TAXONOMY AND PHYLOGENOMICS OF CHRYSOBALANACEAE

The Chrysobalanaceae is a pantropical woody plant family of 546 species and 27 accepted genera. Its centre of diversity is the Amazon where it is among the most numerically important in both number of species and individual trees in forest tree inventories. The family has been extensively studied at the alpha-taxonomic level, culminating in a comprehensive account of all taxa; however, molecular phylogenetics revealed the non-monophyly of several genera, casting doubts as to the relationships suggested by the last classification, published in 2003. The first molecular phylogenetic analyses used single loci (Sanger sequences) and clades were weakly supported, hindering interpretation of results. Phylogenomics, using complete genomes, provided better results with more robust support for clades and uncovered novel relationships among genera. Here I outline the taxonomic history of the family and trace the journey from major taxonomic circumscriptions based on morphology and discuss key findings and contributions from my molecular phylogenetic research starting from 2006, and how results both confirm and contradict the traditional taxonomy. Our analyses retrieve six clades, among them the earliest diverging clade composed of Bafodeya from West Africa and Kostermanthus from Australasia, and a species-rich clade, the Neotropical clade, of ca. 400 species in 11 neotropical genera that includes the three largest, Couepia, Hirtella and Licania, previously considered distantly related. This clade also has a single West African monospecific genus, Afrolicania. Results confirm that genera previously described under Parinari are distinct and more distantly related than previously thought. The most recent molecular phylogenetic studies completed in 2020, suggest the family diversified in the EoceneOligocene transition, ca. 38.9 Mya and support a palaeotropical origin, most probably in Africa, and shows that rates of diversification were highest in the Neotropics. The relationships uncovered in my recent molecular studies have provided a monophyletic classification of genera that is essential for producing accurate conservation assessments and supports hypotheses on the role of species diversification within a historic biogeographical context

Trials and tribulations of Neotropical plant taxonomy: Pace of tree species description

Societal Impact Statement Given the current unprecedented concerns for global biodiversity loss, it is critical to identify best practices for describing new species more efficiently so we can complete the inventory of the Neotropical flora and implement appropriate conservation strategies in a timely manner. This study aims to answer the question of how long it takes to describe a new species of tree in the Neotropics by calculating the time elapsed from collection of the first specimen to the publication of a new species. It demonstrates that enhancing international collaboration and promoting taxonomy training may be the most efficient ways to accelerate species descriptions. Summary One of the main aspects of taxonomic research is the description of new species. Identifying how to describe new species more efficiently is key to completing the inventory of the Neotropical flora in an era of massive biodiversity loss. Here, we calculate the interval between first specimen collection and publication of new species for a group of 2123 Neotropical trees, and discuss the historical context surrounding specimen collection and new species publication events. Our results reveal that on average, it takes almost 16 years from specimen collection to publication of a new Neotropical tree species, which is considerably shorter than previous estimates for other tropical groups. Peru had the longest average time lags by country, while Haiti had the shortest. The average time lags increased until the early 1900s, when a decrease was observed, with the shortest lags between 1941 and 1960. We found that the majority of the species described more rapidly are from plants collected by a field botanist and described by a herbarium‐based researcher as part of ad hoc collaboration, and the ones collected and described by the same researcher. We demonstrate how political instability and conflict can delay or impede the completion of taxonomic research initiatives in the region. We argue that enhancing international collaboration and training opportunities in Latin American countries, as well as ensuring safe plant collection campaigns, are critical to complete the inventory of the Neotropical flora

Origin and evolution of Chrysobalanaceae: insights into the evolution of plants in the Neotropics

Some plant families show a striking imbalance in species diversity between the Neotropics and the Palaeotropics. The woody plant family Chrysobalanaceae is a typical example of this pattern, with 80% of the 531 species in the Neotropics. In order to test alternative interpretations for this pattern, we generated a dated phylogenetic hypothesis for Chrysobalanaceae, using DNA sequence data from one nuclear and six plastid markers. Using a maximum likelihood approach, we jointly inferred ancestral areas and diversification rates in the Neotropics and Palaeotropics. We found that Chrysobalanaceae most probably originated in the Palaeotropics about 80 Mya. The family dispersed into the Neotropics at least four times beginning 40–60 Mya, with at least one back-dispersal to the Palaeotropics. Members of Chrysobalanaceae have experienced higher extinction, speciation and net diversification rates in the Neotropics. Hence, the high species diversity of Chrysobalanaceae in the Neotropics appears to be primarily caused by a higher speciation rate in this region. Several recent studies have shown high diversification rates in Neotropical plant families, but have focused on Andean-centred taxa. Ours is the first study to find a similar pattern in a family for which the centre of diversity is in eastern and central Amazonia

Growing knowledge: an overview of Seed Plant diversity in Brazil

Abstract An updated inventory of Brazilian seed plants is presented and offers important insights into the country's biodiversity. This work started in 2010, with the publication of the Plants and Fungi Catalogue, and has been updated since by more than 430 specialists working online. Brazil is home to 32,086 native Angiosperms and 23 native Gymnosperms, showing an increase of 3% in its species richness in relation to 2010. The Amazon Rainforest is the richest Brazilian biome for Gymnosperms, while the Atlantic Rainforest is the richest one for Angiosperms. There was a considerable increment in the number of species and endemism rates for biomes, except for the Amazon that showed a decrease of 2.5% of recorded endemics. However, well over half of Brazillian seed plant species (57.4%) is endemic to this territory. The proportion of life-forms varies among different biomes: trees are more expressive in the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforest biomes while herbs predominate in the Pampa, and lianas are more expressive in the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforest, and Pantanal. This compilation serves not only to quantify Brazilian biodiversity, but also to highlight areas where there information is lacking and to provide a framework for the challenge faced in conserving Brazil's unique and diverse flora

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe 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