Endemic Plant Species of Bolivia and Their Relationships with Vegetation

The inventory of Bolivia’s vascular plants lists 2402 endemic species (ca. 20% of 12,339 of native flora). Among angiosperms, there are 2263 species from 124 families and 641 genera, whereas among pteridophytes, there are 139 species from 16 families and 29 genera. Seven families with the greatest number of endemic species are Orchidaceae (418), Asteraceae (246), Bromeliaceae (147), Cactaceae (127), Poaceae (92), and Piperaceae (81). Cleistocactus and Puya have 14 and 55 endemic species, respectively, so representing 82.3 and 84.6% of the species in these genera. Bolivia’s endemic species show distribution patterns associated with past geological events, orographic dynamics (of the Andes and in the Cerrado), as well as areas of diversification. Dry xeric and humid regions host local and regional endemics in specific families and biogeographic regions of high conservation importance. Humid montane forests in the Yungas and dry inter-Andean valleys are rich in endemic species with 51 and 22% of the total recorded in the respective regions. Nevertheless, there are still many lesser known geographical areas that may generate new information in the short and medium term. Only 165 endemic species (6.9%) have been evaluated for their conservation status following IUCN categories with 49% assessed as endangered (EN)

The genus Attalea (Arecaceae) of Bolivia: regional ecologic system affinities

La documentación de las especies neotropicales de la familia Arecaceae, basada en los recientes aportes a su taxonomía y su relación con los paisajes naturales, actualiza los patrones espaciales a los cuales se adaptan en su rango de distribución. En este caso se relevan 121 registros de especímenes de las 11 especies del género Attalea de Bolivia y su relación con 30 sistemas ecológicos que aproximan su ámbito de distribución a nivel regional. Para ello se sistematizó, se verificó y corrigieron las coordenadas geográficas vs. localidades de todos los especímenes coleccionados del género Attalea con el fin de cotejarlos con los sistemas ecológicos, utilizando las herramientas del ArgGis. Seguidamente elaboramos un dendrograma (especies vs. sistemas ecológicos) utilizando el método de distancia mínima en el programa R. El análisis de la relación de las especies con los sistemas ecológicos resalta una especie que no compone al sudoeste amazónico: A. eichleri y que procede de sistemas ecológicos del Cerrado. Entre las especies de Attalea amazónicas, A. blepharopus (endémica de Bolivia) se aísla de las demás y el resto subagrupa a especies según su presencia afín en bosques y sabanas, además del subandino y aluvial, como es para A. princeps, que se encuentra en 17 sistemas (57%). Ocho especies de Attalea son comunes con Perú y 10 con Brasil. Es importante relacionar la agrupación jerárquica de las especies de Attalea con los sistemas ecológicos en función a dinámicas paisajísticas para documentar sus patrones de espacio y también para su conservación.The documentation of the Neotropical species of the Arecaceae family, based on the recent contributions to its taxonomy and its relationship with natural landscapes, updates the spatial patterns to which they adapt in their range of distribution. In this case 121 records of specimens of the 11 species of the genus Attalea of Bolivia and their relationship with 30 ecological systems that approximate their scope of distribution at regional level are released. To this end, the geographical coordinates were systematized, verified and corrected. Localities of all the specimens collected from the genus Attalea in order to compare them with ecological systems, using the ArgGis tools. We then elaborate a dendrogram (species vs. ecological systems) using the minimum distance method in the R program. The analysis of the relation of the species with the ecological systems highlights a species that does not compose to the southwest amazon: A. eichleri and that is native to ecological systems of the Cerrado. Among the SW Amazonian Attalea species, A. blepharopus (endemic to Bolivia) is isolated from the others and the rest subgroup species according to their presence in forests and savannas, in addition to the subandean and alluvial, as it is for A. princeps, which is found in 17 systems (57%). Eight species of Attalea are common with Peru and 10 with Brazil. It is important to relate the hierarchical grouping of the Attalea species with ecological systems in function of landscape dynamics to document their space patterns and also for their conservation

Orígenes, evolución y retos de la etnobiología boliviana

Altres ajuts: Fundació Autònoma Solidaria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) por el financiamiento del Fons de Solidaritat (convocatorias de 2015, 2017, y 2019) para la realización de las Jornadas de Etnobiología en Bolivia.Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MLa etnobiología estudia las relaciones que diferentes sociedades entablan con la naturaleza analizando conocimientos, usos y percepciones. Bolivia es un país con una gran diversidad biológica y cultural. En las últimas dos décadas, Bolivia ha iniciado un proceso político de defensa de la identidad y la gobernanza indígena que incluye la revalorización del conocimiento ecológico local. Esta coyuntura proporciona una oportunidad excelente para el desarrollo y la consolidación de la investigación etnobiológica en el país. En este artículo, documentamos los precursores biológicos y antropológicos de la etnobiología boliviana y analizamos la evolución de la disciplina usando tres estudios de caso emblemáticos: los dos primeros muestran la confluencia de un proyecto de carácter biológico y uno de carácter antropológico hacia la etnobiología, y el tercero ejemplifica los beneficios del enfoque participativo. La última sección aborda algunos de los grandes retos de la etnobiología en Bolivia, centrándose en tres aspectos que permitirían asentar unas bases fuertes para su desarrollo: i) la identificación de vacíos documentales y la creación de una línea de base; ii) el desarrollo metodológico con énfasis en la interdisciplinariedad, iii) la internacionalización; y iv) la generalización de la investigación participativa potenciando el diálogo de saberes. La etnobiología puede contribuir a la resolución de problemas ambientales contemporáneos, pero este potencial no puede realizarse sin una mayor inclusión de los pueblos indígenas y comunidades locales.L'ethnobiologie étudie les relations que les différentes sociétés établissent avec la nature, en analysant les connaissances, les usages et les perceptions. La Bolivie est un pays présentant une grande diversité biologique et culturelle. Au cours des deux dernières décennies, la Bolivie a initié une politique de défense de l'identité et de la gouvernance autochtones, qui comprend la réévaluation des connaissances écologiques locales. Cette situation offre une excellente opportunité pour le développement et la consolidation de la recherche ethnobiologique dans le pays. Dans cet article, nous documentons les précurseurs biologiques et anthropologiques de l'ethnobiologie bolivienne et nous analysons son évolution à partir de trois études de cas emblématiques : les deux premières montrent la confluence d'un projet biologique et d'un projet anthropologique vers l'ethnobiologie, et la troisième illustre les bénéfices de l'approche participative. La dernière section aborde certains des grands défis de l'ethnobiologie en Bolivie, en se concentrant sur quatre aspects qui permettraient d'établir une base solide pour le développement de la discipline : i) identification des lacunes documentaires et création d'une base de référence ; ii) développement méthodologique mettant l'accent sur l'interdisciplinarité, iii) internationalisation ; et iv) généralisation de la recherche participative qui permet de renforcer le dialogue des connaissances. L'ethnobiologie peut contribuer à la résolution des problèmes environnementaux contemporains, mais ce potentiel ne peut être réalisé sans une plus grande inclusion des peuples autochtones et des communautés locales.Ethnobiology is the study of the relationships that different societies establish with nature, through the anlysis of knowledge, uses and perceptions. Bolivia is a country with great biological and cultural diversity. In the last two decades, Bolivia has initiated a political process in view to defend indigenous identity and governance, which includes the revaluation of local ecological knowledge. This situation provides an excellent opportunity for the development and consolidation of ethnobiological research in the country. In this article, we document the biological and anthropological precursors of Bolivian ethnobiology and we analyze its evolution through three emblematic case studies: the first two show the confluence of a biological and an anthropological project towards ethnobiology, and the third one illustrates the benefits of the participatory approach. The last section addresses some of the major challenges posed by ethnobiology in Bolivia, focusing on four aspects that are necessary to lay a strong foundation for the development of the discipline: i) identification of documentary gaps and creation of a baseline; ii) methodological development with a focus on interdisciplinarity, iii) internationalization; and iv) generalization of participatory research, which helps initiate a dialogue between various types of knowledge. Ethnobiology can contribute to the resolution of contemporary environmental issues, but this potential cannot be realized without a greater inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and local communities

Morfología y biometría de racimos, frutos y semillas de Attalea bassleriana en Alto Amazonas, Perú

We evaluated the morphology and biometrics of racemes, fruits, and seeds of Attalea bassleriana in the localities of Paraiso, Libertad de Cuiparillo and Santa Lucia in the Alto Amazonas Province, Peru, to understand its interpopulational variability and contribute to the taxonomic clarification of the species. Additionally, we described the environment where the palm grows. To do so, we used 70 descriptors (38 biometric and 32 morphological), which were compared with ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis, correlated through Spearman, and graphically visualized by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A data sheet for field samples was used for the description of the environment. In total, 23 biometric descriptors presented significant differences (p < 0.05). The highest correlations were fruit number/raceme weight (0.921) and fruit weight/fruit diameter (0.844). The PCA demonstrates the variability of fruits between populations and denotes Paradise as the least variable and the most differentiated. Likewise, we observed that the species is found in terrace forests, swampy forests, agricultural and livestock lands, between 145-159 m.a.s.l. The data evidence the taxonomic identification of shebon and constitute a reference for both the proper utilization of fruits and seeds and their application to genetic improvement.Se evaluó la morfología y biometría de racimos, frutos y semillas de Attalea bassleriana en las localidades de Paraíso, Libertad de Cuiparillo y Santa Lucía en Alto Amazonas, Perú, para comprender su variabilidad interpoblacional y contribuir al esclarecimiento taxonómico de la especie. Se describió el ambiente donde se desarrolla la palmera mediante 70 descriptores que fueron comparados con ANOVA y Kruskal-Wallis, correlacionados a través Spearman y visualizados gráficamente mediante el Análisis de Componentes Principales (PCA). Para la descripción del ambiente se utilizó una ficha de toma de datos para muestras de campo. En total, 23 descriptores biométricos presentaron diferencias significativas (p < 0,05). Las correlaciones más altas fueron número de frutos/peso de racimo (0,921) y peso del fruto/diámetro del fruto (0,844). El PCA demuestra la variabilidad de los frutos entre las poblaciones y denota a Paraíso como la menos variable y más diferenciada. Asimismo, se observó que la especie se encuentra en bosques de terraza, bosques pantanosos, tierras agrícolas y ganaderas, entre 145 y 159 m s. n. m. Esta información evidencia la identificación taxonómica del shebón y es un referente tanto para el aprovechamiento adecuado de frutos y semillas como para su aplicación en el mejoramiento genético

A Regional Red List of Montane Tree Species of the Tropical Andes: Trees at the top of the world

Andean montane forests are a major global conservation priority owing to their biological richness and high level of species endemism. Botanically the Andes are very rich in species but they remain relatively unstudied. In common with montane forests elsewhere in the world, Andean forests are of great value for the provision of ecosystem services relating to water supply, regulation of regional climate and the capture and storage of carbon. The forests and their component species are however under threat. This report summarises information drawn from a wide variety of sources to provide a regional Red List of trees of Andean tropical montane forests. The species evaluation process has drawn on published national red lists of threatened species, botanical literature, specimen databases, forestry information and expert knowledge. The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria have been used for the evaluation and a component of Natalia?s PhD study has been to evaluate their use for species with limited and dispersed data. Understanding the geographical distribution of the species is very important in conservation assessment. The maps produced for this study are a valuable starting point for the Red Listing and a baseline for monitoring impacts of climate change. In this assessment 70 species are recorded as globally threatened based on the IUCN Red List of Categories and Criteria out of 127 tree species evaluated. In addition 165 national endemic trees of the region have previously been evaluated as globally threatened based on the same IUCN process. In total therefore 235 tree species are currently considered to be threatened with extinction within the Andean montane forests.Fil: Tejedor Garavito , Natalia. Bournemouth University; Reino UnidoFil: Álvarez Dávila, Esteban. Jardín Botánico de Medellín; ColombiaFil: Caro, Sandra Arango. Missouri Botanical Garden; Estados UnidosFil: Murakami, Alejandro Araujo. Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado; BoliviaFil: Baldeón, Severo. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; PerúFil: Beltrán, Hamilton. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; PerúFil: Blundo, Cecilia Mabel. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Laboratorio de Investigaciones Ecológicas de las Yungas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Boza Espinoza, Tatiana Erika. Missouri Botanical Garden; Estados UnidosFil: Fuentes Claros, Alfredo. Herbario Nacional de Bolivia; BoliviaFil: Gaviria, Juan. Universidad de Los Andes; VenezuelaFil: Gutiérrez, Néstor. Universidad de Los Andes; VenezuelaFil: Khela, Sonia. Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Reino UnidoFil: León, Blanca. University of Texas at Austin; Estados UnidosFil: la Torre Cuadros, Maria De Los Angeles. Universidad Nacional Agraria; PerúFil: López Camacho, René. Universidad Distrital; ColombiaFil: Malizia, Lucio Ricardo. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Centro de Estudios Ambientales Territoriales y Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Millán, Betty. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; PerúFil: Moraes R., Mónica. Herbario Nacional de Bolivia; BoliviaFil: Newton, Adrian C.. Bournemouth University; Reino UnidoFil: Pacheco, Silvia. Fundación Proyungas; ArgentinaFil: Reynel, Carlos. Universidad Nacional Agraria; PerúFil: Ulloa Ulloa, Carmen. Missouri Botanical Garden; Estados UnidosFil: Vacas Cruz,Omar. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; Ecuado

Valuing health states: is the MACBETH approach useful for valuing EQ-5D-3L health states?

Background Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) are a key outcome measure widely used within health technology assessment and health service research studies. QALYs combine quantity and quality of life, with quality of life calculations relying on the value of distinct health states. Such health states’ values capture the preferences of a population and have been typically built through numerical elicitation methods. Evidence points to these value scores being influenced by methods in use and individuals reporting cognitive difficulties in eliciting their preferences. Evidence from other areas has further suggested that individuals may prefer using distinct elicitation techniques and that this preference can be influenced by their numeracy. In this study we explore the use of the MACBETH (Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique) non-numerical preference elicitation approach for health states’ evaluation. Methods A new protocol for preference elicitation based on MACBETH (only requiring qualitative judgments) was developed and tested within a web survey format. A sample of the Portuguese general population (n=243) valued 25 EQ-5D-3L health states with the MACBETH protocol and with a variant of the time trade-off (TTO) protocol, for comparison purposes and for understanding respondents’ preference for distinct protocols and differences in inconsistent evaluations. Respondents answered to a short numeracy test, and basic socio-economic information collected. Results Results show that the mean values derived from MACBETH and the TTO variant are strongly correlated; however, there are substantial differences for several health states’ values. Large and similar numbers of logical inconsistencies were found in respondents’ answers with both methods. Participants with higher levels of numeracy according to the test preferred expressing value judgments with MACBETH, while participants with lower levels were mostly indifferent to both methods. Higher correlations between MACBETH and TTO variant evaluations were observed for individuals with higher numeracy. Conclusion Results suggest that it is worth researching the use of non-numerical preference elicitation methods. Numeracy tests more appropriate for preference elicitation when no explicit considerations of uncertainty are made need to be explored and used. Further behavioural research is needed to fully understand the potential for using these methods in distinct settings (e.g. in different evaluation contexts and in face-to-face and non-face-to-face environments), as well as to explore the effect of literacy on assessments and on respondents’ preferences.UID/MULTI/4066/2016info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation