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
Tilapia as exotic species Tilapia as exotic species Throughout much of the tropics, tilapiine cichlids native to Africa and the Levant have been widely introduced into a variety of aquatic systems. In the U.S. states of Florida and Texas, tilapia were originally introduced to curtail invasive plants. In an effort to meet the growing demand for tilapia, humans have farmed these fish in countries around the world. Capable of establishing themselves into new ponds and waterways, many tilapia have escaped aquaculture facilities across much of Asia, Africa, and South America. In other cases, tilapia have been established into new aquatic habitats via aquarists or