Helios Sáinz Ollero

Effects of climate change on the distribution of Iberian tree species

ABSTRACT Question: Will the predicted climate changes affect species distribution in the Iberian Peninsula? Location: Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Methods: We modelled current and future tree distributions as a function of climate, using a computational framework that made use of one machine learning technique, the random forest (RF) algorithm. This algorithm provided good predictions of the current distribution of each species, as shown by the area under the corresponding receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. Species turnover, richness and the change in distributions over time to 2080 under four Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) scenarios were calculated using the species map outputs. Results and Conclusions: The results show a notable reduction in the potential distribution of the studied species under all the IPCC scenarios, particularly so for mountain conifer species such as Pinus sylvestris, P. uncinata and Abies alba. Temperate species, especially Fagus sylvatica and Quercus petraea, were also predicted to suffer a reduction in their range; also submediterranean species, especially Q. pyrenaica, were predicted to undergo notable decline. In contrast, typically Mediterranean species appeared to be generally more capable of migration, and are therefore likely to be less affected. Nomenclature:Amaral Franco (1990), Govaerts & Avishai (2002) for Quercus pubescens.

Recent progress in conservation of threatened Spanish vascular flora: a critical review

Abstract The transfer of legal responsibilities from the Central Government to the Autonomous Communities ended a tradition of paying little attention to endangered Spanish flora. The studies undertaken to implement the European Natura 2000 network, and to prepare regional ‘Red Data Books’ and lists of protected flora offered a much better view of which species were really at risk. As a consequence, a growing number of botanists is now involved in different aspects of conservation biology. The recent publication of a new Spanish Red List of vascular flora has provided the groundwork for the so-called ‘Threatened Flora Atlas’ project, which will update and homogenise the information on 500 taxa at risk. This project will produce a new Spanish Red Book and monitor the status of 40 selected species. The Spanish strategy for plant conservation is discussed, pointing out some deficiencies, such as the neglect of non-vascular taxa, the uneven and sometimes uncoordinated local policies and the uncertain future of some current initiatives.

Rarity and threat relationships in the conservation planning of Iberian flora

We analysed the threatened flora of Iberia (including the Balearic Islands) in order to define and explain factors related to levels of rarity and threat. Conservation measures were derived from the relationships observed. We used a random sample of 59 narrowly distributed plant species from the pool (588 species) of potentially endangered flora. Twelve variables were used to classify species into groups based on a multivariate technique: non-parametric principal component analysis. Our results do not indicate a single management model driven by a single mechanism of rarity. Four classes of rare plants were produced from the statistical algorithm: agamospermic species, plants associated with water, endemics, and range-margin (geographical-limit) plants. Some specific strategies for each of these groups are proposed, allowing further discussion and assessment. The overall pattern in conservation practice of threatened Iberian plants seems to be defined by three of the variables in use: ecological specificity, geographical rarity and rate of threat. None of the biological variables in the sample show particularly strong trends in the data.We analysed the threatened flora of Iberia (including the Balearic Islands) in order to define and explain factors related to levels of rarity and threat. Conservation measures were derived from the relationships observed. We used a random sample of 59 narrowly distributed plant species from the pool (588 species) of potentially endangered flora. Twelve variables were used to classify species into groups based on a multivariate technique: non-parametric principal component analysis. Our results do not indicate a single management model driven by a single mechanism of rarity. Four classes of rare plants were produced from the statistical algorithm: agamospermic species, plants associated with water, endemics, and range-margin (geographical-limit) plants. Some specific strategies for each of these groups are proposed, allowing further discussion and assessment. The overall pattern in conservation practice of threatened Iberian plants seems to be defined by three of the variables in use: ecological specificity, geographical rarity and rate of threat. None of the biological variables in the sample show particularly strong trends in the data.

Effects of dynamic taxonomy on rare species and conservation listing: insights from the Iberian vascular flora

Concern has been raised regarding the continually changing nature of biotic taxonomies and how these changes alter perceptions of extinction risk and conservation priority setting. Within this realm, we can identify two distinct problems. First, there is a perception that the activity of a new, fine-scale taxonomy may have an effect in the taxonomy structure producing a taxonomic bias because larger groups may become disproportionably large as a result of new described variation is principally allocated into them. Second, there is an information gap where conservation planning occasionally neglects the most recent taxonomic information derived from fine-scale taxonomy. But, if not, this taxonomic bias has also the potential to alter the proportion of large to small lineages in conservation lists, because most newly described taxa are narrowly distributed and not common, therefore targeted for conservation lists. We use data sources from Iberian vascular flora in 1984 and 2000 to analyze these issues. Results show that rare species description in Iberia has proceeded continuously through time, has been dominated by descriptions in large genera, and shows a sharp increase in description rate since the 1970s. Further, the distribution of newly described taxa reflects proportional representation among groups of differing initial diversity. Finally, change through circumscription (lumping and splitting of former taxa) form part of the description process, but they do not dominate new rare plant taxa. Categorizations of endangered plants appear fairly stable in Spain with 76 % of the most endangered taxa maintaining their species identities through this 16-years period. We conclude that the work of fine scale taxonomy, while representing the bulk of new taxonomic descriptions in Spain, is not biased toward any group size. Although conservation listing can be affected by this taxonomic pattern, we consider the conservation-taxonomy gap to be narrow in Spain.

Contribución a la tipificación de los sabinares albares (Juniperus thurifera L.) en el Sistema Ibérico meridional

Los sabinares albares, debido a su caracter abierto y a la gran amplitud ecologica de Juniperus thurifera L. presentan problemas para un encuadre fitogeografico preciso. En este trabajo se pretende un enfoque sintetico del estudio de la vegetacion y el medio basado en un proceso de inventariacion extendido a los sabinares de la porcion meridional del Sistema Iberico (Albarracin, Gudar. Javalambre) y apoyado en tecnicas de analisis fitoecologico. Se trata esencialmente de mostrar que el reparto de los grupos ecologicos, definidos previamente por comparacion de inventarios fitosociologicos y ecologicos, puede explicarse por las variaciones dle los factores medioambientales. incluyendo la intervencion humana. Como resultado final se ha establecido una tipificacion de estos sabinares fundamentada en analisis dc componentes principales y analisis factorial de correspondencias.

Datos sobre las comunidades de caméfitos espinosos en los macizos meridionales galaicos (NW España)

Se describen las comunidades de matorral dominadas por Echinospartum ibericum RivasMartinez, Sanchez-Mata & Sancho subsp. pulviniforinis (Rivas-Martinez) Rivas-Martinez, que colonizan medios rupicolas en los macizos meridionales del noroeste peninsular. Se discute su posicion siniaxonomica y se propone su inclusion en la nueva asociacion Festuco graniticolae-Echinospartetum pulviniformis . Se realizan tambien algunas consideraciones biogeograficas.

Aproximación a la bibliografía florística básica de la Península Ibérica e Islas Baleares

MORENO SAuz, J. C. & SAINZ OLLERO, H. 1989. An aproxirnation to the floristic basic bibliography of the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands. BoL ComplutenSis 15: 175-202. A compilation of floristic catalogues from Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Lslands is presented. Tbese works have been sorted out by countries and provinces. A geografical representation of their distribution has been drown in a map.