CIBIO-Azores researchers describe seven new Tolpis species in the Azores
A recent taxonomic reassessment of the genus Tolpis in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, published in the international scientific journal TAXON, led to the formal description of seven new species endemic to the Azores. The study shows that the diversity of this genus in the Azorean archipelago had been significantly underestimated.
The research integrated genetic data obtained over several years with an extensive morphological and morphometric analysis of material collected across the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, complemented by the study of historical specimens preserved in European and North American herbaria. The agreement between morphological differentiation and previously identified genetic lineages made it possible to recognise distinct taxonomic entities, several of them associated with specific islands or groups of islands.
The newly described species are Tolpis graciosensis, T. mariensis, T. maritima, T. maritimoccidentalis, T. maritimocentralis, T. micaelensis and T. occidentalis.
This new taxonomic delimitation has important implications for conservation. Several of these species have very restricted geographic distributions, and some populations are exposed to different threats, including habitat degradation and alteration, invasive alien species, herbivory, trampling and other disturbances associated with human activities.
The study also includes an assessment of the conservation status of the species according to IUCN criteria, placing some of them in the Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR) categories. The strong genetic differentiation observed among islands also reinforces the need to avoid unplanned translocations of seeds or plants between islands, helping to preserve the genetic differentiation of natural populations.
Accurately understanding the diversity present on each island is essential to know what to protect, where to protect it and how to conserve it.
More information:
Article published in TAXON: https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70204
