Once upon a time -- and now what?

Catálogo de la exposición “Érase una vez … ¿y ahora que?”, es una obra en la que, a través de 203 dibujos a lápices de colores de 103 peluches de animales salvajes europeos, y 100 plantas de plástico se plantea al espectador la siguiente pregunta: “Quieres ser TÚ el que le cuente a tus nietos que hubo una vez unos animales como estos peluches que se extinguieron por nuestra causa?… por no cuidar de la naturaleza

Chilean Bromeliaceae: diversity, distribution and evaluation of conservation status

Abstract Chile is home to 23 species of Bromeliaceae, including 2 subspecies and 4 varieties. Twenty species are endemic to the country. We examined 883 herbarium specimens from 27 herbaria for our treatment of the Bromeliaceae for the ''Flora de Chile''. These data and field observations resulted in a comprehensive database that we used to generate distribution maps for each species. We applied ecological niche modelling to reveal distribution areas and centers of Bromeliaceae diversity. We further analysed the collecting dates of the herbarium specimens to assess possible changes in species abundance. In this study we assess the conservation status of the bromeliad species in Chile. IUCN categories were assigned to the 27 bromeliad taxa as follows: Critically endangered: 4, Endangered: 6, Vulnerable: 11, Near threatened: 2, Least concern: 4. No species has become ''Extinct'' up to now. We also put forth a hypothesis about their biogeographic history

Verhuellia is a segregate lineage in Piperaceae: more evidence from flower, fruit and pollen morphology, anatomy and development

Background and Aims The perianthless Piperales, i.e. Saururaceae and Piperaceae, have simple reduced flowers strikingly different from the other families of the order (e.g. Aristolochiaceae). Recent molecular phylogenies proved Verhuellia to be the first branch in Piperaceae, making it a promising subject to study the detailed structure and development of the flowers. Based on recently collected material, the first detailed study since 1872 was conducted with respect to morphology, anatomy and development of the inflorescence, pollen ultrastructure and fruit anatomy. Methods Original scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and light microscopy (LM) observations on Verhuellia lunaria were compared with those of Piperaceae, Saururaceae and fossils. Key Results The inflorescence is an indeterminate spike with sessile flowers, each in the axil of a bract, developing in acropetal, helical succession. Flowers consist of two (occasionally three) stamens with basifixed tetrasporangiate anthers and latrorse dehiscence by a longitudinal slit. The gynoecium lacks a style but has 34 stigma branches and a single, basal orthotropous and unitegmic ovule. The fruit is a drupe with large multicellular epidermal protuberances. The pollen is very small, inaperturate and areolate, with hemispherical microechinate exine elements. Conclusions Despite the superficial similarities with different genera of Piperaceae and Saururaceae, the segregate position of Verhuellia revealed by molecular phylogenetics is supported by morphological, developmental and anatomical data presented here. Unitegmic ovules and inaperturate pollen, which are synapomorphies for the genus Peperomia, are also present in Verhuellia. Key wordsBackground and Aims The perianthless Piperales, i.e. Saururaceae and Piperaceae, have simple reduced flowers strikingly different from the other families of the order (e.g. Aristolochiaceae). Recent molecular phylogenies proved Verhuellia to be the first branch in Piperaceae, making it a promising subject to study the detailed structure and development of the flowers. Based on recently collected material, the first detailed study since 1872 was conducted with respect to morphology, anatomy and development of the inflorescence, pollen ultrastructure and fruit anatomy. Methods Original scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and light microscopy (LM) observations on Verhuellia lunaria were compared with those of Piperaceae, Saururaceae and fossils. Key Results The inflorescence is an indeterminate spike with sessile flowers, each in the axil of a bract, developing in acropetal, helical succession. Flowers consist of two (occasionally three) stamens with basifixed tetrasporangiate anthers and latrorse dehiscence by a longitudinal slit. The gynoecium lacks a style but has 3-4 stigma branches and a single, basal orthotropous and unitegmic ovule. The fruit is a drupe with large multicellular epidermal protuberances. The pollen is very small, inaperturate and areolate, with hemispherical microechinate exine elements. Conclusions Despite the superficial similarities with different genera of Piperaceae and Saururaceae, the segregate position of Verhuellia revealed by molecular phylogenetics is supported by morphological, developmental and anatomical data presented here. Unitegmic ovules and inaperturate pollen, which are synapomorphies for the genus Peperomia, are also present in Verhuellia