Bryophyte diversity in an area of Brazilian Cerrado in Central-West

The Cerrado is a savanna formation predominantly located in the central Brazilian plateau; this vegetation is rich in bryophytes. This study analyzes bryophyte diversity, composition and distribution among various Cerrado vegetation types (Gallery Forest, Deciduous Forest, Rupestrian Cerrado and Rupestrian Fields) and substrates in the Área de Proteção Ambiental Morro do Macaco, from municipality of Iporá, Goiás state, in Central-West Brazil. The collection was performed in four plots of 20m x 20m, in each vegetation types, from August to December 2010, the data were analyzed with the Shannon-Wiener (H') and Simpson diversity index and the floristic similarity with UPGMA. We found 37 species, with 28 to Bryophyta and nine to Marchantiophyta. Trichostomum brachydontium Bruch is a new record to the Brazilian Midwest and an endemic species (Archidium oblongifolium Peralta et al.) occurs in the study area. The forested areas were the richest in species number and the substrate most colonized was soil. The results extend the information about the Cerrado bryophytes, increasing the knowledge of their taxonomic diversity and ecology.