Endemic Vascular Plants Research Articles

Priority areas for conservation based on endemic vascular plant species and their biocultural attributes: a case study in Sinaloa, Mexico

Endemic vascular plants are one of the main biodiversity indicators used to propose priority conservation areas. The richness of endemic species and corrected and weighted endemism are the most frequently used criteria, while anthropogenic or biocultural factors such as ethnobotanical value or ecological vulnerability are seldom considered. This work proposes priority conservation areas for Sinaloa, Mexico, considering the richness of its endemic species, corrected and weighted endemism, as well as ethnobotanical value, protection status, and the Priority Conservation Index (PCI). The analysis was performed in a 19 × 19 km grid and included 247 records of 78 species. The areas proposed when considering only the richness of endemic species and the weighted endemism coincided with previously known areas of high biodiversity in the state, which are areas of high collection effort and low anthropogenic impact. When considering the ethnobotanical value and protection status, the areas identified included those with greater anthropogenic impact, which contained species of biocultural and economic importance. When the PCI was used, both of these types of regions were identified. We therefore recommend this index as a better indicator to select priority areas.

Vulnerability assessment of natural heritage in the North-Eastern Ecuadorian Amazon using land use cover and nature protection status

This study evaluates the vulnerability of natural heritage in the Northeast Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA), from the perspective of intrinsic vulnerability. Therefore, two proxy indicators of vulnerability were established: (i) the ecological integrity vulnerability index (EIVI), indicating the potential loss of ecological integrity, assessed by protection status (2018); (ii) the biological diversity vulnerability index (BVI), deriving the potential loss of biological diversity, using land cover/land use (2014). Biodiversity values were derived with land cover-related biodiversity data, and (iii) and compared with spatial congruence/correlation between (i) and (ii). The EIVI was directly derived using protection status, which defines vulnerability levels by ranking them according to corresponding levels of anthropic development allowance. A robust relationship between land use classes and species richness was found for both endemic vascular plants in neotropical regions and multi-taxa in tropical forests worldwide, validating the BVI. Furthermore, the moderate spatial correlation between protection status and land cover (r = 0.52) may be partially explained by 3,060 km2 of unprotected primary forest. Overall, 42 % of the NEA have a high degree of congruence between potential biodiversity and protection status. In conclusion, this study provides insights into nature conservation efforts in areas with sparse biodiversity data using readily available geographic information.

Revised checklist of endemic vascular plants of Kazakhstan.

We compiled a checklist of endemic vascular plants occurring in Kazakhstan, employing an exhaustive examination of literature sources, herbarium collections, databases and field observations. Our study reveals that 451 taxa can be considered endemic to Kazakhstan, constituting 7.97% of the total vascular plant diversity in the country. These endemic taxa, originating from 139 genera and 34 families, predominantly thrive in the southern regions of Kazakhstan, specifically in the mountain ridges of the Kazakh part of the Tian Shan, including Karatau (123 taxa), Dzungarian Alatau (80 taxa) and Trans-Ili and Kungey Alatau (50 taxa). Notably, 107 endemic species are granted legal protection. Detailed information regarding life form, life cycle, conservation status and geographical distribution across floristic regions was meticulously compiled for each endemic taxon. Of the six groups of life forms, herbs include the highest part of endemic taxa (367 taxa), followed by dwarf semishrubs (25 taxa), shrubs (23 taxa), subshrubs (20 taxa), undershrubs (13 taxa) and trees (3 taxa). The observed life cycles are perennials (408 taxa), annuals (33 taxa) and biennials (10 taxa). This paper serves as a fundamental groundwork for prospective investigations aimed at assessing population sizes and hotspots of plant endemism throughout Kazakhstan, crucial for determining conservation status of endemic plants.

Tracking Phenological Changes over 183 Years in Endemic Species of a Mediterranean Mountain (Sierra Nevada, SE Spain) Using Herbarium Specimens.

Phenological studies have a crucial role in the global change context. The Mediterranean basin constitutes a key study site since strong climate change impacts are expected, particularly in mountain areas such as Sierra Nevada, where we focus. Specifically, we delve into phenological changes in endemic vascular plants over time by analysing data at three scales: entire massif, altitudinal ranges, and particular species, seeking to contribute to stopping biodiversity loss. For this, we analysed 5262 samples of 2129 herbarium sheets from Sierra Nevada, dated from 1837 to 2019, including reproductive structure, complete collection date, and precise location. We found a generalized advancement in phenology at all scales, and particularly in flowering onset and flowering peak. Thus, plants flower on average 11 days earlier now than before the 1970s. Although similar trends have been confirmed for many territories and species, we address plants that have been studied little in the past regarding biotypes and distribution, and which are relevant for conservation. Thus, we analysed phenological changes in endemic plants, mostly threatened, from a crucial hotspot within the Mediterranean hotspot, which is particularly vulnerable to global warming. Our results highlight the urgency of phenological studies by species and of including ecological interactions and effects on their life cycles.

An Endemic Vascular Plant Species for Türkiye, Ferulago Humilis Boiss., and Its Potential Distribution Areas

Turkey is expected to be affected considerably in future adverse climatic conditions. Plant species are one of the most vulnerable to these climatic changes. In this study, we aimed to investigate current and future potential distribution areas of Ferulago humilis Boiss., which is an endemic vascular plant species for Turkey, using CMIP5 projected to year 2070. For this purpose, we obtained occurence data (presence-only) from Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Regarding bioclimatic data we used WorldClim dataset with 10 km2 resolution. Using both plant occurrence and bioclimatic data, we performed species distribution modelling analysis. We used two methods namely Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) and Random Forest (RF). Additionally, we used bootstrapping method as partitioning resampling for all analysis. Our analysis has showed that potential distribution areas of the species has slightly changed for the future projection. The species movement is towards slightly upwards as higher latitudes. We believe that our study shows the importance and relevance of the endemic species in the scope of species distribution models for plant conservation topics.

Climate change impacts on habitat suitability of Cinnamomum travancoricum (Lauraceae), a critically endangered endemic vascular plant in the Western Ghats, India

Abstract The habitat of Cinnamomum travancoricum, a critically endangered endemic vascular plant that thrives at high altitudes (1,500–3,500 m asl) and in moist environments (600–850 hPa) in Western Ghats (WG), is shrinking due to climate change (CC), increase in herbivore populations, urbanization, and over-exploitation of C. travancoricum. Cinnamomum travancoricum’s current habitat and predictive range shift were modeled using MaxEnt for 2030, 2050, and 2070 CE under two emission scenarios: Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. The 19 WorldClim bioclimatic variables, including slope, aspect, elevation data, and 16 spatially dispersed-species-occurrence points, were used to predict the potential distribution. Jackknife test identified ‘isothermality’, ‘mean diurnal range’, and ‘precipitation of the driest month’ as the most impactful variables for modeling the habitat and range shift. This MaxEnt model was accurate with an area under curve (AUC) value of 0.995. This ecological model predicted a substantial range contraction in suitable habitats, with ‘highly suitable’ and ‘moderately suitable’ habitats shrinking by 100% in RCP 8.5, confirming that C. travancoricum is highly vulnerable to the effects of CC, making it one key species for conservation in WG. The present study suggests the restoration of existing protected areas, creation of specialized reserves, habitat connectivity, and further education towards local communities as the key adaptation strategies for conservation.

Hotspot and conservation gap analysis of endemic vascular plants in the Altai Mountain Country based on a new global conservation assessment

The Altai Mountains of Central and North Asia are biologically rich and comprise a wide range of ecosystems and phytogeographical regions. According to the latest checklist, a total of 321 endemic vascular plant species, including 217 endemic and 104 subendemic taxa, have been recognized in the Altai Mountain Country (AMC). In this study, we conducted species risk assessment, distribution evaluation and conservation gap analysis for the endemic vascular flora of the AMC. The conservation status of 217 endemic species was assessed at the global level using the ConR package. As a result, 197 species were evaluated as potentially threatened, of which 101 are critically endangered (CR), 72 species are endangered (EN), and 24 species are vulnerable (VU). The remaining 20 species were evaluated as not threatened. Furthermore, the AMC was divided into 350 grid cells, with a grid cell size of 50 × 50 km2, for the spatial assessments of the endemic vascular plants. A total of 2657 unique georeferenced occurrences of endemic species were found and analyzed with three endemism indices, species richness (SR), weighted endemism (WE), and corrected weighted endemism (CWE), to quantify geographic patterns and centers of endemism across the whole AMC. The results showed that the endemic species are spread across 186 grid cells and distributed unevenly within the AMC. According to the conservation gap analysis, the main hotspots of endemism (i.e., SR and WE indices) were found at high elevations in the Russian Altai, while the CWE points to the Kazakh Altai as a hotspot, and many such hotspots are currently afforded no formal protections.

An annotated nomenclatural checklist of endemic vascular plants distributed in the Ukrainian Carpathians.

The current paper presents a nomenclatural checklist for vascular plants validated being (sub)endemic to and present in the flora of the Ukrainian Carpathians. This checklist is a part of the work targeted on an inventory of endemic plants distributed in the Ukrainian Carpathians. It is mainly based on the analysis of primary sources (i.e. original protologues and monographic works), but also uses the data provided in the recent online taxonomic aggregators, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), Catalogue of Life (CoL), Plants of the World Online (POWO), Euro+Med PlantBase, World Flora Online (WFO) and others. Over 7,000 specimens deposited in the leading Ukrainian herbaria were also revised and used as a supporting data source during the work on the checklist. The checklist provides a revised nomenclature, including corrections on publication dates, rediscovered taxonomic protologues, corrected authorships and revised taxonomic status for (sub)endemic (sub)species of vascular plants occurring in the Ukrainian Carpathians. It contains 1,101 names, from which 78 species and subspecies have been accepted as valid and 1023 species and infraspecific taxa are provided as synonyms. It is completed with critical notes on the nomenclature of problematic taxa and brief annotations regarding their distribution in the Ukrainian Carpathians, indicating the endemicity range and sozological status for all analysed (sub)species.The current checklist is linked with the GBIF taxonomic backbone, provides notes on detected issues and primarily focuses on its update and correction of the nomenclatural issues and taxonomic inconsistencies, but also aims at discussing issues in other popular taxonomic databases.Sabulinapauciflora is proposed as a new combination to comply with a recent revision of the genus Sabulina.

Balkan endemic vascular flora of the Konjuh Mountain

This paper presents data on the diversity and distribution of Balkan endemic vascular plants on the Konjuh Mountain in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Konjuh is characterized by geological heterogeneity and a significant proportion of ophiolitic substrate, which supports the development of endemic-relict serpentinophytes. A total of 31 endemic and four subendemic taxa were recorded in the surveyed area. Among these, Caryophyllaceae, with five recorded endemic taxa, is the most abundant family. The analysis of life forms and chorological spectra showed a dominance of hemicryptophytes and taxa from the South European and Mediterranean-Sub-Mediterranean chorological groups. The majority of endemic and relict taxa in the surveyed area are serpentinophytes. A total of 18 recorded taxa are listed as threatened according to the Red List of Flora of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The species findings are presented with a distribution map. The distribution range of endemic and endangered taxa in Konjuh extends beyond the protected area. The results provide a list of locations of particular interest for further research and potential protection due to the diversity of endemic taxa.

Lavandula austroapennina (Lamiaceae): Getting Insights into Bioactive Polyphenols of a Rare Italian Endemic Vascular Plant.

Lavandula austroapennina N.G. Passal., Tundis and Upon has recently been described as a new species endemic to the southern Apennines (Italy). Locally, this species has a long ethnobotanical tradition of use for curative and decoration purposes and has been the protagonist of a flourishing essential oil production chain. Currently, while this tradition has long since ended, attention to the species is necessary, with a view to enhancing marginal and rural areas, as a recovery of a precious resource to (i) get insights into its (poly)phenolic fraction and (ii) address new and innovative uses of all its organs in various application fields (e.g., cosmeceutical sector). Therefore, after field sampling and dissection of its organs (i.e., corolla, calyx, leaf, stem and root), the latter, previously deterpenated and defatted, were subjected to accelerated ultrasound extraction and the related alcoholic extracts were obtained. Chemical composition, explored by UHPLC-QqTOF-MS/MS, and the following multivariate data analysis showed that the hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives are abundant in the leaf, stem and root, while flavonoids are more present in corolla and calyx. In particular, coumaroyl flavonoids with glyconic portion containing also hexuronyl moieties differentiated corolla organ, while yunnaneic acid D isomers and esculin distinguished root. When antiradical and reducing properties were evaluated (by means of ABTS, DPPH and PFRAP tests), a similar clustering of organs was achieved and the marked antioxidant efficacy of leaf, stem and root extracts was found. Thus, following cytotoxicity screening by MTT test on HaCaT keratinocytes, the protective effects of the organ extracts were assessed by wound closure observed after the scratch test. In addition, the extracts from corolla, leaf and stem were particularly active at low doses inducing rapid wound closure on HaCaT cells at a concentration of 1 μg/mL. The diversity in (poly)phenols of each organ and the promising bioactivity preliminarily assessed suggest further investigation to be carried out to fully recover and valorize this precious endemic vascular plant.

New analysis of the endemic vascular plants of Algeria, their diversity, distribution pattern and conservation status

In this study, we provide a new analysis on strict-endemic vascular plant taxa of Algeria and discuss their taxonomic diversity, geographical distribution and conservation status, based on a large literature review and our own field observations. Overall, 248 taxa (species, subspecies and varieties) are currently considered as Algerian endemics, from 41 families and 128 genera. They constitute about 6.3% of the total known flora of Algeria. The northern floristic regions are richer in endemic species: K1, K2, AS3, C1+C2 and O1 are by far the richest floristic regions for strict-endemic taxa, highlighting the importance of their mountain ranges. Most (59%) of the endemic plants have a narrow geographical distribution range (range-restricted). An overview of the IUCN conservation status of the Algerian endemics indicates that only 16 taxa (6.4%) are evaluated, out of which 5.6% of the taxa are threatened. Overall, 44% of the Algerian endemics are legally protected and 43% are included in the protected areas network. Finally, we focus on the shortfalls of knowledge that could orient further research on endemism data in Algeria. They concern taxonomic, chorological or conservation figures and above all the actual presence of the endemic species. It is, therefore, urgent to carry out targeted field expeditions in order to find and re-collect these species, most of which are strictly localized and have probably never been searched or found for 60 years to over a century. Citation: Meddour R Sahar O & Jur S 2023: New anal sis of the endemic vascular lants of Al eria their diversit distribution pattern and conservation status. – Willdenowia 53: 25–43. Version of record first published online on 21 March 2023 ahead of inclusion in April 2023 issue.

Fossombronia bracchia Cargill (Fossombroniaceae, Marchantiophyta), a new species from Western Australia

The new species, Fossombronia bracchia, from Lesueur National Park, an area of high vascular plant endemism and species richness in southwestern Western Australia, is described and illustrated; a distribution map is provided. The new species has strong morphological similarities to the South African species F. tumida.

Endemic vascular plants in the Ukrainian Carpathians.

This dynamic dataset aims to gather all available data, extracted mostly from the preserved material deposited at the leading Ukrainian herbaria on the distribution of the endemic vascular plants in the Ukrainian Carpathians and adjacent territories. This dataset is created in the framework of mapping the distribution of the endemic plants and is aimed to unveil the patterns of their spatial distribution, ecological preferences and temporal trends in the flora of the Ukrainian Carpathians. A total of 76 species and subspecies of vascular plants belonging to 49 genera and 27 families are reported herein to occur in the Ukrainian Carpathians and close regions. Amongst the total number of reported 6,427 occurrence records, 1,961 records are georeferenced and supported with a translation of Cyrillic information into English. The remaining occurrence records will be georeferenced and translated into English in the near future, as well as the dataset being completed with new records obtained from the new sources. In total, 6,427 occurrence records of the endemic vascular plants distributed in the Ukrainian Carpathians were published.

Centers of regionally endemic vascular plants in northwestern North America: a quantified approach

Centers of regionally endemic vascular plants in northwestern North America: a quantified approach

Effect of storage conditions on seed germination of eigTyrrhenian endemic vascular plant species of conservation interest

Effect of storage conditions on seed germination of eigTyrrhenian endemic vascular plant species of conservation interest

Ethnopharmacobotany and Diversity of Mediterranean Endemic Plants in Marmilla Subregion, Sardinia, Italy.

Human populations in various regions across the world exploit the medicinal properties of plants to treat a wide variety of diseases. Areas with both high rates of endemic taxa and persisting traditional uses of the local botanical resources are key sites for the investigation of Traditional Botanical Knowledge (TBK). Commonly, in these areas, information regarding the medicinal properties of native plants has been transmitted orally from generation to generation, however, a rapid decline in this knowledge has been observed, which can be attributed to socio-economic changes in recent years. The Mediterranean basin is one such site, where human history is intimately entwined with nature. The unique geographical situation and unrivaled environmental heterogeneity of the area, have allowed both the development of diverse civilizations as well as providing the basis for the evolution of extraordinary biodiversity. The Mediterranean basin can therefore be considered a global hotspot of endemic vascular plants, and of traditional knowledge of medicinal and aromatic species. This study researches the historical subregion of Marmilla (central-southern Sardinia, Italy), which was chosen because of its specific cultural and demographic characteristics: i.e., prolonged isolation and extreme longevity of the inhabitants of the area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 145 people from the region, and 137 medicinal plants belonging to 62 families were identified, of which around 57,3% were taxa exclusive to the Mediterranean Basin. Findings showed that the most used parts of the plant were the leaves (49%), while as far as preparations are concerned, decoction (50%) was the most used to prepare medicinal formulations, making this the highest number of medico-botanical taxa reported in a study carried out in Sardinia using a similar methodology. In addition, this study contributes towards preventing the loss of TBK by documenting the medicinal traditions, passed down orally for centuries, in the words of the participants, shedding new light on the traditional knowledge of the inhabitants of the island. The findings lay the foundations for future applied studies in the fields of phytotherapy and phytochemical investigation.

A multifaceted field sampling approach for the management of extremely narrow endemic vascular plant species.

Extremely narrow endemic plant species (ENEs) are generally connected with microrefugia characterized by particular environmental conditions. In-depth knowledge of the ecological requirements of ENEs is fundamental to plan appropriate conservation measures. Using cross-cutting technology, this paper gives a multifaceted approach to collect on-site data on the ecology of ENEs, defines the protocols for a correct sampling design and describes the type of equipment, the time and expenditure needed. Our sampling approach is based on two orthogonal transects, long enough to extrapolate the whole ecological gradient across the area of occupancy of the target species. Microclimatic data are recorded all along the transects through iButton technology, plus a weather station installed at the intersection of the transects. Microtopographic data are recorded with high-resolution digital elevation model and sub-metric GPS. Edaphic data are recorded along the transects through standard soil analyses and on-site evaluation of the seasonal decomposition rate of organic matter. Additionally, vegetation sampling in 4m2 plots and on-site germination tests allow to collect data on auto- and synecological factors that regulate the life cycle of the target species. Our approach has proved to be cost-effective and efficient in terms of time spent in the field against the data collected. The most demanding activities were the establishment of the transects and the vegetation sampling. The time spent downloading microclimatic data and testing seed germination was relatively short. Our sampling design allows: (i) to catch as much micro-topographic variability as possible, both within and out of the tolerance range of the target species, (ii) to minimize the risk of recording identical micro-topographic conditions compared with a random sampling scheme, and (iii) to ensure quick and relatively easy retrieval of the plots and the equipment both on a multi-seasonal and multi-annual basis.

Distribution analysis, updated checklist, and DNA barcodes of the endemic vascular flora of the Altai mountains, a Siberian biodiversity hotspot

The Altai Mountains of central Asia are biologically rich and comprise a wide diversity of ecosystems and lineages, including numerous endemic vascular plant species. Here we provide an updated checklist of the endemic vascular flora of the Altai Mountains with more taxa and higher geographic resolution than previously reported, as well as first molecular data and specimen images for many of these species. This flora is now known to contain 321 endemic species distributed in 34 families, many of which are narrowly restricted to one subregion of the Altai. The Fabaceae has given rise to the most endemic species in the Altai (74 spp.), and most of this diversity is found in the large and ecologically important genera Astragalus and Oxytropis. Approximately 60% of the endemic flora was imaged and successfully barcoded with at least one of three common DNA barcoding loci, and a phylogenetic tree based upon these loci is also presented to display the evolutionary breadth of endemism in the Altai. The distribution of each endemic species is presented in terms of a standard geographic subdivision of the Altai region, with general conservation priorities discussed based on areas currently afforded protected status.

Extinction risk of the endemic vascular flora of Kauai, Hawaii, based on IUCN assessments

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN Red List) is the world's most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of species. Governmental agencies and conservation organizations increasingly rely on IUCN Red List assessments to develop conservation policies and priorities. Funding agencies use the assessments as evaluation criteria, and researchers use meta‐analysis of red‐list data to address fundamental and applied conservation science questions. However, the circa 143,000 IUCN assessments represent a fraction of the world's biodiversity and are biased in regional and organismal coverage. These biases may affect conservation priorities, funding, and uses of these data to understand global patterns. Isolated oceanic islands are characterized by high endemicity, but the unique biodiversity of many islands is experiencing high extinction rates. The archipelago of Hawaii has one of the highest levels of endemism of any floristic region; 90% of its 1367 native vascular plant taxa are classified as endemic. We used the IUCN's assessment of the complete single‐island endemic (SIE) vascular plant flora of Kauai, Hawaii, to assess the proportion and drivers of decline of threatened plants in an oceanic island setting. We compared the IUCN assessments with federal, state, and other local assessments of Kauai species or taxa of conservation concern. Finally, we conducted a preliminary assessment for all 1044 native vascular plants of Hawaii based on IUCN criterion B by estimating area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, and number of locations to determine whether the pattern found for the SIE vascular flora of Kauai is comparable to the native vascular flora of the Hawaiian Islands. We compared our results with patterns observed for assessments of other floras. According to IUCN, 256 SIE vascular plant taxa are threatened with extinction and 5% are already extinct. This is the highest extinction risk reported for any flora to date. The preliminary assessment of the native vascular flora of Hawaii showed that 72% (753 taxa) is threatened. The flora of Hawaii may be one of the world's most threatened; thus, increased and novel conservation measures in the state and on other remote oceanic islands are urgently needed.

Assessing the impact of climate change on threatened endemic vascular plants of Argentina

Biodiversity loss due to climate change is one of the most critical current environmental problems. Global warming is causing substantial species-range shifts and local extirpations, especially for species with restricted distribution ranges. Studies of impact of the climate change on species ranges and environmental suitability have become a fundamental tool for evaluating conservation strategies. However, one important limitation of these approaches is that only species with an adequate number of spatially distinct occurrence records can be modelled, generally excluding threatened rare species from the analyses, a situation referred to as the ‘rare species modelling paradox’. To overcome this limitation, we analysed the effect of climate change on the richness of threatened endemic plants of Argentina employing a macroecological modelling approach, using three different modelling techniques (generalized linear mixed models – GLMM, generalized additive models – GAM, and boosted regression trees – BRT), four general circulation models, two representative CO2 concentration pathways (RCPs), and two time periods (2050 and 2070). We identified grid cells with the greatest decline in numbers of threatened endemics, determined species composition in these cells and characterized their vulnerability using three indices. A loss of species richness is observed in ca 83% of the cells, and both protected areas and hotspots of threatened species show significant decrease in future species richness. We identified 32 most affected cells under future climatic projections, including a total of 370 threatened endemic species and exhibiting high beta diversity values (high dissimilarity) among most of the cells. Cells with the highest vulnerability were located along the Central Andes of northwestern Argentina, along the Southern Andean Yungas, High Monte and Central Andean Puna ecoregions, and including a total of 118 threatened endemics (15% of those registered for Argentina) with greater representation of Asteraceae, Apocynaceae, Cactaceae and Iridaceae. However, coverage of protected area network is less than 5% for each of these cells. Our results highlight the urgent need for both in situ and ex situ conservation policies and strategies for the vascular flora of Argentina.