Diversity and Conservation Gap Analysis of the Solanaceae of Southern South America.

There is a need to make substantial advances in the taxonomic, systematic, and distribution knowledge of plants, and find better ways of transmission of this information to society to surpass the general pattern described as "plant blindness." The diversity of the plant family Solanaceae reaches its peak in South America; however, many of its species are threatened due to the expansion of the human footprint. Here, we examine the diversity patterns of the family in southern South America (Argentina and Chile) by means of species richness (SR), weighted endemism (WE), and corrected weighted endemism (CWE). We also evaluated conservation gaps in relation to protected areas and the human footprint as a proxy for potential impacts on this biodiversity. Results show two richness centers in NW and NE Argentina, with a high degree of overlap with protected areas, which, on the other side, show a relative high index of human footprint. Comparatively, coastal Atacama (Chile) shows lower richness values, but outstanding CWE and WE values. The coast of Atacama harbors high values due the presence of species of the genus Nolana with restricted distributions. Protected areas in this tight coastal strip are sparse, and the human footprint is also relatively high. The degree of protection based on these parameters is then unbalanced, highlighting the need for a geographically explicit strategy for the conservation of the family at subcontinental scale. In doing so, it is likely that other representatives of these unique centers of richness and endemism will benefit.

Living in extreme environments: distribution of Lyciumhumile (Solanaceae), an endemic halophyte from the Altiplano-Puna region, South America.

Very few Solanaceae species are able to grow in saline soils; one of them is Lyciumhumile. This species is endemic to the Altiplano-Puna region (Central Andes, South America) where there are multiple extreme environmental conditions such as hypersaline soils. Here we present an updated description and distribution of L.humile including its new record for Bolivia at the edges of "Salar de Uyuni", the largest salt flat in the world; we discuss its ecological role in saline environments by analyzing soil salinity and cover-abundance values ​​of the studied sites. According to IUCN criteria, we recommend a category of Least Concern for L.humile, but the growing development of lithium mining in saline environments of the Altiplano-Puna region may potentially threaten exclusive communities.

Solanaceae diversity in South America and its distribution in Argentina.

Solanaceae is one of the most diverse families in the Americas, particularly in Argentina where it represents the fourth family in terms of species number. Although checklists for most South American countries have been published, some are outdated and there has been no analysis of Solanaceae diversity at country level. We present an updated summary of Solanaceae diversity in South America, an analysis of its distribution in Argentina, and preliminary conservation assessments for all species endemic to Argentina. Regression analyses were used for evaluating the ratio between taxa/area and endemic/total species, multivariate ordering methods were used to analyze the relationships between Argentine ecoregions, and the IUCN criteria were applied for conservation assessments. Results show that Solanaceae comprises 1611 species in South America. The highest diversity is in Peru, which, together with Ecuador, possesses more diversity than expected for the area; Chile and Brazil have the greatest percentage of endemic species. In Argentina, the Chaco ecoregion hosts the highest number of taxa, but largest number of endemic species is found in the Monte ecoregion. According to the IUCN criteria, 28 endemic species from Argentina are considered threatened. We discuss South American countries and Argentine ecoregions in terms of conservation priorities.