Eriocaulaceae in the Brazilian Amazon and the use of Species Distribution Modelling in its conservation

Abstract

Following a survey in herbaria in Brazil and abroad, complemented by a survey of the literature and searches of biodiversity data, 66 taxa of Eriocaulaceae have been identified in the Brazilian Amazon, as defined by the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia and Roraima. Six genera of Eriocaulaceae were found in the Amazon with the following taxon numbers: Comanthera (3 taxa), Eriocaulon (10), Paepalanthus (15), Rondonanthus (2), Syngonanthus (35) and Tonina (1). Of this total, 25 taxa present distributions in the states of the Amazon and other Brazilian states (considered as widely distributed) and the remaining 41 taxa are restricted to the Amazon Rainforest biome. The distribution data for 31 species were used for Species Distribution Modelling, due to the low number of occurrence points reported for the other taxa, 17 of those are known from a single location. The overlap of these models indicates areas from Amapá, Amazonas, Pará and Roraima where modelled species are most likely to occur. These data can further contribute to the location of new populations of species of Eriocaulaceae. New detection of Eriocaulaceae species can assist in filling the gaps on their geographic distribution and ecology, contributing to the protection or restoration of priority areas set aside for their conservation.

Assessing the distribution of a species‐rich group in a continental‐sized megadiverse country: Bats in Brazil

“…SDM are being used as an important supporting conservation tool (Costa, Nogueira, Machado, & Colli, ; Ferrier et al, ) and several species or groups of species had their distributions assessed using this approach with Maxent: for example, plants (Giulietti, Harley, Siqueira, & Giannini, ), birds (Fourcade, Engler, Besnard, Rödder, & Secondi, ), geckos (Pearson, Raxworthy, Nakamura, & Townsend, ), as well as African (Lamb et al, ), Asian (Hughes, Satasook, Bates, Bumrungsri, & Jones, ), and European (Rebelo, Tarroso, & Jones, ) bats. Moreover, SDM can be especially useful in situations requiring modelling the distribution of species‐rich groups along large territorial extensions such as an entire country, region or continent (Cooper‐Bohannon et al, ; Elith et al, ).…”

Ensino De Biologia Animal Pelo Edutretenimento: A Produção Do Programa "Rádio Animal" E Sua Utilização Na Divulgação Científica

“…A maioria das Eriocaulaceae ocorre em solos arenosos úmidos ou secos, de PH ácido, porém as espécies de Eriocaulon e algumas de Syngonanthus e Lachnocaulon são aquáticas ou de locais pantanosos (GIULIETTI & HENSOLD, 1990 Segundo GIULIETTI et al (2016), que investigaram a distribuição dos ambientes favoráveis para as eriocauláceas da Amazônia brasileira, estudos de modelagem de espécies podem ser a chave para a seleção de áreas prioritárias de conservação ou restauração daquela região. Ainda de acordo como os mesmos autores, foram encontradas 66 espécies com ocorrência na Amazônia Brasileira, destas, 41 espécies são restritas à esta área.…”

Edaphic Endemism in the Amazon: Vascular Plants of the canga of Carajás, Brazil

“…Species distribution model forecasts potential distributional areas based on environmental conditions where species were found (Elith & Leathwick, 2009), representing the most suitable areas for species occurrence (Phillips, 2008). We relied on a previous potential distribution model prepared for Amazonian Eriocaulaceae (Giulietti et al, 2016), a herbaceous plant family that occurs in campo rupestre and other open vegetation types, as a predictor for new occurrences of putative endemics. This model aimed to highlight areas that might harbor the same species that were found on CRC of Carajás.…”