Contribution to the knowledge of Portuguese serpentine flora: ecological characteristics, endemic plants, and implications for biodiversity conservation

• Autor(a) principal: Ramírez-Rodríguez, Rubén
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Aguiar, Carlos, Amich, Francisco
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/26151
• topic: Iberian Peninsula; Bragança-Vinhais and Morais massifs; Serpentinophytes; Ultramafic vegetation; Serpentine flora; Northeastern Portugal

Serpentine areas are scarce in the world, but contain a large number of endemic taxa. These areas have, in many cases, been little or not at all surveyed from a vegetation and biodiversity conservation point of view. The most important Portuguese serpentine outcrops are found in northeastern Portugal, particularly in the Bragança-Vinhais and Morais massifs. Here, we present a complete ecological-floristic check-list of serpentinophites that are found in these areas since this knowledge is essential for their evaluation, management and conservation. A total of 25 taxa, classified into three categories with different grades of serpentinophily, were included in the list: (1) obligate serpentinophytes (exclusively on serpentine), (2) endemic or widespread taxa that in Portugal occur exclusively in ultramafic outcrops, and (3) preferential serpentinophytes (most of the distribution range, at least 90% of populations, are found on serpentine). Genera common to other Iberian serpentine areas (Andalusian serpentine flora) are Odontarrhena, Arenaria, Armeria, Asplenium, Paragymnopteris, Saxifraga and Silene. The majority of the studied serpentinophytes (72%) occurred in endemic and highly specialized plant communities. About half of the studied serpentinophytes (48%) are assigned in some IUCN threat category. Consequently, it is necessary to implement conservation measures to guarantee the protection of these habitats.