Flora e estrutura fitossociológica de fitofisionomias costeiras da APA do Rio Pacoti, Ceará: relações biogeográficas entre restingas do Norte e Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Given the growing pressure and urban occupation, together with the scarcity of knowledge, degradation and destruction of coastal environments, it is necessary to document, understand and conserve the remaining areas of these ecosystems. The present work is inserted in order to assist in filling these gaps, consisting of two chapters structured in the format of a scientific article. The first seeks to record plant diversity and propose conservation measures for areas of native vegetation under strong anthropic pressure in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza. A floristic inventory was carried out in the different sectors and environmental systems (coastal plain, coastal tablelands, dunes and mangroves) of the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of the Pacoti River, Ceará, in addition to describing the phytosociological structure of the woody vegetation in some phytophysiognomies (post-beach, beach shrubs and fixed dunes) of the UC. The second chapter consists of biogeographic analyzes based on a compilation of floristic data available in the scientific literature encompassing inventories carried out in different areas of Restingas in the North and Northeast of Brazil, aiming to make a comparison between these regions and investigate their vegetational similarities with other domains Brazilian phytogeographics (Caatinga, Cerrado, Amazon and Atlantic Forest). In the floristic survey, a total of 183 plant species were recorded, belonging to 134 genera and 70 families. In the phytosociological plots (1.2 ha sampled), 4,982 individuals were recorded, distributed in 51 species and 30 families, with the most abundant species being Monteverdia erythroxyla, Eugenia luschnathiana, Eugenia ligustrina, Myrciaria cuspidata and Pilosocereus catingicola. In the similarity analyses, the results of comparing the Restingas and the Brazilian phytogeographic domains supported five floristic groups, observing specific similarity patterns for each domain, forming a large group encompassing most of the Restingas in the North and Northeast of Brazil. From this, it is possible to infer that despite the Restingas having species in common with the adjacent phytogeographic domains, they also have species typical of the Restingas themselves, which are normally associated with coastal regions, giving the restinga flora a partial identity, which allows for a differentiation - las from nearby phytogeographic domains. The present work generated a framework of information that could serve as a basis for future biogeographic studies about the Restingas of the North and Northeast of Brazil, in addition to deepening the knowledge about the floristic composition and phytosociological structure of the coastal zone of Ceará, generating subsidies for plant conservation on the coast of Ceará.