Epífitas vasculares na Amazônia: estrutura composicional e relevância das áreas protegidas para a conservação das espécies

Abstract

Vascular epiphytes are organisms sensitive to environmental changes and can indicate the conservation status of ecosystems. To study the conservation of these species, Protected Areas (PAs) play a crucial role in maintaining ecological processes and productive capacities of ecosystems. Based on an extensive dataset of vascular epiphytes (VE) collected in the Amazon, this study aimed to determine the richness and floristic composition of vascular epiphyte species in the Amazon and their relevance for conservation in protected areas. 5,598 species of vascular epiphytes were identified in the Amazon biome, belonging to 409 genera and 52 families. Most species belong to Orchidaceae, representing 50%, followed by Bromeliaceae with 11% and 6% each belong to Araceae and Polypodiceae. The majority of species (65%) were found within PAs in the Amazon, with 43.4% of them being exclusive to protected areas. These results demonstrate the importance of PAs in the conservation of VEs in the region. In addition, the study identified eleven centers of species richness and nine centers of weighted endemism of vascular epiphytes in the Amazon. Using species distribution modeling, the results revealed that most of the endemic species have areas of suitability on the edges of the Amazon, mainly in the western, northwestern and southwestern regions of the Neotropics, in Andean and pre-Andean altitudinal areas. These areas are considered potential for the occurrence of endemic vascular epiphytes, highlighting the importance not only of PAs, but also of conservation in areas outside protected areas to ensure the preservation of VEs. Therefore, both VEs and endemic vascular epiphytes are important indicators of the conservation status of ecosystems, and PAs play a crucial role in the conservation of these species in the Amazon, housing most of them and being essential for the maintenance of ecological processes.