Comparative analyses of habitat-suitability models and good old Rabinowitz?s rarities classification in conservation biogeography of gymnosperms

M. PAULA QUIROGA; CINTIA P. SOUTO

ONLINE

Congreso; II Virtual Meeting of Systematics, Biogeography, and Evolution; 2021

COMITE ORGANIZADOR DEL Systematics, Biogeography, and Evolution

Comparative analyses of habitat-suitability models and good old Rabinowitz?s rarities classification in conservation biogeography of gymnospermsQuiroga, M.P. 1,*, & Souto C. P. 11INIBIOMA/CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina. *Corresponding autor: paulaquiroga@comahue-conicet.gob.arBiodiversity hotspots of the planet harbor 77% of all endemic plant species, have high levels of species richness, endemism and threats. High species diversity in these hotspots is often attributed to an accumulation of narrow-ranged species via high speciation rates and/or preservation of species over time, via low extinction rates, in such a way that they often host ancient and young species. Patagonian Temperate Forest (PTF) is a biodiversity hotspot, but over the past centuries, it has been over-exploited, fragmented and replaced with exotic species plantations, and lately also threatened by climate change. Also, many of its species are considered rarities, included in the IUCN red list, therefore, conservation actions are in need. We studied nine gymnosperm species endemics to the PTF. Our aim is to better understand patterns of niche overlap of key dominant elements of the forest, complementing traditional approaches to biodiversity conservation. Combining vegetation databases, we extracted 3024 occurrence data, we deployed ecological niche models, and classified species according to Rabinowitz?s type of rarity. We then compared the extent and overlap of their niches and considered types of rarity in a spatial ecological context. Finally, we overlapped ENM and protected areas. We generated ENMs for 9 Patagonian gymnosperms and found that most niches overlap, and only one species displayed a unique niche. Surprisingly, we found that three species have divergent suitability of habitats across the landscape. We showed that as rarer a species is as smaller niche volume tends to be and that there are two unprotected suitable areas for key species of the PTF. We observed that protected areas are needed in Chile, in the northern-central coast to conserve gymnosperms? niches in the PTF. Our approach of overlapping habitat suitability of multiple species, and types of rarity highlight that there are conservation gaps in the PTF. Suggesting that integrating ENM, niche overlap and estimation of levels of rarity, can be a handy tool to identify potential areas for conservation planning of biodiversity hotspots.