Biological invasion in Catimbau National Park, Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

The biological invasion process is considered the second leading cause of loss of biodiversity on the planet, second only to human activities such as deforestation. This study aimed to carry out an inventory of non-native plants Catimbau National Park, Pernambuco. The inventory was accomplished through active search. The species were categorized into exotic, naturalized or invasive. We sampled 18 species distributed in 16 genera and nine families. The family with the highest number of representatives was Poaceae. Biological invasion in Catimbau National Park is an obvious problem that requires special attention because these species cause serious damage to local biodiversity, reducing the preservation area of native species.