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Examples of endemic plants from the Southern Brazilian Highland Grasslands-a. Lupinus rubriflorus-Fabaceae; b. Adesmia reitziana-Fabaceae; c. Leptostelma catharinense-Asteraceae; d. Senecio conyzifoliusAsteraceae.
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The flora of the subtropical highland grasslands in Southern Brazil, locally known as Campos de Cima da Serra, is within the Atlantic Forest hotspot, and has being highlighted by its richness, having around 25% of endemic plants. Those formations require specific studies to estimate its species richness and to protect its natural resources. This st...
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Citations
... For example, the Pampas domain has lost 34% of its natural vegetation since 1985 . Recently, efforts have been made to catalog species richness in the region (e.g., Iganci et al., 2011;de Magalhaes et al., 2016;Andrade et al., 2018;Külkamp et al., 2018;Andrade et al., 2019Andrade et al., , 2023; however, no attention has been given to genetic diversity. Genetic diversity within species and populations is fundamental for adaptation to new environmental conditions for short-and long-term survival, especially in the face of climate change. ...
... These vegetation shifts during glacial and interglacial periods had an impact on species gene flow, which could have been repeatedly interrupted and then re-established. The high species richness (Boldrini 2009a) and high levels of endemism (Külkamp et al. 2018) are results of these processes. ...
Campos Sulinos grasslands have a long evolutionary history intertwined with fire and grazing: they are disturbance-dependent ecosystems. Disturbance, in this context, refers to events that remove plant biomass. In this chapter we explore the main types of disturbance, namely fire, grazing, and animal disturbance, and their influence on the vegetation composition, structure, and functioning of Campos Sulinos grasslands. Grasslands in the region can be classified into three major types: highland grassland, Pampa grasslands, and coastal grasslands, each with their specific environmental drivers and disturbance history. While disturbance in general is necessary for the maintenance of grasslands, different disturbance regimes result in different plant community structure and composition. High grazing level results in communities where prostrate species play an important role, while fire leads to dominance of tussock grasses. Intensity and frequency of disturbances drive species richness and community dynamics over space and time. A thorough understanding of the key drivers of change in subtropical and temperate grassland communities is critical to maintaining their high biodiversity and has practical implications for management and restoration.
... These subtropical grasslands are related to the high altitude tropical grasslands of the Atlantic Forest and the temperate low altitude grasslands of the Pampas (Bilenca & Miñarro 2004, Heiden & Iganci 2009). The concept and boundaries of the Campos de Cima da Serra were explained by Iganci et al. (2011), and subsequently confirmed by Külkamp et al. (2018). Their revised concept considers the BSHG as a distinct vegetation type defined by numerous endemic taxa, restricted to isolated patches surrounded by ecologically and floristically distinct forest formations located in southern Brazil. ...
... Four major areas correlated with altitude were identified by Barros et al. (2015). These represent stable niches and areas rich in endemic plant species, confirming that these highlands are important centres of endemism (Külkamp et al. 2018). However, the BSHG have been neglected and not considered as a conservation priority (Overbeck et al. 2007), as some tropical highland grasslands are (Bitencourt et al. 2016). ...
The Brazilian Subtropical Highland Grasslands (Campos de Cima da Serra) is one of the main areas of endemism in southern Brazil. The complex biogeographic history that resulted in the floristic composition of the region is directly linked to the high degree of plant endemism found there. Here we present a current checklist for the endemic plants – the first taxonomically verified endemic species list for the region. The list comprises 273 endemic taxa (23.5% of its flora) representing 40 families and 117 genera, highlighting fifty-seven taxa reported as endemic from the region for the first time in recent years. Voucher specimens, original publication, locality information and distribution data are provided for each endemic taxon. Botanical collections in the Brazilian Subtropical Highland Grasslands have increased exponentially during the last four decades. However, 41 taxa are known only from the original collection record reported in their protologue. Our results emphasize the importance of the Brazilian Subtropical Highland Grasslands in terms of conservation of its flora and the importance of providing complete information on botanical collection labels as source for a robust knowledge of the flora.
... This biogeographical process should be referred to as "endemism within endemism", a concept already considered in studies using Topographic Units Parsimony Analyses (Amorim & Santos 2017, Hammoud et al. 2019. The existence of Atlantic Forest highland endemics is pretty well-known in plants (e.g., Iganci et al. 2011, Külkamp et al. 2018) and animals (e.g., Cavarzere et al. 2005, Mallet-Rodrigues et al. 2010, Mira-Mendes et al. 2018). This has not been addressed: highland endemics form geographically restrict patterns that do not need to be and cannot be congruent with the pattern of the wide areas in which they are included. ...
A third species of the southern temperate tabanomorph genus Austroleptis Hardy, 1920 (Diptera: Austroleptidae)—A. camposgerais sp. nov.—from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is described and illustrated. A key for the species of the genus in Brazil is provided. Shared derived features indicate a sister group relationship between the new species and A. longirostris Fachin et al., 2018. Whatever the relationships among the species of this clade, however, there is a process of endemism within endemism in the Atlantic Forest: species at higher altitudes undergo vicariance process that do not affect lowland species distributed around the mountain chains. The low number of specimens known from highland species and the very restricted geographic distribution of each species strongly indicate the urgency to protect the natural environments at higher altitudes in Brazil.
... IUCN Assessment: LC (Least concern). In a recent study by Külkamp et al. (2018) that described and mapped the distribution of the endemic flora of the subtropical highland grasslands (SHG), G. reitzii and its conservation status, were based on nine records, and was assessed for the first time. In the present study, we reassessed its conservation status, expanding the number of records to 20. ...
Full descriptions of four Galianthe species, complemented by new data on fruits and seed characters are presented. These species occur at 500-3000 m elevations: G. gertii and G. reitzii in southeastern Brazil; G. guaranitica in eastern Paraguay and central-western Brazil; and G. boliviana in the sub-Andean region of northern Bolivia and southern Peru. Conservation status, with comments on distribution, is provided for three of them and is reassessed for one. The lectotypification of G. guaranitica is discussed.
... The study area is in the Campos de Cima da Serra region of Rio Grande do Sul state (RS) in Southern Brazil (Fig. 1), usually referred to as "Highland Grasslands" (Külkamp et al., 2018) and henceforth denoted "the Campos region", encompassing 10.693 km 2 (±3.5% of the state territory). The relief is moderately sloping, with altitude rising from west to east (from 800 to 1300 m). ...
Agricultural expansion on pristine woodlands and grasslands in Brazil usually causes major changes in soil organic C (SOC) stocks. Quantitative assessment of these stocks, their regional distribution and variability in rural landscapes are key scientific issues related to the Brazilian commitment to pursue climate-friendly agriculture. The aim of this research was to refine existing SOC stocks estimates in the Campos de Cima da Serra (temperate highlands) of Rio Grande do Sul state. Our approach included soil sampling campaigns to obtain primary SOC data, complemented by secondary data sources (published surveys and research projects). The field study sampled surface soil layers (to 30 cm depth) stratified by the predominant soil classes and agricultural land uses: primary grasslands with and without fire management, grasslands overseeded with legume forages, and fields fallowed after intensive annual horticultural crops or Pinus plantations (secondary grasslands). Large SOC stocks (0–30 cm depth) were measured in Ultisols (244.4 Mg C ha ⁻¹ ) and Inceptisols (191.1 Mg C ha ⁻¹ ) under grasslands without burning, whereas lower stocks were found in Inceptisols under agricultural crops. SOC stocks in this study were generally larger than those calculated using IPCC global reference SOC stocks, those estimated in SOC maps of Brazil − 70% higher in Inceptisols and 120% higher in Ultisols. Our estimates were 75% higher than those estimated for the study region in a state SOC map. Soils in this region store large C stocks, which had been generally underestimated in previous smaller scale inventory. Additionally, the SOC stock map obtained allows more detailed visualization of the spatial distribution of SOC than previously possible. This information can be used to define public policies for conservation agriculture and support the update and refinement of national inventories of SOC greenhouse gases.
The Pampa, also known as Río de la Plata grassland region, is arguably one of the most diverse and largest grassland areas in the world, yet timing, origin, and assembling of its flora are not well understood. Here, we provide a first comprehensive overview of the angiosperm historical biogeography in the Pampa and neighboring regions, by integrating a comprehensive phylogeny with 70,040 species, occurrence datasets, and models of geographical range evolution. The richness distribution of species sampled in our analyses is highly congruent with reports from the literature, where the Campos subregion in the North has higher levels of absolute species number and endemism. Also, our results corroborate long-standing views from phytogeography, such as a great number of lineages shared among the Pampa, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Chaco, and Andes, and a great exchange of lineages among these regions. Our results suggest that the Pampa is a macroevolutionary sink of angiosperm diversity, where a strong asymmetry of lineage exchange from other areas to the Pampa was detected. Our results are also in agreement with evidence from the fossil record, placing both lineage exchange (dispersals) and sympatric events (diversification) related to the Pampa very recently in geological time, with estimates concentrated in the Pliocene onward (with a great increase during the Pleistocene). Altogether, our results demonstrated the complex origin and dynamism of the Pampa flora and the importance of dispersal events for its assembly. Finally, putative caveats and future directions to further uncover the origins of the Pampa flora are discussed.
Introdução e objetivos: A Serra do Itapetinga abriga um dos mais importantes remanescentes de Floresta Atlântica da Macrometrópole Paulista, a região mais populosa do Brasil. No contexto do tratamento monográfico de Nothoscordum para o país, uma nova espécie com distribuição atual restrita à Serra do Itapetinga foi identificada, e é aqui descrita e ilustrada. M&M: O reconhecimento da nova espécie está baseado tanto em dados morfológicos como moleculares e citogenéticos. As descrições e comparações morfológicas foram feitas a partir da análise de materiais vivos ou depositados nas coleções dos herbários consultados. Com base em marcadores nuclear (ITS) e plastidiais (ndhF e matK) uma filogenia molecular incluindo a espécie descrita é apresentada. O seu estado de conservação foi avaliado de acordo com diretrizes e critérios da IUCN. Resultados: Nothoscordum itapetinga apresenta filamentos estaminais não fundidos na base, uma característica típica da seção Nothoscordum. Seu posicionamento nesta seção também é suportado por dados moleculares e o número cromossômico básico. São fornecidos seu número cromossômico, fórmula cariotípica e conteúdo total de DNA. Comentários sobre sua distribuição, hábitat e conservação são apresentados. Conclusões: Com base nos dados disponíveis, a nova espécie é considerada Criticamente em Perigo de extinção. As localidades de ocorrência sofreram por décadas com os impactos decorrentes do uso intensivo e não ordenado, além de incêndios florestais, e que alteraram parte de sua estrutura e composição florística. Somados aos esforços para a localização de registros adicionais, ações urgentes de proteção e conservação são consideradas fundamentais para garantir a sobrevivência dos acessos remanescentes de N. itapetinga.
Climate changes and associated glacial and interglacial cycles during the Quaternary strongly influenced the evolutionary history of countless number of species. Subtropical highland grasslands (SHG) in southern South America constitute a distinct vegetation type with high diversity and endemism rates. The most recent common ancestor of the genus Petunia (Solanaceae) originated in lowland grasslands, and some lineages secondarily migrated to SHG. Here, we describe the evolutionary history of an SHG species, P. altiplana, distributed throughout a wide area in a river-fragmented landscape. We used plastid and nuclear markers to evaluate the role of the Pelotas River and Quaternary climate cycles over the genetic structure and historical demography of this species based on a phylogeographical approach. We found moderate population expansions during the last 25 kyr, with a more recent (c. 1.6 kya) divergence between two groups of populations from opposite river margins, possibly caused by the expansion of the Araucaria Forest along the river valley, effectively isolating distinct grassland patches.
Areas of endemism are a standard unit of biogeography and are commonly used for analytical biogeographic analyses as
a criterion to identify areas for conservation. Galianthe is a genus of 56 species of mainly herbaceous plants from the
family Rubiaceae found in the Neotropics, occurring in campos rupestres (quartzitic rock outcrops), cerrado (savanna),
lowland grasslands, campos de altitude (highland grasslands), sasonally dry tropical forests (caatinga vegetation), and
savanna hillsides. Currently, the conservation status assessment is only known for eleven species of Galianthe, and there
have been no previous attempts to identify areas of endemism for the genus. In view of this, we used the NDM/VNDM
software to analyze the distribution of the 56 species of Galianthe to identify areas of endemism and to recognize which
species define each area. We also evaluated the conservation status of forty-five species for first time, according to the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines. Our finding identified 12 areas of endemism with
three cell sizes, mainly in the eastern part of Paraguay and southern Brazil. Illustrating the general biodiversity crisis,
41% of the Galianthe species (23 spp.), were evaluated as Endangered due to their degree of endemism and destruction
of their habitat, while 31 species were evaluated as not threatened and two species had Insufficient Data. In turn, only
five threatened species were found within or on the periphery of protected areas. We consider that although protected
areas are designed to protect biodiversity, in recent decades they have experienced different degrees of threat. Due to
the high risk of many species of the genus, it is necessary to consider restoration (as a complement to conservation) of
the processes that maintain grasslands to conserve unique, endemic and threatened species.
Key words: areas of endemism, conservation assessment, Neotropics, rare plants, Rubiaceae, threatened species
