The nature of threat category changes in three Mediterranean biodiversity hotspots

Lozano, Felipe Domı́nguez; Atkins, Kenneth J.; Saiz, Juan Carlos Moreno; Sims, Aaron E.; Dixon, Kingsley W.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2012.07.008

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This result, along with the finding that the vast majority (85.8%) of Greek rare and threatened plants face external threats, mainly of anthropogenic origin [ 91 ], point out clearly that human pressure is a main driver of plant vulnerability in the Greek flora, as repeatedly shown elsewhere (e.g. [ 95 ]).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Lessons from Red Data Books: Plant Vulnerability Increases with Floral Complexity

et al. 2015

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The architectural complexity of flower structures (hereafter referred to as floral complexity) may be linked to pollination by specialized pollinators that can increase the probability of successful seed set. As plant—pollinator systems become fragile, a loss of such specialized pollinators could presumably result in an increased likelihood of pollination failure. This is an issue likely to be particularly evident in plants that are currently rare. Using a novel index describing floral complexity we explored whether this aspect of the structure of flowers could be used to predict vulnerability of plant species to extinction. To do this we defined plant vulnerability using the Red Data Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece, a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. We also tested whether other intrinsic (e.g. life form, asexual reproduction) or extrinsic (e.g. habitat, altitude, range-restrictedness) factors could affect plant vulnerability. We found that plants with high floral complexity scores were significantly more likely to be vulnerable to extinction. Among all the floral complexity components only floral symmetry was found to have a significant effect, with radial-flower plants appearing to be less vulnerable. Life form was also a predictor of vulnerability, with woody perennial plants having significantly lower risk of extinction. Among the extrinsic factors, both habitat and maximum range were significantly associated with plant vulnerability (coastal plants and narrow-ranged plants are more likely to face higher risk). Although extrinsic and in particular anthropogenic factors determine plant extinction risk, intrinsic traits can indicate a plant’s proneness to vulnerability. This raises the potential threat of declining global pollinator diversity interacting with floral complexity to increase the vulnerability of individual plant species. There is potential scope for using plant—pollinator specializations to identify plant species particularly at risk and so target conservation efforts towards them.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Lessons from Red Data Books: Plant Vulnerability Increases with Floral Complexity

et al. 2015

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“…Moreover, these numbers may increase in the near future and, as already described by other biological groups, such as steppe birds [91]. This is especially relevant as changes towards higher threat categories in Spain are mostly related to human activities [94]. For these reasons, it is very important to assess the threat status of the native flora of agricultural land, and not focus only on rare and endemic species, which is typically the case in red list assessments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Agricultural Use on Endangered Plant Taxa in Spain

et al. 2021

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Agriculture is one of the most widespread human activities and has the greatest impact on terrestrial ecosystems, as it transforms natural ecosystems into artificial landscapes using, in many cases, large amounts of pesticides as well as overexploiting natural resources. Therefore, for effective biodiversity conservation, it is necessary to include agricultural systems in conservation programs. In this work, the 50 plant taxa described for Spain as threatened by agricultural use were selected. These were divided according to the type of threat into those affected by crop extension, intensification, or abandonment. In addition, information was obtained concerning their conservation status, level of protection and functional traits (life form, pollination, and dispersal). Finally, the evolution of land use, in the areas near the populations of the selected species, was identified. The selected taxa belong to 21 families and present different life forms and modes of dispersal or pollination. Forty-six percent are endangered (EN) and most are included in legal protection lists. Nearly three-quarters are threatened by crop expansion and land use dynamics, reflecting an expansion of cultivated areas, which adds further pressure to these species. In addition to agricultural expansion, taxa are also at risk, due to important rates of agricultural land abandonment, and mention agricultural intensification. Nevertheless, conservation measures do exist to promote biodiversity in agricultural landscapes that may help to reverse the negative effect of land use dynamics on selected species, but few are specific to threatened flora. Therefore, if threatened plants are to be conserved in agricultural areas, it is necessary to promote a profound transformation of our socioecological systems. One of these transformative changes could come from the human-nature reconnection.

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“…In addition, the mentioned threat factors could interact with novel risks (introduced species, urban development, natural areas frequentation, etc. ); in three Mediterranean study cases (California, Spain, and Western Australia), threats originating from human activities represented more than 80% of all threat types [47]. Other studies warn of a worsening conservation status of threatened flora in both high mountain and coastal areas in south Spain, an outstanding biodiversity zone within the Mediterranean Basin [48].…”

Section: The Mediterranean Biome Phylogeography Studies and Plant Con...mentioning

confidence: 98%

Conservation and Phylogeography of Plants: From the Mediterranean to the Rest of the World

et al. 2022

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During the last decades, phylogeography has transformed the ways to analyze and understand plant diversity and biogeography. The repeated and increasingly detailed articles made from DNA data with phylogeographical procedures and algorithms have revolutionized biodiversity research, particularly on biodiversity conservation. This paper presents a systematic literature review of the different ways in which phylogeography has been applied to plants in Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs), especially to rare, threatened, and endemic plants. Studies ranged from basic research to how phylogeography is actually contributing to management conservation of Mediterranean plants. Finally, new and future phylogeography perspectives with integrative scientific arguments and conceptual bases applied to plant conservation biology are discussed.

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The nature of threat category changes in three Mediterranean biodiversity hotspots

Cited by 14 publications

References 30 publications

Lessons from Red Data Books: Plant Vulnerability Increases with Floral Complexity

Lessons from Red Data Books: Plant Vulnerability Increases with Floral Complexity

Effects of Agricultural Use on Endangered Plant Taxa in Spain

Conservation and Phylogeography of Plants: From the Mediterranean to the Rest of the World

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