e-Flora das trepadeiras da estação ecológica do Seridó, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Abstract

Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) are widely distributed throughout the tropical region. In Brazil, this formation is represented by the Caatinga, which presents a great richness and endemism of angiosperms among the Neotropical SDTF. However, only a small portion (7.8%) of its total area is protected. The biome is also deficient in the study of flora, especially in remote areas, such as the Seridó region. Located between the states of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) and Paraíba (PB), the Seridó region has an underestimated floristic diversity, mainly in non-tree components, such as climbers. Given this scenario, it is essential to increase efforts in surveying flora, especially in remote and historically neglected areas. These studies will benefit the dissemination of taxonomic information from these regions, and consequently, favors actions for the conservation of local flora. Thus, the proposed work aims to: survey the climbers of the Seridó Ecological Station, a federal conservation unit located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, as well as providing a multi-access key, taxonomic treatment and field guide for the species existing in the unit. For this, collections were carried out between 2018 and 2019 as well as consultation of material deposited in the UFRN herbarium. Altogether, 52 species of climbers were listed, among them, 32 herbaceous and 20 woody. Among these species, five are new occurrences for the RN, as well as one genus (Tetrapterys). In addition, there was an increase of 23.1% the number of species in relation to the previous checklist performed at the unit. The identification key is already available on the Xper³ online platform (available at: xper3.fr/xper3GeneratedFiles/publish/identification/-4505993480748774750/mkey.html) and the complete flora, together with the others products will be made available on the website of the “E-flora of ESEC do Seridó” project, facilitating access to the most diverse audiences.