Bryoflora of the municipalities of Soure and Cachoeira do Arari, on Marajó Island, in the state of Pará, Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the richness and ecological aspects (ecosystem and substrate) of mosses and liverworts at two municipalities on Marajó Island, in the state of Pará, Brazil. The study area (6615 km2) encompasses the municipalities of Soure and Cachoeira do Arari. Bryophytes were collected from the 10th to the 16th of January, 2007, during random visits along existing trails or during the forging of new trails, from all possible types of vegetation, regardless of the type of substrate. The ecosystems visited in the study area were capoeira (secondary vegetation, growing on land that has been burned or cleared), teso (vegetation growing on areas of land at an elevation slightly higher than the water line during flood season), floodplain forest, mangrove forests, cerrado (savanna) and natural grasslands (pure and mixed). In total, 11 families, 30 genera, and 67 species were recorded, of which 39 represented new records for the island. Cololejeunea panamensis G. Dauphin & Pocs represented a new record for South America; Microlejeunea subulistipa Steph. represented a new record for the northern region of Brazil, and Cololejeunea verwimpii Tixier and Mastigolejeunea innovans (Spruce) Steph. represented new records for the state of Pará.