Academic literature on the topic 'Continental flora'

AbstractThe northern and southern polar regions differ substantially in topography, climate, terrestrial habitats and in their biota. The Arctic flora comprises around 900 flowering plants, 600–700 bryophytes and 2000 lichens. The Antarctic flora is depauperate by comparison with only two flowering plants, 100–120 bryophytes, and probably only around 200 lichens. Despite considerable taxonomic uncertainty, broad phytogeographic patterns can be outlined, with species having a Maritime Antarctic, Peninsula and Lesser Antarctic, Circum-Antarctic, and Disjunct distribution pattern. The extent of endemism in the flora is unclear. The origin of the Antarctic lichen flora appears ancient in pan, although there is ample evidence for post-Pleistocene or Holocene colonization and invasion.

The Early Cretaceous continental sediments in the East Coast of India are characterized by the Ptilophyllum flora. Interplay of tectonism and sedimentation caused plant fossil preservation in different unconnected paralic deposits distributed in Cauvery, Palar, Krishna-Godavari and Mahanadi basins and in the associated Pranhita-Godavari Graben. Plant megafossils assigned to pteridophytes, pteridosperms, cycadophytes, Taxales, Ginkgoales and Coniferales are variously distributed in these basins. Differential preservation of plant parts denotes an incomplete evolutionary pattern. Variation within the basinal flora reflects a localised aspect. Plant fossils preserved in the Cauvery, Palar, Krishna-Godavari and Mahanadi basins reflect a near shore continental sedimentary fill subjected to more dynamic events like marine transgression, which probably did not allow better preservation of plant fossils. Paucity of carbonised/silicified material, abundance of impressions of plant leaf fossils, scarcity of wood and reproductive parts indicate an unfavourable environment for plant fossil preservation in these pericratonic basins. Whereas in the associated Pranhita-Godavari Graben the plant fossils are better preserved in the sub-aerially exposed basinal areas away from the main coast-line. The Early Cretaceous flora of Cauvery, Palar and Krishna-Godavari basins dominated by cycadophytes suggests presence of seaward margins of fluviodeltaic palaeoenvironment. The pteridophyte dominant flora of Mahanadi Basin represents a decreasing marine influence contrary towards the south-eastwards. The evolution and diversification of the East Coast Early Cretaceous flora runs parallel to other intracratonic basinal flora. The uniformity in the floral component supports an equable climate. Conifers being the upland floral elements constitute chief components of intracratonic basinal flora. The fluviomarginal elements like cycadophytes predominate the pericratonic sedimentation with some upland near basinal taxa. Pteridosperms and Ginkgoales are scanty. Presence of leaves with entire margin indicates a favourable growth environment.

A project dealing with the hepatic and moss floras of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands has proceeded more than halfway. The revision of the flora is based on the study of ca 17000 specimens collected in 1981. Two new genera and ca 50 new species have been described in 33 published papers and seven manuscripts. Many families, genera and species not previously recorded for the area have been added to the flora. More than 300 names have been reduced to synonyms. The percentage of endemic species of liverworts (40 %) is higher than that of mosses (18 %). Most of the endemic species occur at elevations above 1700 m. The geological history of New Guinea suggests that these high altitude endemics may be relatively young, i.e. less than 10 million years old. The moss flora is more closely related to the floras of Indonesia and the Philippines and continental Asia than to that of Australia. This can be explained by plate tectonics. The altitudinal distribution of hepatic and moss floras partly coincides with the zonation of vegetation proposed earlier. Human influence on bryophyte floras is devastating but a part of the flora may survive in gardens and plantations.

We compiled a list of 737 alien plant species growing in continental Chile. Most names were obtained from herbarium specimens (mainly herbarium CONC at Universidad de Concepción, Chile). More than fifty percent of the species are european in origin. Besides, records also include: traits related to life-cycle and brief coments on origin and history of introduction.

Limits of the Greater Indian Gondwana continent varied with its break-up and collisional episodes. Late Palaeozoic basal Gondwana type glaciogene and associated sediments containing cold-water marine fauna, with or without Glossopteris, Cathaysian floral remains or admixtures occur in and across the Himalaya, in south Pamir, Tibet and in Shan-Tenesserim-Malaysian area, i.e., across the Late Mesozoic peri-Indian ophiolite belts. Cathaysian Flora with or without Glossopteris intercalations also occurs in western Iraq and New Guinea, both representing parts of the Gondwanic shield. Thus during Late Palaeozoic the Gondwana continents also hosted Cathaysian flora, especially in low palaeolatitudinal positions. The Himalaya, parts of Middle-East, Tibet, Shan-Tenesserim and Malaysian continental blocks therefore possibly formed parts of the Greater Indian Gondwanic continent. The Late Cretaceous and Eocene olistostromal flysch belts tectonically flooring the ophiolite mélange of the Indus-Tsangpo and Naga-Chin Hills Andaman belts respectively delineate the northern and eastern continental margins of the Indian Plate. The present subduction zone beneath the Andaman island arc represents a westerly relayed Neogene margin of the Indian Plate.

The geographical analysis shows that the mosses flora of the Korchay State Nature Reserve was not genetically homogeneous but was composed of various geographical elements included in different botanical-geographic regions. The mosses flora as a whole is boreal — 39.5%, arid — 23.7%. Euryholarctic — 15.8% and mountain species — 10.5% play a certain role in the flora. The flora of lichenes has a nemoral-continental character as a whole. Boreal — 14.0%, euryholarctic — 10.7% and hypoarctomontane — 10.7% species also play a significant role in the flora.

George Bentham's seven volume Flora australiensis (1863–1879) was the first continental Flora, and for over a century was the only flora treating the whole of Australia. The work was produced with the “assistance” of Ferdinand Mueller, later von Mueller, the Government Botanist of Victoria from 1853, who loaned his collection, group by group, to Kew, enabling Bentham to compare the specimens with those in British and European herbaria. Mueller, who himself had wished to write the Flora, was stimulated to produce descriptions of the species as they were prepared for shipment, and Bentham's timetable strongly structured his publication programme. The limits of taxa recognized by each were similar, although there were often differences in the rank accorded the taxon. The return of Mueller's now authenticated specimens also temporarily transferred the power over Australian plant systematics to Melbourne, a power Mueller later used. Despite his initial disappointment that Bentham was assigned the Australian Flora by William Hooker in the series of colonial Floras, Mueller's association with the project later became a lifeline, helping him keep his self esteem after he was dismissed from his concurrent post as Director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens in 1873.

Cape Prince of Wales on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula in Alaska is the closest point in continental North America to Asia. From here the eastern tip of the Chukotsk Peninsula is less than 80 km away across the Bering Strait. Owing to the position of the Seward Peninsula, its flora is of great biogeographic interest, yet until recently was poorly known because of the remoteness of the region. Here I document the 292 vascular plant taxa that compose the flora at Cape Prince of Wales. I consider this Bering Strait region a distinct phytogeographic zone. The flora has strong alpine affinities, and it is marked by the local abundance of certain Asiatic and Beringian species, and the absence of continental species requiring summer warmth that are common elsewhere on the Seward Peninsula.

The liverwort and hornwort flora of the Korean Peninsula possesses some unique traits arising from the geographic position of the Peninsula, where the mainland flora meets insular flora. This flora is still not exhaustively studied, due not only to political reasons, but also because much less attention has been paid than to adjacent lands by hepaticologists. A checklist presented is based on a study of ca. 15,500 specimens collected by the authors and a review of relevant literature. This study provides the checklist of liverworts and hornworts known from Korea and the geographical distribution of each species within the peninsula. The liverworts and hornworts in Korean flora include 346 taxa (326 species, 16 subspecies and four varieties) in 112 genera and 50 families. Since 2007, 75 taxa of liverworts and four taxa of hornworts are reported as new to the Korean Peninsula, with a number of the new records arising following application of new taxonomic concepts that have become apparent over the last few decades. While compiling the checklist, 42 species, previously reported to Korea, are excluded from the Korean liverwort flora.

The uniform Lepidodendropsis flora of the Early Carboniferous is uniformly and widely distributed in the Cathaysia, Laurasia, Kazakhstania and Gondwana continents. This is characterized by Lepidodendropsis, Sublepidodendron, Archaeosigillaria, Archaeocalamites, Sphenopteridium, Cardiopteridium, Rhodeopteridium, Rhacopteris, Triphyllopteris and Adiantites, etc. the global climatic differentiation was not very obvious during the Early Carboniferous, therefore, all Early Carboniferous plant assemblages belonged to the same phytogeographic province. It is known that some typical genera of the Lepidodendropsis flora of the Early Carboniferous, such as Lepidodendropsis, Lepidosigillaria and Archaeosigillaria are recorded from the Lower Devonian in Libya, Africa (Lejal-Nicol, 1975) and some elements of this flora are also recorded from the Late Devonian in China and other parts of the world. It is considered that this Lepidodendropsis flora gradually started appearing in the Early Devonian, began to diversify in the Late Devonian and reached its maximum development in the Early Carboniferous. The flora tended to decline in the Late Early Carboniferous and resulted in its extinction in the end of the Early Carboniferous. Although some plant elements in Cathaysia, Euramerica, Angara and Gondwana had already appeared in the Early Carboniferous, especially in the late Early Carboniferous, the occurrence of the new taxa was regarded as a result of gradually increasing climatic differentiation and plant evolution. During the transition period from the Early Carboniferous to the Late Carboniferous, the differentiations of climatic conditions, tectonic movements, continental positions, oceanic currents and glaciation were quite obvious, resulting in the extinction of numerous typical elements of the Early Carboniferous flora and the appearance of some forerunners of the Late Carboniferous floras in the world. The Cathaysia, Euramerica, Angara and Gondwana floras derived from the identical Lepidodendropsis flora of the Early Carboniferous, but developed and flourished in different environmental conditions.

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Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Foram estudadas as macroalgas marinhas bentônicas de um habitat pouco explorado (Bacia Potiguar, Rio Grande do Norte, Nordeste do Brasil) e cuja informação florística é rara, para se conhecer a diversidade taxonômica e padrões de distribuição em um infralitoral tropical, onde vários empreendimentos estão em fase de instalação, sendo enfatizadas as Chlorophyta, como indicadoras da qualidade ambiental. Amostragens de macroalgas bentônicas foram feitas, com dois tipos de dragas e uma rede de arrasto do tipo porta, durante quatro campanhas: julho de 2002, maio e novembro de 2003 e maio de 2004, em 43 estações. Foram identificados 196 táxons de macroalgas (incluindo variedades e formas), distribuídos nos filos Chlorophyta (29%), Ochrophyta (17%) e Rhodophyta (54%). Três espécies de Rhodophyta, Halopthys schottii (W. R. Taylor) L.E. Philips & De Clerck (63,9%), Bryothamnion seaforthii (Turner) Kütz. (62,5%), Osmundaria obtusiloba (C. Agardh) R. E. Norris (47,2%) e uma Ochrophyta, Dictyopteris delicatula J. V. Lamour. ( 43,1%) foram classificadas como as mais frequentes na área. Os táxons pouco frequentes (frequência de ocorrência entre 11,1% e 34,7%) distribuíram-se em 19 Rhodophyta, oito Ochrophyta e duas Chlorophyta. Na categoria dos táxons de frequência de ocorrência esporádica com menos de 10%, foram identificadas 39 espécies de Rhodophyta, e Chlorophyta e 16 Ochrophyta. Chlorophyta esteve representado por 54 táxons. A família mais frequente foi Caulerpaceae, e o gênero mais diversificado foi Caulerpa J. V. Lamour., com 11 espécies. Do total dos táxons identificados, uma espécie de Rhodophyta, Palisada poiteaui (J. V. Lamour.) K. W. Nam var. gemmifera (Harvey) Sentíes, M. T. Fujii & Díaz teve a sua ocorrência confirmada para o litoral brasileiro e 14 espécies estão sendo citadas pela primeira vez para o litoral Potiguar, sendo sete Rhodophyta: Ptilothamnion speluncarum (Collins & Herv.) D. L. Ballant., Ceramium brasiliense A. B. Joly, C. COCENTINO, A. L. M. Flora Ficológica da Plataforma Continental do Litoral Setentrional... 16 comptum Børgesen, C. flaccidum (Kütz.) Ardiss., C. nitens (C. Agardh.) J. Agardh., Chodrophycus furcatus (Cord. - Mar. & M. T. Fujii) M. T. Fujii & Sentíes, Wrightiella tumanowiczii (Gatty ex Harv.) F. Schmitz; três espécies de Chlorophyta: Cladophora coelothrix Kütz., Caulerpella ambígua (Okamura) Prud homme & Lokhorst, Halimeda simulans M. Howe; e cinco espécies de Ochrophyta: Dictyota bartayresiana J. V. Lamour., D. pulchella Hörnig & Schenetter, Ralfisia expansa (J. Agardh.) J. Agardh, Padina sanctae-crucis Børgesen e P. boergesenii Allender & Kraft. Dentre as Chlorophyta a espécie mais frequente foi Caulerpa prolifera (Forsskål) J. V. Lamour., ocorrendo em quase todas as estações da plataforma costeira e interna, durante todas as campanhas. A distribuição das espécies de Chlorophyta por profundidade mostrou que o maior número de táxons ocorreu entre 10 e 20m, e uma ampla distribuição vertical foi registrada para Anadyomene stellata (Wulfen in Jacq.) C. Agardh, Chamaedoris peniculum (J. Ellis & Solander) Kuntze, Codium isthmocladum Vickers, Microdictyon vanbosseae Setch., Udotea occidentalis A. Gepp & E. Gepp e Ventricaria ventricosa (J. Agardh) J. L. Olsen & J. A. West. Das amostras coletadas por draga nas quatro faixas de profundidade, o transecto T3 (faixa de 20 a 50m) apresentou o maior número de espécies (114 táxons), seguida por T2 (10 a 20m) com 111 táxons. Em geral, Rhodophyta apresentou uma maior distribuição em relação às diversas profundidades, principalmente as algas calcárias não articuladas, com 29% de frequência de ocorrência. Padrão sazonal na comunidade das macroalgas não foi observado em nenhuma das quatro campanhas realizadas. Apesar das atividades petrolíferas que ocorrem na área não foram observadas espécies consideradas bioindicadoras de alterações ambientais com frequências significativas

La presente tesis desarrolla el cálculo del número óptimo de unidades de la flota de camiones destinada al acarreo de mineral y desmonte de la operación minera a cielo abierto San Gerardo, perteneciente a la Compañía Minera Atacocha. Para ello, se describen las características de esta operación, a la cual se le ejecuta el planeamiento de minado y explotación a lo largo del proyecto. Con esta información, se hace un análisis económico de la mina para corroborar que sea viable y esté en los parámetros que requiere una mina en ejecución.
Tesis

Le désir d’envisager l’écriture comme une invention du soi, dans le sens vital et de survie, s’est imposé à moi à travers deux expériences individuelles fondatrices, celles de Flora Tristan et de Lautréamont. Ce dernier, né à Montevideo, s’est trouvé très vite, face à une expérience de désarroi qui lui a montré les limites de son identité. Flora Tristan, elle, a décidé envers et contre tous, de valoriser son origine péruvienne, son rapport à une autre histoire et à une autre culture. J’ai donc souhaité les insérer dans une continuité d’écrivains qui se sont servi de l’écrit comme une façon de faire face à un vécu en territoire étranger. Mais aussi comme une façon aussi de dessiner leur propre visage dans un texte modelé par un corps bio-politique. Si cette forme d’écriture a existé bien avant eux, il s’agit, dans le cas de mes auteurs étudiés, d’une mise à l’épreuve de leur capacité de survie et d’adaptation à des situations nouvelles. A chaque fois, un long voyage crée de nouveaux rapports avec une autre langue qui marque pour toujours notre lecture du monde. Cette enquête sur l’écriture à la première personne signifie aussi une façon d’interroger les constructions linguistiques de ce « Je » qui nous parle dans (depuis ?) un texte, avec toutes les connotations psychologiques, grammaticales et politiques que cette écriture comporte, surtout dans le cas des femmes, plus susceptibles d’être amenées à développer des stratégies de résistance. Ainsi se justifie l’idée centrale de cette thèse : redonner à la voix de l’auteur(e) un statut critique et structural dans le travail d’écriture. C’est ce que l’on pourrait appeler son pathos, forme affective du geste créateur. Une chose s’est montrée à mes yeux fondamentale : l’écriture serait un des moyens de s’opposer à toute forme d’aliénation, une résistance à partir du désir, une différenciation toujours au sein du politique, une Trace
The desire to assume writing as the invention of a Self in the vital plane and as survival, was imposed to me thru two fundamental individual experiences: those of Flora Tristan and Lautréamont. This last one, born in Montevideo, encountered a detachment experience that rapidly showed him the limits of his identity. Flora Tristán, she, decided, against all, to valorize her Peruvian origin, her relationship with a new history and another culture. I have tried then to integrate both of then in a saga of writers who have used writing as a way to face an experience outside the familiar terrains. But also, as a way to reflect their own face in a text crafted by a bio-political body. If this form of writing has existed for some time, it is, in the specific case of my studied authors, a demonstration of their capability of survival and adaptation. Each time we embark on a long trip relations with another language are created that will forever affect our lecture of the world. This research about writing in first person signifies also a way to interrogate the linguistic constructions of that “self” that speaks to us from a text, with all the psychological, grammatical and political connotations of this type of writing, especially for women who are often forced to develop strategies of resistance. This is how the central idea of this work is comprehended: giving back to the voice of the author a critical and structural role in the writing labor, what could also be denominated pathos, the creation like an affective expression. There is an aspect that seems fundamental to me: writing would be one of the ways to oppose resistance to alienation, a resistance coming from the desire to try to differentiate in the political terrain, a Trace

Tableau d'honneur de la FÉSP
Les tourbières jouent un rôle important dans le cycle du carbone à l’échelle de la planète, principalement par la captation de dioxyde de carbone (CO₂) et l’accumulation de carbone dans la tourbe et par de considérables émissions de méthane (CH₄). Les activités d’extraction de tourbe horticole causent la dégradation des tourbières qui fournissent des services écologiques, dont la régulation du climat. Une méthode de restauration significative, robuste et efficace a été développée pour les tourbières acides dominées par les sphaignes. Il arrive toutefois que les conditions physico-chimiques de la tourbe résiduelle après extraction soient caractéristiques des tourbières minérotrophes (fens). Lorsqu’appliquée dans un contexte de restauration de fens, la méthode de restauration par transfert de la strate muscinale s’est avérée peu efficace pour le retour des espèces vasculaires et muscinales typiques des fens. Dans certains contextes, la technique de remouillage sans autre action de restauration pourrait s’avérer efficace pour restaurer les fens post-extraction. Le but de cette étude est d’évaluer l’efficacité du remouillage à rétablir la végétation caractéristique des fens, ainsi que leur fonction de séquestration du carbone, et cela une et dix saisons de croissance après remouillage. Le site à l’étude se trouve dans le sud-est du Manitoba, au Canada. Les données ont été récoltées durant les étés 2016 et 2017. Le remouillage peut rapidement mener à des échanges de CO₂ typiques des tourbières naturelles. Le remouillage a résulté en des écosystèmes dominés par des espèces vasculaires typiques des milieux humides et des tourbières minérotrophes et ombrotrophes. Dix saisons de croissance après remouillage, un tapis discontinu de mousses typiques des tourbières minérotrophes s’est rétabli. Le remouillage peut être utilisé de manière efficace pour la restauration de fens après extraction. La gestion des niveaux d’eau s’avère primordiale pour favoriser une structure de végétation semblable à celle retrouvée dans les fens naturels. De trop hauts niveaux d’eau sont à éviter pour empêcher de générer de très hautes émissions de CH₄ et maximiser la fonction de séquestration du carbone. Ce mémoire se divise en trois chapitres : une introduction générale au sujet, suivie d'un corps de mémoire sous forme d'article scientifique puis d’une courte conclusion

The chili pepper is a spice and medicinal remedy used since ancient times by the American peoples who were the first to undertake the domestication of 5 species belonging to the genus Capsicum (Solanaceae): Capsicum (Solanaceae): Capsicum annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense, C. frutescens e C. pubescens. After the sixteenth century the chili pepper became similarly popular in other continents and today the five species number many reference pod-types and over 3,000 varieties. The book describes their uses in the different spheres of cuisine (aromatic, spicy and colourful), medicine (antioxidant and digestive for internal use, rubefacient and anti-rheumatic for external use) and ornamentation (cut branches, floral compositions, border plants, splashes of colour).

Beginning in the Far East over 2000 years ago the discussion in this chapter charts the movement of species found in contemporary urban environments around the globe. A city is dependent on trade for the resources required by the inhabitants to live and work. Some items of trade are plants and animals, and over time, many species have been introduced intentionally, and many others unintentionally (perhaps as a result of hitching a lift in or on items being traded between countries and continents) to become part of the urban flora and fauna. All the time that such global dispersal has been occurring, some floral and faunal species originally present in an urban area have become locally extinct. These processes of invasion and extinction are controlled by filters and process, and there are certain traits, the possession of which is seemingly beneficial to organisms in urban environments.

Australia’s complex, beautiful and diverse flora is showcased in stunning botanic gardens across the continent. Through exquisite colour photographs taken at the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG), Fanny Karouta-Manasse celebrates the minute and intriguing details of these plants. Discovering Australian Flora explains how plants are displayed in the ANBG according to themes and provides clear and simple geographical, historical and botanical information. It also describes the unique features of Australian flora, including their reliance on fire and ability to survive in poor soil, and looks in detail at the two dominant genera in the Australian landscape – Eucalyptus and Acacia. This fresh and intimate view of some of Australia’s native flora will serve not only as a companion to visitors to the ANBG but will also allow others to explore the wonders of Australia’s botanical treasures. This book will appeal to both local and overseas readers wishing to become more familiar with Australian native flora. The striking photographs will appeal to anyone with an appreciation and passion for nature's beauty.

Australia's complex, beautiful and diverse flora is showcased in stunning botanic gardens across the continent. Through exquisite colour photographs taken at the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) or during field trips with the National Seed Bank, Fanny Karouta-Manasse celebrates the minute and intriguing details of these plants. This second edition of Discovering Australian Flora explains how plants are displayed in the ANBG according to themes and provides clear and simple geographical, historical and botanical information, including descriptions of plant characteristics. It also describes the unique features of Australian flora, such as their reliance on fire and ability to survive in poor soil, and looks in detail at the two dominant genera in the Australian landscape – Eucalyptus and Acacia. Extensively updated with new photographs and a new chapter on conservation, this beautiful book offers detailed insight into Australia's native flora. It will appeal not only to visitors to the ANBG but to anyone with an appreciation and passion for nature's beauty and the wonders of Australia's botanical treasures.

Australian Palms offers an updated and thorough systematic and taxonomic treatment of the Australian palm flora, covering 60 species in 21 genera. Of these, 54 species occur in continental Australia and six species on the off-shore territories of Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and Christmas Island. Incorporating recent advances in biogeographic and phylogenetic research, Australian Palms provides a comprehensive introduction to the palm family Arecaceae, with reviews of botanical history, biogeography, phylogeny, ecology and conservation. Thorough descriptions of genera and species include notes on ecology and typification, and keys and distribution maps assist with field recognition. Colour photographs of habit, leaf, flowers, fruit and unique diagnostic characters also feature for each species. This work is the culmination of over 20 years of research into Australian palms, including extensive field-work and examination of herbarium specimens in Australia, South-East Asia, Europe and the USA.

The Amazon is a land of superlatives. The complex ecosystem covers an area about the size of the continental U.S. The Amazon River discharges 57 million gallons of water per second--in two hours, this would be enough to supply all of New York City’s 7.5 million residents with water for a year. Its flora and fauna are abundant. Approximately one of every four flowering plant species on earth resides in the Amazon. A single Amazonian river may contain more fish species than all the rivers in Europe combined. It is home to the world's largest anteater, armadillo, freshwater turtle, and spider, as well as the largest rodent (which weighs over 200 lbs.), catfish (250 lbs.), and alligator (more than half a ton). The rainforest, which contains approximately 390 billion trees, plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate by absorbing massive amounts of carbon dioxide--or releasing it into the atmosphere if the trees are destroyed. Severe droughts in both Brazil and Southeast Asia have been linked to Amazonian deforestation, as have changing rainfall patterns in the U.S., Europe, and China. The Amazon also serves as home to millions of people. Approximately seventy tribes of isolated and uncontacted people are concentrated in the western Amazon, completely dependent on the land and river. These isolated groups have been described as the most marginalized peoples in the western hemisphere, with no voice in the decisions made about their futures and the fate of their forests. In this addition to the What Everyone Needs to Know® series, ecologist and conservation expert, Mark J. Plotkin, who has spent 40 years studying Amazonia, its peoples, flora, and fauna. The Amazon offers an engaging overview of this irreplaceable ecosystem and the challenges it faces.

The bioregion of Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea possesses a unique natural heritage stretching back over 50 million years since the break-up of the great southern continent of Gondwanaland. The South Australian Museum focuses on enhancing a general knowledge of this extraordinary legacy by encouraging photography of the region’s nature and wilderness, and promoting an annual competition to find the Nature Photographer of the Year. Australasian Nature Photography: ANZANG Eighth Collection presents the finest photographs submitted to the competition. Each photograph is accompanied by technical information as well as anecdotes about how the picture was taken, which will stimulate yet further interest in the flora and fauna and their conservation in the region.

The bioregion of Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea possesses a unique natural heritage stretching back over 50 million years since the break-up of the great southern continent of Gondwanaland. The South Australian Museum focuses on enhancing a general knowledge of this extraordinary legacy by encouraging photography of the region’s nature and wilderness, and promoting an annual competition to find the Nature Photographer of the Year. Australasian Nature Photography: ANZANG Ninth Collection presents the finest photographs submitted to the competition. Each photograph is accompanied by technical information as well as anecdotes about how the picture was taken, which will stimulate yet further interest in the flora and fauna and their conservation in the region.

AbstractThis chapter aims to present a review of the knowledge of the bryological flora for the São Tomé and Príncipe Islands (Gulf of Guinea). An updated catalogue is presented, as well as a brief overview of the first expeditions conducted by the University of Coimbra. The labels of the historical herbarium collections and correspondence were analyzed, which provides an important source of data contributing toward research in taxonomy and conservation of these oceanic islands. Since 2007, exploratory fieldwork was carried out in different habitats of this archipelago along an altitudinal gradient, aiming to improve the knowledge of the ecology and distribution patterns of its bryophyte flora. A total of 304 taxa of bryophytes (133 mosses, 164 liverworts and seven hornworts) are currently reported, of which 21 are endemic to São Tomé and Príncipe and 144 species are shared endemics with the African continent. Several vouchers, especially in the herbaria of the University of Lisbon and of the California Academy of Sciences, are still under study and will likely provide further insights and new discoveries.

What are savannas and where are they? ‘Savanna landscapes’ considers these dynamic and diverse biomes—the most widespread form of vegetation in the tropics and sub-tropics. They are areas covered by a nearly continuous grassy layer, interspersed with trees and shrubs of varying densities and heights, but their nature and distribution is affected by the local topography and is closely allied with continental evolution. Marked seasonal variation is characterized by unpredictably long wet or dry spells and there is a wide range of flora and fauna across the major continental savannas. There are numerous theories on the role of savannas in shaping the emergence and spread of human populations.

Before middle Miocene times, Baja California was attached to the rest of the North American continent. Consequently, most of the terrestrial fauna and flora of the peninsula had its origins in mainland Mexico. However, the separation of the peninsula and its northwestward displacement resulted in a variety of distribution patterns, isolations, extinctions, origins and ultimate evolution of fauna and flora in several ways. The islands in the Gulf of California have been colonized by species from Baja California and mainland Mexico. Some workers (Soulé and Sloan 1966; Wilcox 1978) consider that many of these islands originated as landbridges. Geographically, most of the islands are closer to the peninsula than to the mainland. Therefore, it has been assumed that the Baja California Peninsula was the origin of most of the organisms inhabiting them (Murphy 1983). Islands separated by depths of 110 m or less from the peninsula or mainland Mexico apparently owe their current insular existence to a rise in sea level during the current interglacial period (Soulé and Sloan 1966). In contrast, little information exists for deep-water islands. Any complete analysis of the distribution and origin of several organic groups inhabiting the Gulf of California islands should involve the consideration of several contrasting models arguing in favor of or against the equilibrium theory (MacArthur and Wilson 1967). In any model, one of the most important features to consider is the relationship between the species inhabiting the gulf islands and the physical and geological processes of formation of the islands, as well as their age, size, and distance from either the peninsula or the mainland. Understanding colonization, migration, and distribution, particularly in some groups, requires information on whether a particular island was ever connected to a continental source. For example, to explain some characteristics of the populations of any island, which presumably had a recent (<10,000-15,000 years) connection to a continental source, it is necessary to evaluate the coastal erosion or the relative rise in the sea level. These factors might contribute to effectively isolating an insular habit or to forming landbridges.

Endemism is a primary characteristic of the Mediterranean flora. The Mediterranean region contains several zones rich in endemic species. These hotspots of endemism also have a high diversity of total species. The recurrent conjunction of endemism and high species diversity in different parts of the region represents the cornerstone of Mediterranean plant biodiversity. The causes and origins of patterns of diversity and endemism, on both a biogeographic and local scale, are the main subjects of this chapter, which will first invoke the diverse origins of the flora, a premier cause of the patterns we now observe. A major theme this chapter will then develop is the examination of correlated patterns of diversity and endemism in relation to the historical biogeography of islands and mountains that are rich in endemic plants. As the chapter advances it will become more and more apparent that the history of mountain formation is a key element in the high rates of endemic plants both in continental areas and on islands. Finally, the ecological and biological correlates of endemism are treated, in particular the niche in which endemic plants have evolved and persisted.

<strong><em>Abstract. </em></strong>Habitats are defined as spatially recognizable areas where the physical, chemical, and biological environment is distinctly different from surrounding environments. A habitat can be delimited as narrowly or as broadly as the data and purpose permit, and this flexibility of scale influences the development of habitat classification schemes. Recent habitat classifications focus on a wide range of habitats that occur in European, American, and worldwide seafloor environments. The proposed classification of marine sublittoral habitats is based on recent studies in the American and Canadian parts of northeastern North America using multibeam and side-scan sonar surveys, video and photographic transects, and sediment and biological sampling. A guiding principle in this approach to habitat classification is that it will be useful to scientists and managers of fisheries and the environment. The goal is to develop a practical method to characterize the marine sublittoral (chiefly the subtidal continental shelf and shelf basin) habitats in terms of (1) their topographical, geological, biological, and oceanographical attributes and (2) the natural and anthropogenic processes that affect the habitats. The classification recognizes eight seabed themes (informal units) as the major subject elements of the classification. They are seabed topography, dynamics, texture, grain size, roughness, fauna and flora, habitat association and usage, and habitat recovery from disturbance. Themes include one or many classes of habitat characteristics related to seabed features, fauna and flora, and processes that we view as fundamental for recognizing and analyzing habitats. Within the classes, a sequence of subclasses, categories, and attributes addresses habitat characteristics with increasing detail. Much of the classification is broadly applicable worldwide (excluding some lowlatitude environments), but faunal and floral examples are representative of the northeastern North America region. In naming habitats, the classification emphasizes seabed substrate dynamics, substrate type, and seabed physical and biological complexity. The classification can accommodate new classes, subclasses, categories, and attributes, and it can easily be modified or expanded to address habitats of other regions. It serves as a template for a database that will provide a basis for organizing and comparing habitat information and for recognizing regional habitat types.

<em>Abstract</em>.—This paper focuses on interactions between reefs, fisheries, and their management and discusses the relationship between reef fish and their habitat. Hard bottom is much less extensive than fine sediments on most continental shelves but supports epifauna/flora as cover for reef fish and serves as habitat for their prey species. Corals, epifauna, and macroflora on natural reefs function as feeding, shelter, and aggregation sites and often have fractal characteristics. Size frequencies of catches from unfished banks may reflect the aggregate of crevice size spectra present, and this influences growth and natural mortality rates at size. It is suggested that migration is initiated when juvenile fish outgrow cover in nursery areas, which only offered predator protection at smaller sizes. Juveniles are then forced to move further offshore where cover for protecting larger reef fishes is often more available. Large cavities are rare on most natural outcrops or reefs, but these attract large fish and artificial reefs are often designed to have large cavities needed by mature reef fishes. Once artificial reefs are located by fishermen, large, resident fishes are readily captured. Unless some offshore reefs or refugia are protected, spawning potential could be affected.

The Mediterranean-type environment of South America, broadly defined as the continental area characterized by winter rainfall and summer drought, is confined to a narrow band about 1,000 km long on the western side of the Andes in north-central Chile (Arroyo et al., 1995, 1999). Although much has been written about the climate, vegetation, and landscapes of this part of Chile, and comparisons have been drawn with California and other Mediterranean-type regions of the world (Parsons, 1976; Mooney, 1977; Rundel, 1981; Arroyo et al., 1995), a modern synthesis of information on the physical setting, regional biota, and historical development of ecosystems in central Chile has not been attempted. This chapter is intended to provide such an integrated picture, emphasizing those aspects most peculiar to the region. Since the earlier floristic work on the Chilean matorral (e.g. Mooney, 1977), the name given to the vegetation of central Chile, there is now a much greater appreciation of the geographic isolation and high levels of biological diversity and endemism in this region of South America (Arroyo and Cavieres, 1997; Villagrán, 1995; Arroyo et al., 1995, 1999). Because of the great richness and singularity of its terrestrial flora, this area of the continent is considered to be one of the world’s 25 hotspots in which to conserve global biodiversity (Arroyo et al., 1999; Myers et al., 2000). An analysis of the main features of the Mediterranean environment in South America should therefore address the causes of such high floristic richness, the nature of current threats to biodiversity, and the prospects for its conservation in the long-term. A discussion of conservation concerns closes the present chapter (but see also: Arroyo and Cavieres, 1997; and Arroyo et al., 1999). In view of the vast literature on the biota and physical setting of central Chile, this chapter adopts a selective approach, from a biogeographic perspective, of what we consider to be the most remarkable historical, physical, and ecological features of this environment, which in turn may explain its extraordinary richness in plants and animals. Mediterranean-type ecosystems occupy a narrow band along the western margin of South America, from 30 to 36°S in central Chile.

Introdução: Os recifes de corais são formados por rochedos rígidos, resistentes e diversificados. Tem a função de abrigo e alimento para diversos organismos. Estudos mostram que apenas 10% dos oceanos são caracterizados como áreas de presença biológica produtiva, entre elas: zonas costeiras e plataformas continentais, que ficam à margem dos oceanos e mares. Entretanto, as ocupações nestas regiões causam a degradação desse ecossistema. Nesse cenário, surgem os recifes artificiais como instrumentos de manejo, com objetivos relacionados a mitigação de áreas degradadas na zona costeira, suprimento da perda de estoques pesqueiros, ampliação da disponibilidade dos recursos em locais onde a pesca é um dos meios de subsistência e redução da pressão sobre os recifes naturais. Objetivos: Esta pesquisa reúne informações sobre a Praia de Madre de Deus - Ba, suas características físicas e os materiais que podem ser utilizados como estruturas para proporcionar o desenvolvimento de recifes artificiais marinhos no local. Material e métodos: A metodologia foi baseada em um levantamento de dados secundários proveniente de referenciais bibliográficos. O tema foi abordado de forma descritiva e, entre os resultados, foram obtidos dados desde o ano de 1974 até o ano de 2019 com aplicações nos países da França, Japão, Estados Unidos, Austrália, Cuba, Canadá e Brasil. Os autores foram selecionados de acordo com o âmbito da pesquisa, isto é, uso dos materiais para o coral artificial em locais com características físicas semelhantes à área de estudo. A descrição das estruturas foi realizada de forma detalhada e qualitativa, apontando estudos que mostram os resultados obtidos em regiões com características similares a Ilha de Madre de Deus, os pontos positivos, negativos e melhores formas aplicação. Resultados: Entre as opções encontradas nos resultados, os pneus e o concreto estão entre os mais adequados à área de estudo por já terem sido aplicados com sucesso em regiões com características físicas semelhantes. Conclusão: Os recifes artificiais, na maioria dos estudos, são considerados uma forma eficiente de incrementar a fauna e a flora marinha de um local e, quando apresentam resultados negativos, as falhas se relacionam à falta de pesquisas em referencial ou são testes pioneiros.

Estamos ante una encrucijada global de proporciones nunca vistas. El planeta se calienta más rápido de lo esperado y enfrentamos condiciones climáticas cada vez más extremas, lo que pone en riesgo la sostenibilidad de la vida humana en el mediano y largo plazo. El nivel de los océanos está aumentando, los arrecifes de coral están muriendo, las especies se están extinguiendo, los glaciares se están derritiendo y las condiciones climáticas extremas se hacen cada vez más frecuentes con intensas olas de calor, inundaciones, huracanes, incendios y/o sequías. Para hacer frente a esta compleja situación, todos, personas e instituciones en los ámbitos nacional, regional y global, tenemos que hacer nuestra parte para evitar llegar a un punto de no retorno. Aunque Colombia solo genera el 0,6 % de los gases de efecto invernadero (GEI), es uno de los veinte países más amenazados por la crisis climática. Nuestro país alberga el 50 % de los páramos del mundo y es catalogado como una potencia en agua, biodiversidad y ambiente, aloja alrededor del 10 % de la fauna y flora del mundo, teniendo por ello un rol central en los esfuerzos globales que se realizan para mitigar los efectos del cambio climático. También es reconocido por ser el segundo país con más alta presencia en biodiversidad en la tierra, goza de dos océanos, cinco vertientes hidrográficas, ríos, lagunas y ciénagas, siendo de esta manera el agua un recurso fundamental para el desarrollo de las generaciones futuras. El país cuenta con grandes extensiones de páramos, los cuales son la fuente del 70 % de agua dulce en nuestro país y comparte al sur de nuestras fronteras con la Amazonía, considerada la selva tropical más extensa del planeta y el pulmón del mundo. Una porción representativa de ese 10 % del total de la biodiversidad mundial que tiene nuestro país, se encuentra dentro del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (SINAP), del que hace parte el Sistema de Parques Nacionales Naturales y las Reservas Forestales (más de 17 millones de hectáreas), una fuente importante de bienes y servicios ecosistémicos, entre los cuales, el suministro del recurso hídrico incluye más del 62 % de los nacimientos de los acuíferos nacionales y abastece a casi un 80 % de la población colombiana. Así mismo, protege lagunas y ciénagas que contienen el 20 % de los recursos hídricos que abastecen la generación de energía eléctrica del país. En estas áreas protegidas se conservan muestras representativas de los ecosistemas naturales marinos y continentales, los cuales, además de albergar un gran número de especies de fauna y flora, contribuyen a la regulación del clima y protegen las cuencas hidrográficas. Es así como por su especial importancia ecológica, los Parques Nacionales Naturales tienen la función de conservar, proteger y salvaguardar sus ecosistemas de especial valor por medio del Estado y de los particulares. Esta gran riqueza ambiental del país está siendo amenazada por el uso indebido de los recursos naturales, lo que genera un acelerado deterioro de los ecosistemas, alterando su funcionalidad y poniendo en riesgo la biodiversidad. Esta problemática se ha convertido en un reto de primer orden para el Estado colombiano, sus autoridades ambientales y la sociedad en general. El Sector Defensa no ha sido ajeno a esta realidad, por lo que en el marco definido por la ley, la Presidencia de la República y el Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, ha reconocido el potencial desestabilizador de las afectaciones causadas por las diversas actividades ilícitas de los Grupos Armados Organizados (GAO), los Grupos Delincuenciales Organizados (GDO) y ciudadanos que hacen un uso indebido de los recursos naturales. Fenómenos como la siembra de cultivos ilícitos, la extracción ilícita de minerales, la tala indiscriminada, la ganadería extensiva, el acaparamiento de tierras, la pesca ilegal, la contaminación, el vertimiento de sustancias peligrosas y el tráfico ilegal de flora y fauna, han debilitado los ecosistemas nacionales. Estas actividades ilegales afectan los recursos hídricos del país, los suelos, los páramos y la atmósfera, produciendo efectos negativos que generan deforestación, pérdida de hábitats, extinción de especies, la destrucción de fuentes de agua, el deterioro de las tierras de cultivos e impactos negativos en las reservas forestales y las áreas que integran el Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (SINAP). La degradación ambiental que hemos visto no solo es utilizada por las organizaciones criminales para obtener recursos que les permiten sostener su accionar delictivo en diversas zonas del país, más grave aún, se constituye en un atentado directo contra el porvenir de las generaciones futuras. Es por ello que el Sector Defensa ha reconocido el agua, la biodiversidad y el medio ambiente como activos estratégicos de interés nacional, con un carácter principal y prevalente, buscando apoyar con sus capacidades a las autoridades ambientales del país, con el fin de realizar acciones cada vez más eficaces contra las organizaciones criminales responsables del deterioro ambiental. Es en ese contexto surge la idea de este libro, que busca presentar la problemática que se enfrenta y visibilizar las acciones realizadas por el Sector Defensa en coordinación con las autoridades ambientales, con el fin de apoyar la defensa de estos activos estratégicos, así como prevenir los daños futuros a los mismos, en aras de trabajar en la protección de los recursos naturales, bajo una visión multidimensional de la seguridad. El Ministerio de Defensa (MDN) ha sido consciente de los desafíos climáticos a los que se enfrenta, no solo el Sector, sino el territorio nacional, en cuanto a los impactos cada vez mayores derivados de las condiciones meteorológicas extremas y la explotación de los recursos. Por ello, el Sector ha trabajado para alinearse con la Política Nacional de Cambio Climático, los compromisos del país ante la Contribución Nacionalmente Determinada (NDC), el cumplimiento del CONPES 4021 de diciembre de 2020 para el Control de la Deforestación y la Gestión Sostenible de Bosques, para así aportar con acciones de adaptación, mitigación y gestión del riesgo ante el cambio climático y variabilidad climática mediante del Plan de Gestión de Cambio Climático del Sector Defensa (PIGCCSD). Este libro reúne los principales resultados del Sector Defensa en materia de protección del medio ambiente y resalta la articulación de las políticas, así como de la operativización de las mismas por parte de las Fuerzas Militares y la Policía Nacional, por la protección de los recursos naturales de la Nación, una responsabilidad que ha quedado claramente plasmada en la “Estrategia Artemisa”, que es un esfuerzo permanente, sostenido, conjunto, coordinado, e interinstitucional que permitirá proteger y defender el agua, la biodiversidad y el medio ambiente como activos estratégicos de la Nación, a partir de la lucha contra la deforestación, sus causas directas o subyacentes y contrarrestar los efectos del cambio climático, como también la lucha contra la explotación ilícita de minerales, contra los cultivos ilícitos que afectan el medio ambiente y el conjunto de actividades de control y vigilancia que apoya nuestra Fuerza Pública para la defensa de los recursos naturales. Trabajando de forma articulada con la Fiscalía, el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, el Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (Ideam), y la Unidad de Parques Nacionales Naturales, en diversas zonas del país, la Estrategia Artemisa ha permitido brindar apoyo a las autoridades ambientales y administrativas, para preservar y defender el agua, la biodiversidad y el medio ambiente en las áreas de reserva forestal, áreas protegidas y 59 Parques Nacionales Naturales. Mediante la Directiva Permanente 008 del 22 de marzo de 2022, el MDN institucionalizó e impartió lineamientos e instrucciones al Comando General de las Fueras Militares, la Dirección General de la Policía Nacional y la Unidad de Gestión General del MDN, con el propósito de implementar medidas, desplegar operaciones, actividades de apoyo y gestión ambiental, para la implementación de la Estrategia Artemisa. De esta forma y bajo un enfoque sostenido, conjunto, coordinado, interinstitucional y multilateral, se trabajará para incluir dentro de la doctrina militar y policial las acciones relacionadas con la protección del agua, la diversidad y el medio ambiente, al tiempo que se concentrarán los esfuerzos de inteligencia en la identificación del modus operandi de las organizaciones criminales que afectan el medio ambiente, desarrollando operaciones contra los GAO y los GDO que atentan contra el medio ambiente. Desde el 2019 a la fecha se han realizado diecisiete (17) operaciones sobre las áreas de los Parques Nacionales Naturales, especialmente en las regiones de la Amazonía y la Orinoquía, como son los Parques Nacionales Naturales (PNN) Serranía de Chiribiquete, PNN La Paya, PNN Tinigua, PNN Picachos, PNN Sierra de La Macarena, la Zona de Reserva Forestal de la Amazonía y la Reserva Natural Nukak. Se han dispuesto, para esta campaña, 22.300 hombres de la Fuerza Pública, que, desde sus respectivas unidades militares y policiales resguardan las áreas protegidas del territorio nacional. Estas unidades incluyen: 10 batallones de alta montaña (páramos), una brigada contra el narcotráfico, una brigada contra la minería ilegal, unidades de guardacostas, infantería de marina y efectivos de la Policía Nacional. El Sector Defensa es consciente de que a futuro será fundamental continuar fortaleciendo las capacidades de la Fuerza Pública para, en el marco de sus competencias, continuar apoyando a las autoridades ambientales, entes territoriales y a la comunidad en la defensa y preservación del agua, la biodiversidad y el medio ambiente como activos estratégicos de la Nación. Será fundamental profundizar la disrupción del delito de la explotación ilícita de minerales, mediante el desmantelamiento de las economías ilícitas que se lucran de ella y de la afectación de la cadena criminal. En igual medida, será vital apoyar la recuperación de los ecosistemas más afectados por las actividades ilegales, por medio de actividades de restauración de áreas, del trabajo articulado con las comunidades, la construcción y mantenimiento de viveros forestales y el fortalecimiento a las investigaciones científicas lideradas desde la Armada Nacional y la Dirección General Marítima para la protección de los océanos, el recurso hídrico y sus ecosistemas. De esta forma será posible continuar trabajando en la reducción de los riesgos que se ciernen sobre los ecosistemas del país y disminuir los índices de deforestación, y tras la búsqueda de soluciones que contribuyan a la reducción y mitigación de los GEI. Esta estrategia que ha puesto en marcha el Sector Defensa y que es recogido en esta obra, presenta los aportes sectoriales del trabajo interinstitucional que se han venido realizando en los últimos años, siendo un ejemplo de la forma en la que se pueden sumar esfuerzos para contribuir a la superación de la encrucijada global que nos afecta a todos y que debe ser enfrentada con un esfuerzo común.