Levantamento florístico de um fragmento da Região dos Cocais em Lago da Pedra, Maranhão

Abstract

Plants are a source of food resources and several essential products and services for people. The Amazon biome is defined as a set of eco-regions, fauna, flora and dynamics, and similar ecological processes, composed of humid tropical forests, extensive hydrographic network and enormous biodiversity. The Cerrado is the second largest biome in South America, the second largest biome in Brazil and the savanna with the greatest biodiversity in the world, covering more than two million km2, covering almost 1/4 of the Brazilian territory, occupying a large part of the Central Plateau. Knowing the composition of species is extremely important in the management and control of areas so that native species do not suffer in competition with exotic species, losing local biodiversity. This study aimed to carry out a floristic survey of a fragment of the cocais region in Lago da Pedra - MA, aiming at cataloging to disseminate knowledge about the species found. Collections took place weekly from May to October 2023. 182 species belonging to 154 genera and 66 families were found. Trees were the most abundant with 86 species, followed by 62 shrub species (34%). The Fabaceae and Malvaceae families were the most representative with 15 species each, followed by Arecaceae with 11 registered species. The genus Annona stood out with 4 species, followed by Ipomoea and Citrus with 3 species. In the survey, six species stood out as threatened and three are almost threatened according to the CNCFlora and IUCN red list of threatened species. There is therefore a need to monitor these species, and expand studies related to local vegetation.