Areas of endemism conservation hot spots of Paraguay: A study using a multiscale and diverse taxa approach

Abstract

Areas of endemism are the basic units for the analysis of historical biogeography, in addition to representing areas of conservation importance. An area of endemism is understood to be the congruence of the distribution areas of two or more species, which are considered primary biogeographic homologies resulting from a presumed common biogeographic history of the taxa that are shared by these areas. The objective of this work was to establish biogeographic patterns in Paraguay through the analysis and identification of areas of endemism. The analyses are based on a matrix composed of 8,117 records of 300 species, including 100 species of Plantae, 50 species of Insecta, 50 species of Amphibia, 50 species of Reptilia, and 50 species of Aves. The analyses performed included an endemicity analysis with cells of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 degrees of latitude and longitude. Using the endemicity analysis method, 129 areas of endemism were identified, which were summarized in 13 consensus areas, 2 in the Chaco and 11 in the Eastern Region. By comparing the areas of endemism found, we can identify and propose three hot spot priority areas for conservation based on the endemic richness of the biota.