scholarly journals Iron islands in the Amazon: investigating plant beta diversity of canga outcrops

PhytoKeys ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Oliveira Andrino ◽  
Rafael Gomes Barbosa-Silva ◽  
Juliana Lovo ◽  
Pedro Lage Viana ◽  
Marcelo Freire Moro ◽  
...  

The world’s largest mineral iron province, Serra dos Carajás, is home to an open vegetation known as canga, found on top of isolated outcrops rising out of the Amazon rainforest. Over one thousand vascular plants species have been recorded in these canga sites, including 38 edaphic endemics. A new survey adds to our investigation of biogeographic relationships between sixteen canga outcrops and the effect of the distance between site pairs on the number of shared species, regional species turnover and species distribution patterns. Plant collecting expeditions to the westernmost site, the Serra de Campos of São Félix do Xingu (SFX), were carried out followed by the identification of all collected specimens and the creation of a species database, built to perform biogeographical analyses. Floristic relationships among the sites were investigated regarding their similarity, using multivariate analyses. The correlation between canga areas and species richness was tested, as well as the geographical distance between pairs of outcrops and their shared species. Vascular plants at SFX total 254 species including 17 edaphic endemics. All canga sites are grouped with 25% of minimum similarity, and the SFX falls within a large subgroup of outcrops. The total species number shared between site pairs does not change significantly with geographical distance but is positively correlated with the area of each outcrop. Meanwhile, shared endemic species numbers between site pairs decline when geographical distance increases, possibly imposed by the barrier of the rainforest. Our data suggest higher shared similarity between the largest and species-richest sites as opposed to geographically nearby sites, and provide useful insight for drafting conservation and compensation measures for canga locations. The size of the canga outcrops is associated to higher floristic diversity but connectivity among islands also plays a role in their similarity.

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Miguel Ángel Macías-Rodríguez ◽  
Héctor Gerardo Frías-Ureña ◽  
Sergio Honorio Contreras-Rodríguez ◽  
Alfredo Frías-Castro

<p><strong>Background:</strong> The Sayula sub-basin presents a complex landscape composed of plants communities that to date have not been studied in a timely manner, so this study contributes to the knowledge of the flora and vegetation of the area and the State.</p><p><strong>Question:</strong> i) How many and which families, genera and species are in the Sayula sub-basin? ii) What are the main biological forms of the species? iii) Are there species under any category of protection? iv) How many vegetation types are present within the region?<br /> <strong>Studied species:</strong> Ferns, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms.<br /> <strong>Study site and years of study:</strong> The Sayula sub-basin, Jalisco, Mexico; from February 2012 to October 2015.<br /> <strong>Methods:</strong> Through the literature review and field work the floristic checklist was elaborated. In addition, with the use of geographic information systems, a map of land use and vegetation was made.<br /> <strong>Results:</strong> A total of 687 species were recorded, including 415 genera and 113 families. The five main families were Poaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae Solanaceae and Euphorbiaceae representing 42.6 % of the total species and 36.6 % of the genera. It should be noted that the predominant biological forms were herbs with 409, 105 shrubs and 74 trees. On the other hand, 47 species registered under some protection category of which, only one species <em>Cleomella jaliscensis</em> is endemic to the region. Finally, eight vegetation types were determined, being the tropical deciduous forest the one that occupies greater surface and presents greater floristic diversity.<br /> <strong>Conclusions:</strong> It is important to emphasize that during the realization of the work, agricultural activities were detected affecting the flora and vegetation, threatening the biodiversity and the natural balance of the region.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-ping LI ◽  
Nurbay Abdusalih ◽  
Shao-peng WANG ◽  
Zhi-heng WANG ◽  
Zhi-yao TANG

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sayedur Rahman ◽  
Gazi Mosharof Hossain ◽  
Saleh Ahammad Khan ◽  
Sarder Nasir Uddin

The study revealed the occurrence of 528 species of vascular plants belonging to 356 genera and 111 families in the Sundarban Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh. Among these species, 24 were pteridophytes and the rest were angiosperms, of which only 24 were true mangroves and 70 were mangrove associates. Magnoliopsida and Liliopsida were represented by 373 and 131 species, respectively. These species belonged to 345 herbs, 89 shrubs and 94 trees. Sixty-four species were climbers, 14 were epiphytes, 6 were parasites, and 7 were palms. The species number per family varied from 1 to 42. In pteridophytes, Pteridaceae with 4 genera and 5 species was the largest family. In angiosperms, Fabaceae with 24 genera and 42 species and Poaceae with 27 genera and 42 species were the largest families, respectively, in Magnoliopsida and Liliopsida. Most of the species included in this checklist were found in oligohaline zone, Sarankhola range and the forest margins, and recognized as economically important. Eleven species categorized as threatened in Bangladesh were found to occur in this mangrove forest.Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 22(1): 17–41, 2015 (June)


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e6139 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Simaika ◽  
Michael Samways ◽  
Sven M. Vrdoljak

Congruence between plant and insect diversity is considered possibly useful in conservation planning, as the better known plants could be surrogates for the lesser known insects. There has been little quantification of congruence across space, especially in biodiversity rich areas. We compare here species richness, and turnover relationships between plants and flower-visiting insects across space (0.5–80 km) in natural areas of a biodiversity hotspot, the Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. A total of 22,352 anthophile individuals in 198 species and 348 plant species were sampled. A comparison between the plants and anthophiles suggest significant concordance between the two assemblages. However, turnover was weaker in plants than in anthophiles. Plant turnover decreased with greater geographical distance between plot pairs. In contrast, insect turnover remained high with increasing geographical distance between plot pairs. These findings suggest that while patterns of plant diversity and distribution shape flower-visiting insect assemblages, they are not reliable surrogates. The conservation significance of these results is that specialist mutualisms are at greatest risk, and that set-asides on farms would help improve the functional connectivity leading to the maintenance of the full range of mutualisms.


Author(s):  
J. Murillo Conterón ◽  
R. Peña Murillo ◽  
D. Román Robalino

In the higher part of the Santa Fe de Galán parish, intensive agricultural activities are carried out that cause problems of erosion, disappearance of species of fauna and flora, decrease in water and deterioration of páramo areas due to the advance of the agricultural frontier. These activities present a threat to the sustainability of the San José de Chazo-Santa Fe de Galán region, due to the degradation of its natural resources that directly affect the vital development of 1200 families belonging to this region. The present investigation aims to study ecosystem services linked to water, as well as floristic diversity, for which data was collected and systematized from the Ciénega páramo in the San José de Chazo-Santa Fe de Galán region. According to the data collected on floristic diversity, 29 samples of terrestrial vascular plants were registered, corresponding to 18 families, 26 genera and 29 species; moss and lichen of unidentified family, genus and species were also collected. The highest index of importance value by species and family was presented by the moss with 20.39% and 18.17%, respectively. The average monthly flow during the February–May period observed through the volumetric method was 6.34 L/s. Keywords: capacity, flow, diversity, paramo, ecosystem services, sustainability. Resumen En la parte alta de la Parroquia Santa Fe de Galán se desarrollan actividades agropecuarias intensivas que provocan problemas de erosión, desaparición de especies de fauna y flora, disminución del agua y deterioro de áreas de páramo por el avance de la frontera agrícola. Estas actividades representan una amenaza para la sostenibilidad de la Regional San José de Chazo– Santa Fe de Galán, debido a la degradación de sus recursos naturales que inciden directamente en el desarrollo vital de 1200 familias pertenecientes a esta Regional. La presente investigación tiene como objetivo estudiar los servicios ecosistémicos ligados al agua y diversidad florística, cuyos datos fueron recolectados y sistematizados del páramo de la Ciénega en la Regional San José de Chazo–Santa Fe de Galán. De acuerdo con los resultados de diversidad florística se registró 29 muestras de plantas vasculares terrestres, correspondiente a 18 familias, 26 géneros y 29 especies, también se recolectó musgo y liquen de familia, género y especie no identificados. El mayor índice de valor de importancia por especie y familia lo presentó el musgo con 20,39% y 18,17%, respectivamente. El caudal promedio mensual durante el período febrero – mayo a través del método volumétrico fue de 6,34 L/s. Palabras clave: aforo, caudal, diversidad, páramo, servicios ecosistémicos, sostenibilidad.


2020 ◽  
pp. 142-147
Author(s):  
Shaswati Chakraborty ◽  
Dipalok Karmaker ◽  
Subroto Kumar Das ◽  
Riyad Hossen

Phytoplanktons, also called microalgae, are microscopic photosynthetic living organisms that generally found in aquatic environments. Although they are considered as the most important primary producers and bioindicators of aquatic ecosystems, there was no previous report found for Barishal City about these tiny organisms. Consequently, the present study selected 10 freshwater reservoirs from the city to investigate phytoplankton communities and listed 110 taxa under 4 phyla, 7 classes, 18 orders, 24 families and 49 genera. The distribution of Chlorophytes was abundant relatively in terms of species number (45 taxa) followed by Euglenophytes, Chlorophytes and Cyanophytes in this area. Only Euglenaceae possessed one-third of the total species of this report. Among all stations, the highest number of taxa was recorded from station 2 and according to nine biodiversity indices, the station 2 and 9 showed comparatively good results. All of the recorded taxa were previously mentioned by different authors from Bangladesh.


Bothalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Hahn

Background: The first checklist for the Soutpansberg was published in 1946, and the second list was compiled by the author in 2006 as part of his doctoral thesis. Currently, there is a need for an updated account of the biodiversity of the Soutpansberg Centre of Endemism and Diversity for conservation planning in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, within which the Soutpansberg is the principle geomorphological feature.Objectives: To present an updated list of vascular plants recorded for the Soutpansberg.Method: The list was compiled from various sources including literature reviews, herbarium specimens, herbarium databases and personal observations.Results: This article presents the most geographically accurate and taxonomically updated list of the indigenous vascular flora of the Soutpansberg, the northernmost mountain range of South Africa. Altogether 2443 taxa are recorded belonging to 922 genera in 187 families and 64 orders.Conclusion: The list presented in this article confirms the status of the Soutpansberg as a centre of floristic diversity in southern Africa. Notable is the higher-order diversity of the flora. It is likely that both future surveys and reviews of herbarium collections will add new taxa to the current total.


Botany ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Curtis R. Björk

A region of contrastively wetter and milder climate occurs in inland northwest North America, separated from similar climates of the Pacific coast by 200–400 km. Researchers have long noted that numerous vascular plants divide their ranges between the interior wetbelt and coastal regions, although many such disjunctions have hitherto gone undocumented. Here I summarize all vascular plants shared between coastal and interior wetbelt regions, disjunct by at least 200 km. These disjunct taxa are assigned to north-coast and south-coast lists according to whether the coastal portions of the ranges occur primarily north or south of the southern limits of maximum continental glaciation. A list of interior wetbelt endemic taxa is also presented, focusing on those that occur at forested elevations. Presence/absence for coastal disjunct and endemic taxa were assigned to grid of 1° × 1° latitude–longitude cells. Using this grid, concentrations of disjunct and endemic taxa were detected, and total values per cell were tested in linear regression for a relationship to mean annual precipitation. In total, 116 coastal disjunct taxa were detected, 31 of them north-coastal and 85 south-coastal. Interior wetbelt endemic and subendemic taxa total 95, and of these, 46 were found primarily at forested elevations. North-coast taxa were found over a wide latitudinal range both north and south of the glacial limits, and their distribution had a weak positive relationship with annual precipitation. South-coast and endemic taxa were found mostly south of the glacial limits, and their distribution did not correlate to annual precipitation. The greatest concentrations of south coastal disjunct and endemic taxa occurred in the Clearwater region of north-central Idaho; a region noted by previous researchers to be a likely ice-age refugium for wet-climate dependent plants and animals. Inferences are made from these patterns, both for biogeographical understanding of the roles played by the interior wetbelt and some regions connecting to the coast, as well as for preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem continuity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
IGOR GRICHANOV ◽  
MARIYA CHURSINA ◽  
MENGQING WANG

The dolichopodid fauna of continental Chinese and Russian regions belonging to the East Palaearctic have been selected for a comparative diversity investigation. We gathered information about 654 species of long-legged flies in the studied areas. Regarding the total species number, Primorsky Kray and Republic of Sakha in Russia, Henan and Shaanxi in China, as well as Mongolia are the top five regions, each with more than 100 species known. Cluster analysis of the dolichopodid genera composition allows us to divide all studied territories into two groups: Group A is mixed, since it includes both the Russian regions and the Chinese provinces; Group B includes only Russian regions. Generally, the mathematical analysis of the dolichopodid species supports the uniqueness of Primorsky Kray as the biodiversity center in East Asian Palaearctic. A decrease in the number of known species and biodiversity indices is observed northward, southward and westward of Primorsky Kray. One more possible center is located closely to the Oriental provinces of China (Henan and Shaanxi provinces).


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