ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

A framework for near-real time monitoring of diversity patterns based on indirect remote sensing, with an application in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest

Monitoring biodiversity change is key to effective conservation policy. While it is difficult to establish in situ biodiversity monitoring programs at broad geographical scales, remote sensing advances allow for near-real time Earth observations that may help with this goal. We combine periodical and freely available remote sensing information describing temperature and precipitation with curated biological information from several groups of animals and plants in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest to design an indirect remote sensing framework that monitors potential loss and gain of biodiversity in near-real time. Using data from biological collections and information from repeated field inventories, we demonstrate that this framework has the potential to accurately predict trends of biodiversity change for both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. The framework identifies areas of potential diversity loss more accurately than areas of species gain, and performs best when applied to broadly distributed groups of animals and plants.

Vascular epiphytes in the cloud forests of the Serra da Mantiqueira, Southeastern Region of Brazil

Abstract Vascular epiphytes represent a remarkable characteristic of the tropical cloud forests. The Serra da Mantiqueira (SM) represents one of the main highland areas of Brazil harboring vegetation remnants, and highlighting the cloud forests. We present a checklist of the vascular epiphytes found in the cloud forests of the SM, discussing the data about taxonomic representativity, distribution in the phytogeographic domains, habits, threatened status in Brazil and the states comprising the SM (Espírito Santo-ES, Minas Gerais-MG, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, São Paulo-SP). Field expeditions were performed between 2012 and 2019, as well as data gathering from scientific collections and published articles. We found 678 species, representing approximately 20% and 30% of the species found in Brazil and Atlantic forest, respectively. The richest families (Orchidaceae, 288 spp.; Bromeliaceae, 112 spp.; Polypodiaceae 65 spp.) corroborated the patterns found in different scales. Forty-one species are threatened nationally (and regionally, there are 149 in ES, 55 in MG, six in RJ, 31 in SP). These numbers of richness and threatened species highlight the relevance of directing efforts toward knowledge and conservation of both cloud forest remnants and SM as a whole, under pain of losing of a large part of the floristic diversity of Atlantic forest.

Vascular epiphytes of the Serra do Relógio: the surprising richness of the seasonal forests in the mountains of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil

Abstract Studies conducted on vascular epiphytes in Minas Gerais have revealed high richness in the seasonal semi-deciduous forests (SSF) in comparison with those of other Brazilian states. This study aimed to present a vascular epiphyte checklist of the Serra do Relógio (SR) in the Atlantic Forest of Minas Gerais, in order to analyze the similarity between two areas in different altitudes, as well as to discuss the high richness recorded for this synusia in the SSFs of this state. The survey was performed in two conservation units (CUs) apart from each other approximately 6 km and with elevations varying between ~500 and 1,434 m. The data were obtained from published articles and fieldwork performed between the years 2016 and 2019. We recorded 158 species distributed in 76 genera and 22 families. This richness is greater than those found in some ombrophilous forests, which was an unexpected result due to the high moisture of this phytophysionomy. Although approximately 66% of the species found in the SR are anemochoric and the compared CUs are geographically close, the similarity was only 22%, suggesting that the difference in altitude between the areas and the history of use can impose filters that influence the floristic composition of each one area. These results highlight the importance of preserving the forest remnants in Brazil and creating and maintain CUs to protect them.

Pollinators drive floral evolution in an Atlantic Forest genus

Pollinators are important drivers of angiosperm diversification at both micro- and macroevolutionary scales. Both hummingbirds and bats pollinate the species-rich and morphologically diverse genus Vriesea across its distribution in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Here, we (i) determine if floral traits predict functional groups of pollinators as documented, confirming the pollination syndromes in Vriesea and (ii) test if genetic structure in Vriesea is driven by geography (latitudinal and altitudinal heterogeneity) or ecology (pollination syndromes). We analysed 11 floral traits of 58 Vriesea species and performed a literature survey of Vriesea pollination biology. The genealogy of haplotypes was inferred and phylogenetic analyses were performed using chloroplast (rps16-trnk and matK) and nuclear (PHYC) molecular markers. Floral traits accurately predict functional groups of pollinators in Vriesea. Genetic groupings match the different pollination syndromes. Species with intermediate position were found between the groups, which share haplotypes and differ morphologically from the typical hummingbird- and bat-pollinated flowers of Vriesea. The phylogeny revealed moderately to well-supported clades which may be interpreted as species complexes. Our results suggest a role of pollinators driving ecological isolation in Vriesea clades. Incipient speciation and incomplete lineage sorting may explain the overall low genetic divergence within and among morphologically defined species, precluding the identification of clear species boundaries. The intermediate species with mixed floral types likely represent a window into shifts between pollinator syndromes. This study reports the morphological-genetic continuum that may be typical of ongoing pollinator-driven speciation in biodiversity hotspots.

Drivers of bromeliad leaf and floral bract variation across a latitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Forest

AIM

Understanding the complex interaction and relative contributions of factors involved in species and trait diversification is crucial to gain insights into the evolution of Neotropical biodiversity. Here, we investigated the drivers of morphological variation in bromeliads along a latitudinal gradient in a biodiversity hotspot.

LOCATION

Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

TAXON

A species complex in the genus Vriesea (Bromeliaceae).

METHODS

We measured shape and size variation for 208 floral bracts and 176 leaves in individuals from 14 localities using geometric morphometrics. We compiled data for two chloroplast regions (matK and trnL-F) from 89 individuals to assess genetic diversity, population structure and phylogenetic relationships. We tested the influence of climate, altitude and genetic distance on morphological traits using linear statistical models.

RESULTS

Temperature seasonality is a main driver of floral bract shape. Together with precipitation, it also explains changes in leaf size across the latitudinal gradient. Shifts in morphological traits are correlated with genetic structure and partly support the recent taxonomic delimitation proposed for the species complex. The species started to diversify in the Pliocene ca. 5 Mya. We detected a phylogeographical break in species distribution into northern and southern clades between the Bocaina region and the southern portion of the Atlantic Forest.

MAIN CONCLUSIONS

We identify how geography and environmental changes through time shape floral bracts and leaves in similar ways. At highly seasonal sites with lower annual precipitation (in the southern subtropical portion of the Atlantic Forest), leaves are larger and floral bracts are wide-elliptic, making them better suited for increased water accumulation. In contrast, at less seasonal sites (in the tropical north, where rainfall is more abundant and temperatures are higher), leaves are narrower and floral bracts are lanceolate-shaped, facilitating water drainage. The biogeographical break we identified suggests a role of tectonic activity and climatic oscillations in promoting species divergence and diversification.

Estimation of metapopulation colonization rates from disturbance history and occurrence-pattern data

Occurrence patterns of many sessile species in dynamic landscapes are not in equilibrium due to their slow rates of metapopulation colonization and extinction. Colonization-extinction data enable the estimation of colonization rates for such species, but collecting the necessary data may require long waiting times between sampling years. Methods for estimating colonization rates of nonequilibrium metapopulations from single occurrence-pattern data have so far relied on additional data on patch ages and on past patch connectivities. We present an approach where metapopulation colonization rates are estimated from occurrence-pattern data and from disturbance history data that inform of past patch dynamics and that can be collected together with occurrence-pattern data. We estimated parameter values regulating patch and metapopulation dynamics by simulating patch network and metapopulation histories that result in present-like patch network configurations and metapopulation occurrence patterns. We tested our approach using occurrence-pattern data of the epiphytic lichen Lobaria pulmonaria in Fennoscandian forests, and fire-scar data that inform of the 400-yr history of fires and host tree dynamics in the same landscapes. The estimated model parameters were similar to estimates obtained using colonization-extinction data. The projected L. pulmonaria occupancy into the future also agreed with the respective projections that were made using the model estimated from colonization-extinction data. Our approach accelerates the estimation of metapopulation colonization rates for sessile species that are not in metapopulation equilibrium with the current landscape structure.