ABSTRACT The Atlantic Forest is made up of different vegetation types over extensive latitude. Most of its remnants are in mountain ranges, which are responsible for the maintenance of most endemic and threatened species in this domain. Here we present the floristic composition of the Área de Proteção Ambiental Mestre Álvaro (APAMA), a coastal massif at Espírito Santo State with expressive altitudinal amplitude (100-800 a.s.l.) containing remnants never floristically studied. Knowing the composition of this protected area is important because it includes an altitudinal range not yet evaluated in floristic comparisons involving highland and lowland forests between the latitudes 18-21° S. We found 493 species (in 292 genera and 91 families): ten are regional endemic species, nine are new records of occurrence for the state, and 52 are under some degree of threat of extinction. Our results indicate the presence of flora elements' typical of both highland and lowland forests, which makes the APAMA essential in a scenario extremely fragmented. Finally, our data provide an unprecedented floristic list for regional forest restoration projects, as well as an invaluable source of data for biogeographic studies that seek to understand the effect caused by neighboring vegetation types on the composition of lowland forests.

As nascentes são afloramentos dos aquíferos superficiais, e o ciclo da água neste ambiente passa pela recarga que é definida, de maneira geral, como a quantidade de água que é acrescentada ao aquífero, podendo ocorrer localmente a partir da infiltração das águas das chuvas. Neste trabalho, apresenta-se o método de flutuação das superfícies livres (Water Table Fluctuation- WTF) para estimativa da recarga direta e um balanço hídrico subterrâneo para estimativa da recarga profunda, em aquíferos livres. O método WTF utiliza dados de monitoramento do nível do aquífero e rendimento específico do aquífero para a determinação da recarga direta. O balanço hídrico subterrâneo assume a recarga direta estimada pelo método WTF como sendo a entrada de água no sistema, e as saídas, como sendo o escoamento de base e a recarga profunda. As estimativas de recarga foram aplicadas a quatro áreas de recarga de aquíferos superficiais da região do Alto Rio Grande-MG. A estimativa da recarga direta foi de 121,11; 64,62; 83,99 e 152,46 (mm/ano) para as áreas L1, L2, M1 e M2. O efeito da presença de mata na área de recarga pode prevalecer sobre o da declividade do relevo, proporcionando maior recarga direta, mesmo em áreas de recarga com relevo mais íngreme. A drenagem do aquífero superficial (deflúvio propiciado pelas nascentes) no período avaliado superou a recarga direta, indicando uma situação em que a zona saturada, alimenta a zona vadosa.

Springs are outcrops of aquifers surface, and the water cycle in this environment pass through the recharge, generally defined as the amount of water added to the aquifer, which may occur locally from rainwater infiltration. This study uses the Water Table Fluctuation (WTF) method to estimate the direct recharge and a groundwater balance to estimate the deep recharge on unconfined aquifers. The WTF method employs data of the aquifer water levels and its specific yield to estimate the direct recharge. The groundwater balance considers the direct recharge estimated by the WTF method, as the water input in the system and outputs as the base flow and deep recharge. The recharge was estimated at four areas at the watershed of Alto Rio Grande city, Minas Gerais (MG) state, in Brazil. The direct recharge estimate was 121.11; 64.62; 83.99; 152.46 (mm/year) for the L1, L2, M1 and M2 areas. The effect of the presence of forest in the recharge area can prevail over slope of relief, allowing more direct recharge, even in sources with steeper relief. The runoff from the springs in the study period exceeded the direct recharge, indicating a situation in which the saturated zone feeds the vadose zone. The annual flow was above the direct recharge pointing a situation of over exploitation of the aquifer, a non sustainable situation. The specific yield of the aquifers could also have been underestimated.