Spatial distribution of Annonaceae across biomes and anthromes: Knowledge gaps in spatial and ecological data

Abstract

The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration underlines the importance of understanding how different taxa are affected by human induced, global changes in ecosystems. Here, we investigate if this impact can be quantified for the globally distributed tropical plant group Annonaceae (Soursop family) using distributional data and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments. We find that even for a taxonomically well-studied tropical plant family such as Annonaceae, little is known about the true distribution and ecological requirements of, and threats to, species in this group. We discuss several improvements in data collection that should enable more in-depth analyses in the future. Summary• The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN), formulated with the overarching aims to end poverty and protect the planet, are also aimed at implementing sustainable management of all types of forests, to stop deforestation and to restore degraded forests. This led to the declaration of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. To meaningfully restore ecosystems, it is important to increase our understanding on the distribution of taxa and obtain insight in how different taxa are affected by human induced, global changes in ecosystems.• Here, we investigate if this impact can be quantified for the globally distributed tropical plant group Annonaceae (Soursop family) using spatial data and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments. Insight is gained in how Annonaceae are distributed over biomes and anthropogenic biomes (anthromes) and how threatened Annonaceae are based on their distribution.• We find that even for a taxonomically well-studied group such as Annonaceae, very little is known about the true distribution and ecological requirements of, and threats, to species.• We urge to invest in (1) the exploration of ecological requirements of species in relation to their genetic patterns, in order to understand the impact of ecosystems

Diversity and conservation status of palms (Arecaceae) in two hotspots of biodiversity in Colombia and Ecuador

“…We show that the use of the anthromes framework is useful to gather a more nuanced view of biodiversity distribution and conservation (Erkens et al, 2023), as very few natural human-free areas remain. By exploring the distribution of palm specimens and diversity within anthromes, we show that this diversity is under high human pressure, except maybe in the northern part of the Colombian Choc o.…”

A method for making Red List assessments with herbarium data and distribution models for species‐rich plant taxa: Lessons from the Neotropical genus Guatteria (Annonaceae)

“…Debate exists about whether it is useful to assess species based on uncertain data such as used here, but we argue that the benefits of this approach outweigh the disadvantages. Assessing plant species using the ‘classical’, in‐depth approach, where every species and its threats are examined in detail, is very time‐consuming (Erkens et al, in press; 6 h per species). This would be impractical to do for large groups of species such as Guatteria (this would take 178 * 6 h = 1068 h, or approximately 27 working weeks of 40 h) or impossible for most families (e.g., Annonaceae with approximately 2500 species would take 2500 * 6 h = 15,000 h or approximately 375 working weeks of 40 h or over nine staff years of work).…”

“…Another asset of using these data is that they can be processed in bulk to make many assessments in a short time period, that is, assess entire genera at once into a comprehensive assessment. Such assessments are relatively easy to make and provide many insights into the threat status of a potentially large group of species that might otherwise not be assessed due to time limitations (Erkens et al, in press). Especially in this UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, such comprehensive assessment efforts could help to ensure that as many (tree) species as possible are included in conservation planning.…”

Species diversity of Annonaceae in the four selected protected areas in the Bicol Region, Philippines

“…Most species thrived in the equatorial belt, such as Fissistigma Griff., Meiogyne Miq., and Trivalvaria Miq. (Couvreur et al 2012;Erkens et al 2022), especially in the Asia-Pacific region, which is rich in different Annonaceae species, such as Goniothalamus (Blume) Hook.f & Thomson and Uvaria L. (Turner 2018). Merrill (1912Merrill ( -1926 made the first record of Annonaceae in the Philippines.…”