas (ICMBIO 2015). We also highlight anthropogenic pressures that may cause ecological unbalance in the park, such as unauthorized hunting, illegal extraction of palm hearts (Euterpe edulis Mart.), and the occurrence of forest fires (personal observation).
Floristic expeditions were concentrated in the Santa Marta valley (central point in the sampling area: 20º29'27,7''S 41º45'15,6W), located in the municipality of Ibitirama -ES. The valley has an elevation range from 870 and 2480 m ( Figure 1). Vegetation types reported to the area are Montane and Upper Montane Dense Ombrophilous Forests, according to the classification by IBGE (2012). The weather in the Ibitirama municipality is defined as Cwb according to the Köppen classification, adapted to Brazil by Alvares et al. (2013), being characterized as humid subtropical with dry winters and mild summers, and the region has annual precipitation of 1,284 mm and average annual temperatures of 16.8 ºC.
The vegetation in the beginning of the valley at lower elevation has different forest succession stages due to its wood extraction past, also presenting exotic/invading species (i.e. Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.), representing one of the exotic species that exist inside the protected area (Field observation; not collected). The signs of anthropogenic activity are reduced throughout the valley, given that the vegetation is extremely preserved in the highest areas and with an observed great presence of epiphytes (personal observation).

Data collection
We performed botanic expeditions between 2012 and 2017 to collect specimens comprising all life forms in order to compose the floristic listing to the Santa Marta valley (CNP). We collected fertile plant samples along trails using the walk-over survey method (Filgueiras et al. 1994), as well as samples in plots, covering an elevation gradient of around 700 m (900-1,600 m). We identified the species through pertinent literature as dichotomous keys of regional floras (e.g., Wanderley et al. 2005, 2012, Melhem et al. 2007, Martins et al. 2009) and compared our materials to images available in virtual herbaria such as the Herbário Virtual -Reflora (http://reflora.jbrj.gov.br/reflora/herbarioVirtual/) and the Jabot (http://jabot.jbrj.gov.br/v2/consulta.php). Duplicates were sent to group experts at BHCB, CEPEC, HUFSJ, RB, SPSF, and UPCB herbaria -acronyms according to Thiers (2019) -for confirmation of the species. We have incorporated the specimens in the collection of the VIES and CAP Herbaria. In addition, sterile materials from plot sampling were included in the listing. These were reviewed by experts in their respective families and deposited in a didactic collection of CAP Herbaria. The exotic / invasive species were disregarded in this study. We try to keep a distance from the collection points of any area of human interference and therefore we prioritize including only native species. Botanical families were classified according to the system proposed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG IV 2016) for angiosperms, The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (2016) for ferns and lycophytes, and Christenhusz et al. (2011) for gymnosperms. We confirmed name orthography, authorship and synonyms through consulting "Flora do Brasil" 2020 online (<http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/>), complementing it with data from the online platform of the Missouri Botanical Garden (http://www.tropicos.org) and The Plant List (http://www.theplantlist. org/).
Potentially threatened species were verified in the following lists: a) Red List of Espirito Santo state (Fraga et al. 2019); b) Red List of Flora of Brazil/CNC Flora (Martinelli & Moraes 2013;CNCFlora 2018); and c) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2017). New records of species from Espírito Santo state were compiled after the confirmation of group experts, as well as its verification in the database of the "Flora do Brasil" 2020 online (<http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/>) and Carrijo et al. (2020).
Our results have also pointed out the existence of 43 species (12%) listed as threatened of extinction on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, in the Red Book of Brazilian Flora, and on the list of endangered flora species in the State of Espírito Santo (Table 1). The families that have the highest number of species categorized as threatened of extinction were: Myrtaceae (7 spp.), Lauraceae (6), Melastomataceae and Orchidaceae (5), Begoniaceae and Monimiaceae (4).
Based on our field observations during the inventory process, it was possible to notice a gradual change in the plant community throughout the valley (data on the ecology of plant communities are being published). To exemplify this differentiation, we observed some species occurring restrictedly at certain elevation, such as Alsophila

Discussion
The new records for the state of Espírito Santo revealed in our study reflects the history of research efforts in certain places regarding the flora of the state (Carrijo et al. 2020, Dutra et al. 2015, Araújo et al. 2018, especially for montane environments. Our data show that the Santa Marta Valley houses 20.2% (361 species) of the vascular plants from CNP (Carrijo et al. 2020), in addition our list includes 88 species of local flora not yet documented, representing an increase of approximately 1%. These knowledge gaps make it harder to map the species and biodiversity distribution correctly, and makes delimitation of endemic areas imprecise, being one of the main obstacles to obtain actual understanding and to establish proper plans for biodiversity conservation (Hopkins 2007). Our findings are relevant for contributing to filling this knowledge gap about the flora in the state, in addition to helping to reduce the current lack of knowledge on the biodiversity in certain locations within Brazilian protected areas (Oliveira et al. 2017).
We have also registered the third known occurrence of Freziera atlantica Zorzanelli & Amorim (Pentaphylacaceae). This specie was described in 2016 with samples collected in the Papuã Mountains-BA and in the Valentim Mountains-ES , given that these mountains belong to the surrounding areas of the Caparaó Mountains. We have also included a species for the recently described science, Myrcia altomontana Sobral & Zorzanelli (Myrtaceae) (Sobral et al. 2017) in our list.
Plant communities of montane ecosystems usually present higher rates of endemism than ecosystems of lower elevations (Gentry 1995), which makes the diversity in these places more vulnerable to climate change due to the specialization degree developed by the species colonizing these environments (Eller et al. 2015(Eller et al. , 2016. Expanding knowledge on montane environments has been increasingly important as a support to avoid species loss (Bertoncello et al. 2011).
This list was performed in an area defined by the Brazilian government as priority for the conservation and with extremely high biological importance (MMA 2007). It is one of the first listings for vascular plants in forests above 1000 m in Espírito Santo state. Our   (Dutra et al. 2015, Carrijo et al. 2020).
The CNP is one of the few large remnants in the Atlantic Forest, which thereby confers larger potential to keep high rates of biodiversity in relation to other smaller remnants, making it extremely important for species conservation (Oliveira et al. 2017). In a scenario in which protected areas within the Atlantic Forest are mostly small and disconnected (Joppa et al. 2008), our list demonstrates the importance of CNP for the conservation of species, since one of the great challenges for biodiversity conservation in Brazil is to create matrices of protected areas which are large enough for the actual conservation of biological diversity (Rylands & Brandon 2005).
We highlight herein the role played by the CNP in protecting species in montane environments of the Atlantic Forest, as shown in our study (Table 1). Protected areas are indeed the best strategy to reduce deforestation and the extinction of species in tropical regions (Joppa et al. 2008). For example, a recent study in Brazil has demonstrated that protected areas preserve a considerable share of known Brazilian biodiversity (Oliveira et al. 2017).
However, we have mentioned the need for conservation actions that can surpass the CNP limits and to which the importance of local communities, should be recognized to protect forest remnants and maintain the biodiversity in these areas. It is important to have a positive interaction between the protected area and its surrounding areas, since the maintenance of native vegetation close to it contributes to maintaining ecological processes and species richness in protected areas (DeFries et al. 2005). In certain occasions, pressure within the protected area's limits reflect the ones happening in its surrounding areas (Laurance et al. 2012). Thus, affirmative actions taken with surrounding communities of the CNP are essential, aiming to reduce treats such illegal hunting and extraction of native species, especially endangered ones (e.g. E. edulis).
The botanical families that have presented the highest richness in our study are also the most rich ones across the Atlantic Forest mountains (Amorim et al. 2009, Pifano et al. 2010, Coelho & Amorim 2014, Meireles et al. 2014, BFG 2018, Dutra et al. 2015). In addition to these families, the most representative genera (Miconia) in our research usually present high numbers of species in montane and upper montane forests, being the main taxa in these formations (Oliveira-Filho & Fontes 2000). For example, Melastomataceae species are common to the Atlantic Forest, rainforests and more elevated forests (Goldenberg et al. 2012). We highlight the Miconia genus, represented in the Santa Marta Valley by almost half of known Miconia species known to Espírito Santo (23/55 spp. -42%) (Bacci et al. 2016). This number shows the significance of the elevation gradient for the wealth and abundance of plant groups, and also reinforces the need to consider it when proposing biodiversity conservation measures for mountains in the Atlantic Forest as center of diversity.
The occurrence of species classified into different endangered degrees enables a basis for conservation actions for these species. According to Moraes et al. (2014), the conservation process of a species categorized as endangered begins with its inclusion on a Red List, and after that moment collective efforts must be made to protect these species. We suggest the adoption of the list of threatened species created by this study as a possibility to guide a better zoning of the park, subsidizing protection actions for the area as a whole.
Our results have indicated high diversity of vascular plants in the Santa Marta valley, municipality of Ibitirama, with presence of species threatened, new records, occurrence of possible new species and the presence of recently described species. These data contribute to the knowledge of the Caparaó National Park Flora, mainly for the Capixaba portion where further research to prospect biological data should be encouraged. Moreover, these results highlight the role played by protected areas, showing that they are an essential strategy for protecting diversity from to extinction threats. As such, the CNP plays an important role for species preservation in montane and upper montane forests in the Brazilian southeast and for biodiversity in the Atlantic rainforest, and efforts must be maintained to mitigate existing conflicts within the territorial limit of the protected area. in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior -Brasil (CAPES) -Finance Code 001. To UFES for the logistic support, to Mr. Ademar Silva for climbing the trees to collect the evidence specimens, and to the many friends who have helped us in field collections. Finally, we want to thank the anonymous reviewer and the editor for their comment and advise that greatly improved the article.

Author Contributions
Eduardo Alves Araújo: Contribution to data collection; Contribution to data analysis and interpretation; Contribution to manuscript preparation.
Sustanis Horn Kunz: Substantial contribution in the concept and design of the study; Contribution to data collection; Contribution to critical revision, adding intellectual content.