An updated checklist of Mozambique's vascular plants.

An updated checklist of Mozambique's vascular plants is presented. It was compiled referring to several information sources such as existing literature, relevant online databases and herbaria collections. The checklist includes 7,099 taxa (5,957 species, 605 subspecies, 537 varieties), belonging to 226 families and 1,746 genera. There are 6,804 angiosperms, 257 pteridophytes, and 38 gymnosperms. A total of 6,171 taxa are native to Mozambique, while 602 are introduced and the remaining 326 taxa were considered as uncertain status. The endemism level for Mozambique's flora was assessed at 9.59%, including 278 strict-endemic taxa and 403 near-endemic. 58.2% of taxa are herbaceous, while shrubs and trees account respectively for 26.5% and 9.2% of the taxa. The checklist also includes ferns (3.6%), lianas (1.7%), subshrubs (0.5%) and cycads (0.3%). Fabaceae, Poaceae and Asteraceae are the three most represented families, with 891, 543 and 428 taxa, respectively. The extinction risk of 1,667 taxa is included, with 158 taxa listed as Vulnerable, 119 as Endangered and as 24 Critically Endangered. The geographical distribution, known vernacular names and plants traditional uses are also recorded.

Mountains of the Mist: A first plant checklist for the Bvumba Mountains, Manica Highlands (Zimbabwe-Mozambique).

The first comprehensive plant checklist for the Bvumba massif, situated in the Manica Highlands along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, is presented. Although covering only 276 km2, the flora is rich with 1250 taxa (1127 native taxa and 123 naturalised introductions). There is a high proportion of Orchidaceae and Pteridophyta, with both groups showing a higher richness than for adjacent montane areas, which may be due to the massif's relatively high moisture levels as a result of frequent cloud cover. However, in contrast to other mesic montane regions in southern Africa, there are relatively few near-endemic or range-restricted taxa: there is only one local endemic, Aeranthes africana, an epiphytic forest orchid. This is likely to be an effect of the massif having limited natural grassland compared to forest, the former being the most endemic-rich habitat in southern African mountains outside of the Fynbos Biome. Six other near-endemic taxa with limited distribution in this portion of the Manica Highlands are highlighted. The high number of invasive species is probably a result of diverse human activities in the area. The main species of concern are Acacia melanoxylon, a tree that is invading grassland and previously cultivated land, the forest herb Hedychium gardnerianum which in places is transforming forest understorey with an adverse effect on some forest birds, and the woody herb Vernonanthura polyanthes which invades cleared forest areas after fire. Future botanical work in the massif should focus on a more detailed exploration of the poorly known Serra Vumba on the Mozambican side and on the drier western slopes. This will allow for a more detailed analysis of patterns of endemism across the Manica Highlands.

The endemic plants of Mozambique: diversity and conservation status.

An annotated checklist of the 271 strict-endemic taxa (235 species) and 387 near-endemic taxa (337 species) of vascular plants in Mozambique is provided. Together, these taxa constitute c. 9.3% of the total currently known flora of Mozambique and include five strict-endemic genera (Baptorhachis, Emicocarpus, Gyrodoma, Icuria and Micklethwaitia) and two near-endemic genera (Triceratella and Oligophyton). The mean year of first publication of these taxa is 1959, with a marked increase in description noted following the onset of the two major regional floristic programmes, the "Flora of Tropical East Africa" and "Flora Zambesiaca", and an associated increase in botanical collecting effort. New taxa from Mozambique continue to be described at a significant rate, with 20 novelties described in 2018. Important plant families for endemic and near-endemic taxa include Fabaceae, Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae s.s. There is a high congruence between species-rich plant families and endemism with the notable exceptions of the Poaceae, which is the second-most species rich plant family, but outside of the top ten families in terms of endemism, and the Euphorbiaceae, which is the seventh-most species rich plant family, but third in terms of endemism. A wide range of life-forms are represented in the endemic and near-endemic flora, with 49% being herbaceous or having herbaceous forms and 55% being woody or having woody forms. Manica Province is by far the richest locality for near-endemic taxa, highlighting the importance of the cross-border Chimanimani-Nyanga (Manica) Highlands shared with Zimbabwe. A total of 69% of taxa can be assigned to one of four cross-border Centres of Endemism: the Rovuma Centre, the Maputaland Centre sensu lato, and the two mountain blocks, Chimanimani-Nyanga and Mulanje-Namuli-Ribaue. Approximately 50% of taxa have been assessed for their extinction risk and, of these, just over half are globally threatened (57% for strict-endemics), with a further 10% (17% for strict-endemics) currently considered to be Data Deficient, highlighting the urgent need for targeted conservation of Mozambique's unique flora. This dataset will be a key resource for ongoing efforts to identify "Important Plant Areas - IPAs" in Mozambique, and to promote the conservation and sustainable management of these critical sites and species, thus enabling Mozambique to meet its commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

ResumoApresenta-se a lista das plantas vasculares de Moçambique, que compreende 271 taxa endémicos (235 espécies) e 387 taxa quase-endémicos (337 espécies). Estes taxa constituem cerca de 9,3% da flora total actualmente conhecida em Moçambique e incluem cinco géneros estritamente endémicos (Baptorhachis, Emicocarpus, Gyrodoma, Icuria e Micklethwaitia) e dois géneros quase-endémicos (Triceratella e Oligophyton). O ano médio das primeiras publicações destes taxa é 1959. Um aumento significativo na descrição de espécies novas foi verificado, relacionado com o início de dois projectos regionais, a "Flora of Tropical East Africa" e a "Flora Zambesiaca", permitindo um esforço maior de colheitas botânicas. Novos taxa têm vindo a ser descritos a um ritmo significativo, com 20 novas espécies descritas em 2018 para a flora de Moçambique. As famílias Fabaceae, Rubiaceae e Euphorbiaceae, incluem importantes taxa endémicos e quase-endémicos. Existe uma estreita relação entre as famílias de plantas com elevado número de espécies e o grau de endemismo, excepção feita às Poaceae, que embora seja a segunda família mais rica em espécies não se posiciona no grupo das dez principais famílias em termos de endemismo. Por outro lado a família Euphorbiaceae, que é a sétima mais rica em espécies, posiciona-se em terceiro lugar quanto ao número de endemismo. A flora endémica apresenta diferentes formas de vida, sendo 49% das espécies herbáceas e 55% lenhosas. A Província de Manica é o local mais rico em taxa quase-endémicos, realçando assim a importância da área transfronteiriça Chimanimani-Nyanga (Manica) entre Moçambique e Zimbabwe. Refira-se ainda que 69% dos taxa encontra-se num dos quatro centros de endemismo transfronteiriços: o Centro do Rovuma, o Centro de Maputaland sensu lato e nas regiões montanhosas de Chimanimani-Nyanga e Mulanje-Namuli-Ribáuè. Cerca de 50% dos taxa foram avaliados quanto ao risco de extinção, estando mais da metade ameaçados globalmente (57% de endemismos) e 10% (17% de endemismos) foram incluídos na categoria Informação Insuficiente (DD), revelando que a maioria das plantas endémicas de Moçambique necessitam de conservação urgente. Este estudo fornece novos dados indispensáveis à identificação das "Áreas Importantes de Plantas ­ IPAs" em Moçambique, contribuindo ainda para implementar as estratégias de conservação anteriormente estabelecidas pela Convenção sobre a Diversidade Biológica (CBD).

Synsepalum chimanimani (Sapotaceae), a new species from the Chimanimani Mountains of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, with notes on the botanical importance of this area.

Synsepalum chimanimani S.Rokni & I.Darbysh., sp. nov., a small tree endemic to the forests of the southern foothills of the Chimanimani Mountains of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, is described and illustrated. The differences in morphology and distribution between the new species and the related S. kaessneri and S. muelleri, with which it has been confused, are clarified. The new species is globally Endangered due to ongoing habitat loss within its restricted range. The botanical importance and conservation of the Chimanimani foothills is also discussed, and they are highlighted as a candidate Important Plant Area.

Reconciling biodiversity and carbon stock conservation in an Afrotropical forest landscape.

Protecting aboveground carbon stocks in tropical forests is essential for mitigating global climate change and is assumed to simultaneously conserve biodiversity. Although the relationship between tree diversity and carbon stocks is generally positive, the relationship remains unclear for consumers or decomposers. We assessed this relationship for multiple trophic levels across the tree of life (10 organismal groups, 3 kingdoms) in lowland rainforests of the Congo Basin. Comparisons across regrowth and old-growth forests evinced the expected positive relationship for trees, but not for other organismal groups. Moreover, differences in species composition between forests increased with difference in carbon stock. These variable associations across the tree of life contradict the implicit assumption that maximum co-benefits to biodiversity are associated with conservation of forests with the highest carbon storage. Initiatives targeting climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation should include both old-growth and regenerating forests to optimally benefit biodiversity and carbon storage.