Murici Ecological Station an average of . The dominant vegetation is dense rainforest in the Atlantic Forest biome. In the best preserved areas, mostly at the higher elevations, the forest forms a fairly uniform closed canopy up to high that provides shade and retains moisture. Tree species include murici ("Byrsonima sericea"), "Schefflera morototoni", "Parkia pendula", "Tabebuia" species, "Pseudobombax" species, "Bowdichia virgilioides", "Tapirira guianensis", "Handroanthus impetiginosus" and "Protium" species. The understory contains seedlings of trees, palms such as "Euterpe catinga", and many lianas and epiphytes, such as "Araceae", "Orchidaceae" ("dimerandra" species, "Dichaea" species, "Rodriguezia" species, "Cattleya labiata", "Pleurothallis" species, "Epidendrum" species, "Oncidium" species and
Flowering plant in atmospheric CO concentrations, and allowed the flowering plants to outcompete other land plants. It is generally assumed that the function of flowers, from the start, was to involve mobile animals in their reproduction processes. That is, pollen can be scattered even if the flower is not brightly colored or oddly shaped in a way that attracts animals; however, by expending the energy required to create such traits, angiosperms can enlist the aid of animals and, thus, reproduce more efficiently. Island genetics provides one proposed explanation for the sudden, fully developed appearance of flowering plants. Island genetics is believed to