No abstract

The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.

We found 204 species of pteridophytes in Reserva Natural Guaricica, a private natural heritage reserve (RPPN) in Antonina, Paraná, Brazil. With approximately 8,600 ha and elevations ranging from sea level to 600 m, RPPN Guaricica has more species of pteridophytes than any other area in Paraná. Ferns are represented by 194 species in 82 genera and 26 families, whereas lycophytes comprise 10 species in four genera and two families. The RPPN is the type locality of two recently described species: Hypolepis acantha Schwartsb. and Oleandra australis Schwartsb. & J.Prado. It is also the only place of occurrence of Didymoglossum angustifrons Fée, Diplazium riedelianum (Bong. ex Kuhn) C.Chr., Pteris ensiformis Burm.f., P. tripartita Sw., Saccoloma elegans Kaulf., and Steiropteris polypodioides (Raddi) Salino & T.E.Almeida in Paraná. Pteris ensiformis and Saccoloma brasiliense (C.Presl) Mett. are new state records. Additional species are expected to occur in the area, in view of their known geographical ranges.

Taxonomy, distribution and conservation status of the fern genus Cyclodium (Dryopteridaceae)

Background – Cyclodium is a neotropical fern genus comprising about ten species. Most species are found in northern South America, and the foothills of the Guiana Shield is an important region for species diversification. Our phylogenetic and taxonomic studies of the genus demonstrated the need to describe a new species and to recognize a variety at species level.Methods – This study is based on herbarium specimens from CAY, HUA, INPA, MBM, NY, P, RB, UC, UFP, UPCB, and US. Morphological characters were analyzed using standard procedures. The indumentum and spores of the new species were studied using a scanning electron microscope. Species delimitation is proposed based on our preliminary phylogenetic studies, as well as on morphology and geographical distribution.Key results – Cyclodium alansmithii Bohn & Labiak is recognized as a new species, described, and illustrated. The most similar species is Cyclodium inerme (Fée) A.R.Sm., from which it differs by ovate-lanceolate and bicolored scales, reduced fronds, truncate pinna bases, and non-ciliate indusia. Cyclodium alansmithii is currently assessed as Endangered (EN) using IUCN criteria, but more fieldwork and herbarium studies are necessary to establish a more accurate conservation assessment. Cyclodium trianae (Mett.) A.R.Sm. var. chocoense A.R.Sm. is here elevated to species rank. A key to species of Cyclodium with free veins is provided.

Absolute growth rates change with tree size and age, shifting throughout species ontogeny. The study on interspecific variation in plant traits has generated important insights into the life-history strategies and their consequences for ecosystem functioning. However, it remains unknown to what extent – and even if – species’ functional traits are related to the variation in their growth trajectories. We set out to model growth trajectories of 45 woody species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in a secondary subtropical forest under regeneration, aiming to understand if species can be grouped by their growth patterns throughout ontogeny and if these groups could be classified in distinct ecological strategies based on key plant traits. We used a maximum likelihood estimation approach to predict growth trajectories using three ecologically relevant parameters [maximum growth rate (Gmax), diameter at maximum growth rate (Dopt), and the ontogenetic variability in growth rate (K)] followed by multivariate analyses to detect associations among phylogenetic relationships, plant traits, and growth parameters and classify species into growth pattern groups. Across species, growth trajectory parameters varied widely. The cluster analysis identified three distinct groups based on growth trajectories parameters, which were not functionally or ecologically well defined. Our findings supports the idea that traits describing plant size and tree shape, such as maximum height, canopy volume and height to diameter ratio, were generally the best predictors of species growth parameters throughout ontogeny, even though traits representing resource-use and reproductive strategies also played a significant role. Growth-trait framework can be understood as a continuum of multi-trait combinations where, at one end of the gradient, we find trees with higher growth rate and larger diameters supporting a voluminous canopy combined with lower investment in leaf tissue and smaller diaspore; at the other end, taller trees supporting a smaller canopy with higher investment in leaf tissue and longer diaspore. Ultimately, we have shown that tree architecture, leaf and reproductive traits significantly influence growth trajectory along tree ontogeny, which may be the reason why objectively grouping species based on growth-trajectories parameters is ineffective, at least in highly diverse secondary subtropical forests undergoing regeneration.

Abstract— Cyclodium is a neotropical fern genus with 13 species, most of them distributed in the Amazonian lowlands, particularly in the Guianan region and along the border with the Andes. It belongs to the polybotryoid clade of Dryopteridaceae, being unique within this clade by a combination of characters related to rhizome growth, leaf dimorphism, anastomosing venation, and peltate indusia. Here we present a molecular phylogenetic hypothesis for Cyclodium resulting from Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses, using molecular sequences of five plastid markers. We also map 12 morphological characters and habit onto the resulting trees. Our results support Cyclodium as monophyletic and sister to Polybotrya. The presence of peltate indusia is the main character distinguishing Cyclodium. Our results also suggest that plesiomorphic conditions in Cyclodium are free venation (vs. anastomosing), creeping rhizomes (vs. erect or decumbent), highly dissected laminae (vs. 1-pinnate), monomorphic sterile and fertile fronds (vs. dimorphic), and pinnatifid apices (vs. conform).