ABSTRACT
Three new species of Columnea (Gesneriaceae, tribe Gesnerieae) are described from the western Andean slopes of northern Ecuador and southern Colombia. Columneaangulata J.L. Clark & F. Tobar and Columneafloribunda F. Tobar & J.L. Clark are described from northern Ecuador. Columneatecta J.L. Clark & Clavijo is described from southern Colombia and northern Ecuador. The three new species are facultative epiphytes with dorsiventral shoots and are readily recognized by bright red tips on the abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces. The species described here are vegetatively similar to the sympatric species Columneapicta H. Karst. and are readily differentiated by floral features that are illustrated, described and featured with digital images.
AbstractSe describen tres especies nuevas de Columnea (Gesneriaceae, tribu Gesnerieae) originarias de la vertiente occidental de los Andes de Ecuador y Colombia. Columneaangulata J.L. Clark & F. Tobar y Columneafloribunda F. Tobar & J.L. Clark se describen del norte de Ecuador; Columneatecta J.L. Clark & Clavijo se describe del sur de Colombia y norte de Ecuador. Las tres especies nuevas son epífitas facultativas con vástagos dorsiventrales, las cuales se reconocen fácilmente por las puntas de las hojas de color rojo brillante en ambas superficies; son vegetativamente similares y simpátricas con Columneapicta H. Karst., pero se pueden diferenciar por las características florales que se ilustran, describen y detallan con imágenes digitales en este artículo.
ABSTRACT
Three new species of Lepanthes from Ecuador are described and illustrated. These additions to the Ecuadorean flora were recorded in evergreen montane forest and páramo as part of three different research projects conducted during the last five years (2016-2021). Lepanthesoro-lojaensis was discovered in the southwest of El Oro province and is similar to L.jimburae, differing mainly in the much smaller plants, inflorescences and floral parts. Lepanthesmicroprosartima from the western slopes of Pichincha volcano in northern Ecuador resembles L.obandoi but differs in the coloration of the leaves, the inflorescence that are shorter than the leaves and the smaller floral appendix. Lepanthescaranqui, found in eastern Pichincha and Imbabura, is most similar to L.pachychila but differs from it in its much larger plants and different shape of the petals and the floral appendix. Preliminary assessments of the conservation status of the three taxonomic novelties are provided, using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.
ABSTRACT
Non-volant small mammals, which include small-bodied representatives from several mammal orders, have been used as a model group to test the effects of habitat conversion and edge creation on biodiversity. Small mammals occupy a large variety of habitat types and vegetation strata, and have varied lifestyles and diets. They include species with slow-to fast-life history (the Etruscan shrew Suncus etruscus and European Hare Lepus europaeus, respectively) and with very specialized to very generalist habits and diets (the Atlantic bamboo rat Kannabateomys amblyonyx and house mouse Mus musculus, respectively). There are no databases with global coverage focusing on small mammal composition in natural and human-modified habitats and that include neglected natural habitats (e.g. grasslands and savannas). Here, peer-reviewed articles were searched in the primary literature to synthesize almost half century (1973-2017) of research on small mammal composition in natural forests, grasslands and their natural edges, and in five types of human-modified habitats (human-induced forest edges, human-induced grassland edges, crop fields, clear-cuts and tree plantations). The complete database includes information from 199 peer-reviewed articles. Presence data were obtained for 534 species (including 30 unidentified) in 551 sites distributed in 45 countries, 92 ecoregions, 10 biomes and six realms. Measurements of sampling effort and number of species records (number of individuals, captures) per habitat were also obtained, from which researchers can calculate a measure of abundance standardized by the sampling effort. The database will be useful for researchers interested in local-to broad-scale patterns of alpha- and beta-diversity in natural and human-modified habitats.
