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Summary of the methodology used to calculated habitat loss and fragmentation metrics. This figure did not make to the paper but it summarises the approach well.
Source publication
Extensive fieldwork carried out on the Andean forests of Colombia resulted in the discovery of Lepanthes cordillerana, described here as a novel taxon. The new species is most similar to Lepanthes teres from Ecuador, from which it can be easily distinguished by the ciliated margins of the leaf, the oblong-acute lower lobe of the petals and the capi...
Citations
... (Magnoliopsida) hold high levels of rarity, with an estimated 40% of species threatened (Zizka et al. 2021) and the highest proportion of endangered species among all plant families by trading (Hinsley et al. 2018). New orchid species are discovered every year in small populations and small ranges where natural habitats are highly transformed (Haddad et al. 2015, Parra-Sánchez 2023b, 2023c. ...
We propose Lepanthes chalalensis as a newly identified species confined to the north-east Andes of Colombia. We randomly placed 341 sampling plots across the Eastern Cordillera, including transformed and natural habitats. Here, we provide a detailed description, illustrating images, ecological discussions, a taxonomic key for the new entity, and a conservation status analysis. The species is highly geographically restricted (in 2 out of 341 sampling plots) and has a low population size (26 adult individuals). While L. chalalensis shows a resemblance to L. velosa from Ecuador, it can be distinguished by the wide lower lobe of the petals, which is long ciliated, the lip laminae, which are reduced and bear stiff cilia, and the appendix length, which appear to be twice as long as the lip blades. The species should be considered a conservation concern due to its high rarity.
... We found 35,891 adult individuals of 331 species of which 91.6 % species are epiphytes (303 vs. 28 terrestrial species), with a maximum of 27 (range 0-27) species and 1012 (range 0-1012) individuals in a single plot (Supplementary material Table 1). We discovered several new species to science in both natural (Parra-Sanchez et al., 2023b;Parra-Sanchez et al., 2023c;Parra-Sanchez and Baquero, 2023) and transformed habitats (Ordóñez-Blanco and Parra-Sánchez, 2022). ...
... Second, community-level metrics (i.e., richness and abundance) can be less sensitive to ecological processes than metrics that account for species turnover, via the loss of sensitive specialist species buffered to some extent by the arrival of generalist species (Larrea and Werner, 2010;Spake et al., 2022). Andean orchids exhibit high turnover across communities (Parra-Sanchez et al., 2023a, 2023b, 2023c, but the high net loss of orchid species and abundance provide strong evidence of the detrimental effects of habitat transformation. ...
Physical gradients are major natural drivers of global biodiversity. A key question is understanding how biogeographic patterns are impacted by transformation of natural habitats. We aim to elucidate the complex relationships between two core biogeographic drivers of biodiversity—elevation and precipitation—, local deforestation, and their additive and interactive effects on Andean orchid diversity in the Colombian Andes. We sampled understory orchids across 341 plots pairing natural and transformed habitats along a wide elevational (1163–3415 m) and precipitation range (879–3817 mm per year). We found 35,891 adult individuals in 341 species peaking at mid-elevations (∼2500 m) and mid-to-high precipitations (>1600 mm/yr). Conversion of natural to transformed habitats caused substantial orchid diversity loss, with ten-fold fewer species at the plot level equating to a 6-fold loss in overall species richness, and 23-times fewer individuals. The additive and interactive effects better explained the main patterns: conversion reconfigured the natural mid-elevation trends in orchid diversity and positive trend in diversity with precipitation to a quasi-linear trend in transformed habitats. This reflects the inherent dependency of orchid species to a host tree as well as lower resilience to transformed habitats. Our findings highlight the importance of halting deforestation across environmental gradients, but in particular at elevations and precipitations where reshaping of biogeographic patterns maximises the losses of biodiversity.
... Regarding orchid diversity, geographical and elevational confinement that makes 819 species were previously recorded in all natural parks, Lepanthes a highly restricted and endemic genus (Luer, with only 110 species in PNN Farallones. In 2020, a new 1996; Luer and Thoerle, 2012;Parra-Sánchez et al., 2023). study recorded 430 orchid species for Los Farallones Colombia harbors the highest diversity of Lepanthes in the National Park, representing 10% of the country's species neotropics, with 377 species accounting for 20% of the (Galindo-Tarazona et al., 2020). ...
Eight new species of Lepanthes from the Farallones National Natural Park in Colombia are described and illustrated. These species are morphologically compared with the most similar species to corroborate their identity. Additionally, each of the eight new species is dedicated to a Colombian woman who has made history in several fields in the country, especially in areas traditionally dominated by men. These women serve as a source of inspiration for future generations and highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in science and conservation. The article aims not only to contribute to the taxonomic knowledge of Colombian flora, but also to emphasize the crucial role that women have played and continue to play in Colombian society and the world.
... Lepanthes Swartz (1799: 85) is one of the richest genera within the subtribe Pleurothallidinae Lindley ex Don (1839: 636), with more than 1180 species distributed in the Neotropics (Karremans 2016, Luer & Thoerle 2012, Luer 1996, Moreno, Galindo-Tarazona & Zuluaga 2023, Parra-Sánchez et al. 2023, POWO 2023. In Ecuador, more than 350 species have been described, and each year the number keeps increasing (Baquero et al. 2018, Baquero & Monteros 2020, Luer 1996, Tobar et al. 2018. ...
Río Manduriacu and Dracula reserves, owned by the Fundación EcoMinga, are located in northwestern Ecuador, which has been a hotspot for the discovery of numerous new orchid species in recent years. Here, we propose Lepanthes inesmanzanoae, a new species found in Río Manduriacu reserve in Cordillera del Toisán. This species is distinguished by the transversely bilobed, velvety petals with a minute process on the outer margin of the midvein, the lower lobe of the petal shorter, triangular, attenuate, the appendix triangular, acute and the bilobed stigma. The new taxon is described, illustrated, and compared to its most similar species. Additionally, we report four new records of the genus Lepanthes for Ecuador.
Colombia is a major biodiversity hotspot, having one of the richest orchid floras in the world. The country spans over a million square kilometers of land, hosting a multitude of different ecosystems thanks to the complexity of its mountainous systems and influences from neighboring countries in Central and South America, as well as the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. Prior studies found an estimated 3591–4270 species of orchids occurring in Colombia, making it the most species-rich plant family in the country. About 35% of those orchids are members of the Pleurothallidinae subtribe, the largest group in the family and also that with the highest rate of species discovery. Here we record 1862 species of pleurothallids for the country, a significant increase from the 1286–1529 range estimated just a few years ago. We expect Pleurothallidinae to represent close to half the Colombian orchid flora. Colombia hosts roughly one-third of all currently known taxa in the subtribe, and close to 60% of these species are found nowhere else in the world. These are clear indicators that the country is a highly important center of pleurothallid diversity and a key target for their conservation. The most species rich genera in the country are Stelis (521 species), Lepanthes (377 species), Pleurothallis (248 species) and Masdevallia (171 species). Country-level distribution is given for each accepted species. The closest floristic affinity is found with Ecuador, with which Colombia shares over 76% of the non-endemic Pleurothallidinae species, followed in the distance by Venezuela and Peru, with just above one-quarter of the non-endemics being shared. Numerous new country records are presented in the catalogue, many of which are illustrated with color photographs. We provide a full list of homotypic synonyms for each accepted taxon, as well as an annotated list of excluded taxa and newly proposed synonyms. Heterotypic synonyms are not listed, unless they are based on Colombian material. Typification for each accepted species is presented, with lectotypes, neotypes and epitypes being selected whenever necessary and available, as well as information regarding published illustrations.
