Abstracts
Floristic and taxonomic studies of aquatic macrophytes contribute to quantification of the flora showing its richness and diversity in these ecosystems. This study aims to characterize floristic composition, provide identification keys and detect life forms of aquatic macrophytes in three public water-supply reservoirs, located in different phytogeographic regions of Pernambuco (Zona da Mata/Litoral, Agreste and Sertão). The plants were collected from April 2007 to February 2010. Fertile or sterile specimens were collected on the shore and inside the reservoirs. 59 species were sampled belonging to 23 families. The most representative families were: Fabaceae (10 species), Asteraceae (9), Poaceae (8) and Cyperaceae (6). The most common life forms were amphibious with 36 species (61.01%) and emergent with 14 species (23.73%). Compared to other floristic studies, the most representative families in this study were also common in other aquatic ecosystems and the high number of amphibious and emergent plants was due mainly to the resistance of these species to variation in water level in the reservoirs. Since they are located in different phytogeographic zones, the flora of the reservoirs proved to be quite distinct, with only one species in common.
Key words:
aquatic ecosystems Northeast; Brazil; aquatic plants; taxonomy