What do we know about Hawaiian ferns and lycophytes?

The Hawaiian Islands are home to one of the most distinctive fern and lycophyte floras in the world. Of the 144 native fern species, 76% are endemic and, including subspecies and varieties, 84% of the 167 native fern taxa are endemic. There are 15 native lycophyte species, 47% of which are endemic, and 16 taxa, 50% of which are endemic. I review here most of the available literature on Hawaiian ferns and lycophytes. Few species of ferns or lycophytes have been studied in any kind of detail and, for most, we only know basic classification and general ecological information. Although the total number of studies reviewed here is not large, research has been conducted on a wide range of topics including systematics, floristics, dispersal, phylogeny, biogeography, ecology, form and function, population genetics, microevolution, fern-animal and fern-fungi associations, reproductive biology, demography, ethnobotany, and conservation.     

茂兰国家级自然保护区石松类和蕨类植物区系特征

本研究通过野外考查、标本采集和分类鉴定，以及文献资料整理，对贵州茂兰国家级自然保护区石松类和蕨类植物区系组成和分布区类型进行统计分析。结果显示：(1)茂兰国家级自然保护区共有石松类和蕨类植物32科76属237种，优势科为鳞毛蕨科(Dryopteridaceae)、蹄盖蕨科(Athyriaceae)、凤尾蕨科(Pteridaceae)、水龙骨科(Polypodiaceae)；优势属为双盖蕨属(Diplazium)、卷柏属(Selaginella)、凤尾蕨属(Pteris)。(2)分布区类型以东亚广布和热带亚洲分布为主，生态类型以阴生植物和土生植物居多。(3)与其他地区的区系比较显示，茂兰与广西花坪物种相似性系数最高，依次是贵州梵净山、四川峨眉山和云南马关县。     

浙江景宁畲族自治县石松类和蕨类植物区系研究

在野外调查的基础上,初步探讨了景宁畲族自治县石松类和蕨类植物的区系特征、地理分布、生态环境以及与邻近地区的关系和物种濒危状况。结果表明,景宁石松类和蕨类共有296种7变种和1杂交种,隶属于29科83属,其中包括7个浙江省新记录种;地理分布以热带性质的科属占优势,种类以温带性质为主,本区属于亚热带与温带物种的融汇地带;与邻近省份和地区相比,景宁石松类和蕨类区系与江西省、福建省、宁波市和温州市的关系密切,与温州的区系最紧密,与安徽的区系较疏远;景宁石松类和蕨类生态类型大致可分为六类:暖性针叶林生境、常绿阔叶林阴湿生境、毛竹林暖湿生境、温性松杉柏冷湿生境、灌丛及村旁路边干旱生境和溪流、农田、沼泽湿地生境,其中常绿阔叶林阴湿生境下物种最丰富;景宁分布着在浙江范围内受威胁的蕨类46种,其中濒危(EN)有11种,易危(VU)有35种,国家和浙江省保护蕨类4种。     

Biomass structure and dry matter dynamics of subtropical alluvial and exotic Ligustrum forests at the Río de la Plata,Argentina

Biomass, litterfall, litter standing crop, and decomposition was studied in a native subtropical alluvial forest locally known as Selva Marginal (SM) and an exotic Ligustrum lucidum forest (LF) at the Reserva Integral de Punta Lara, Buenos Aires Province, 34°47S and 58°1W. The alluvial forest site was at the southern limit of distribution of subtropical forests in South America. The Ligustrum forest was invading disturbed areas. Total biomass was 147.7 Mg/ha (86% aboveground and 14% belowground) in the SM, and 71.4 Mg/ha (93% and 7%, respectively) in the LF. Litterfall was 10.3 Mg/ha·yr and 13.8 Mg/ha·yr respectively. Annual leaf decomposition rate was greater for Ligustrum (k=4.07) than for SM species (k=1.48). The mean residence time of aboveground biomass was 12 yr for the SM and 5 yr for the LF. The k₁ values (litterfall/standing crop) were 1.9 and 2.0 for SM and LF respectively. The influence of coastal road and wall in the hydroperiod, native forested wetland ecosystem survival and exotic forest invasion is discussed.     

中国东北地区石松类和蕨类植物区系研究

中国东北地区是我国北方石松类和蕨类植物最丰富地区,对其区系的系统研究是区域石松类和蕨类植物资源管理的基础和前提。本研究在文献分析和标本查阅的基础上,探讨了东北地区石松类和蕨类植物区系及其特征。结果表明：①东北地区有石松类和蕨类植物19科48属141种（含种下分类群）。②东北地区石松类和蕨类植物区系属温带性质,且包含一定的热带和寒带性质的成分,体现其地理成分的复杂性。③优势科属明显,7个优势科的种数占全部种数的63.83%,6个优势属的种数占全部种数的46.10%;单种和寡种属较多,占总属数的83.33%,所包含的种却只占总种数的47.52%。④东北地区是木贼科（Equisetaceae）在中国的重要分布区。⑤东北地区分布有石松类和蕨类植物的中国特有种30种,东北地区特有种4种（长白石杉Huperzia asiatica、宽鳞蹄盖蕨Athyrium yokoscense var. kirismaense、长齿对囊蕨Deparia pycnosora var. longidens和长白山金星蕨Parathelypteris changbaishanensis）。本研究是东北地区植物区系研究的必要补充,具有重要的理论和实践意义。     

An updated checklist of the vascular flora native to Italy

An updated inventory of the native vascular flora of Italy, providing details on the occurrence at regional level, is presented. The checklist includes 8195 taxa (6417 species and 1778 subspecies), distributed in 1092 genera and 152 families; 23 taxa are lycophytes, 108 ferns and fern allies, 30 gymnosperms and 8034 angiosperms. The taxa currently occurring in Italy are 7483, while 568 taxa have not been confirmed in recent times, 99 are doubtfully occurring in the country and 19 are data deficient. Out of the 568 not confirmed taxa, 26 are considered extinct or possibly extinct.     

中国石松类和蕨类植物多样性研究进展

石松类和蕨类植物是维管植物的第二大类群, 其起源可追溯到4亿年前。在被子植物出现之前, 石松类和蕨类植物在古地球生态系统中占主导地位, 其重要性一直延续到现在。自20世纪40年代开始, 中国石松类和蕨类植物研究就令世界瞩目, 尤其是2017年第19届国际植物学大会在中国深圳召开后的5年时间里, 中国石松类和蕨类植物研究更是面向世界、走向国际, 研究更为广泛的科学问题, 在物种多样性、保护、系统演化和生态适应性等方面取得了一系列重要研究进展。2017-2022年, 多个中国研究团队利用多组学数据构建了世界石松类和蕨类植物科级水平的生命之树并提出了关键性状孢子囊环带演化的新模式; 解决了石松类和蕨类植物中目级、科级、属级和种级众多关键的系统分类学等问题, 发表了106个新分类群; 开展了大量的植物区系调查和研究, 出版了6部中国石松类和蕨类植物多样性专著和1部世界性专著; 对65种国家重点保护的石松类和蕨类植物进行了迁地保护, 同时实现了桫椤科、水蕨属(Ceratopteris)、观音座莲属(Angiopteris)和鹿角蕨(Platycerium wallichii)等重点保护类群的孢子繁殖; 在系统发育框架下, 研究了石松类和蕨类植物的生态修复功能和生态适应性演化。通过对2017-2022年研究成果的总结和思考, 本文对未来石松类和蕨类植物的发展提出以下建议: (1)提高中国寡型科属以及世界性大科大属的关注力度; (2)加强西藏、四川等薄弱地区石松类和蕨类植物的调查研究, 并结合新技术, 如DNA条形码等以提高区系调查中物种鉴别的效率和准确性; (3)运用多学科交叉的研究方法厘清各科、属、种间系统关系的同时, 还应加强系统和生态适应性演化之间的协同研究; (4)关注石松类和蕨类植物系统位置作为陆生维管植物演化起点的共性科学问题; (5)加强石松类和蕨类植物系统分类学与生态学、植物化学、保护生物学等学科间交叉合作研究。     

黄土高原石松类和蕨类植物的多样性与地理分布

物种编目是了解生物多样性的基础。本文收集已出版的专著和文献, 查阅标本馆的馆藏标本信息, 在此基础上, 对黄土高原的石松类和蕨类植物的多样性和地理分布数据进行统计和分析。科属排列采用Flora of China的分类系统, 科属界定依据分子系统学的最新研究成果。结果表明, 黄土高原共有石松类和蕨类植物18科42属165种2亚种5变种, 其中中国特有种35种, 占总种数的20.35%。种类数量最多的5个科依次为凤尾蕨科(29种, 含种下单位, 下同)、鳞毛蕨科(28种)、水龙骨科(19种)、蹄盖蕨科(16种)和铁角蕨科(16种); 种类数量最多的6个属依次为铁角蕨属(Asplenium, 16种)、鳞毛蕨属(Dryopteris, 15种)、耳蕨属(Polystichum, 12种)、岩蕨属(Woodsia, 11种)、卷柏属(Selaginella, 10种)和瓦韦属(Lepisorus, 10种)。黄土高原的石松类和蕨类植物中, 无珍稀濒危保护植物, 无中国特有属。依据生态类型可划分为4类, 即土生植物(112种)、石生植物(75种)、附生植物(18种)、水生植物(3种), 该区域石松类和蕨类植物土生或石生的种类占总种数的89.53%。在地理分布上, 黄土高原石松类和蕨类处于我国现生类群分布的边缘区域, 这与我国的石松类和蕨类分布规律基本一致。     

The Exploitation and Utilization of Lycophyte and Fern Resources in Xishuangbanna,Yunnan

Xishuangbanna lies in the south of Yunnan. The composition and distributive regulation of lycophytes and ferns in Xishuangbanna are studied in this paper. As a result, 363 species of wild lycophytes and ferns which belong to 76 genera and 31 families are found in this area. The six species rich families are Polypodiaceae, Athyriaceae, Thelypteridaceae, Aspleniaceae, Pteridaceae and Selaginellaceae. The geographical distribution of the species shows that this flora mainly consists of Tropical Asia elements. Terrestrial species are the richest of this flora, followed by epiphytic and lithophytic species. The lycophytes and ferns resources of Xishuangbanna are abundant. However, the exploitation and utilization of this group of plants are ignored. This study investigated lycophytes and ferns resources of Xishuangbanna. Medicinal, edible and ornamental ferns in Xishuangbanna have been clearly researched and their utilization and protection have been discussed.     

西双版纳热带森林附生维管植物的物种多样性与区系特征

附生植物是山地森林生态系统中重要的结构性成分。因受林冠调查技术限制, 人们对林冠附生植物知之甚少。本文在前人有关西双版纳植物区系研究的基础上, 结合野外调查和标本资料, 对该地区附生植物的物种组成与分布进行了整理。结果表明, 西双版纳热带森林附生维管植物共有29科134属486种, 约占全部维管植物的11%。附生兰科是最丰富的类群(69属293种), 其中以石斛属(Dendrobium) (49种)和石豆兰属(Bulbophyllum) (48种)物种数最多。蕨类是仅次于兰科的附生类群(13科38属97种), 其中水龙骨科(51种)占附生蕨类总数的50%以上。基于生活史和养分来源的划分标准, 该地区48%的附生物种属于兼性附生, 其次是以兰科为主的专性附生(46%), 半附生仅占6%。从区系上看, 西双版纳附生植物属的分布具有明显的热带亚洲性质。附生植物主要分布于资源受限的林冠生境, 对环境变化极为敏感, 在人为干扰日益加剧的背景下, 这类植物正面临严重威胁。因此, 需要加强对西双版纳林冠亚系统的保护。     

石松类和蕨类植物的主要分类系统的科属比较

石松类和蕨类植物在秦仁昌（1978）系统、《中国蕨类植物科属志》、《中国植物志》、Christenhusz维管植物线性排列系统中和“FloraofChina”的科属组成、数量存在很大差异。秦仁昌（1978）系统收录63科223属,《中国蕨类植物科属志》63科226属,《中国植物志》61科220属、Chnstenhusz线性排列系统38科163属和“FloraofChina”38科177属。本文通过比较石松类和蕨类植物的几个主要分类系统中科属的变动情况,拟为新一代植物志（iFlora）中石松类和蕨类植物的编研提供依据。同时,还指出了几个主要的分类系统中关于中文名、拉丁名以及命名人的不一致和错误．为进一步研究提供检索和鉴定参考。     

An updated checklist of the vascular flora alien to Italy

An updated inventory of the vascular flora alien to Italy, providing details on the occurrence at regional level, is presented. The checklist includes 1597 species, subspecies, and hybrids, distributed in 725 genera and 152 families; 2 taxa are lycophytes, 11 ferns and fern allies, 33 gymnosperms, and 1551 angiosperms. 157 taxa are archaeophytes and 1440 neophytes. The alien taxa currently established in Italy are 791 (570 naturalized and 221 invasive), while 705 taxa are casual aliens, 4 are not assessed, 7 are of unknown regional distribution, 47 have not been confirmed in recent times, 3 are considered extinct or possibly extinct in the country, and 40 are doubtfully occurring in Italy. This checklist allows to establish an up-to-date number (9792) of taxa constituting the whole (native and alien) Italian flora.     

中国石松类和蕨类植物的多样性与地理分布

物种编目及其科属系统排列是了解生物多样性的基础, 本文采用Flora of China使用的分类系统, 结合最新分子分类学研究成果以及近几年发表的新资料, 对中国石松类和蕨类植物多样性和地理分布数据进行了统计和分析。结果表明中国共有石松类和蕨类植物40科178属2,147种5个亚种118个变种, 其中特有种839个, 占总种数的39.08%。种数最多的5个科依次为鳞毛蕨科(505种, 含种下单位, 下同)、蹄盖蕨科(323种)、水龙骨科(280种)、凤尾蕨科(266种)和金星蕨科(209种); 种数最多的5个属依次为耳蕨属(Polystichum, 209种)、鳞毛蕨属(Dryopteris, 176种)、蹄盖蕨属(Athyrium, 137种)、双盖蕨属(Diplazium, 98种)和凤尾蕨属(Pteris, 97种)。在地理分布上, 种数排名前5的省份为云南(1,365种)、四川(875种)、贵州(838种)、广西(785种)和台湾(779种)。含中国特有石松类和蕨类植物的科属中, 排前3位的科分别为鳞毛蕨科(257种)、蹄盖蕨科(169种)和凤尾蕨科(113种); 排前3位的属为耳蕨属(140种)、蹄盖蕨属(82种)和鳞毛蕨属(61种)。     

Dispersal of forest birds and trees along the Uruguay River in southern South America

The Uruguay River starts in Serra do Mar in Brazil runs through the Paranense forest and flows southward through grassland and savannas. It has a continuous gallery forest of 750 km from the southern border of the Paranense forest to the river mouth. The gallery forest extends for 100 km more along the Río de la Plata. 125 (68.7%) of the 182 species of forest birds recorded in the southern Paranense forest penetrate into the gallery forest of the Uruguay River and only 13 (7.1%) reach the end of the gallery forest (Punta Lara). The number of bird species is inversely correlated (r² = 0.942) with distance and the slope of the regression is 58.10. This means a decline in diversity with 32% of species lost per unit distance. A hundred and eighty forest tree species were recorded in the southern Paranense forest, of which 113 (62.8%) penetrate into the gallery forest of the Uruguay River, and 28 (15.6%) reach Punta Lara. The number of tree species is inversely correlated (r² = 0.976) with distance and the slope of the regression is ?45.62. This means a decline in diversity with 25% of species lost per unit distance. The Uruguay River enables the dispersal of many species of forest birds and trees from the rain forest, but species richness tends to decrease with increased distance from the source area. A clear association pattern was found for birds between size, diet, habitat use and distance reached into the gallery forest. Species of smaller body size, granivores, insectivores and those that use both the interior and exterior parts of the gallery forest advanced noticeably further along the river than larger species, carnivores, nectarivores or frugivores, and those that frequent only a part of the forest. Similarly, a clear association between dispersal mechanism, water dependence and distance reached into the gallery forest was found for trees. Species with vegetative reproduction, zoochorous species and riparian species advanced markedly longer distances along the river than, anemochorous species and non‐riparian species.     

Threatened woody flora as an ecological indicator of large herbivore introductions

Rewilding and translocations of large herbivores for conservation purposes have increased in recent times, with numerous introductions inside and outside their native range. This study aims to analyze the use of threatened plant taxa as a possible ecological indicator of large herbivore introductions. We examined the effects of a threatened large ungulate, the Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), on both endangered and vulnerable woody taxa after its introduction in 1970. Contrary to our hypothesis, the herbivore impact on threatened woody species was higher than that found on widespread woody plants. The results reveal that 35.7% of the threatened species showed the highest possible level of herbivore damage in contrast to 6.5% for the widespread species. Threatened species were preferred over common plants, probably due to their greater palatability. Overall plant cover, including neighboring species, was also an important factor determining browsing damage and, thus, habitats with low ground cover should be particularly considered in conservation plans. Herbivore damage on common taxa should be taken with caution since they could mask unsustainable herbivore densities for threatened woody taxa or protected habitats. The use of threatened woody taxa through the studied ecological indicators (herbivore damage, plant preferences, habitat use and regeneration success) represented a useful tool to assess the sustainability of large herbivores introductions and to establish a priority conservation ranking for threatened plant species. These findings highlight the deleterious effects of overabundant ungulate populations regardless its origin (exotic or native) and the need of monitoring threatened woody taxa to better estimate the suitability and sustainability of large herbivore introductions.     

Non-native plantation forests as alternative habitat for native forest beetles in a heavily modified landscape

The once extensive native forests of New Zealand’s central North Island are heavily fragmented, and the scattered remnants are now surrounded by a matrix of exotic pastoral grasslands and Pinus radiata plantation forests. The importance of these exotic habitats for native biodiversity is poorly understood. This study examines the utilisation of exotic plantation forests by native beetles in a heavily modified landscape. The diversity of selected beetle taxa was compared at multiple distances across edge gradients between each of the six possible combinations of adjacent pastoral, plantation, clearfell and native forest land-use types. Estimated species richness (Michaelis–Menten) was greater in production habitats than native forest; however this was largely due to the absence of exotic species in native forest. Beetle relative abundance was highest in clearfell-harvested areas, mainly due to colonisation by open-habitat, disturbance-adapted species. More importantly, though, of all the non-native habitats sampled, beetle species composition in mature P. radiata was most similar to native forest. Understanding the influence of key environmental factors and stand level management is important for enhancing biodiversity values within the landscape. Native habitat proximity was the most significant environmental correlate of beetle community composition, highlighting the importance of retaining native remnants within plantation landscapes. The proportion of exotic beetles was consistently low in mature plantation stands, however it increased in pasture sites at increasing distances from native forest. These results suggest that exotic plantation forests may provide important alternative habitat for native forest beetles in landscapes with a low proportion of native forest cover.     

Historical plant records enlighten the conservation efforts of ferns and Lycophytes’ diversity in tropical China

Historical records, e.g., herbarium vouchers, contain information about species distribution since the early days of the scientific exploration of floras until today. These data provide crucial evidence to map the biodiversity of the area of interest and most importantly enable the evaluation of the conservation effectiveness for a given group of organisms. This study aimed to explore the ferns and lycophytes’ diversity of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in tropical China with special emphasis on conservation efforts provided by the currently established protected areas (PAs). Instead of relying exclusively on current observation, the database was compiled from digitalized herbarium vouchers and publications being explored with special attention on the temporal and spatial dimensions of collecting efforts. Utilizing the indices including species richness, weighed endemism, corrected weighted endemism, and beta diversity, hotspots of ferns and lycophytes’ diversity were identified. In turn, the proportion of hotspots located outside PAs was estimated as a measure of conservation gaps in Xishuangbanna. Our results revealed a long collecting history of ferns and lycophytes in Xishuangbanna and this prefecture accumulated a considerable number of historical records covering 20.2 % of Chinese and 3.6% of global fern diversity. The accumulation of historical records showed strong parallelism to the historical events shaping modern China. The spatial distribution of ferns and lycophytes in Xishuangbanna was characterized by a concentration of species richness in southern valleys and endemism in western and northern mountains. In terms of conservation, existing PAs showed higher effectiveness in the protection of species richness, whereas lower effectiveness was observed in the protection of endemism and beta diversity. Our research provided a key reference for understanding the diversity and conservation of ferns and lycophytes in Xishuangbanna, as well as highlighting the locality for future collecting and conservation efforts.     

A review of symbiotic fungal endophytes in lycophytes and ferns – a global phylogenetic and ecological perspective

We present a review of the documented fungal colonizations of presumably symbiotic nature in lycophytes and ferns (“pteridophytes”). The sampling covers ca. 11 % (1287 spp.) of the estimated global diversity of these taxa (ca. 12,000 spp.) and shows an average presence of fungal endophytes of 68 %, which is significantly lower than the average presence of mycorrhiza of 80–85 % for the remaining tracheophytes. Above-average colonization rates up to 100 % among ferns are mainly found in phylogenetically old lineages, whereas below-average mycorrhization characterizes the Polypod I clade and the Aspleniaceae of the derived leptosporangiate ferns. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) are found in 54 % of the species, to which 6 % of unspecified records of mycorrhizae should probably be added. Dark Septate Endophytes (DSE) are found in 13 % of the species, in about half the cases (6 %) together with AMF. Ectomycorrhizae have not been confirmed for pteridophytes so far, and basidiomycetes are found very rarely in mycoheterotropic gametophytes. Fungal endophytes are unevenly distributed across the life forms and most frequent with 75 % in the terrestrial species, followed with 69 % in saxicolous and with 58 % in epiphytic species. Although AMF have a low dispersal potential and thus are considered unreliable symbiotic partners for epiphytes, they are still present in 27 % of the investigated epiphytic pteridophytes. The occurrence of mycorrhizae across the taxa of pteridophytes bears a phylogenetic signal, as the derived ferns show a notable trend towards a growing independence from AM, in epiphytes more pronouncedly so than in terrestrial taxa.     

Ground invertebrate fauna associated with native shrubs and exotic pasture in a modified rural landscape, Otago, New Zealand

This study examined whether the diversity and relative abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrates changed in relation to type of vegetation cover. Invertebrate taxon diversity and relative abundance were assessed with pitfall traps placed under the native shrubs Olearia bullata and Coprosma propinqua, and in surrounding patches of exotic pasture. A total of 1935 invertebrates and at least 152 invertebrate taxa were recorded from 49 pitfall traps. The number of native taxa was c.63% of all taxa recorded, whereas exotic invertebrates represented only c.9%. The other c.28% were of undetermined origin. Taxon richness and relative abundance under the two shrub species were statistically similar, although all mean values (except for Coleoptera) were higher for traps set beneath C. propinqua. In contrast, taxon richness and relative abundance were significantly higher in the exotic pasture than under either of the shrub species. The same pattern was evident for exotic invertebrates and the relative abundance of native invertebrates, and for some of the most speciose orders. The data indicate that nearly half of native taxa occurred only under native shrubs. In contrast, 7 out of 12 exotic species were found in all three vegetation types, and all but one of them were recorded at least in exotic pasture. We conclude that the value of locally-modified and patchy vegetation cannot be underestimated for its potential in providing native biodiversity reservoirs for New Zealand’s native invertebrate fauna.     

Exotic species introductions into South America: an underestimated threat?

Prior studies on the latitudinal extent and ecological impact of exotic plant species suggest that areas of high diversity, such as the Neotropics, may be relatively 'resistant' to invasions. To explore the generality of this assertion and assess the impact of alien species on continental tropical faunas, I compiled data for threatened Neotropical animals from the red data books of Bolivia, Brazil, Minas Gerais (a Brazilian state), Peru, and Venezuela. A total of 378 species (including both vertebrates and invertebrates) were considered. For each taxon, I recorded whether it is threatened by habitat conversion, overexploitation, and/or exotic species. As suggested by other researchers, exotic species introductions appear to be relatively unimportant in South America, threatening only 6% of animal taxa. However, many South American animals are themselves either recent invaders or survivors of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) which began during the Pliocene. Here, I hypothesize that the GABI may have acted as an 'extinction filter', leaving faunal groups of mostly South American origin relatively more threatened by the current wave of exotic invaders than those with prominent North American representation. The data support this prediction. For taxa whose current diversity patterns were not strongly influenced by the GABI, exotic species are indeed an important threat. For example, alien invaders threaten 29% of continental fishes and 30% of amphibians, figures comparable to those recorded in temperate areas. As more information on these less-studied taxa becomes available, the magnitude of the threat posed by exotic species introductions will probably reveal itself to be large. Of critical importance is to assess the impact of invasions on biological realms that have only been recently exposed to alien taxa, such as the aquatic faunas of the numerous drainages that occur along the eastern and western slopes of the South American Andes. The results of these investigations provide predictions for similar research focussed on other continental tropical regions of the world.