Análise do esforço amostral para estudos de flora (angiospermas) no RN

Abstract

The richness of species in a given region is widely used to identify priority areas for preservation and conservation. However, lack of sampling can lead to misunderstandings. In this study, an analysis was made of the sampling effort of angiosperms based on herbaria data for the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN). We used a total of 38,811 records available in online databases as well as from UFRN herbarium, and of this total, 4,370 were excluded due to errors and / or insufficient information, totaling 34,441 collections. We plot the data collection on a map with grids of 0.5 ° x 0.5 ° and analyzed the sampling effort using ArcGIS Geographic Information System. Analyses of collections showed that the sampling effort is more intense in protected areas; close to major cities, and in area containing influence (historical expeditions, geographic proximity) of universities campi. Also, we identified the intensity of collection by year and noted that, in general, the number of collections is increasing. The 10 families and 10 genera most sampled among the angiosperms in RN are presented. We observed that the areas of highest sampling effort are isolated and, due to the gaps between them, it may result in errors when proposing priority areas for conservation. High floristic potential areas, especially those surrounding the islands of collection that have high taxa richness may be being neglected by the fact they are still under-collected. We indicate which are the families and genera that have been more collected and this information can guide future collections as well as the management and decisions of incorporation of new specimens in herbaria scientific collections