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Aquatic Macrophytes in Southern Amazonia, Brazil: Richness, Endemism, and Comparative Floristics

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Abstract

Southern Amazonia harbors a wide diversity of aquatic macrophyte species because of its diverse wetland habitats and location in the Amazon-Cerrado transition zone, which spans the two largest biogeographic domains in South America. We investigated the taxonomic diversity of aquatic macrophytes in the region with a focus on endemism, species richness, and life forms. We present new records of aquatic macrophyte species and compare our results with other Brazilian phytogeographic domains. We found a high number of species of aquatic macrophytes for the southern Amazon region, comparable to extensive inventories in southern, northeastern, and northern regions of Brazil. We recorded 709 species of aquatic macrophytes in 313 genera and 97 families, which includes 90 species endemic to Brazil and five species endemic to the Brazilian Amazonia. The macrophyte species list of southern Amazonia showed < 25% similarity to inventories in Amazonia and Cerrado. This high diversity of aquatic macrophytes in southern Amazonia, with endemic species and others with restricted ranges, emphasizes the need for conserving these wetlands and vegetation types.

Resumo

O sul da Amazônia abriga uma grande diversidade de espécies de macrófitas aquáticas devido a seus diversos habitats (áreas úmidas) e localização na zona de transição Amazônia-Cerrado, que abrange os dois maiores domínios fitogeográficos da América do Sul. Assim, investigamos a diversidade taxonômica de macrófitas aquáticas na região com foco no endemismo e riqueza de espécies e formas de vida. Apresentamos novos registros de espécies de macrófitas aquáticas e comparamos nossos resultados com outros domínios fitogeográficos brasileiros. Encontramos um número elevado de espécies de macrófitas aquáticas para o sul da Amazônia, comparável a grandes inventários nas regiões sul, nordeste e norte do Brasil. Registramos 709 espécies de macrófitas aquáticas em 313 gêneros e 97 famílias, que inclui 90 espécies endêmicas do Brasil e cinco espécies endêmicas da Amazônia brasileira. A lista de espécies de macrófitas do sul da Amazônia apresentou < 25% de similaridade com inventários na Amazônia e Cerrado. Essa alta diversidade de macrófitas aquáticas no sul da Amazônia, com espécies endêmicas e outras com e ocorrência restrita, enfatiza a necessidade de conservação dessas áreas úmidas e tipos de vegetação.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the CNMT Herbarium for providing logistical support for this study. Our thanks to Decanato de Pós-Graduação, Universidade de Brasília for finance support and to the Brazilian governmental agency CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal e Nível Superior or “Coordination of Personnel Improvement and Higher Education”) for a grant (M. O. Córdova and J. F. Keffer, Finance Code 001).

Funding

This article was financially supported by the Decanato de Pós-Graduação, Universidade de Brasília, and by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001) for the doctoral thesis grant awarded to the first author.

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MOC performed all data collection, identification, processing and validation; performed statistical analyses, determined the overall structure of the manuscript and wrote and revised it in general. JFK performed the data collection (Teles Pires and Verde rivers), processing and validation at CNMT Herbarium and was an important contributor in writing the manuscript. DRG carried out the collection (Xingu, Juruena and Cristalino rivers), data processing and validation at the CNMT Herbarium, VJP contributed to identification and validation of the species, AP contributed to identification and validation of the species and contributed to the revision of the manuscript. EGMJ provided data on aquatic macrophyte species from the Amazonia, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and Cerrado, CBRM guided and supervised the organization of the manuscript, suggested statistical analysis and was an essential contributor in writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Milton Omar Córdova.

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Córdova, M.O., Keffer, J.F., Giacoppini, D.R. et al. Aquatic Macrophytes in Southern Amazonia, Brazil: Richness, Endemism, and Comparative Floristics. Wetlands 42, 27 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-022-01545-7

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