Carnivory is found in eight additional plant families besides the well-studied and speciose Droseraceae, Lentibulariaceae, Nepenthaceae, and Sarraceniaceae. These include six species-poor or monogeneric families (Drosophyllaceae, Dioncophyllaceae, Cephalotaceae, Roridulaceae, Byblidaceae); the carnivorous genus Philcoxia in the otherwise noncarnivorous, species-rich Plantaginaceae; and at least one species in each of three monocot genera in which carnivory is not a universal trait: Bromeliaceae (Brocchinia and Catopsis) and Eriocaulaceae (Paepalanthus). We review the current knowledge of these nine genera with a focus on their biology, ecology, and evolution. Although the small carnivorous genera are not diverse in terms of species number, they contain some of the most unique, peculiar, and ecologically novel carnivorous plants. The species include plants reliant upon digestive mutualism with insects; a carnivorous epiphyte; and a part-time carnivore.
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.
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Philcoxia rhizomatosa, a new species of the carnivorous genus Philcoxia from tribe Gratioleae (Plantaginaceae), is here described and illustrated. The species has larger leaves than the other members of the genus, presents a conspicuous and branched rhizome and is the only one with entirely glabrous inflorescence, pedicel and calyx. This taxon is possibly endemic to a sandy outcrop in the transition vegetation between the Cerrado and the Caatinga in the municipality of Botumirim, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Preliminary tests for carnivory were performed and showed the presence of nematodes and activity of phosphatase on leaf surfaces, suggesting that P. rhizomatosa is a carnivorous plant.
Seiffert (1980). CONTEXTONo Brasil estima-se a ocorrência de 16 espécies do gênero Brachiaria (Poaceae), sendo 5 consideradas nativas do continente americano, 8 introduzidas recentemente e 3 introduzidas no período colonial, que T. Sendulsky (1976( , citada em Seiffert, 1980) considera como já nativas do Brasil, em termos de integração ecológica.As espécies consideradas invasoras, como Brachiaria decumbens Stapf e B. brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf, são amplamente empregadas na formação de pastagens, pois resistem bem ao pisoteio pelo gado e formam cobertura contínua, inclusive em terrenos de baixa fertilidade. Seu plantio é bastante estimulado pelos órgãos de fomento agro-pecuário, principalmente em função da rusticidade (Nascimento-Júnior et al., 1999), e têm sido também amplamente utilizadas em projetos de contenção de encostas, como nas áreas de mineração e ao longo das principais rodovias do país, conjugadas a diversas outras espécies exóticas invasoras. O seu plantio intencional ao longo das estradas representa um eficiente e preocupante vetor de entrada das espécies em todo o território nacional, e não se percebe um esforço significativo para se buscar alternativas para a utilização de espécies nativas. Brachiaria decumbens, por exemplo, já pode ser encontrada em todos os estados do país, e seu crescimento e expansão são tão agressivos que Coutinho, em 1982, como citado acima em artigo de 2000, já alertava para o risco iminente de tomada do estrato herbáceo por esta e outras gramíneas africanas em
Here we discuss the importance of vernacular names and encourage authors of new plant species to propose “suggested vernacular names” along with the new species description in cases that there are no vernacular names known. It is not our intention to propose new rules, but we provide recommendations to ensure inclusion of local peoples and dissemination of scientific knowledge when suggesting a vernacular name. We believe that the suggestion of vernacular names in the original publication of a new species would help in [1] minimizing proliferation of common names in the same language when knowledge on the species becomes widely publicized; [2] communicating with lay audience inside and outside the country, where linguistic variations could be applied, but starting from a reference, i.e., the taxonomist’s suggestion; [3] disseminating important information about the new species and the work of the taxonomist; [4] raising awareness about the conservation of the species and its habitat, when the image of this species is widely linked to non-academic media; and [5] promoting inclusion in and popularization of science.
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