Vicia suberviformis Maire, nueva especie para la flora europea

Vicia suberviformis, new specie for the European FloraPalabras clave. Leguminosae, Vicia, flora europea, Granada, Marruecos.Key words. Leguminosae, Vicia, European flora, Granada, Morocco

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

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

Spatially explicit assessment of genetic variation to inform conservation effort for an endangered Mediterranean conifer, Cedrus atlantica

Preserving the genetic diversity of forest species is critical for maintaining their adaptive potential and allowing for generation turnover in forest ecosystems. Considering an uncertain future, it is necessary to establish reliable genetic conservation strategies to optimize the genetic variation preserved within populations in a spatially explicit context to assist decision-makers. Hence, we aimed to incorporate genetic information into spatially designed conservation actions. Cedrus atlantica is a large, long-lived conifer native to the mountains of North Africa, threatened by extinction. The relevant genetic units for conservation were selected using Bayesian analysis. The relative contribution of the populations to the genetic pool that maximized the species' genetic diversity was calculated to design an optimal seed bank. Finally, the relationship between the genetic composition and bioclimatic variables was estimated and projected throughout the study area under current and future climatic conditions. Three relevant genetic units were found for C. atlantica conservation that maximizes genetic diversity in a spatial context. Bioclimatic variables with the highest influence on genetic composition were closely related to climate warming and decreased soil water availability. We identified the role of genetic markers in designing a reliable conservation strategy for forest trees considering climate change, increased deforestation, and aridity. Projections of genetic composition due to the climate in the study region of North Africa provide spatially explicit guidance for optimizing the selection and preservation of seed banks.Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation RTI2018-101714- B-I00Spanish government, State R&D Program Oriented to the Challenges of the Society A-RNM-688-UGR20 B-RNM-404-UGR18 P18-RT-1170 P18-RT-496

Krascheninnikovia ceratoides (L.) Gueldenst., redescubierta en el marquesado del Zenete (Granada)

Krascheninnikovia ceratoides (L.) Gueldenst., rediscovered in the Marquesado of Zenete (Granada)Palabras clave. Flora mesogea, corología, ecología, especie amenazada.Key words. Mesogean flora, chorology, ecology, threatened specie

Conservation of genetic diversity in Mediterranean endemic species: Arenaria balearica (Caryophyllaceae)

Background – Biodiversity loss is a problem that needs to be urgently addressed, particularly with the uncertainties of climate change. Current conservation policies principally focus on endangered species but they often give little consideration to the evolutionary processes, genetic diversity, or the rarity of nonendangered species. Endemic species occurring in rocky habitats that are undergoing exceptional habitat loss appear to be one of the most important candidates for conservation. The aim is to establish in situ and ex situ conservation recommendations for the Mediterranean endemic species Arenaria balearica. Material and methods – Arenaria balearica is a species endemic to the Mediterranean with a disjunct distribution range throughout Majorca, Corsica, Sardinia, and other small Tyrrhenian islands. A combination of molecular techniques (AFLPs and plastid DNA) was employed to determine genetic diversity and rarity across populations and to calculate the Relevant Genetic Units for Conservation (RGUCs). Moreover, Species Distribution Models (SDMs) were developed to assess the potential current distribution and the expected situation under future climatic scenarios. Key results – To preserve the genetic diversity and rarity of the species, in situ conservation is proposed for six populations as RGUCs. Moreover, as the RGUCs can only account for a part of the phylogeographic signal, ex situ conservation is also suggested for some additional populations. According to the results, the habitat suitability in the 2050 scenario is limited and suitable areas for A. balearica could have disappeared by 2070. Therefore, the persistence of the species could be in danger in a short period of time and conservation planning becomes necessary.Instituto de Salud Carlos III Spanish Government CGL2010-1635

Biological Interaction as a Possible Ultimate Driver in the Local Extinction of Cedrus atlantica in the Iberian Peninsula

This research study was funded by (i) the Spanish government, State R & D Program Oriented to the Challenges of the Society, MED-REFUGIA Research Project (RTI2018-101714-B-I00); (ii) Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation, OROMEDREFUGIA Research Project (P18-RT-4963); (iii) ERDF Operational Programme in Andalusia (EU regional programme), RELIC-FLORA 2 Research Project (B-RNM-404-UGR18); and (iv) State Program for the Promotion of Scientific Research and Excellence Technique, PALEOPINSAPO Research Project (CSO2017-83576-P). The APC was funded by (i) the Spanish government, State R & D Program Oriented to the Challenges of the Society, MED-REFUGIA Research Project (RTI2018-101714-B-I00); and (ii) Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation, OROMEDREFUGIA Research Project (P18-RT-4963).The presence of Cedrus atlantica on the European continent, including, especially, the determination of the time of its disappearance from the Iberian Peninsula, is one of the most controversial issues in recent decades regarding the successive extinction of conifers in the Western Mediterranean. This work propounds the possibility that C. atlantica and Pinus nigra could have co-habited in the past, mutually excluding each other in the areas with suitable conditions for both species, where, ultimately, the one that was the most competitive would have remained. The niche overlap in the two-dimensional ecological space was analyzed. In addition, the potential distribution of both species in theWestern Mediterranean today and two past periods (Last Glacial Maximum and Mid-Holocene) was modeled to identify their common geographic area of distribution. The species showed very well differentiated niches and a distribution of their habitats virtually segregated by continents since the Mid-Holocene (P. nigra in Europe and C. atlantica in Africa), which responds to differences in climatic affinities. However, the contact of the bordering areas of their distributions in the Baetic mountain range suggests that C. atlantica could have maintained its presence in the Iberian Peninsula until recent times. P. nigra would have displace it in later stages due to its greater prevalence on the continent, so it would have had greater opportunities to occupy the available space.Spanish government, State R&D Program Oriented to the Challenges of the Society RTI2018-101714-B-I00Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation, OROMEDREFUGIA Research Project P18-RT-4963ERDF Operational Programme in Andalusia (EU regional programme) B-RNM-404-UGR18State Program for the Promotion of Scientific Research and Excellence Technique, PALEOPINSAPO Research Project CSO2017-83576-

Plant Conservation Biology: a view from the Mediterranean ecoregions

This Special Issue provides an overview of the current status of plant conservation biology in Spain and other regions around the World. Papers represent selected outstanding presentations made during the 9th Congress of the Spanish Society of Plant Conservation Biology, which took place in Granada (Spain) on July 9–12, 2019. These papers cover different topics, all present illustrating trends in plant conservation biology. They highlight the important contribution of different approaches to plant conservation in the area. This special issue is dedicated to the Spanish botanist José Antonio Fernández Prieto (1950-2019)

Genetic conservation strategies of endemic plants from edaphic habitat islands: The case of Jacobaea auricula (Asteraceae)

This work was partially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad through the projects CGL2010-16357 and CGL201232574. E. SalmeronSanchez was supported by the University of Almeria, through the projects 'Assessment, Monitoring and Applied Scientific Research for Ecological Restoration of Gypsum Mining Concessions (Majadas Viejas and Marylen) and Spreading of Results (ECORESGYP) ' sponsored by the company EXPLOTACIONES RIO DE AGUAS S.L. (TORRALBA GROUP) ; 'Provision of services, monitoring and evaluation of the environmental restoration of the mining concessions Los Yesares, Maria Morales and El Cigarron' sponsored by the company Saint Gobain Placo Iberica S. We would like to thank M. Montserrat MartinezOrtega helped with field work and initial analyses.The authors would like to thank M. Montserrat Martínez-Ortega, Luz M. Mu˜noz-Centeno, Fabi´an Martínez-Hern´andez, Sara Barrios and Teresa Malvar for their participation in DNA extractions, molecular analyses and in general for the help provided. We also thank Sara Barrios, María Santos, Santiago Andr´es, Blas Benito and Antonio Abad for the help provided in the collection of plant material. Finally, we are thankful to Francisco J. P´erez-García for his valuable comments concerning halogypsophyte species.Conservation genetics is a well-established and essential scientific field in the toolkit of conservation planning, management, and decision-making. Within its framework, phylogeography allows the definition of conservation strategies, especially in threatened endemic plants. Gypsum and salt-rich outcrops constitute a model example of an edaphic island-like habitat and contain rare and endemic species, many of them threatened. This is the case of Jacobaea auricula, an Iberian gypsohalophytic species with biological, ecological, and conservation interest. Genetic-based criteria were used to preserve the highest possible percentage of the species' genetic pool as well as to dispose of a set of genotypes for translocation and/or reinforcement planning of degraded populations. Relevant Genetics Units for Conservation (RGUCs) were selected as in situ conservation planning. As a complementary ex situ measure, the optimal contribution for the populations to maximize the genetic pool within each genetic cluster was calculated. To preserve the maximum genetic diversity and the highest percentage of rare AFLP bands possible, eight RGUCs were selected; the ex situ conservation design included twenty-one populations, gathering all haplotypes and ribotypes. Our genetic conservation proposal of J. auricula would improve the implementation of future genetic conservation measures, as a species model of endemic plants from edaphic habitat islands.Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad CGL2010-16357 CGL2012-32574University of Almeria - company EXPLOTACIONES RIO DE AGUAS S.L. (TORRALBA GROUP)company Saint Gobain Placo Iberica

Análisis corológico y novedades florísticas de la Sierra de los Filabres (Andalucía Oriental, España)

El conocimiento básico sobre la diversidad vegetal a escala local o regional es primordial para afrontar la conservación de la diversidad genética a mayor escala. En Andalucía oriental, la sierra de Los Filabres había quedado al margen de estudios intensivos sobre su flora. Abordamos la notificación de los taxones que resultan novedosos para la provincia de Almería y los que son interesantes ampliaciones de área de distribución. Analizamos la corología de los taxa que emanan del catálogo florístico, considerada una forma de medir la gamma diversidad del territorio. La flora de Los Filabres es primordialmente mediterránea, pero destaca un alto porcentaje de especies de área restringida, entre ellos los que también se presentan en el norte de África, y especialmente los endemismos. Por otro lado, en un área tan conspicua del sur ibérico que constituye una interesante encrucijada biogeográfica, resalta destacable el número de especies no citadas hasta el momento. En el caso de muchas especies que se encuentran en listados de protección, esta información corológica debe ser incorporada en los estudios de evaluación de su grado de amenaza. Muchos taxones son raros en esta sierra, por ser límite de área de distribución o por tener pocas poblaciones o por presentar pocos efectivos poblacionales. Por ello, la conservación a escala local resulta esencial para abordar la planificación y las estrategias de preservación de la biodiversidad global.Basic knowledge on plant diversity at local or regional scale is necessary to face the genetic diversity conservation at widest scale. In eastern Andalusia, Los Filabres Mountain had been to margin of intensive studies on its flora. We approached the notification of new taxa records in Almería province and those that are interesting enlargement of their distribution area. We analyzed the taxa chorology that emanates of the floristic catalogue, considered a gamma diversity measure of the territory. The flora from Los Filabres is fundamentally mediterranean, but restricted area distribution species emphasizes with high percentages, among them, those that also inhabit in North Africa, those that are endemics. On the other hand, in a so conspicuous area of the Iberian south that constitutes an interesting biogeography crossroads, the number of species no referenced until the moment stands out remarkable. In the case of many species that are in “red lists”, this chorological information should be incorporated in the studies of threat evaluation. Many taxa are rare in this mountain range, because of being limit of distribution area or because of have few populations or because of display few population individuals. For this reason, the local scale conservation is essential to approach the planning and the strategies of preservation of the global biodiversity