Diversification of Galianthe species (Rubiaceae) in the Neotropical seasonally dry forests: a case study of a mainly subshrubby genus (original) (raw)
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Acta Botanica Brasilica
irteen species of the genus Galianthe have been recorded for state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. e species are distributed among seven biomes, one of which contains all thirteen taxa-Subtropical Seasonal Forest. Herein a new endemic species, G. riograndensis J. Florentín & E.L. Cabral, is described, illustrated and di erentiated from all other species of the genus by having 3-4 verticillate leaves and a long bi d style. In addition, the pollen grain morphology and the seed micromorphology of the new species are described and illustrated, and the conservation status assessed according to IUCN criteria. Moreover, G. chodatiana is recorded for the rst time from the state, and a lectotype for G. equisetoides is designated. Most of the species of Galianthe are described and illustrated with detailed photos of living specimens. A taxonomic key for species identi cation, as well as comments on distribution, overall phenology and habitat, are also presented. e distribution of the new species is discussed in the context of the biogeographic region of the state, and maps and a table of species by biome are also provided.
Brazil holds most of the Atlantic Forest Domain and is also one of the Rubiaceae diversity centers in the Neotropics. Despite the urban expansion in the state of Rio de Janeiro, large areas of continuous vegetation with high connectivity degree can still be found. Recently, new Rubiaceae species have been described in the Rio de Janeiro flora, which present small populations and very particular distribution. The current paper analyzed the similarity in the floristic composition of the Rubiaceae in eight Atlantic Forest remnants of Rio de Janeiro state protected by Conservation Units. We also surveyed and set guidelines for conservation of microendemic species. The similarity analysis were based on previously published studies in Área de Proteção Ambiental de Grumari, Área de Proteção Ambiental Palmares, Parque Estadual da Serra da Tiririca, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Parque Nacional de Jurubatiba, Reserva Biológica de Poço das Antas, Reserva Biológica do Tinguá and Reserva Ecológica de Macaé de Cima-using the PAST software (" Paleontological Statistics ") with Sørensen coefficient. The floristic similarity analysis revealed two groups with distinct physiographic characteristics and different vegetation types. Group A consisted in two Restinga areas, Área de Proteção Ambiental de Grumari and Parque Nacional de Jurubatiba, which showed strong bootstrap support (98 %). Group B included forest remnants with distinct phytophisiognomies or altitudes, but with moderate bootstrap support. Low similarity levels among the eight areas were found due to the habitats' heterogeneity. The current study pointed out 19 microendemic species from the Atlantic Forest, they present a single-site distribution or a distribution restricted to Mountain and Metropolitan regions of Rio de Janeiro state. Concerning the conservation status of microen-demic species, discrepancies between the Catalogue of Flora of Rio de Janeiro and the Red Book of Brazilian Flora (two of the main reference catalogs of Brazilian flora) have been identified. We have also highlighted the need for recollecting microendemic species from the Atlantic Forest, and for properly assessing the degree of threat faced by these taxons early. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (2): 655-665. Epub 2016 June 01.
Biodiversity and Conservation, 2015
The Brazilian Atlantic Forest (sensu lato) is constituted by Dense Ombrophilous Forest, Mixed Ombrophilous Forest and Seasonal Semideciduous Forest, in which tree species are distributed in gradients, whichever latitude, longitude, or altitude is considered. We investigated whether herb species living on the floor of these forests would have the same geographic distribution pattern. If tree and herb-layer species have coincident distribution patterns, the same conservation units can conserve both species sets; otherwise, specific conservation actions should be taken. We built a presence/absence matrix of 803 terrestrial native species in 80 surveys across the southern and southeastern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We performed UPGMA, CA and RDA multivariate analyses in order to investigate the distribution patterns. The high degree of agreement among the analyses led us to assume that the geographic distribution of the herb-layer flora occurs as gradients among three main floristic groups: Tropical Ombrophilous forests (mostly lowland forests), Communicated by Jefferson Prado, Pedro V. Eisenlohr and Ary T. de Oliveira-Filho.
Floristic, Diversity and Spatial Distribution of Tree Species in a Dry Forest in Southern Brazil
Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 2017
This study was conducted in a fragment of deciduous seasonal forest (DSF), located between the municipalities of Piratuba and Ipira, Santa Catarina. The objective was to evaluate the floristic composition and the successional stage through the ecological groups, the Shannon diversity index (H') and the dispersal syndromes of species, also using the H' and the McGinnies index (IGA) to determine the pattern of spatial distribution of species. 14 transects were installed, each with 1,000 m 2 , considering all trees with Diameter at Breast Hight (DBH) ≤ 4.0 cm. In total, 2,125 individuals were sampled, belonging to 113 species and 34 families. Myrtaceae and Fabaceae were the families with the highest species richness, with 14.2% and 11.5%, respectively. Euphorbiaceae and Lauraceae added approximately 25% of the individuals. The most abundant species were Actiniostemon concolor (Spreng.) Müll. Arg (6.9%) and Luehea divaricata Mart. (6.7%). The ecological group of the pioneers totaled 40% of the individuals and 36.3% of the species. The zoochoric syndrome accounted for just over 60% of individuals and species. The H' was 3.92 nats. ind-1 and the Pielou evenness (J) was 0.82. The IGA revealed that only over 40% of the species and 60% of the individuals showed a clumped dispersion pattern. The community is on successional transition phase, from the initial to the intermediate stage. In this scenario, management measures adopted for the microscale could be implemented in order to preserve this important repository for diversity. The application of McGinnies index can be of great use in conservation and forest management, as its interpretation may contribute to the development of restoration methods of degraded areas, enrichment of forest remnants, germplasm conservation and other activities.
Biogeographical relationships among tropical forests in north-eastern Brazil
Journal of Biogeography, 2007
Aim To use parsimony analysis of endemicity and cladistic analysis of distributions and endemism to evaluate two hypotheses addressing biogeographical relationships among Amazonia, the Caatinga forest enclaves, Pernambuco Centre and the southern Atlantic Forest.Location North-eastern Brazil, South America.Methods To find the most parsimonious areagram we analysed a matrix composed of the presence (1) or absence (0) of 745 taxa (i.e. 293 genera and 452 species of woody plants) within 16 localities belonging to the four large regions addressed in this study.Results One most parsimonious areagram was found and it shows a basal separation between the southern Atlantic Forest and all other regions. This break is followed by a separation between all Caatinga forest enclaves (except Baturité) from a cluster composed of Baturité, the Pernambuco Centre and Amazonia. In this cluster, the most basal separation isolates Baturité from the cluster formed by localities from Amazonia and the Pernambuco Centre. The biogeographical relationships among sites could not be explained by either a random distribution of species among sites or by the geographical distance between sites.Main conclusions We found strong cladistic signal within the raw distribution and phylogenetic data used in our analysis, indicating structured species assemblages in the surveyed localities. They have resulted from the fragmentation of an ancestral biota that was once widely distributed in the region. Our results also support the hypothesis that Atlantic Forest is not a biogeographically natural area, because the Pernambuco Centre is more closely related to Amazonia than to the southern Atlantic Forest. Finally, our data do not support the notion that Caatinga forest enclaves comprise a single biogeographical region, because one Caatinga forest enclave (Baturité) is much more closely related to the cluster formed by Amazonia and the Pernambuco Centre than to other sites. These relationships suggest the occurrence of forest connections between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forests across Caatinga during several periods of the Tertiary and Quaternary. However, palaeoecological data currently available for the Caatinga region are still scarce and do not have either the spatial or temporal resolution required to reconstruct the history of connections among the forests in north-eastern Brazil.
Rodriguésia, 2012
The Rubiaceae is the fourth Angiosperm family in number of species in the World and in the Neotropics. Its overwhelming diversity and presence in most biomes, and at most vegetation layers, makes this family one of the most important components of tropical vegetation. During the last two decades, family classification went through several reorganizations, mostly influenced by the advent of molecular phylogenetic studies, and many taxonomic revisions and floristic studies on Brazilian Rubiaceae have become available. In view of the considerable amount of literature that has recently been produced on Neotropical Rubiaceae, the present work has two main objectives: the first is to offer an overall view of the most recent family classification with emphasis on the genera of Rubiaceae occurring in Brazil, and to indicate particular taxa that are still in need of phylogenetic and taxonomic studies; the second objective is to present a short discussion on the state of floristic and taxonomic knowledge with respect to the various regions of Brazil, indicating the taxa and the geographic areas that need to be studied.
PeerJ, 2017
Galianthe (Rubiaceae) is a neotropical genus comprising 50 species divided into two subgenera, Galianthe subgen. Galianthe, with 39 species and Galianthe subgen. Ebelia, with 11 species. The diagnostic features of the genus are: usually erect habit with xylopodium, distylous flowers arranged in lax thyrsoid inflorescences, bifid stigmas, 2-carpellate and longitudinally dehiscent fruits, with dehiscent valves or indehiscent mericarps, plump seeds or complanate with a wing-like strophiole, and pollen with double reticulum, rarely with a simple reticulum. This study focused on two species that were originally described under Diodia due to the occurrence of fruits indehiscent mericarps: Diodia palustris and D. spicata. In the present study, classical taxonomy is combined with molecular analyses. As a result, we propose that both Diodia species belong to Galianthe subgen. Ebelia. The molecular position within Galianthe, based on ITS and ETS sequences, has been supported by the following morphological characters: thyrsoid, spiciform or cymoidal inflorescences, bifid stigmas, pollen grains with a double reticulum, and indehiscent mericarps. However, both species, unlike the remainder of the genus Galianthe, have homostylous flowers, so the presence of this type of flower significantly modifies the generic concept. In this framework, a third homostylous species, Galianthe vasquezii, from the Andean region is also described. Until now, this species remained cryptic under specimens of Galianthe palustris It differs however from the latter by having longer calyx lobes, the presence of dispersed trichomes inside the corolla lobes (vs. glabrous), fruits that are acropetally dehiscent (vs. basipetally dehiscent), and its Andean geographical distribution (vs. Paranaense). Additionally, a lectotype has been chosen for Diodia palustris, Borreria pterophora has been placed under synonymy of Galianthe palustris, and Galianthe boliviana is reported for the first time from Peru. A key of all Galianthe species with indehiscent mericarps is also provided.
An Analysis of Species Distribution Patterns in the Atlantic Forests of Southeastern Brazil
Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 2011
This study analysed phytogeographic patterns of several Atlantic Forest areas in southeastern Brazil, including forest areas in the Espinhaço Range, to identify species with congruent distribution patterns and possible environmental factors that might influence these. A total of 54 floristic surveys, predominantly from semideciduous woodland sites but also including some rainforest areas, were compared using UPGMA and DCA methods as well as Jaccard analyses. The former identified four main groupings: group 1 included forests located throughout the Espinhaço Range; group 2 was formed by forest areas in the Rio Jequitinhonha basin; group 3 was formed by three distinct subgroups, one (3.1) predominantly of forest areas pertaining to the Alto Rio Grande basin, another (3.2) of upland forests of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, and a third subgroup (3.3) of upland forests of the Serra da Mantiqueira; and group 4 encompassed forest areas in the Rio Doce, Rio Paraíba do Sul, Rio Itanhém and Rio...
Research in ecology, 2022
Studies on composition and structure generate crucial information for characterizing plant communities and planning conservation actions. There are still substantial knowledge gaps in Brazilian protected areas, preventing design programs to mitigate biodiversity loss. This is the case of the National Forest of Ipanema (Ipanema NAFO) in São Paulo state, Brazil, where plant diversity remains uncalculated. To help fill this gap, in 1-ha of a seasonal semideciduous forest (SSF) stand on the Araçoiaba hill, the authors sampled all woody stems with dbh ≥ 5 cm in a total of 103 dead and 1,301 living plants representing 65 species, 57 genera, and 31 families. The number of species and families was lower than old-growth SSF and, together with the land-use history, which suggests the community is a secondary stand. The initial species Guazuma ulmifolia, Machaerium stipitatum, Croton floribundus, and Aloysia virgata totalized 50% of the living stems, whereas 37% of the other species summed up only 1.8%. The high abundance of these initial species and the presence of the climax species Cariniana legalis, Holocayx balansae, Myroxylon peruiferum, Zanthoxylum caribaeum and others indicate that the community is in an intermediate to advanced successional stage. Three species are considered vulnerable to extinction and 27 of least concern. Ipanema NAFO is an important conservation unit, sheltering some plants vulnerable to extinction and others locally rare. This study adds to other few studies about the flora of Ipanema NAFO, helping to estimate its biodiversity and planning conservation actions. Additionally, it is a source for defining reference values for ecological restoration in the Atlantic forest.