Polygalaceae Hoffmanns & link na Amazônia maranhense, Brasil: taxonomia e conservação.

Abstract

The Maranhense Amazon is identified as an expressive region in terms of species richness and endemism, however, it is constantly threatened mainly by plant degradation. Floristic studies are scarce in the Amazonian Maranhense, generating gaps about its real diversity. Among the angiosperms occurring in the Maranhense Amazon is Polygalaceae, represented in Brazil by 11 genera and ca. 210 species, and of these seven genera, 24 species and one variety are registered for Maranhão. However, the incipient studies focused on Polygalaceae in the Amazonian Maranhense are a cause for concern, since its representatives, including possible yet unknown species, are under imminent and constant threat, with areas undergoing an accelerated process of land use change and rates of habitat extinction. Identifying areas of greater diversity of species and areas with little inventory can encourage future studies and increase practical conservation actions. Based on this, the objectives of this research were to carry out a taxonomic study of the genera and species of Polygalaceae in the Maranhense Amazon and to quantify the efforts in the process of floristic inventory of this region, identifying historical and contemporary characters involved in this process. The research resulted in two chapters: the first “Polygalaceae in Amazônia Maranhense, Brazil”, where identification keys, morphological descriptions, photographic plates and distribution maps of 13 species belonging to five genera of Polygalaceae are provided: Asemeia Raf. emend. Small (1 species), Bredemeyera Willd. (2), Moutabea Chodat (2), Polygala L. (4) and Securidaca L. (4), where Bredemeyera petiolata M.Mota & J.F.B.Pastore, Moutabea guianensis Aubl. and Securidaca paniculata Rich. are registered for the first time for the state of Maranhão; the second chapter “Analysis of the sampling effort for botanical studies in the Maranhense Amazon, Brazil”, demonstrates the evolution of collection records in Maranhão via biodiversity databases and presents a map showing the most and least collected areas in the Maranhense Amazon, in addition to , provides information on the quantity of collections for all groups of embryophytes occurring in the region.