Alex Monro

Vegetation of the greater Maya Mountains, Belize

Abstract This paper describes a new vegetation classification for the Greater Maya Mountains of Belize, focusing primarily on the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. Extensive use is made of GIS, remote sensing, botanical collections and field visits to provide a macro‐ and meso‐scale overview of the vegetation of this region. A total of 32 vegetation classes have been defined, both geographically and structurally, including 11 new classes. Where possible, classes have been compared with earlier classifications. A dominant scaling technique has been used to enable direct comparison between ground truthing data and a supervised Maximum Likelihood Classifier image‐based vegetation classification. The merits of such classifications and the effect of scale are discussed.

Molecular phylogeny of the nettle family (Urticaceae) inferred from multiple loci of three genomes and extensive generic sampling

Urticaceae is one of the larger Angiosperm families, but relationships within it remain poorly known. This study presents the first densely sampled molecular phylogeny of Urticaceae, using maximum likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) to analyze the DNA sequence data from two nuclear (ITS and 18S), four chloroplast (matK, rbcL, rpll4-rps8-infA-rpl36, trnL-trnF) and one mitochondrial (matR) loci. We sampled 169 accessions representing 122 species, representing 47 of the 54 recognized genera within Urticaceae, including four of the six sometimes separated as Cecropiaceae. Major results included: (1) Urticaceae including Cecropiaceae was monophyletic; (2) Cecropiaceae was biphyletic, with both lineages nested within Urticaceae; (3) Urticaceae can be divided into four well-supported clades; (4) previously erected tribes or subfamilies were broadly supported, with some additions and alterations; (5) the monophyly of many genera was supported, whereas Boehmeria, Pellionia, Pouzolzia and Urera were clearly polyphyletic, while Urtica and Pilea each had a small genus nested within them; (6) relationships between genera were clarified, mostly with substantial support. These results clarify that some morphological characters have been overstated and others understated in previous classifications of the family, and provide a strong foundation for future studies on biogeography, character evolution, and circumscription of difficult genera.

Taxonomic capacity can improve environmental and economic sustainability in biodiversity‐rich shade coffee farms in El Salvador

Abstract El Salvador has only 4.3% of its natural forest remaining. The loss of so much natural forest suggests that a large proportion of El Salvadors biodiversity and a number of ecosystem services are at risk. However, 11% of the countrys land area supports shade agroforest for coffee production (based on Coffea arabica L.), and this has become the major forest resource for the country. We suggest that shade agroforest supports a considerable amount of native biodiversity but that the capacity to monitor and assess this diversity is lacking. Studies elsewhere in the world indicate that shade agroforest has levels of biological diversity of the same order of magnitude to that of natural forest. Shade agroforest for coffee should therefore play a central role in the conservation of biological diversity in El Salvador. The status of shade agroforest for coffee in national policies on biodiversity conservation is reviewed. We then identify and review the taxonomic capacity required to meet El Salvadors Biodiversity Action Plan and identify significant overlap with the capacity needed to conserve biological diversity in El Salvadors shade coffee farms. Currently, shade coffee is not economically sustainable and shade farms are under threat of conversion to non‐forest systems. Developing the taxonomic capacity required to underpin the monitoring and inventory of biological diversity in shade coffee farms could also exploit a synergy between the biodiversity or environmental value and the economic sustainability of shade coffee production. Biological diversity inventory data could, therefore, not only support El Salvadors Biodiversity Action Plan but also generate added value to the coffee price through ‘Biodiversity‐friendly’ and ‘Migratory bird‐friendly’ premium payments from the specialist coffee market, thereby providing some insurance against the volatility of the open market.

Typification of Linnaean plant names in Urticaceae

Lectotypes and epitypes are designated for seven previously untypified Linnaean plant names belonging to the family Urticaceae. These newly proposed types support the current usage of the names concerned. Earlier but ineffective or supersedable type statements are discussed.