Abstract
The flora of the Canary Islands has been subject to botanical studies for more than 200 years. Several biodiversity databases are available for the archipelago. However, there are various drivers of change in real biodiversity and the knowledge about it constantly needs to be kept track of. Island floras are both: exposed to species loss and to species introductions, either through natural processes or by anthropogenic drivers. Additionally, the evolution of endemic plant species plays a substantial role. Endemic species are sensitive to population decline due to small population sizes and possible low competitiveness against incoming species. Additionally, there is continuous progress in systematics and taxonomy. Species names or their taxonomic attribution can be modified. Here, we check published plant lists for the Canary Islands and literature, and compile currently accepted taxa into an updated checklist. For this FloCan checklist, several sources were compiled, checked for completeness and quality, and their taxonomy was updated. We illustrate how far plant names are considered in regional or global databases. This work represents the current state of knowledge on Canary Island plant diversity, including introduced and recently described taxa. We provide a comprehensive and updated basis for biogeographical and macroecological studies. Particularly, the number of non-native species is being extended substantially. The adaptation to standard international nomenclature supports integration into large-scale studies.
Highlights
The Flora of the Canary Islands archipelago has attracted botanists for centuries.Alexander von Humboldt, for example, spent a week on Tenerife in the year 1799
Based on the comparison of established approaches, databases, and lists of the Canary Islands, we identified common general taxonomic agreement and inconsistencies
We present an updated and revised flora for the archipelago that is open for additions and corrections
Summary
Alexander von Humboldt, for example, spent a week on Tenerife in the year 1799. During this short stay, he described the elevational distribution of plant species at the slope of. In the same year as Humboldt’s ascent to Mont Teide, in 1799, the first natural history book on the Canary Islands comprising species lists, and written by Viera y Clavijo, was released [2]. The consul declared we must perform a rigorous quarantine of twelve days Those who have never experienced it can scarcely conceive what a gloom it cast on every one: Matters were soon decided by the Captain ordering all sail to be set & make a course for the Cape Verd Islands
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