Abstract Detail

Systematics Section/ASPT

Santos Silva, Fernanda Dos [1], Campostrini Forzza, Rafaela [2].

The importance of biodiversity cataloging: Bromeliaceae species richness and endemism assessed on List of Species of the Flora of Brazil.

The Brazilian Catalogue of Plants and Fungi is the governmental initiative, coordinated by the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden to respond to a demand created during the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2002 for a working global list of all known plant species. The catalogue was published in 2010 and is continuously updated. Estimates like these of (plant diversity and of species endemism) are critical in ecological studies and assessments of conservation strategies. Considering the absence of a recent comprehensive census for Bromeliaceae, this work aims to assess the species richness and patterns of endemism with the data available in “List of Species of the Flora of Brazil” the catalogue’s online version. Searches on the website were conducted by the total number of species in Bromeliaceae, number of endemic species, number of species per phytogeographycal domain and number of endemic species per domain. In Brazil, Bromeliaceae is the seventh family in number of species with 1280 accepted names. However is important to mention that number of species in Brazil represents about 40 % of the total diversity of this family. This percentage is representative considering that the number of species of the richest family in Brazil (Fabaceae with 2726 accepted names) represents only 10% of the total of species. Among the five phytogeographical domains, the Floresta Atlântica presents the highest endemism with 796 spp. followed by the Cerrado with 152 endemic species, corroborating the indication of these two domains as global biodiversity hotspots. The high levels of endemism here demonstrated also stress the importance of effective conservation politics considering the degradation of these hotspots. For Pantanal, there are only three records representing the least diverse biome in Bromeliaceae. We also evaluated the genera with the highest richness per domain and Dyckia is considered the most representative genus for the Cerrado (74 ssp./244 total species in domain) and Pampa (13/27 spp.). Among the 31 genera ocurring in Mata Atlântica, Vriesea is the richest genus with 212/893 spp.). Aechmea is the most representative genus in Amazônia with 31/134 spp. In the Caatinga, Ortophytum is the richest genus with 31/117spp. These estimations in Bromeliaceae were only possible by the existence of this dataset with scientific credibility. This work is an example of the reason why the “List of Species of the Flora of Brazil” became a powerful tool to provide reliable information to be used in taxonomic, ecologic and conservationist approaches.

Broader Impacts:

Related Links:
List of Species of the Flora of Brazil website

1 - Instituto de Pesquisas do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leão 915 Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22460030, Brazil
2 - Jardim Botânico Do Rio De Janeiro, Botânica, Pacheco Leão, 915, Rio De Janeiro, N/A, 222460-030, Brazil

Keywords:
Bromeliaceae
Brazil
Species richness
Cerrado
Floresta Atlântica
biodiversity cataloging.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Grand Salon A - D/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PSY071
Abstract ID:901
Candidate for Awards:None