Biogeography abd conservation of Byttnerioideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae (Malvaceae) in South America, with a taxonomical synopsis in the Atlantic Forest

Author(s)

Matheus Colli Silva

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB)
• Defense date: 2020-05-07

Examining board members

Jose Rubens Pirani; Natalia Macedo Ivanauskas

• Advisor: Jose Rubens Pirani

Abstract

Mapping and discussing biogeographical patterns are essential to understand the origin and evolution of lineages, especially important for current understudied taxonomical groups, such as the Malvaceae. Malvaceae is particularly diverse in South America, with high levels of species richness and endemism, but whose basic questions of biogeography, conservation and taxonomy are outdated and unassessed. Moreover, the current availability of larger online repositories allows the development of new comparative surveys with particularly diverse groups at a continental scale. In this thesis, we used as model three selected subfamilies of Malvaceae--Byttnerioideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae--summing 271 species in 11 genera for South America, to assess questions of biogeography, collection bias, taxonomy and conservation of the groups and of the areas where the taxa occur. Specifically, we (1) built an occurrence database for all selected species via an extensive literature survey and consulting herbarium collections, towards synthetizing the overall distribution pattern of the subfamilies in South America, as well as to estimate bioregions and areas with low sampling efforts; (2) selected species with a particular disjunct pattern to bring insights on the discussion of the biogeography of open seasonally dry areas; (3) used the manual revisited database to compare its performance with an modeled and automatized built dataset when representing species inside South American protected areas network; (4) selected two genera--Ayenia and Byttneria--to provide a taxonomical synopsis of the group in the Atlantic Forest, a novel and important contribution for the region and for the group; and (5) performed a recircumscription and a nomenclatural historic of a misapplied name--Pterygota brasiliensis Allemão--also summarizing the distribution of the genus in the globe. This master thesis resulted in four manuscripts and one annex for publication and brought new subsidies and insights towards further assessments with Malvaceae groups on biogeography, evolution and conservation of the family and of different South American vegetations (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/19295-1 - Biogeography and conservation of Byttnerioideae, Helicterioideae and Sterculioideae (Malvaceae) in Atlantic Forest, with a synopsis of their species in Southeastern Brazil
• Grantee: Matheus Colli Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master