From horticultural plantings into wild populations: movement of pollen and genes in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lobelia cardinalis</Emphasis>

The Southern Grassland biome in Brazil has long been neglected by the government and by the scientific community as well. Lack of studies about the effects of disturbance (mostly fire and grazing) on plant community and populations are the main hindrances for the future management plans, which complicates the conservation of this rich and unique biome. In this study, the population biology of a rosette species, Eryngium horridum (Apiaceae), has been investigated, in order to compare the effects of fire, grazing and abandonment. E. horridum is a very common species and many farmers consider it a nuisance. Two different areas were chosen for the study purposes: Morro Santana and the Research Center Pró-Mata. Areas under different types (fire and grazing) and disturbance histories were compared. Populations were analysed in plots of 25 m², divided in age-state classes (seedlings, young, adult and reproductive individuals). Both morphological and phenological traits have been investigated. Fire influenced populations in a direct way, whilst grazing showed an indirect effect. Seedlings were found only in areas excluded from disturbance for 3 years on Morro Santana. Due to this, seedling establishment might be more related to environmental conditions than to disturbance regimes. Young individuals were mainly found in recently burned areas, while adult individuals were dominant in areas excluded from disturbance. Additionally, individuals from E. horridum showed a great capacity of resprouting after plant damage. Reproductive individuals also showed the capacity of producing new rosettes after the death of the inflorescence axis. This strategy is probably of great importance for the survival of populations in areas excluded from disturbance. Therefore, vegetative reproduction seemed to be the most important strategy for the maintenance and survival of its populations, allowing longer population persistence over time, even in the absence of disturbance.     

Structure of ground‐dwelling ant communities in burned and unburned areas in Brazilian subtropical grasslands

Fire is frequently used in the management of pastures in southern Brazil, but its effects on ground‐dwelling ant communities in Brazilian subtropical grasslands is still poorly understood. Here, we compared ant species richness and composition between periodically burned and unburned areas in native grasslands of the Atlantic Forest biome. In total, we found 35 epigeic ant species in burned and unburned areas. There was slightly higher species richness in burned than in unburned areas, independent of the sampling period (season). There was a significant difference in richness over the sampling period (season effect). Species composition varied significantly between the areas, in which nine species (26%) occurred only in burned areas, eight (23%) occurred only in unburned areas, and 18 (51%) occurred in both. Four species showed a significant preference for burned sites (Camponotus crassus, Linepithema humile and two undetermined species of Pheidole and Solenopsis). Although this study did not separate fire effects on ground‐dwelling ant communities (due to sampling design), it provides new information regarding subtropical native grasslands that can be used as a baseline for future studies.     

Refuge effect of an unpalatable forb on community structure and grass morphology in a temperate grassland

The role of unpalatable plant species as biological antiherbivore refuges for palatable species is well-documented at community level particularly in harsh environments. In productive sub-humid temperate grassland subjected to domestic grazing, we examined the protective effect of Eryngium horridum on plant community structure and floristic composition, and evaluated whether these changes impacted on a number of morphological traits of grasses, related to grazing resistance. We also investigated, for a palatable grass species (Stipa neesiana) the existence of morphological differences between protected and unprotected plants and if this eventual variation was either plastic or genetic. The study consisted of a field survey where we compared paired patches, with and without E. horridum, and a greenhouse experiment where we evaluated individuals of S. neesiana coming from both patch types over a 11 months period. Patches dominated by E. horridum had lower richness and cover of forbs than patches without the forb, and similar richness but greater cover of cool-season tussock palatable grasses, which suggests a protective role on the latter. Grasses in these patches also had longer blades and sheaths and lower specific leaf area. The morphological differences of S. neesiana individuals collected from both patch types disappeared after 11 months growth in a common environment which revealed significant phenotypic plasticity in this species. These results suggest the existence of plant-to-plant facilitation in a productive ecosystem not only at community level, through changes in species richness and the promotion of palatable grasses, but also at population level, through plastic changes in aboveground morphological traits. Both facilitation and plasticity, would contribute to the persistence of threatened palatable grasses in the heavy grazed productive ecosystems.     

Giant stem rosettes have strong facilitation effects on alpine plant communities in the tropical Andes

ABSTRACT

Background: Giant rosettes constitute one of the most distinctive growth-forms in tropical alpine ecosystems. However, their interactions with other plant species remain unexplored in high Andean páramos.

Aims: Quantify the effect of a dominant rosette (Coespeletia timotensis) on soil and microclimatic conditions and relate the impacts to plant community structure.

Methods: We analysed topsoil temperatures, soil organic matter (SOM) and plant species cover in areas adjacent to C. timotensis and paired areas outside, at three sites (4250–4360 m a.s.l.) in La Culata National Park, Venezuela. Species richness, total vegetation cover and percent cover of each species near and away from the rosettes were compared.

Results: Topsoil temperature amplitudes were lower and SOM greater near C. timotensis stems, compared to areas away from them. C. timotensis had a consistent positive effect on species richness, vegetation cover and the cover of many abundant species (including cushions and herbs).

Conclusions: The facilitation effects of C. timotensis on abiotic conditions and community structure indicate they play a key role as nurse plants, pointing to giant rosettes as foundation species for the maintenance of plant diversity in the alpine tropics.     

Bud banks of perennial savanna grasses in Botswana

Three semi‐arid savanna grasses in Botswana (Stipagrostis uniplumis, Eragrostis lehmanniana, and Aristida stipitata) were sampled to quantify their belowground bud banks during the dormant season and to estimate their relative allocation to vegetative and sexual reproduction. Bud banks of these African perennial caespitose grasses were also compared with four perennial caespitose grasses of semi‐arid North American grasslands. The three African grasses each maintained approximately two buds per tiller and showed a high percentage (88–99%) of tillers producing seed. Only E. lehmanniana produced new aerial tillers from axillary buds at elevated nodes on the stem as well as from the belowground bud bank. Compared with species of North American grasslands, these African grasses produced fewer belowground buds but showed a much higher percentage of tillers producing seed. These patterns indicate relatively greater belowground meristem limitation, lower allocation to vegetative reproduction (tillering) and higher allocation to seed reproduction in these African grasses, although studies of more species are needed to assess the generality of this pattern. The management of savannas in ways that favour the maintenance of a reserve population of belowground buds may increase the ability of grasses to respond to pulses of resource availability, increase their compensatory growth capacity following grazing or drought, and decrease the invasibility of these plant communities by exotic species, whereas maintaining allocation to sexual reproduction may be important for conserving genetic variation and enhancing their capacity to adapt to environmental change.     

Facilitation and herbivory during restoration of California coastal sage scrub

Using nurse plants to facilitate native plant recruitment in degraded habitats is a common restoration practice across various arid and semiarid environments. Living trees or shrubs are typically considered nurse plants, whereas dead shrubs left in the landscape from prolonged drought are understudied prospective facilitators for native plant recruitment. The interaction between nurse plants and biotic pressures, such as herbivory, on native recruitment is also not well understood in semiarid plant communities. We investigated the effects of facilitation and herbivory on native seedling germination, growth, and survival in the restoration of degraded coastal sage scrub (CSS) habitat. Native shrub seedlings (Artemisia californica and Salvia mellifera) were planted, and native annual species (Amsinckia intermedia, Deinandra fasciculata, Phacelia distans, and Pseudognaphalium californicum) were sown in three Shrub Type treatments (live shrub, dead shrub, and exposed areas), with a nested Cage treatment (no cage and cage) in each Shrub Type treatment. Annual species grew equally well in all Shrub Type treatments; shrub seedlings grew largest in exposed areas. While there was little evidence of facilitation for all species tested, there were strong positive effects of caging on growth and establishment of all species. Caging palatable native species or planting species with anti‐herbivory traits around target plants may be more strategic approaches compared to using nurse plants in restoring degraded CSS after extended drought.     

Eryngium (Apiaceae) phytotelmata and their macro-invertebrate communities, including a review and bibliography

The objective of this study was to determine how phytotelm communities differ in four Eryngium sp. of different morphologies. Macro-invertebrate communities from 320 individual plants of Eryngium horridum, E. stenophyllum, E. serra, and E. elegans were sampled in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The morphology and structure of each Eryngium specimen, and water volume and debris in their phytotelmata, were measured. Morphology indicated that E. elegans and E. serra are closely related and differ from E. horridum and E. stenophyllum. The latter two species are markedly different from E. stenophyllum, the biggest of the four. The communities differed among these Eryngium species, but a large number of generalist macro-invertebrates use all four phytotelmata. Canonical correlation analysis showed that diptera are inhabitants in E. horridum, and micro-crustaceans in E. serra and E. elgans. By contrast, no specific taxa were grouped in E. stenophyllum. Results of inter-specific association (C ₈ coefficient) show that species of Culicidae and Chironomidae are highly positive associations in E. horridum, by contrast with the negative association observed in E. stenophyllum. Culex renatoi (Culicidae) and Polypedilum sp. (Chironomidae) were highly likely to co-occur in the same plant of E. serra, but not with Metriocnemus eryngiotelmatus (Chironomidae). Larsia sp. (Chironomidae) was the species better associated with the other macro-invertebrates in E. elegans. The food web was constructed from Eryngium phytotelmata. This study includes an updated list of known aquatic and semi-aquatic invertebrates reported from Eryngium phytotelmata, and their bibliography.     

Phylogeography and genetic differentiation along the distributional range of the orchid Epidendrum fulgens: a Neotropical coastal species not restricted to glacial refugia

Aim Phylogeographical studies in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF) have mostly included species associated with forest habitats, whereas taxa associated with grassland and sand‐dune plant communities have so far been largely overlooked. This study examines the phylogeography of the orchid Epidendrum fulgens, which occurs on coastal sand dunes and granitic outcrops, in order to identify major genetic divergences or disjunctions across the range of the species and to investigate the genetic signatures of past range contractions and expansions. Location Southern and south‐eastern seashore vegetation along the BAF biome, and granitic and arenitic outcrops that occur in the subtropical grassland plant communities located south of the BAF. Methods Nine nuclear and four plastid microsatellite loci were used to genotype 424 individuals from 16 populations across the distributional range of E. fulgens. For both sets of markers, we estimated genetic diversity and population differentiation, testing for a north–south gradient of genetic diversity. The plastid haplotype network and a Bayesian assignment analysis of nuclear markers were used to infer population structure. Past demographic changes were investigated using a coalescence approach. Results A deep disjunction was found between northern populations within the BAF and southern populations outside the BAF that occur on granitic and arenitic outcrops. Recent demographic reductions were detected in northern populations on coastal sands. Such demographic changes were not expected for those populations, as previous studies with forest species had found evidence of population expansion in the same areas. Higher genetic diversity was found in southern populations on granite, in contrast to patterns observed in previous studies of forest species. Main conclusions The results are consistent with the long‐term persistence of E. fulgens. Bottlenecks were detected in populations from areas where population expansion events have been detected in other plant (and animal) species, suggesting that forest expansion after the Last Glacial Maximum played a role in the population fragmentation and decrease in genetic diversity in E. fulgens. A substantial genetic division in E. fulgens corresponds to the ‘Portal de Torres’, a region that demarcates the northern limits of subtropical grassland plant communities and the southern limits of the BAF.     

Shrub emergence and seedling growth in microenvironments created by Prosopis glandulosa

Abstract. Facilitation of the establishment of certain plant species by nurse plants is a common phenomenon in arid and semiarid ecosystems. The most commonly reported mechanisms of facilitation include cooler temperatures and increased soil nutrients beneath the nurse plant canopy, which favor establishment of other plant species. During conversion of upland grasslands to thorn woodland in southern Texas, Prosopis glandulosa appears to facilitate establishment of other woody plants, including Celtis pallida, whereas Acacia smallii occurs only in habitats between P. glandulosa canopies. We tested the hypothesis that light intensity and soils under P. glandulosa canopies facilitate seedling emergence and growth of C. pallida but inhibit seedling emergence and growth of A. smallii. In the field, C. pallida and A. smallii seeds were planted under P. glandulosa canopies and in adjacent interspaces. Percent emergence of C. pallida seedlings was greater under the canopy of P. glandulosa, whereas percent emergence of A. smallii seedlings was greater in interspaces. In a greenhouse experiment, seeds of each species were planted in pots filled with soil from under P. glandulosa canopies or from adjacent interspaces. Two treatments, shade and sunlight, were imposed and plants harvested seven weeks later. Seedling mass of both species was greater in canopy soil than in interspace soil in sunlight but mass of the two species did not differ between soil sources in shade. Canopy soils contained more total and available nitrogen than interspace soils. These results suggest that light is more limiting than nutrients under shaded conditions and so neither species can take advantage of the high nutrients beneath P. glandulosa. Shade and greater soil nutrients beneath P. glandulosa do not appear to be the major factors that facilitate C. pallida or inhibit A. smallii. Aggregation of C. pallida beneath P. glandulosa canopies appears to be a complex process that involves both passive facilitation (seed dispersal by birds) and active facilitation (reduction of seed dormancy by under-canopy temperatures) operating only during the seed germination stage with successional mechanisms other than facilitation operating during later stages of shrub establishment and growth.     

Shrub facilitation drives tree establishment in a semiarid fog‐dependent ecosystem

Questions

The exceptional occurrence of tall rain forest patches on foggy coastal mountaintops, surrounded by extensive xerophytic shrublands, suggests an important role of plant–plant interactions in the origin and persistence of these patches in semi‐arid Chile. We asked whether facilitation by shrubs can explain the growth and survival of rain forest tree species, and whether shrub effects depend on the identity of the shrub species itself, the drought tolerance of the tree species and the position of shrubs in regard to wind direction.

Location

Open area–shrubland–forest matrix, Fray Jorge Forest National Park, Chile.

Methods

We recorded survival after 12 years of a ~3600 tree saplings plantation (originally ~30‐cm tall individuals) of Aextoxicon punctatum, Myrceugenia correifolia and Drimys winteri placed outside forests, beneath the shrub Baccharis vernalis, and in open (shrub‐free) areas. We assessed the effects of neighbouring shrubs and soil humidity on survival and growth along a gradient related to the direction of fog movement.

Results

B. vernalis had a clear facilitative effect on tree establishment and survival since, after ~12 years, saplings only survived beneath the shrub canopy. Long‐term survival strongly depended on tree species identity, drought tolerance and position along the soil moisture gradient, with higher survival of A. punctatum (>35%) and M. correifolia (>14%) at sites on wind‐ and fog‐exposed shrubland areas. Sites occupied by the shrub Aristeguietia salvia were unsuitable for trees, presumably due to drier conditions than under B. vernalis.

Conclusions

Interactions between shrubs and fog‐dependent tree species in dry areas revealed a strong, long‐lasting facilitation effect on planted tree's survival and growth. Shrubs acted as benefactors, providing sites suitable for tree growth. Sapling mortality in the shrubland interior was caused by lower soil moisture, the consequence of lower fog loads in the air and thus insufficient facilitation. While B. vernalis was a key ecosystem engineer (nurse) and intercepted fog water that dripped to trees planted underneath, drier sites with A. salvia were unsuitable for trees. Consequently, nurse effects related to water input are strongly site and species specific, with facilitation by shrubs providing a plausible explanation for the initiation of forest patches in this semi‐arid landscape.     

The antiquity of Madagascar’s grasslands and the rise of C4 grassy biomes

Aim Grasslands and savannas, which make up > 75% of Madagascar’s land area, have long been viewed as anthropogenically derived after people settled on the island c. 2 ka. We investigated this hypothesis and an alternative – that the grasslands are an insular example of the post‐Miocene spread of C₄ grassy biomes world‐wide. Location Madagascar, southern Africa, East Africa. Methods We compared the number of C₄ grass genera in Madagascar with that in southern and south‐central African floras. If the grasslands are recent we would expect to find fewer species and genera in Madagascar relative to Africa and for these species and genera to have very wide distribution ranges in Madagascar. Secondly, we searched Madagascan floras for the presence of endemic plant species or genera restricted to grasslands. We also searched for evidence of a grassland specialist fauna with species endemic to Madagascar. Plant and animal species endemic to C₄ grassy biomes would not be expected if these are of recent origin. Results Madagascar has c. 88 C₄ grass genera, including six endemic genera. Excluding African genera with only one or two species, Madagascar has 86.6% of southern Africa’s and 89.4% of south‐central Africa’s grass genera. C₄ grass species make up c. 4% of the flora of both Madagascar and southern Africa and species : genus ratios are similar (4.3 and 5.1, respectively). Turnover of grasses along geographical gradients follows similar patterns to those in South Africa, with Andropogoneae dominating in mesic biomes and Chlorideae in semi‐arid grassy biomes. At least 16 monocot genera have grassland members, many of which are endemic to Madagascar. Woody species in frequently burnt savannas include both Madagascan endemics and African species. A different woody flora, mostly endemic, occurs in less frequently burnt grasslands in the central highlands, filling a similar successional niche to montane C₄ grasslands in Africa. Diverse vertebrate and invertebrate lineages have grassland specialists, including many endemic to Madagascar (e.g. termites, ants, lizards, snakes, birds and mammals). Grassland use of the extinct fauna is poorly known but carbon isotope analysis indicates that a hippo, two giant tortoises and one extinct lemur ate C₄ or CAM (crassulacean acid metabolism) plants. Main conclusions The diversity of C₄ grass lineages in Madagascar relative to that in Africa, and the presence of plant and animal species endemic to Madagascan grassy biomes, does not fit the view that these grasslands are anthropogenically derived. We suggest that grasslands invaded Madagascar after the late Miocene, part of the world‐wide expansion of C₄ grassy biomes. Madagascar provides an interesting test case for biogeographical analysis of how these novel biomes assembled, and the sources of the flora and fauna that now occupy them. A necessary part of such an analysis would be to establish the pre‐settlement extent of the C₄ grassy biomes. Carbon isotope analysis of soil organic matter would be a feasible method for doing this.     

Competitive effects and responses of the invasive grass Eragrostis plana in Río de la Plata grasslands

The ability of an invasive species to establish is mostly determined by its biotic interactions with native species from the recipient community. Here, we evaluate the competitive effects and responses of the invasive Eragrostis plana when interacting with native species, in order to identify possible mechanisms driving invasion in Río de la Plata grasslands. A pairwise competition experiment was performed consisting of treatments that varied in the identity of neighbour plant species: (i) control (no interaction); (ii) intraspecific interaction; (iii) interspecific interaction between native and invasive species; and (iv) interspecific interaction between two co‐occurring native species. Data analysis was separated into the effect of E. plana on the performance of three native perennial grasses (target species: Aristida laevis, Eragrostis neesii and Paspalum notatum) and the response of E. plana to natives (target species: E. plana). Separately for each target species, components of plant performance were compared between neighbouring species treatments. We found that the strength of competitive interactions depended on both target and neighbour species identity. Regarding natives, interspecific competition was stronger than intraspecific. Native species showed distinctive responses to whether the neighbour was the invasive or a co‐occurring native (Eragrostis lugens). Competition between E. plana and native species was stronger than between co‐occurring natives. We demonstrated E. plana had a greater negative effect on native's species performance than the native congener E. lugens. Regarding E. plana, intraspecific competition was stronger than interspecific, and its response was positive or neutral when interacting with natives, suggesting its high tolerance to grow in competition with neighbours. We conclude E. plana's negative effects on native species performance, and its positive or neutral responses to neighbouring native plants demonstrate its strong competitive ability in the recipient community. This may explain its invasion success in southern Brazil and in the encompassing Río de la Plata grasslands. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.     

Vegetation change in acidic dry grasslands in Moravia (Czech Republic) over three decades: Slow decrease in habitat quality after grazing cessation

Aims

Shallow soils on acidic bedrock in dry areas of Central Europe support dry grasslands and heathlands that were formerly used as extensive pastures. These habitats are of high conservation value, but their abandonment in the 20th century triggered slow natural succession that poses a threat to specialized plant species. We asked how this vegetation and its plant diversity have changed over the past three decades and whether protected areas have positively affected habitat quality.

Location

Southwestern and central Moravia, Czech Republic.

Methods

In 2018–2019, we resurveyed 94 vegetation plots first sampled in 1986–1991 at 47 acidic dry grassland and heathland sites. We compared the number of all vascular plant species, Red List species and alien species per plot using parametric and non-parametric tests, life-form spectra using the chi-square test, species composition using detrended correspondence analysis, and indicator values using a permutation test. We also compared these changes between sites within and outside protected areas.

Results

Vegetation changes over the past three decades have been relatively small. However, we detected a decrease in total species richness, the number of Red List species and the number of characteristic species of dry grasslands. Neophytes were infrequent, while archaeophytes increased slightly. The competitive tall grass Arrhenatherum elatius, annual species and young woody plants increased in abundance or newly established at many sites. Indicator values did not change except for a slight increase in nutrient values. These negative trends occurred both within and outside protected areas but were more pronounced outside.

Conclusions

Formerly grazed acidic dry grasslands and heathlands in Moravia are slowly losing habitat specialists, including threatened plant species, and are increasingly dominated by Arrhenatherum elatius. Conservation management, especially cutting in protected areas, slows down the negative trends of decline in plant diversity and habitat quality but is insufficient to halt these processes completely.     

A regional‐scale consideration of the effects of species richness on above‐ground biomass in temperate natural grasslands of China

Question: Can species richness be a predictor for above‐ground biomass in natural grasslands at a regional scale? Location: A total of 647 sites across temperate natural grasslands of northern China. Methods: Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine the effect of species richness on above‐ground biomass. Asymptotically distribution‐free estimation was selected for parameter estimation. The SEM process was performed at five sample sizes (n=50, 100, 200, 300 and 647). Spatial structure in the original data was examined by calculating Moran's I. Results: SEM run at n=647 revealed a positive effect of species richness on above‐ground biomass after controlling for the influences of bioclimatic factors and grazing. At the four reduced sample size levels, the positive effect held true for most cases in 400 observations (>92%). Conclusions: Contrary to observations in previous studies in natural grasslands, our data showed a positive effect of species richness on above‐ground biomass. This suggests that, as a short‐term effect of diversity on productivity, niche complementarity among coexisting species tends to be an important process in arid and semi‐arid natural grasslands. We hold that biodiversity conservation is among the fundamental approaches required to maintain productivity of grasslands in arid and semi‐arid areas.     

Limiting processes for perennial plant reintroduction to restore dry grasslands

In restored grasslands of southern Europe, perennial plants remain highly underrepresented compared with the reference ecosystems. We tested various treatments to reintroduce common perennial plant species (Brachypodium retusum, Poaceae, and Thymus vulgaris, Lamiaceae), which are usually not or poorly reintroduced via soil and hay transfer. Treatments included microenvironmental manipulations (rock cover and plant interactions) and two grazing intensities. Target perennial species were transplanted in 2002 in the reference grassland ecosystem (intact grassland area used as a control) and in two abandoned fields. Survival was assessed in June 2003 and June 2004. Target species shoot and root biomass were measured in June 2004. Grazing greatly reduced the survival and biomass of both target species and its effects were reinforced by summer drought: plants that did not establish well enough during the autumn and spring did not survive summer. The restored rock cover had a mild positive effect, particularly on B. retusum. There were no negative or positive plant neighbor interactions in the steppe, while there was competition in both abandoned fields. Competition was particularly intense in the abandoned melon field, composed of a dense sward of annual grasses (Bromus sp.). In order to reintroduce perennial species to dry grasslands, the ideal combination of treatments is to exclude or reduce grazing during the first year to allow seedlings to establish and to recreate adequate microenvironmental conditions. Reducing competition from arable weeds may help but is not essential in such dry grasslands.     

Pattern of glacial—interglacial vegetation in subtropical Chile

Pleistocene vegetation in the Mediterranean climate region of subtropical Chile during >40,000 yr of the last glaciation stands in contrast with vegetation of the past 10,000 yr of the present interglaciation. During the last ice age, open woodland of southern beech (Nothofagus dombeyi and N. obliqua types) and Andean podocarp (Prumnopitys andina) mixed with grasses and composites, was established on unglaciated, low‐lying terrain now occupied by broad sclerophyllous plant communities. This marked vegetation change during a glacial‐interglacial cycle, inferred from pollen contained in a core from Laguna de Tagua Tagua (34°30'S), suggests a pattern applicable to the vegetational setting during repeated cycles throughout the Quaternary.

Ice‐age vegetation can be accounted for by year‐long domination of the polar maritime air mass at lower, middle latitudes, unlike modern interglacial type plant formations, which are regulated by seasonal interaction between subtropical and polar maritime air. Glacial‐interglacial shifting of air mass centers, as a cause for the changing distribution of species and plant communities, appears geared to events in the atmosphere/ocean system.     

Microstachys crassifolia sp. nov. (Euphorbiaceae) from Chapada dos Veadeiros,Goiás,Brazil

Microstachys crassifolia, a new species from Chapada dos Veadeiros region in the State of Goias, central Brazil, is here described and illustrated. Its habit and general morphology resembles that of M. nana Silva & Esser, an endemic species from the State of Paraná, southern Brazil. Both species are hemicryptophytes from grasslands, with a well‐developed underground system, glabrous leaves and reddish inflorescences and fruits, but M. crassifolia has fleshy leaves without glands while M. nana has membranaceous leaves with pateliform, submarginal glands.     

Changes in the realized niche of the invasive succulent CAM plant Furcraea foetida

Furcraea foetida (Asparagaceae) is a native plant of Central America and northern South America but there is no information about its country of origin. The species was introduced into Brazil and is now considered invasive, particularly in coastal ecosystems. To date, nothing is known about the environmental factors that constrain its distribution and there is only inconclusive information about its location of origin. We used reciprocal distribution models (RDM) to assess invasion risk of F. foetida across Brazil and to identify source regions in its native range. We also tested the niche conservatism hypothesis using Principal Components Analyses and statistical tests of niche equivalency and similarity between its native and invaded ranges. For RDM analysis, we built two models using maximum entropy, one using records in the native range to predict the invaded distribution (forward‐Ecological Niche Model or forward‐ENM) and one using records in the invaded range to predict the native distribution (reverse‐ENM). Forward‐ENM indicated invasion risk in the Cerrado region and the innermost region of the Atlantic Forest, however, failed to predict the current occurrence in southern Brazil. Reverse‐ENM supported an existing hypothesis that F. foetida originated in the Orinoco river basin, Amazon basin and Caribbean islands. Prediction errors in the RDM and multivariate analysis indicated that the species expanded its realized niche in Brazil. The niche similarity test further suggested that the niche differences are because of differences in habitat availability between the two ranges, not because of evolutionary changes. We hypothesize that physiological pre‐adaptation (especially, the crassulacean acid metabolism), human‐driven propagule pressure and high competitive ability are the main factors determining the current spatial distribution of the species in Brazil. Our study highlights the need to include F. foetida in plant invasion monitoring programs, especially in priority conservation areas where the species has still not been introduced.     

Brazil's neglected biome: The South Brazilian Campos

The South Brazilian grasslands occupy some 13.7 million ha and support very high levels of biodiversity. This paper reviews the current state of ecological knowledge on South Brazilian Campos and of threats and challenges associated with their conservation. The principal factors shaping grassland physiognomy and diversity are discussed, and information is presented on diversity of plant species; best estimates suggest that 3000–4000 phanerophytes occur in the South Brazilian grasslands.It is argued that, despite their high species richness, Campos vegetation is not adequately protected under current conservation policies. In the past three decades, approximately 25% of the grassland area has been lost due to land use changes, and this trend continues. However, representation of Campos grasslands in conservation units is extremely low (less than 0.5%), and the management in most of these is inadequate to preserve the grasslands, as grazing and fire are important factors for their persistence. In conclusion, the following urgent needs are identified: (1) to create more conservation units in different regions, including different grassland types throughout southern Brazil, (2) to develop proper management strategies where grasslands are subject to shrub encroachment and forest expansion, (3) to conduct research on biodiversity and ecological processes in the Campos region and (4) to raise public awareness of the value and vulnerability of this vegetation type.