Floristic composition of an urban coastal forest fragment at the State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil

Abstract

The urban areas have suffered with the loss in their biodiversity along the years due to the decrease of green areas by civil construction or by the urban population growth. Therefore, this work aimed at registering the angiosperms diversity in an urban forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil. The sampling was carried out from May/2018 to April /2019 through walks during the rainy and dry seasons. 160 species distributed in 128 genera and 49 families were registered. Fabaceae (27 spp.), Asteraceae (13 spp.), Convolvulaceae and Malvaceae (11 spp. each), Rubiaceae e Poaceae (9 spp. each), and Euphorbiaceae (8 spp.) were the richest families, accounting for 55% of the sampled flora. The herbaceous plants (36.65%) were the most represented habit after which the sub-shrubs and shrubs (17,50% each), arboreal (16,25%) and climbing plants (13.12%) were classified. Among the total species 94.37% are natives, 15,62% are endemic to Brazil and 5,62% are exotic. Of the identified species, 10 spp. are in the Red List of the Flora Conservation National Center and 30 spp. are in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It can be concluded that the studied fragment has an important richness of plant species in an urban area, therefore it is necessary to create a Conservation Unity and a management plan in order to guarantee the conservation of the area.

Key words
coastal zone; flora; Northeastern Brazil; urban vegetation

Resumo

As áreas urbanas sofrem no decorrer dos anos com a perda da sua biodiversidade, devido à redução das áreas verdes pela construção civil ou pelo crescimento populacional urbano. Desse modo, o presente trabalho objetivou registrar a diversidade de angiospermas de um fragmento florestal urbano ocorrente no Campus Itaperi da Universidade Estadual do Ceará, em Fortaleza, Ceará. As coletas foram realizadas de maio/2018 a abril/2019, por meio de caminhadas realizadas nas estações seca e chuvosa. Foram registradas 160 espécies distribuídas em 128 gêneros e 49 famílias. Fabaceae (27 spp.), Asteraceae (13 spp.), Convolvulaceae e Malvaceae (11 spp. cada), Rubiaceae e Poaceae (9 spp. cada), e Euphorbiaceae (8 spp.) foram as famílias mais ricas, respondendo por 55% da flora amostrada. As plantas herbáceas (36,65%) foram o hábito mais representado, após o qual foram classificados os subarbustos e arbustos (17,50% cada), arbóreos (16,25%) e trepadeiras (13,12%). Dentre o total de espécies 94,37% são nativas, 15,62% são endêmicas do Brasil e 5,62% são exóticas. Das espécies identificadas, 10 spp. estão na Lista Vermelha do Centro Nacional de Conservação da Flora e 30 spp. na Lista Vermelha da União Internacional para a Conservação da Natureza. Podemos concluir que o fragmento estudado possui uma importante riqueza de espécies de plantas em área urbana, sendo necessário a criação de uma Unidade de Conservação e de um plano de manejo de modo a garantir a conservação da área.

Palavras-chave
zona costeira; flora; Nordeste do Brasil; vegetação urbana

Introduction

Great areas of the Earth surface are being altered by human activities (Pardini et al. 2017). The lost and fragmentation of the habitats are the main causes of species extinction besides increasing the fragment vulnerability to the invasion of exotic and native ruderal species (Primack & Rodrigues 2001; Mullu 2016).

Currently, all the vegetal formations are altered by anthropic actions in a bigger or smaller degree especially due to agricultural and cattle raising activities and the industrialization and urbanization impacts, leaving only a few patches where the original vegetation is present (Silva 2019). The urban areas, especially in big metropolises, have suffered along the years with their biodiversity loss due to the decrease in the green areas by civil construction or by the urban population growth (Alencar et al. 2017).

Big Brazilian metropolises as the city of Fortaleza, capital of Ceará state, Brazilian Northeast, the 5^th biggest metropolis in the country, has 312,353 km² of urbanized area and an estimated population of 2,669,342 inhabitants (IBGE 2019). Located in the Atlantic coast, Fortaleza has its native forest vegetation reduced and considerably degraded due to urban expansion causing an irrecoverable damage to the fauna and flora biodiversity of the region. Likewise, the hydric resources suffer with the deforestation of the riparian vegetation which has a crucial role in feeding and sheltering the local fauna (Fortaleza 2003).

In extremely altered and degraded landscapes, the remaining vegetational becomes even more important. The coastal vegetation in Ceará presents a richness of species and aspects considered a diversified vegetational collection subjected to very differentiated ecological conditions, from dunes vegetation, semideciduous forest, through coastal cerrados to mangroves (Moro et al. 2015).

The coastal ecosystems suffer a strong anthropic pressure in Fortaleza, for example, more than 90% of the original vegetation has already been lost (Fortaleza 2003; Moro 2020). There are only few patches of native vegetation left and they are in urgent need of public politics to establish the areas protected by Conservation Units (Moro et al. 2011).

Allied to the vegetal biodiversity conservation, the floristic surveys are fundamental and provide subsidies to the conservation of the remaining ones that host a high richness of native and endemic species, mainly for the Caatinga phytogeographical domain that has less than 2% of its territory protected by conservation units (Fernandes et al. 2020). Thus, the knowledge about the biodiversity present in the remaining vegetation of the region is increasingly necessary besides the importance of the beneficial effects that the contact with nature generates to human health, especially in the big metropolises where the vegetation alleviates the impacts caused by the anthropic action (Melo et al. 2011; Amato-Lourenço et al. 2016; Pereira et al. 2018).

Therefore, the present work aimed at registering the angiosperms diversity in an urban forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará (UECE), in Fortaleza, Ceará, as well as verifying which taxon are native to Brazil and which are exotics, with habit information, endemism, new registers and conservation status information in order to broaden the knowledge about the local flora and evaluate its potential for the conservation of the local biodiversity.

Material and Methods

Study area

The floristic survey was made in an urban fragment of coastal forest located inside the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará (UECE). The fragment is located in the municipality of Fortaleza, state of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. The study area extends across 25.83 ha, a varying altitude from 15 to 31 m, located between the geographic coordinates 03°47’49”S, 38°33’21”W and 03°48’10”S, 38°33’35”W (Fig. 1).

Figure 1
Location of the urban coastal forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE.

The climate in the region is characterized as Tropical Warm and Sub-humid presenting an average rainfall of 1.338 mm with an average annual temperature from 26 to 28 ^oC, with rainy season from January to May. Its relief is classified as Coastal Plain and Pre-coastal Semideciduos Forest, with the presence of Marine Quartzite Sands, Solodic Planosoil, Red-Yellow Podzolic and Solonchak soils types (IPECE 2018). According to Moro et al. (2015), the coastal region of Ceará has a recent geological origin (Tertiary-Quaternary), with a diversity of vegetation types, such as Semi-fixed and Mobile Dunes Vegetation, Fixed Dunes Vegetation, Coastal Semideciduos Forest (Mata de Tabuleiro), Cerrado and Coastal Forested Savanna, Cerradão.

The typical vegetation of the study area is Coastal Semideciduos Forest, under the influence of Barrier Formations which comprises a Seasonal Semi-deciduos Forest of medium size that gathers species from the Caatinga and Cerrado phytogeographical domains, although they are very anthropized (Castro et al. 2012; Moro et al. 2015).

In order to elaborate a map of the study area a QGIS version 3.4.8 software was used and the vegetation classification followed the phytoecological units available at the IPECE website (<http://www.ipece.ce.gov.br/>) and described by Figueiredo (1997).

Floristic survey

The floristic samplings were carried out from May/2018 to April/2019 during the dry and rainy seasons. The walking method was the one used (Filgueiras et al. 1994) in all the study area (Fig. 2). All the fertile plant species (i.e.: those with flowers and/or fruit) were photographed in the field and collected for taxonomic identification. The samples were herborized according to the usual botanic techniques (Mori et al. 1985) and deposited in the Prisco Bezerra Herbarium (EAC) of the Federal University of Ceará (UFC).

Figure 2
a-f. Physiognomies of the urban coastal forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE – a. aquatic vegetation of the ponds and swamps; b-c. vegetation of Coastal Semideciduos Forest; d-f. Vegetation of Coastal Cerrado.

The identifications were carried out from specialized bibliography (Barroso et al. 2004; Souza & Lorenzi 2019), key identifications, experts’ consultation, comparison with exsiccates of the specimens deposited in the EAC herbarium and BFG (2018) and SpeciesLink (CRIA 2020) websites. The origin, endemism and new registers information are in agreement with the data from the BFG website (2018). The registered species were classified in families according to APG IV (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 2016), except for the Turneraceae family, which was considered a separate family of Passifloraceae, according to Souza & Lorenzi (2019). To determine the Fabaceae subfamily the Leguminosae Phylogeny Working Group (LPWG 2017) identification key was used. The taxon names and authors are in agreement with The International Plant Names Index (IPNI 2020).

Results and Discussion

A total of 160 angiosperms species were registered distributed in 128 genera and 49 families in the UECE coastal vegetation fragment (Tab. 1). The floristic list produced in this study had, practically, all species identified up to a specific level, with the exception of two species that were identified up to their generic name. The richness of species found in this study is bigger than the one surveyed in the UECE urbanized area by Oliveira et al. (2020), who registered 135 species; Diogo et al. (2014), in turn, registered 116 species registered in the Semideciduos Forest in the Pici Campus of the Federal Universtiy of Ceará (UFC); Castro et al. (2011) registered 93 species present on the free areas of the rectory of the Fortaleza University (Unifor); and Moro et al. (2011) registered 151 species in the savanna vegetation fragment belonging to the Brazilian Telegraph Post Company and the Brazilian Army; all in Fortaleza urban zone.

Table 1
Table 1 – List of angiosperm species registered of the urban coastal forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, including family/species, habit (H = herbaceous; SU = sub-shrub; S = shrub; T = tree; C = climber), species endemic to Brazil (END), Prisco Bezerra Herbarium voucher number (EAC), collector and collector number (COLLECTOR, CN). * = exotic species; ¹ = species of the Red List of the National Center for Flora Conservation (CNCFLORA 2016) classified as Least Concern; ² = species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List (IUCN 2020) classified as Least Concern; ³ = species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List (IUCN 2020) classified as vulnerable.

Family / Species	Habit	END	EAC	Collector, CN
Acanthaceae
Ruellia bahiensis (Nees) Morong	SU	Yes	62933	V.S. Sampaio 309
Ruellia paniculata L.	S	No	62922	V.S. Sampaio 312
Amaranthaceae
Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze	SU	No	63299	E.M.P. Lucena 113
Celosia argentea L.*	SU	No	63837	V.S. Sampaio 399
Anacardiaceae
Anacardium occidentale L.	T	No	63838	E.M.P. Lucena 218
Astronium fraxinifolium Schott¹	T	No	64126	E.M.P. Lucena 320
Tapirira guianensis Aubl.²	T	No	64127	E.M.P. Lucena 330
Annonaceae
Annona coriacea Mart.¹	S	No	64128	E.M.P. Lucena 349
Annona glabra L.¹	T	No	63839	E.M.P. Lucena 221
Apocynaceae
Allamanda blanchetii A.DC.	S	Yes	63840	E.M.P. Lucena 197
Asclepias curassavica L.	H	No	64129	V.S. Sampaio 525
Araceae
Taccarum ulei Engl. & K.Krause	H	Yes	64347	V.S. Sampaio 336
Araliaceae
Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lam.	H	No	64130	V.S. Sampaio 514
Asteraceae
Blainvillea acmella (L.) Philipson²	H	No	63300	E.M.P. Lucena 98
Centratherum punctatum Cass.	SU	No	63302	E.M.P. Lucena 97
Cosmos sulphureus Cav.*	H	No	63841	V.S. Sampaio 328
Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H.Rob.	H	No	64212	E.M.P. Lucena 227
Elephantopus mollis Kunth	H	No	63301	E.M.P. Lucena 95
Lepidaploa araripensis (Gardner) H.Rob.	SU	Yes	63842	V.S. Sampaio 314
Melanthera latifolia (Gardner) Cabrera	H	No	64210	E.M.P. Lucena 202
Mikania cordifolia (L.f.) Willd.	C	No	64131	E.M.P. Lucena 498
Porophyllum ruderale (Jacq.) Cass.	H	No	62937	E.M.P. Lucena 172
Praxelis clematidea (Griseb.) R.M.King & H.Rob.	H	No	64132	E.M.P. Lucena 165
Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn.	H	No	64133	V.S. Sampaio 307
Tilesia baccata (L.f.) Pruski*	S	No	63303	E.M.P. Lucena 103
Tridax procumbens L.	H	No	63077	E.M.P. Lucena 102
Bignoniaceae
Adenocalymma apparicianum J.C.Gomes	C	Yes	64135	E.M.P. Lucena 251
Fridericia dispar (L.G.Lohmann	S	Yes	64136	E.M.P. Lucena 348
Bixaceae
Cochlospermum vitifolium (Willd.) Spreng.²	S	No	63321	E.M.P. Lucena 195
Boraginaceae
Varronia leucomalloides (Taroda) J.S.Mill.	SU	Yes	64137	E.M.P. Lucena 337
Varronia polycephala Lam.²	SU	No	64169	V.S. Sampaio 338
Cannabaceae
Trema micrantha (L.) Blume²	T	No	63304	E.M.P. Lucena 83
Capparaceae
Cynophalla flexuosa (L.) J.Presl²	S	No	64181	E.M.P. Lucena 344
Chrysobalanaceae
Hirtella racemosa Lam.¹,²	T	No	63325	V.S. Sampaio 295
Commelinaceae
Commelina erecta L.²	H	No	64120	E.M.P. Lucena 323
Convolvulaceae
Aniseia martinicensis (Jacq.) Choisy²	C	No	64138	E.M.P. Lucena 161
Camonea umbellata (L.) A.R. Yesões & Staples	C	No	64139	E.M.P. Lucena 188
Distimake aegyptius (L.) A.R. Yesões & Staples	C	No	63844	V.S. Sampaio 337
Evolvulus cardiophyllus Schltdl.	H	No	64140	V.S. Sampaio 310
Evolvulus ovatus Fernald	H	No	63843	V.S. Sampaio 396
Ipomoea alba L.	C	No	63322	V.S. Sampaio 297
Ipomoea asarifolia (Desr.) Roem. & Schult.	C	No	63323	E.M.P. Lucena 187
Ipomoea bahiensis Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.	C	Yes	64141	V.S. Sampaio 379
Jacquemontia gracillima (Choisy) Hallier f.	H	Yes	64142	V.S. Sampaio 324
Jacquemontia tamnifolia (L.) Griseb.	C	No	64143	V.S. Sampaio 387
Operculina hamiltonii (G.Don) D.F.Austin & Staples	C	No	63324	V.S. Sampaio 304
Curcubitaceae
Cayaponia racemosa (Mill.) Cogn.	C	No	64144	V.S. Sampaio 505
Melothria pendula L.	C	No	64145	V.S. Sampaio 518
Cyperaceae
Cyperus chalaranthus J.Presl & C.Presl	H	No	64172	E.M.P. Lucena 346
Rhynchospora nervosa (Vahl) Boeckeler	H	Yes	64121	E.M.P. Lucena 332
Scleria gaertneri Raddi²	H	No	64174	V.S. Sampaio 528
Euphorbiaceae
Croton blanchetianus Baill.²	S	Yes	64146	E.M.P. Lucena 351
Croton jacobinensis Baill.	SU	Yes	64147	E.M.P. Lucena 322
Dalechampia pernambucensis Baill.	C	Yes	63326	E.M.P. Lucena 169
Euphorbia hyssopifolia L.	H	No	63845	V.S. Sampaio 382
Euphorbia insulana Vell.	H	No	63305	E.M.P. Lucena 87
Manihot carthagenensis (Jacq.) Müll.Arg.¹	S	No	64148	E.M.P. Lucena 350
Microstachys corniculata (Vahl) Griseb.	SU	No	63846	V.S. Sampaio 383
Sapium glandulosum (L.) Morong²	S	No	64149	E.M.P. Lucena 325
Fabaceae - Cercidoideae
Bauhinia pentandra (Bong.) D.Dietr.²	S	No	63847	V.S. Sampaio 405
Bauhinia ungulata L.²	T	No	63327	V.S. Sampaio 302
Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae
Chamaecrista absus (L.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby²	SU	No	63848	V.S. Sampaio 386
Chamaecrista trichopoda (Benth.) Britton & Rose ex Britton & Killip	SU	No	63849	V.S. Sampaio 407
Enterolobium timbouva Mart.	T	No	63851	E.M.P. Lucena 214
Inga laurina (Sw.) Willd.¹,²	T	No	64208	V.S. Sampaio 526
Libidibia ferrea (Mart. ex Tul.) L.P.Queiroz²	T	Yes	63328	E.M.P. Lucena 205
Mimosa arenosa (Willd.) Poir.	S	No	63306	E.M.P. Lucena 91
Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth.¹	S	Yes	64150	E.M.P. Lucena 503
Mimosa camporum Benth.	H	No	63329	E.M.P. Lucena 175
Mimosa candollei R.Grether	H	No	63852	V.S. Sampaio 388
Mimosa sensitiva L.	SU	No	63330	V.S. Sampaio 319
Senegalia polyphylla (DC.) Britton & Rose²	T	No	64206	V.S. Sampaio 540
Senna alata (L.) Roxb.²	S	No	63850	V.S. Sampaio 296
Fabaceae - Papilionoideae
Aeschynomene histrix Poir.	SU	No	63853	V.S. Sampaio 385
Aeschynomene viscidula Michx.	SU	No	64209	V.S. Sampaio 501
Calopogonium mucunoides Desv.	C	No	63871	V.S. Sampaio 323
Centrosema brasilianum (L.) Benth.	C	No	63331	V.S. Sampaio 315
Cratylia argentea (Desv.) Kuntze	S	No	63854	V.S. Sampaio 301
Crotalaria pallida Aiton*	SU	No	63855	V.S. Sampaio 389
Crotalaria stipularia Desv.	SU	No	63332	V.S. Sampaio 370
Desmodium distortum (Aubl.) J.F.Macbr.	S	No	64168	V.S. Sampaio 541
Indigofera hirsuta L.*	SU	No	63856	V.S. Sampaio 374
Macroptilium gracile (Poepp. ex Benth.) Urb.	H	Yes	63857	V.S. Sampaio 316
Macroptilium lathyroides (L.) Urb.	C	No	63333	E.M.P. Lucena 177
Rhynchosia minima (L.) DC.²	C	No	63334	E.M.P. Lucena 111
Stylosanthes capitata Vogel	SU	No	63335	E.M.P. Lucena 92
Iridaceae
Cipura paludosa Aubl.	H	No	64122	E.M.P. Lucena 493
Lamiaceae
Amasonia campestris (Aubl.) Moldenke	SU	No	63307	E.M.P. Lucena 85
Hyptis atrorubens Poit.	H	No	64151	V.S. Sampaio 516
Marsypianthes chamaedrys (Vahl) Kuntze	H	No	64173	V.S. Sampaio 510
Mesosphaerum suaveolens (L.) Kuntze	H	No	63863	V.S. Sampaio 375
Loranthaceae
Struthanthus syringifolius (Mart.) Mart.	H	No	64182	E.M.P. Lucena 182
Lythraceae
Cuphea campestris Koehne	SU	No	63864	E.M.P. Lucena 210
Cuphea sp.	H		63865	V.S. Sampaio 378
Malpighiaceae
Byrsonima sericea DC.	T	No	64153	E.M.P. Lucena 194
Bunchosia apiculata Huber	S	No	64152	E.M.P. Lucena 347
Diplopterys lutea (Griseb.) W.R.Anderson & C.C.Davis	C	No	64171	E.M.P. Lucena 280
Malvaceae
Guazuma ulmifolia Lam.²	T	No	63858	V.S. Sampaio 333
Helicteres heptandra L.B.Sm.	S	No	63308	E.M.P. Lucena 86
Melochia betonicifolia A.St.-Hil.	SU	Yes	64154	V.S. Sampaio 539
Pavonia cancellata (L.) Cav.	H	No	63859	V.S. Sampaio 384
Sida brittoni León	SU	No	63336	E.M.P. Lucena 193
Sida cordifolia L.	H	No	63860	V.S. Sampaio 331
Sida glomerata Cav.	SU	No	63309	E.M.P. Lucena 93
Sida linifolia Cav.	H	No	63310	E.M.P. Lucena 101
Sida rhombifolia L.	H	No	63311	E.M.P. Lucena 106
Triumfetta semitriloba Jacq.²	SU	No	63861	E.M.P. Lucena 247
Waltheria indica L.	SU	No	63862	V.S. Sampaio 373
Melastomataceae
Clidemia hirta (L.) D.Don	S	No	64155	E.M.P. Lucena 489
Menispermaceae
Cissampelos glaberrima A.St.-Hil.	C	No	63312	E.M.P. Lucena 99
Myrtaceae
Campomanesia aromatica (Aubl.) Griseb.¹,3	T	No	64179	E.M.P. Lucena 333
Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) DC.²	S	Yes	63337	E.M.P. Lucena 110
Myrcia splendens (Sw.) DC.²	T	Yes	63314	E.M.P. Lucena 100
Ochnaceae
Ouratea hexasperma (A.St.-Hil.) Baill.	T	No	63338	E.M.P. Lucena 254
Olacaceae
Ximenia americana L.²	T	No	63339	E.M.P. Lucena 196
Onagraceae
Ludwigia erecta (L.) H.Hara	S	No	64175	V.S. Sampaio 532
Orchidaceae
Oeceoclades maculata (Lindl.) Lindl.*²	H	No	63298	E.M.P. Lucena 94
Oxalidaceae
Oxalis divaricata Mart. ex Zucc.	H	Yes	63315	E.M.P. Lucena 104
Phyllanthaceae
Phyllanthus orbiculatus Rich.	H	No	63316	E.M.P. Lucena 105
Piperaceae
Piper arboreum Aubl.	S	No	63866	V.S. Sampaio 329
Plantaginaceae
Angelonia pubescens Benth.	H	Yes	64156	E.M.P. Lucena 208
Stemodia foliosa Benth.	S	No	64157	E.M.P. Lucena 179
Tetraulacium veroniciforme Turcz.	H	Yes	64158	E.M.P. Lucena 183
Poaceae
Andropogon angustatus (J. Presl) Steud.	H	No	64123	E.M.P. Lucena 190
Andropogon bicornis L.	H	No	64124	E.M.P. Lucena 224
Aristida longifolia Trin.	H	No	64170	E.M.P. Lucena 181
Cenchrus echinatus L.	H	No	64211	E.M.P. Lucena 192
Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd*	H	No	64125	E.M.P. Lucena 483
Panicum condensatum Bertol.¹	H	Yes	64178	E.M.P. Lucena 334
Pappophorum mucronulatum Nees	H	No	64263	E.M.P. Lucena 324
Setaria adhaerens (Forssk.) Chiov*	H	No	63835	V.S. Sampaio 317
Setaria sp.	H		64207	E.M.P. Lucena 491
Polygalaceae
Asemeia martiana (A.W.Benn.) J.F.B.Pastore & J.R.Abbott	H	Yes	63867	E.M.P. Lucena 228
Asemeia violacea (Aubl.) J.F.B.Pastore & J.R.Abbott	H	No	63317	E.M.P. Lucena 89
Polygala cf. paniculata L.	H	No	64159	E.M.P. Lucena 490
Rubiaceae
Borreria latifolia (Aubl.) K.Schum.	H	No	64176	V.S. Sampaio 500
Borreria scabiosoides Cham. & Schltdl.	H	No	63340	E.M.P. Lucena 107
Borreria spinosa Cham. et Schltdl.	H	No	64354	V.S. Sampaio 340
Borreria verticillata (L.) G.Mey.	SU	No	64177	V.S. Sampaio 517
Genipa americana L.¹	T	No	63868	V.S. Sampaio 341
Mitracarpus strigosus (Thunb.) P.L.R. Moraes, De Smedt & Hjertson	H	No	64355	V.S. Sampaio 369
Randia armata (Sw.) DC.²	T	No	63318	E.M.P. Lucena 84
Richardia grandiflora (Cham. & Schltdl.) Steud.	SU	No	64160	V.S. Sampaio 391
Tocoyena sellowiana (Cham. & Schltdl.) K.Schum.	T	Yes	64180	E.M.P. Lucena 279
Rutaceae
Zanthoxylum syncarpum Tul.	T	No	63319	E.M.P. Lucena 112
Salicaceae
Casearia hirsuta Sw.	T	No	64161	E.M.P. Lucena 216
Sapindaceae
Paullinia pinnata L.	C	No	63341	V.S. Sampaio 303
Serjania glabrata Kunth	C	No	64162	E.M.P. Lucena 215
Simaroubaceae
Homalolepis trichilioides (A.St.-Hil.) Devecchi & Pirani	T	No	64163	E.M.P. Lucena 253
Simarouba amara Aubl.²	T	No	64165	V.S. Sampaio 508
Solanaceae
Solanum palinacanthum Dunal	S	No	63869	V.S. Sampaio 394
Solanum paniculatum L.²	S	No	63343	E.M.P. Lucena 174
Turneraceae
Piriqueta guianensis N.E.Br.	H	No	64167	V.S. Sampaio 498
Turnera melochioides var. latifolia Urb.	SU	No	63870	V.S. Sampaio 320
Turnera subulata Sm.	S	No	64166	E.M.P. Lucena 485
Urticaceae
Cecropia pachystachya Trécul	T	No	64205	E.M.P. Lucena 222
Verbenaceae
Lantana camara L.*	S	No	63342	E.M.P. Lucena 168
Lantana fucata Lindl.	S	No	63320	E.M.P. Lucena 90
Stachytarpheta angustifolia (Mill.) Vahl	S	No	63344	E.M.P. Lucena 184
Violaceae
Pombalia calceolaria (L.) Paula-Souza	H	No	63345	V.S. Sampaio 325

In this study, the richest families were: Fabaceae (27 spp.), Asteraceae (13 spp.), Convolvulaceae and Malvaceae (11 spp. each), Poaceae and Rubiaceae (nine spp. each) and Euphorbiaceae (eight spp.), which comprise 55% of the sampled flora (Fig. 3). These families, except for Convolvulaceae, are among the ten main families in Brazil’s angiosperms in which we can highlight the Fabaceae family as the richest in species in the Caatinga phytogeographic domain (BFG 2015), and registered with the greater richness in the Ceará Floristic Costal survey (Moro et al. 2011; Castro et al. 2012; Diogo et al. 2014; Oliveira et al. 2020). The species richness attributed to Fabaceae corroborates with BFG (2015), which states that the leguminous family presents the greatest richness of the angiosperms species in Brazil (BFG 2015).

Figure 3
Most representative botanical families identified during the survey of the urban coastal forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE.

Regarding the other families, Asteraceae is the third family in species richness in Brazil and is among the richest families in the Cerrado phytogeographical domain (BFG 2015; Pereira et al. 2019). Convolvulaceae, in turn, has registers in various Brazilian phytogeographic domains; however the majority of the species are found in Cerrado, Caatinga and Atlantic Forest (Alencar et al. 2019). Now the Malvaceae family is the tenth one in species richness in Brazil, being the seventh richest family in the Caatinga (BFG 2015).

Poaceae is considered the second family in richness in Brazil and in the Caatinga, and the fourth richest one in the Cerrado (BFG 2015). Rubiaceae is the fourth richest family in Brazil showing a great diversity of forms, sizes and colors in its flowers, the same for its fleshy fruits, being visited and dispersed by different animals (Taylor et al. 2007). While the Euphorbiaceae family is the ninth one in species richness in Brazil being the fourth richest in the Caatinga (BFG 2015), hosting highly diversified and complex groups (Lucena & Alves 2010) and placed among the most economically significant (Sátiro & Roque 2008).

The families with greatest genera richness were Fabaceae with 18 genera, Asteraceae with 13, Convolvulaceae, Malvaceae and Poaceae with seven each. The genera that presented the biggest number of species were: Mimosa L. (Fabaceae) and Sida L. (Malvaceae) with 5 spp. each, Borreria G.Mey. (Rubiaceae) with four spp. and Ipomoea L. (Convolvulaceae) with three spp., these four genera together have 10,62% of the total sampled species and 13,28% of genera, where all of them are part of the species richest families. Other floristic surveys also registered the Mimosa and Sida genera among the most representative of the Ceará Coastal region (Santos-Filho et al. 2011; Castro et al. 2012).

In the study area it is possible to notice two very distinct main physiognomies, the Mata de tabuleiro vegetation, characterized as a middle sized semideciduos forest with the presence of species from the Cerrado and Caatinga (Castro et al. 2012; Moro et al. 2015), and the Coastal Cerrado vegetation. Species like Anacardium occidentale L., Hirtella racemosa Lam., Myrcia splendens (Sw.) DC., Tapirira guianensis Aubl. and Zanthoxylum syncarpum Tul., are considered typical of Mata de Tabuleiro (Moro et al. 2015). Whereas the Annona coriacea Mart., Cyperus chalaranthus J.Presl & C.Presl e Ouratea hexasperma (A.St.-Hil.) Baill. are common in the Cerrado areas (BFG 2018).

Species that frequently occur in the Caatinga domain can also be observed, such as Allamanda blanchetii A.DC., Cochlospermum vitifolium (Willd.) Spreng., Croton blanchetianus Baill., Croton jacobinensis Baill., Cuphea campestris Mart. ex Koehne and Ruellia paniculata L. (BFG 2018). The woody species Campomanesia aromatica (Aubl.) Griseb., Tocoyena sellowiana (Cham. & Schltdl.) K.Schum. and the herbaceous climbing Centrosema brasilianum (L.) Benth. are common in the Northeastern coastal region (Moro et al. 2011).

Regarding the habit, the herbs were represented by 57 spp. (36,65%), the sub-shrubs and shrubs with 28 spp. each (17,50%), trees with 26 spp. (16,25%) and the herbaceous climbing with 21 spp. (13,12%) (Fig. 4). The Struthanthus syringifolius (Mart.) Mart. specie, that is considered an hemiparasite plant (BFG 2018), was found in the area as a parasite of the exotic and cultivated Mangifera indica L. species.

Figure 4
Species distribution based on the habits in the urban coastal forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE.

Among the total of the species 151 (94,37%) are natives, 25 (15,62%) are endemic to Brazil (Fig. 5) and nine (5,62%) are exotic (Tab. 1). From the endemic species, five occur in the Caatinga phytogeographical domain which are: Adenocalymma apparicianum J.C.Gomes, Croton blanchetianus Baill., Croton jacobinensis Baill., Ruellia bahiensis (Nees) Morong, and Varronia leucomalloides (Taroda) J.S.Mill., whereas Lepidaploa araripensis (Gardner) H.Rob is endemic to the Cerrado phytogeographical domain. However, some of the species found in this research present an ample distribution in Brazil, for example, Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze, Celosia argentea L., Tapirira guianensis Aubl., Centratherum punctatum Cass., among others (BFG 2018). As new registers for the Ceará State there are: Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H.Rob., Cyperus chalaranthus J.Presl & C.Presl, Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lam., Panicum condensatum Bertol and Praxelis clematidea (Griseb.) R.M.King & H.Rob. (Fig. 6) (BFG 2018).

Figure 5
a-l. Endemic species of Brazil in the urban coastal forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará, Fortaleza-CE – a. Allamanda blanchetii (Apocynaceae); b. Angelonia pubescens (Plantaginaceae); c. Croton jacobinensis (Euphorbiaceae); d. Dalechampia pernambucensis (Euphorbiaceae); e. Eugenia punicifolia (Myrtaceae); f. Fridericia dispar (Bignoniaceae); g. Jacquemontia gracilima (Convolvulaceae); h. Lepidaploa araripensis (Asteraceae); i. Melochia betonicifolia (Malvaceae); j. Ruellia bahiensis (Acanthaceae); k. Taccarum ulei (Araceae); l. Varronia leucomalloides (Boraginaceae).

Figure 6
a-e. New records for the state of Ceará identified in the urban coastal forest fragment at the Itaperi Campus of the State University of Ceará – a. Cyanthillium cinereum (Asteraceae); b. Cyperus chalaranthus (Cyperaceae); c. Hydrocotyle bonariensis (Araliaceae); d. Panicum condensatum (Poaceae); e. Praxelis clematidea (Asteraceae).

The Celosia argentea L., Cosmos sulphureus Cav., Crotalaria pallida Aiton, Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd., Tilesia baccata (L.f.) Pruski and Setaria adhaerens (Forssk.) Chiov. are considered naturalized exotic species (BFG 2018). According to Moro et al. (2012) the naturalized exotic species are plants that can establish themselves where they were introduced, however they do not disperse becoming restricted to the nearby areas. Cayaponia racemosa (Mill.) Cogn., Indigofera hirsuta L. and Oeceoclades maculata (Lindl.) Lindl. are considered invasive exotic species. This last one is an orchid bioindicator of anthropic forest fragments by its ease to adapt and environmental colonization in disturbed areas (Quenzer & Pedroso-de-Moraes 2014). The invase exotic plants are able to establish themselves in a consistent way besides dispersing to distant areas, but they can be considered an environmental problem (Moro et al. 2012).

The disturbed forest areas show to be more susceptible to biological invasions just as the small forest fragments show a greater vulnerability to the biological invasion which can be explained by the presence of invader species reproductive structures in the fragment coming from the neighboring areas (Cronk & Fuller 1995, Laurance & Bierregaard-Junior 1997; Dislich et al. 2002). The Indigofera hirsuta L. and Oeceoclades maculata species were also reported in Ceará coast as well as in an urban area (Castro et al. 2012; Moro et al. 2011).

It was verified that 39 species are classified by their conservation status as LC (Least Concern) but the Campomanesia aromatica (Aubl.) Griseb. specie is considered vulnerable (VU) (CNCflora 2016; IUCN 2020).

Among the sampled species, the presence of 37 spp. in the Red Lists (CNCFlora 2016; IUCN 2020) were verified, classified regarding their conservation status as Least concern (LC) and the Campomanesia aromatica (Aubl.) Griseb. (Myrtaceae) specie was classified as vulnerable (VU) (IUCN 2020), probably due to its use as wood for fence building as cited by Chaves et al. (2014).

The coastal urban fragment of UECE, despite the presence of exotic species, is predominantly composed by a native vegetation besides presenting species endemic to Brazil and the Caatinga and Cerrado phytogeographical domains. It was also considered as a very anthropized area for its location being inside the UECE campus and by various anthropic activities carried out in the fragment surroundings. However, the area has an elevated ecologic and self-sustainability potential of the local species which is important for the vegetal biodiversity conservation in Fortaleza municipality. In addition to sheltering many vegetal species it also presents many animal species, and according to Carmo et al. (2018), the Itaperi campus presents itself as a haven for the wild fauna, as shelter, food resource and a favorable environment for reproduction, for example, the Boa constrictor (Linnaeus, 1758) snake, popularly known as jiboia. The creation of a Conservation Unit (CU) in the area will be of extreme importance to keep the native species and the ecological processes which are still present. Furthermore, this area is a source for academic researches, such as scientific initiation, masters degree studies and projects towards the environmental education.

Menezes et al. (2010) states that Ceará state has 81 protected areas with the potential to maintain the fauna and flora species, however, these areas comprise only 7,7% of the state territory. Twenty-two of these are managed by the State Environmental Superintendency (SEMACE), where there are twelve Environmental Protection Areas, three State parks, two Natural Monuments and one Area of Relevant Ecological Interest (SEMACE 2010).

Thus, it is recommended that the study area be protected and the creation of a municipal Area of Relevant Ecological Interest (ARIE), a Sustainable Use Conservation Unit, seems to be the more indicated for areas with little extension or no human occupation according to the Article 16 Law 9.985/2000. Therefore, considering that the urban coastal forest fragment studied has a small extension of vegetation with the presence of diverse fauna and flora species, the ARIE creation is justified.

So, it can be concluded that the studied fragment has an important richness of native plants species being of extreme importance to be conserved in the Fortaleza municipality urban area. Its flora is composed by various native species common to the Ceará coast besides presenting many species of different vegetation types, showing the local heterogeneity and ecological potentiality. Regarding the exotic species, there is a need to control and manage the non-native species in the area. Despite being very anthropized and the target of many human activities, the study area is feasible for the creation of a Conservation Unit and a management plan to guarantee the area conservation. Therefore, this study can contribute with the future decisions related to its management, besides presenting the floristic diversity of the studied area.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, CAPES, Finance Code 001) for granting the masters degree scholarship to the first author; the State University of Ceará for the logistics support; the Prisco Bezerra Herbarium (EAC) of the State University of Ceará (UFC) for the consultation to their material collection and storage; and the scholarship holders of the Vegetal Ecophysiology Scientific Initiation Laboratory (ECOFISIO) for their support in the field.

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Edited by

Area Editor: Dr. Rafael Pinto

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  27 Sept 2021
• Date of issue
  2021

History

• Received
  19 Apr 2020
• Accepted
  09 Sept 2020