Corticolous cyanobacteria from tropical forest remnants in northwestern São Paulo State, Brazil

Author(s)

Nadia Martins Lemes-da-Silva ^[1] ; Luis Henrique Zanini Branco ^[1] ; Orlando Necchi Júnior ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Zool & Bot, Inst Biociencias Letras Ciencias Exatas, BR-15054000 Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, SP - Brazil

^[2] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica. Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Rev. bras. Bot.; v. 35, n. 2, p. 169-179, 2012-00-00.

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are common in aquatic environments but are also well-adapted to terrestrial habitats where they are represented by a diversified flora. The present study aimed to contribute to our taxonomic knowledge of terrestrial cyanobacteria by way of a floristic survey of the main components of corticolous communities found in seasonal semideciduous forest fragments. Samples of visible growths of Cyanobacteria, algae, and bryophytes found on tree bark were randomly collected and their taxonomies examined. Eighteen species of Cyanobacteria were found belonging to the genera Aphanothece, Chroococcus, Lyngbya, Phormidium, Porphyrosiphon, Hapalosiphon, Hassalia, Nostoc, Scytonema, and Stigonema. Many genera and species observed in the present work have been reported in previous surveys of the aerophytic flora in several regions of the world, although six species were described only on the basis of populations found in the forest fragments studied, which highlights the importance of taxonomic studies of cyanobacteria in these habitats. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 04/04820-3 - Fauna and flora from forest fragments in the northwest region of São Paulo State: the basis to biodiversity conservational studies
• Grantee: Orlando Necchi Junior
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants