• DOI:10.1023/A:1020346616185
• Corpus ID: 1767364

Richness and endemism in Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) from the Espinhaço Range of Minas Gerais, Brazil – a conservationist view

@article{Rapini2004RichnessAE,
  title={Richness and endemism in Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) from the Espinhaço Range of Minas Gerais, Brazil – a conservationist view},
  author={Alessandro Rapini and Renato de Mello‐Silva and Mar{\'i}a L{\'u}cia Kawasaki},
  journal={Biodiversity \& Conservation},
  year={2004},
  volume={11},
  pages={1733-1746}
}

• A. Rapini, Renato de Mello‐Silva, M. L. Kawasaki
• Published 1 October 2002
• Environmental Science
• Biodiversity & Conservation

The Espinhaço Range, located in the states of Minas Gerais andBahia, has a type of vegetation with one of the highest degrees of endemism inBrazil: the campos rupestres. In this area, Asclepiadoideaeis among the most diverse angiosperm groups, including species with broaddistributions and others restricted to small areas. This study attempts toevaluate the species richness and the degree of endemism in this region, as wellas the influence of collecting efforts on the perception of biodiversity. It isbased especially on the Asclepiadoideae from the Espinhaço Range of MinasGerais (ERMG), though a brief consideration of the situation in Bahia is alsointroduced. For comparative studies, the ERMG was divided into four regions:South, Serra do Cipó, Diamantina Plateau, and North. The species werethen characterized according to their distribution and occurrence in each ofthese regions. Ninety-seven species of Asclepiadoideae are native to the ERMG;about 30% of them are endemic to this area and almost 25% are restricted to onlyone of the four regions. The Serra do Cipó and the Diamantina Plateaupresent the highest degrees of endemism, and the highest richness innumber of species is found in the South. Nevertheless, there is a progressive decrease in collectingefforts northwards, which may distort species distribution and occurrence, andlead to misinterpretations about centers of diversity and endemism. TheEspinhaço Range should be considered vulnerable in its entirety becauseof the singular flora still incompletely known and the restricted distributionof many species. Programs that establish priority areas of conservation withoutconsidering the region as a whole will only offer temporary, partial protectionfor its biodiversity.