Abstract Detail

Systematics

Distribution and delimitation of Magnolia species (Magnoliaceae) occurring in Brazil.

Magnoliaceae is a family of over 300 species of deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs with large showy flowers containing both male and female parts. It has a curious biogeographic pattern, of which 40-50% of the species are native to America, and the rest to Asia; some now extinct Magnolia species were native to Europe (Watanabe et al. 2002; Rivers et al. 2016, Stevens, in update).
Members of the genus Magnolia are evergreen and deciduous trees or shrubs, terminal inflorescences, anthers with dehiscence intrinsically or laterally, ovules 2 per carpel, stipule adnate to petiole (Law, 1984). Magnolia species are a rich source of several biologically active compounds (Watanabe et al. 2002). Some species are valued as medicinal plants (e.g., Magnolia officinalis Rehder & E.H. Wilson is a species used in traditional Chinese medicinal widely known), while others (e.g., Magnolia cylindrica E.H. Wilson) are sources of food and cultivated as ornamental plants (e.g., Magnolia grandiflora L. and Magnolia coco (Lour.) DC. ) (Shi et al. 2002; Sanchez-Velasquez et al. 2016).
Magnolia is widely distributed in eastern and southeastern Asia and the New World, the southeastern United States, the West Indies, Mexico and Central America, and northern South America. When comparing the proportion of threatened species, the Neotropics (Mexico, Colombia, and many of the Caribbean islands) showed a very high proportion of threatened species. For most countries in the Neotropics, with only a few exceptions (Brazil, Panama, El Salvador and Nicaragua), more than 50% of their Magnolia species were considered threatened. A total of 75% of Neotropical Magnolias were considered threatened; and the Neotropics have more than two-thirds of the world's most threatened Magnolia species-those found in the critically endangered and endangered categories (Rivers et al. 2016).
Overall, Magnolia diversity in the Neotropics is believed to have been greatly underestimated, especially in the Talauma section. Insufficient fieldwork and collecting, has been a limiting factor in advancing studies in this group. Of the 74 new species described in Magnolia in the last decade, 56 are native to the Neotropical region (76%) (Vázquez et al., 2013).
The current conflict on how many species of Magnolia are recognized for Brazil and the lack of recent taxonomic information on the genus in the region warrant further work on the genus in the country. A literature review and compilation of databases from collections will provide a resource of ecological, phenological, and geographic distribution data that will be used to help characterize the species and identify areas of interest for collecting. The data generated will be incorporated into a larger project on Magnolia conservation in the Neotropics, to which this proposal is linked. Extensive fieldwork will be carried out to recognize morphological variations in the species and also to obtain materials for molecular studies to be done in collaboration with international partners, using innovative molecular techniques to help delimit species.

1 - Rua Angá, 896, São Paulo, SP, 03360-000, Brazil

Keywords:
Brazilian Magnolias
Neotropical biodiversity.

Presentation Type: Poster
Number:
Abstract ID:48
Candidate for Awards:None

Canceled