Richness of ferns and lycophytes from Tijuca National Park, an urban forest

Abstract

Tijuca National Park (TNP) covers an area corresponding to 3.5% of the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is an Atlantic Rainforest fragment with peaks and watersheds that make this protected area a mosaic of habitats. It is composed of four subunits: Serra da Carioca, Pedra Bonita and Pedra da Gávea Inselbergs, Tijuca Forest, and the Pretos Forros/ Covanca Considering the importance of conserving biodiversity in rainforest fragments, such as those found in Tijuca National Park and its subunits, we analyzed the spatial distribution of species in relation to climatic factors that could impact species richness. In addition to floristic analysis, we provide details of endemism, conservation status, substrate and habitat preferences, as well as data on geographic distribution patterns for each species. Precipitation during the wettest month was shown to be one of the most important climatic features in the study area and may be related to floristic richness and composition. The TNP holds about 38.5% of known species in the state of Rio de Janeiro with 254 taxa distributed in 26 families and 83 genera. Floristic richness can be impacted by environmental variables, including climatic factors. Our results show that relating floristic richness to environmental variables can be a way to understand biodiversity.

Key words:
Atlantic Forest; climatic factors; endemic and endangered species; environmental variables; floristic composition