Aquatic macrophytes on the frontier of the maranhense Amazon: biodiversity and perspectives on economic potential

Abstract

The objective of the study was to list and classify the species present in the wetlands of the APA of Maranhense Lowlands, with an emphasis on the economic potential and perspectives for conserving the richness of biodiversity. The research consisted of a bibliographic review carried out on the Periódico Capes, Google Scholar and Scielo platforms, combined with data collected in the municipalities of Palmeirândia, Pinheiro and São Bento. The species were classified according to biological forms, origin, geographic distribution following the Flora and Funga do Brasil website, and the status of threat of extinction, based on the IUCN red list. The survey resulted in a list of 34 species identified in the three municipalities, highlighting species such as Pistia stratiotes, Limnobium laevigatum, Lwdwigia helminthorrhiza, Eichhornia azurea, Pontederia cordata and Salvinia minima. Based on the economic potential recorded for these species, we can highlight the importance of expanding studies on plants from the Maranhense Lowlands in view of the prospect of discovering new drugs on this frontier, cosmetics or other natural products; preserving the flora in a sustainable manner.