Luis Villar

Recent Plant Diversity Changes on Europe’s Mountain Summits

Climb Every Mountain Mountaintop floras across Europe appear to be responding to climatic change in terms of upslope species range shifts. Pauli et al. (p. 353) systematically analyzed data gathered from standardized permanent plots on 66 high-mountain environments across Europe. On average, mountaintop species numbers have increased significantly during the last decade. However, this increase is a net effect of gains and losses, with losses particularly affecting mountains of Mediterranean regions and their endemic species. This turnover is largely consistent with model predictions and indicates that high-altitude species, and in particular the rich endemic alpine flora of many Mediterranean mountain ranges, will come under increasing pressure in the predicted warmer and drier climates in this region. European mountaintop flower species richness is increasing on northern summits but decreasing on southern summits. In mountainous regions, climate warming is expected to shift species’ ranges to higher altitudes. Evidence for such shifts is still mostly from revisitations of historical sites. We present recent (2001 to 2008) changes in vascular plant species richness observed in a standardized monitoring network across Europe’s major mountain ranges. Species have moved upslope on average. However, these shifts had opposite effects on the summit floras’ species richness in boreal-temperate mountain regions (+3.9 species on average) and Mediterranean mountain regions (–1.4 species), probably because recent climatic trends have decreased the availability of water in the European south. Because Mediterranean mountains are particularly rich in endemic species, a continuation of these trends might shrink the European mountain flora, despite an average increase in summit species richness across the region.

Systematic Revision of the Epipetrum Group of Dioscorea (Dioscoreaceae) Endemic to Chile

Abstract A systematic revision of the Epipetrum group of Dioscorea (Dioscoreaceae), which traditionally included three taxa endemic to Chile, is presented. We evaluated the taxonomic value of macro- and micromorphological traits to delimit generic boundaries with respect to other yams and to identify and separate its taxa. The comprehensive survey included 10 qualitative and 43 quantitative traits related to all plant organs and new microanatomical features of leaf, fruits, seeds, and pollen. Discriminant analyses were conducted with three accumulative morphological data sets to test seven taxonomic hypotheses of differentiation among taxa. Our results indicate that these taxa are characterized by the combination of prominent pistillodes in male flowers and a base chromosome number of x = 7, which separate it from all other Dioscoreaceae, plus different sets of morpho-anatomical traits that differentiate it from other putatively closely related yams with unwinged seeds in Dioscorea (the Borderea group, the Nanarepenta group, the Tamus group, etc.). Dioscorea biloba is the most distinctive species. Our analyses revealed significant morphological differences between northern and southern populations of this species resulting in the recognition of two subspecies, the northern D. biloba subsp. biloba, and the new southern D. biloba subsp. coquimbana. Dioscorea humilis and D. polyanthes are morphologically similar and only differ in qualitative leaf traits. This minor variation is better treated by reducing D. polyanthes to subspecific rank in D. humilis, and the combination D. humilis subsp. polyanthes is made herein.

Nitrogen deposition and climate change have increased vascular plant species richness and altered the composition of grazed subalpine grasslands

Summary Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and climate warming are two major components of global change that drive species richness and composition in plant communities. However, their combined effects have been insufficiently investigated across large spatial and temporal scales particularly in high-elevation, nutrient-limited ecosystems. We examine whether and how N deposition and climate warming have altered the plant richness and the composition of subalpine semi-natural, extensively grazed grasslands of the Pyrenees, using two complementary approaches: i) analysis of 553 releves to explore vegetation changes across large ecological gradients including temperature and N deposition (spatial approach) and ii) a resampling of a subset of 40 sites among the 553 sites to assess temporal changes over the past decades (temporal approach). Both approaches showed that the vascular plant species richness increased when temperature and cumulative N deposition increase, shifting of the species composition toward more thermophilic and eutrophic communities. Synthesis. We hypothesize that the release from abiotic constraints (milder temperature and higher N availability) due to global changes and long-standing extensive grazing counteracting the negative effects of N deposition have been responsible for the diversity and compositional changes of plant communities over the last decades in the Pyrenees. Thus, in contrast with other grasslands, high-elevation grazed grasslands may increase in species diversity with N deposition under climate warming. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Phenomorphology and reproductive biology of Pinguicula longifolia Ramond ex DC. subsp. longifolia (Lentibulariaceae), a carnivorous endemic plant of the Pyrenees

Summary The life cycle and the reproductive biology of Pinguicula longifolia subsp. longifolia, a carnivorous endemic plant of the Central Pyrenees, has been studied. Plants usually have 3–4 functional leaves (that act as adhesive aereal traps) during their vegetative development, being July the period of maximum capture of prey. Number of prey increases with the length of the leaf. Its flowers show an ultraviolet pattern of nectar guides and are pollinated mainly by Hymenoptera and Bombyliidae. Reproductive sucess is very high, since more than 80 % of flowers produced fruits, and vegetative propagation is very easy. In spite of its restricted distribution, our results suggest that this species is not endangered.

Integrando escalas y métodos LTER para comprender la dinámica global de un espacio protegido de montaña: el Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido

Bonache, J., de Mingo-Sancho, G., Serrada, J., Amengual, P., Perales, J., Martinez, R., Rodado, S., Albornos, E. 2016. Long-term monitoring and evaluation in Spanish National Parks Network. Ecosistemas 25(1): 31-48. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2016.25-1.05 The Spanish National Parks Network, consisting of a selection of natural spaces containing a representative sample of the main existing natural systems in Spain, is a very appropriate setting for research and long-term monitoring, in which the rules protects and promotes the improvement of knowledge and its application to management. In this regard, the National Parks Agency develops, in collaboration with the Autonomous Communities and with specific Scientific advise, a Research Program and a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan of the National Parks Network, latter having programs of ecological, sociological monitoring and functional. The article briefly explains the various monitoring initiatives underway, with examples of outcomes in each: mapping of natural systems, productivity monitoring through remote sensing, monitoring plant health, common bird monitoring, studies of social perception etc. Future prospects and areas for improvement of long-term monitoring in the National Parks Network are explained taking into account the synergies with the LTER Network, which is useful for monitoring in National Parks, especially concerning the application of comparable protocols and information management.