Woody flora of Uruguay: inventory and implication within the Pampean region

Abstract

RESUMO(Flora lenhosa do Uruguai: inventário e implicação na região Pampeana). Contar com um conhecimento adequado da flora é fundamental para o desenvolvimento de investigação em diversos campos disciplinares. Neste contexto, nosso trabalho surge da necessidade de atualizar e melhorar a informação disponível sobre a flora lenhosa nativa do Uruguai. Nossos objetivos são determinar objetivamente a flora lenhosa uruguaia (arbustos e árvores), avaliar a completude do inventário e explorar sua similaridade com regiões vizinhas. Ao analisar a flora do Uruguai, produzimos definições operacionais de arbustos e árvores e obtivemos uma lista de 313 espécies (57 famílias, 124 gêneros). Usando 7.418 registros de distribuição, geramos curvas acumulativas de riqueza de espécies para estimar o potencial máximo de riqueza de espécies em escala nacional e local. Concluímos que a completude a nível nacional é elevado (89-95%), mas em escala local é menor e bastante heterogêneo. Existem ainda grandes áreas sem dados ou com pouca informação. Encontramos que as espécies arbóreas do Uruguai, comparativamente, apresentam similaridade elevada com a Província de Entre Rios (Argentina), média com a Província de Buenos Aires (Argentina) e baixa com o Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil). Conclui-se que a riqueza de árvores e arbustos da flora uruguaia é maior do que a esperada para uma região de pradarias, e as diferenças encontradas nos indíces de similaridade com as floras lenhosas vizinhas estimulam estudos futuros para reavaliar o esquema fitogeográfico da região. Palavras chave: Distribuição geográfica; Completude do inventário; Arbustos e árvores; Fitogeografia do Uruguai ABSTRACT(Woody flora of Uruguay: inventory and implication within the Pampean region). Adequate knowledge of a flora is fundamental for furthering research in several disciplines. In this context, our work arises from the necessity to update and improve available information on the native woody flora of Uruguay. The goals of this study were to objectively determine the Uruguayan native woody flora (shrub and trees), to evaluate its inventory completeness, and to explore its similarity with neighboring regions. By analyzing the Uruguayan flora we produced working definitions of shrubs and trees, and obtained a list of 313 species (57 families, 125 genera). Using 7418 distribution records, we generated cumulative species richness curves to estimate maximum species richness at national and local scales. We conclude that the completeness at the national level is high (89-95%), but at the local scale is lower and quite heterogeneous. There are still large areas without data or with little information. We found that comparatively, the similarity between Uruguayan tree species and the Province of Entre Ríos (Argentina) was high, while similarity with the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) was medium, and with Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) was low. In conclusion, richness of tree and shrub species of the Uruguayan flora is greater than expected for a grassland region, and the differe...

Sensitivity of subtropical forest and savanna productivity to climate variability in South America, Uruguay

“…In Uruguay, native forests cover approximately 5700 km 2 , or ~3.4% of the land area (MGAP/DIEA ), and comprise 315 woody species (Haretche et al. ), forming a system of corridors and patches that support avian and mammalian biodiversity (Nores et al. ) and protect stream integrity.…”

“…Within the Pampa, the transition zone between forest and grassland is known as the Northern Campos, which largely covers Uruguay . In Uruguay, native forests cover approximately 5700 km 2 , or~3.4% of the land area (MGAP/DIEA 2000), and comprise 315 woody species (Haretche et al 2012), forming a system of corridors and patches that support avian and mammalian biodiversity (Nores et al 2005) and protect stream integrity. Three major forest cover types are recognized in Uruguay: riparian or gallery forests (monte ribereño o de galer ıa) are the most extensive, followed by hillside and ravine forests (monte serrano y de quebrada) and wooded savanna (monte parque; Brussa & Grela 2007), distributed unevenly in seven ecoregions (Fig.…”

Contribution of rarity and commonness to patterns of species richness in biogeographic transitions regions: Woody plants of Uruguay

“…The woody flora of Uruguay includes 301 species, which represents a high diversity for a temperate region dominated by grasslands (Brussa & Grela ; Haretche et al . ). This is the product of a transitional phytogeographical zone, whose precise limits are still under discussion.…”

“…Cabrera & Willink ), while to others, parts of the national territory should be included in Paranaense and Chaco regions, because of the important floristic affinities with these floras (Grela ; Brussa & Grela ; Haretche et al . ). A recent biogeographical proposal for the Neotropical region includes the Uruguayan territory in the Pampean province, inside the Chaco subregion, on the border of the Paranaense subregion (Morrone ).…”

Pollen and spores from surface samples in the campos region of Uruguay and their paleoecological implications

“…The map scale does not allow the representation of bunchgrasses. Inset map: Río de la Plata grasslands (León 1991 (Petraglia & Dell'Acqua 2006) and is composed of about 300 species of trees and shrubs, characteristic elements of forests and shrublands, respectively (Brussa & Grela 2007;Haretche et al 2012). Forests, shrublands and other herbs-dominated vegetation (not grasslands) develop locally in environments with particular edaphic conditions that define each different vegetation type (Tab.…”