Gerardo Aymard

Ciprogress Greenlife - Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, UNELLEZ · Botany Department

We present a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the tree genus Eperua, encompassing several significant findings. We identify and recognize a total of 19 species (including two new species described herein; E. froesii, E. reddeniae), as well as five subspecies (including one new, E. grandiflora subsp. ciliata), and six varieties (including one new...

We present a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the tree genus Eperua, encompassing several significant findings. We identify and recognize a total of 19 species (including two new species described herein; E. froesii, E. reddeniae), as well as five subspecies (including one new, E. grandiflora subsp. ciliata), and six varieties (including one new...

Premise: The Amazonian hyperdominant genus Eperua (Fabaceae) currently holds 18 described species and has two strongly different inflorescence and flower types, with corresponding different pollination syndrome. The evolution of these vastly different inflorescence types within this genus was unknown and the main topic in this study. Methods: We...

This chapter presents the first attempt at a phytosociological analysis of forests in the upper Rio Negro (north-western Amazon) and adjacent south-western Orinoco basins, based on both floristic composition and species relative dominance. The region harbors unique plant communities that thrive under very wet climatic conditions on oligotrophic soi...

Determining the drivers of non-native plant invasions is critical for managing native ecosystems and limiting the spread of invasive species1,2. Tree invasions in particular have been relatively overlooked, even though they have the potential to transform ecosystems and economies3,4. Here, leveraging global tree databases5-7, we explore how the phy...

In this paper we describe and illustrate Schlegelia longirachis a new species from montane forest remnants (1200--1900 m) in the Western slope of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia (“Serranía de Las Quinchas” and Virolín county) in the Departments of Boyacá and Santander. A root-climbing liana, the new species is contrasted to S. fuscata , S. monac...

A new species of Vochysia, V. wilsonii (section Ciliantha, subsection Ferruginea), is described, and its morphological relationships with other similar Vochysia species are discussed. Vochysia wilsonii is found in wet forests over sandstone tabletop outcrops (“Mesetas”) and white sand soils in the Araracuara (“medio río Caquetá”) and Chiribiquete a...

A new checklist and key to the species of Monnina in the flora of Venezuela, which currently includes 16 species, are presented. M. salicifolia and M. smithii, the former previously known along the Andes from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, and the latter from Colombia, are reported here as new country records. Through the revision of the nom...

Biodiversity is an important component of natural ecosystems, with higher species richness often correlating with an increase in ecosystem productivity. Yet, this relationship varies substantially across environments, typically becoming less pronounced at high levels of species richness. However, species richness alone cannot reflect all important...

Of the flowering plants of Colombia, there are close records of 24,000 species, distributed in the five natural regions of Colombia. In the Andes, there is representative information of the different floristic groups recognized for the country and therefore there are inputs to carry out analyzes in territorial units such as departments that support...

In a time of rapid global change, the question of what determines patterns in species abundance distribution remains a priority for understanding the complex dynamics of ecosystems. The constrained maximization of information entropy provides a framework for the understanding of such complex systems dynamics by a quantitative analysis of important...

In a time of rapid global change, the question of what determines patterns in species abundance distribution remains a priority for understanding the complex dynamics of ecosystems. The constrained maximization of information entropy provides a framework for the understanding of such complex systems dynamics by a quantitative analysis of important...

Magnolia pajarito, a new species from the Andean slopes of the eastern cordillera of colombia, is described and illustrated , and its morphological relationships with other similar Magnolia species are discussed. this new species is a tree between 9 and 30 m tall from montane forest remnants and pasture lands with dispersal trees (1500-1700 m), and...

A new species and two new records of Securidaca were found during the preparation of an updated checklist of Polygalaceae for the Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora de Venezuela and Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia. Securidaca aquae-nigrae from the upper Rio Negro (northern/northwestern Amazon basin) and part of the adjacent southwestern Orinoco...

Aim To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser‐avail...

Tree diversity and composition in Amazonia are known to be strongly determined by the water supplied by precipitation. Nevertheless, within the same climatic regime, water availability is modulated by local topography and soil characteristics (hereafter referred to as local hydrological conditions), varying from saturated and poorly drained to well...

The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most recognized global patterns of species richness exhibited across a wide range of taxa. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed in the past two centuries to explain LDG, but rigorous tests of the drivers of LDGs have been limited by a lack of high-quality global species richness data. Here we...

Guapira fundacionensis from montane forests over the “Aguardiente” sandstone formation, “La Fundación” region, Andes of Táchira State, and Guapira guasarensis from “río Guasare”, on foothills and montane forests located in eastern side of Sierra de Perijá, Zulia state, both in Venezuela, are described, illustrated, and their morphological relations...

Forest vegetation (flooded, semi-flooded, and non-flooded or “terra firme”) of the Cumaribo region was characterized using data from 29 plots. This sector is located in municipality at the Vichada department, and in adjacent areas of the Guainía and Guaviare departments, Colombia. In 1000 m2 plots, all individuals with a diameter (DAP) > 10 cm were...

Aim Water availability is the major driver of tropical forest structure and dynamics. Most research has focused on the impacts of climatic water availability, whereas remarkably little is known about the influence of water table depth and excess soil water on forest processes. Nevertheless, given that plants take up water from the soil, the impacts...

One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties connected to the species concept definition, the global numbers of species, including those of important and well-studied life forms such as trees, still remain largely unknow...

Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, Peter B. Reich, Javier G. P. Gamarra, Jingjing Liang, et al. (2022) The number of tree species on Earth. PNAS 2022 Vol. 119 No. 6 e2115329119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115329119

One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties connected to the species concept definition, the global numbers of species, including those of important and well-studied life forms such as trees, still remain largely unknow...

Significance Tree diversity is fundamental for forest ecosystem stability and services. However, because of limited available data, estimates of tree diversity at large geographic domains still rely heavily on published lists of species descriptions that are geographically uneven in coverage. These limitations have precluded efforts to generate a g...

Macrolobium �loridum, an endemic species to the Coastal Cordillera of Venezuela, was collected in 1844 by Hermann Karsten, and described by himself in 1861. This taxon had not been recollected until the new reports presented here. A full description based on recent collections, which for the first time includes the fruit, and an updated key to the...

Neea gustaviaefolia, a new species from the wet forests from “Sierra de La Macarena” and upper “Guaviare” river regions of Colombia (Guaviare and Meta departments) is described, illustrated, and its morphological relationships are discussed. This new species is a small tree of 6 m tall, on the basis of its alternate, oblanceolate larger leaves and...

Ternstroemia killipiana, a species endemic to Cordillera Oriental of Colombia, was collected by Ellsworth P. Killip in 1926, and described by Clarence E. Kobuski in 1942. Since this date, this taxon it had not been recollected until the new collection reported here. A full description based on recent collection from “Serranía de Las Quinchas” (midd...

El presente ensayo trata de responder una pregunta que ha ocupado a muchos escritores desde el siglo XVI hasta el presente: ¿por dónde salió el Tirano Aguirre al océano Atlántico, para luego saquear la isla de Margarita y hacer estragos en lo que hoy en día es Venezuela?, ¿Por el delta del río Amazonas o por el del Orinoco? (Figura 1). La pregunta...

Vochysia carol-scottii from the pluvial forests of “Chocó biogeográfico,” a megadiverse region between the Pacific Ocean and the slopes of the Colombian Western Cordillera, Valle del Cauca department, is described and illustrated, and its morphological relationships with other similar Vochysia species are discussed. This new species is a small tree...

Piper otto-huberi Steyerm. (Piperaceae) and Capparidastrum huberi Iltis & Cornejo (Capparaceae) are recorded for the first time in the vascular flora of Colombia based on two collections of the “Caño Cadá”, an affluent of the Uva river, and the latter an affluent of the medium river Guaviare, Vichada Department. These species were collected during...

The forests of Amazonia are among the most biodiverse plant communities on Earth. Given the immediate threats posed by climate and land-use change, an improved understanding of how this extraordinary biodiversity is spatially organized is urgently required to develop effective conservation strategies. Most Amazonian tree species are extremely rare...

Tropical forests are the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth. While better understanding of these forests is critical for our collective future, until quite recently efforts to measure and monitor them have been largely disconnected. Networking is essential to discover the answers to questions that transcend borders and the horizons of...

In a time of rapid global change, the question of what determines patterns in species abundance distribution remains a priority for understanding the complex dynamics of ecosystems. The constrained maximization of information entropy provides a framework for the understanding of such complex systems dynamics by a quantitative analysis of important...

Five keys without reproductive features are presented for the identification of the genera (Compsoneura, Iryanthera, Osteophloeum, Otoba and Virola) and species the family Myristicaceae registered for the Rio Negro basin (Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and Venezuela). Information was obtained from the study of 510 trees in the field and 1,300 herbarium s...

The forests of Amazonia are among the most biodiverse plant communities on Earth. Given the immediate threats posed by climate and land-use change, an improved understanding of how this extraordinary biodiversity is spatially organized is urgently required to develop effective conservation strategies. Most Amazonian tree species are extremely rare...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20537-x

Dilleniaceae Flora of Ecuador

Abstract. Bacopa llanorum, a new species from the seasonally flooded savannas of the “Llanos” region of Colombia (Arauca department) is described and illustrated, and its morphological relationships are discussed. On the basis of its dimorphic leaves (the innermost blade filiform, uppermost lanceolate-ovate), the new species does not appear to be a...

Abstract. Besleria naquenensis is described and illustrated on the basis of a collection from the understory of seasonally flooded forests drained by black waters located in the lower “Río (Caño) Naquén,” northwestern base of “Serranía de Naquén,” upper Guainía River basin, Guainía Department, Colombia, and its relationships with related species ar...

The carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots. While tree mortality...

The carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots. While tree mortality...

The carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots. While tree mortality...

Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and...

Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in...

Aim: Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) an...

Abstract Aim: Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and st...

Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, but the estimated species richness is very much debated. Here, we apply an ensemble of parametric estimators and a novel technique that includes conspecific spatial aggregation to an extended database of forest plots with up-to-date taxonomy. We show that the species abundance distribution of Amazonia...

Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, but the estimated species richness is very much debated. Here, we apply an ensemble of parametric estimators and a novel technique that includes conspecific spatial aggregation to an extended database of forest plots with up-to-date taxonomy. We show that the species abundance distribution of Amazonia...

Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, but the estimated species richness is very much debated. Here, we apply an ensemble of parametric estimators and a novel technique that includes conspecific spatial aggregation to an extended database of forest plots with up-to-date taxonomy. We show that the species abundance distribution of Amazonia...

Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, but the estimated species richness is very much debated. Here, we apply an ensemble of parametric estimators and a novel technique that includes conspecific spatial aggregation to an extended database of forest plots with up-to-date taxonomy. We show that the species abundance distribution of Amazonia...

Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, but the estimated species richness is very much debated. Here, we apply an ensemble of parametric estimators and a novel technique that includes conspecific spatial aggregation to an extended database of forest plots with up-to-date taxonomy. We show that the species abundance distribution of Amazonia...

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate contro...

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate contro...

Amazonia is the world’s largest tropical forest and is globally important in terms of its ecosystem services and extraordinarily high levels of biodiversity. The origin of this biodiversity has long been attributed to purely natural drivers, with little consideration given to the legacy of millennia of human land use. Here, the potential contributi...

Amazonia is the world’s largest tropical forest and is globally important in terms of its ecosystem services and extraordinarily high levels of biodiversity. The origin of this biodiversity has long been attributed to purely natural drivers, with little consideration given to the legacy of millennia of human land use. Here, the potential contributi...

RESUMEN Se presenta la caracterización de la vegetación de varias localidades del municipio de Cuma-ribo, departamento del Vichada, y de zonas adyacentes de los departamentos del Guainía y Guaviare. Se realizaron 29 levantamientos de vegetación, en zonas inundables, semiinunda-bles y no inundables. La información se orga-nizó en unidades jerárquica...

Se realizó la caracterización de las comunidades vegetales que se establecen en ambientes de planicies de inundación, madreviejas y lagunas en la localidad de Cumaribo, departamento del Vichada. Se efectuaron censos detallados de la vegetación en parcelas (levantamientos) delimitados cuya superficie de muestreo fue de 100 m². Se tuvo en cuenta el t...

RESUMEN Con base en las entrevistas realizadas en dos salidas de campo, la primera en abril de 2017 y la segunda en octubre del mismo año; la consulta de información bibliográfica acerca de los usos y las categorías de riesgo de las especies y la revisión de la información del Grupo de inves-tigación de Biodiversidad y Conservación del Instituto de...

Se caracterizaron las comunidades vegetales acuáticas utilizando la información de 57 levantamientos de vegetación de 100 m², los cuales se establecieron en la unidad fisiográfica de la llanura aluvial de los municipios de Arauca, Cravo Norte y Puerto Rondón, departamento de Arauca. Las tablas de vegetación se construyeron por medio de la agrupació...

We review literature relevant to assessing the future of tropical forests and supplement the review with new data from the lowlands of Venezuela. Compared to today, future tropical forests will have a higher level of novelty, defined as the degree of dissimilarity of a system relative to a historical baseline. Processes of succession and evolution...

Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, but the estimated species richness is very much debated. Here, we apply an ensemble of parametric estimators and a novel technique that includes conspecific spatial aggregation to an extended database of forest plots with up-to-date taxonomy. We show that the species abundance distribution of Amazonia...

This account reports a journey of ca. 500 km from the city of Inírida to the Colombian basins of the Cuiarí and Isana Rivers (Guianía department) in April–May 2014, the first botanical expedition to this region. This area exemplifies one of the last innermost and botanically unexplored regions of the northwestern corner of the Amazon basin (the upp...

A new species of Eperua from the upper basin of the San Miguel River, Amazonas state, Venezuela, is described and illustrated. Its affinities within the genus are discussed and an updated key to identify the 20 currently recognized taxa is provided.

Higher levels of taxonomic and evolutionary diversity are expected to maximize ecosystem function, yet their relative importance in driving variation in ecosystem function at large scales in diverse forests is unknown. Using 90 inventory plots across intact, lowland, terra firme, Amazonian forests and a new phylogeny including 526 angiosperm genera...

Higher levels of taxonomic and evolutionary diversity are expected to maximize ecosystem function, yet their relative importance in driving variation in ecosystem function at large scales in diverse forests is unknown. Using 90 inventory plots across intact, lowland, terra firme, Amazonian forests and a new phylogeny including 526 angiosperm genera...

RESUMEN Con base en las entrevistas realizadas en dos salidas de campo, la primera en abril de 2017 y la segunda en octubre del mismo año; la consulta de información bibliográfica acerca de los usos y las categorías de riesgo de las especies y la revisión de la información del Grupo de investigación de Biodiversidad y Conservación del Instituto de...

RESUMEN Se presenta la caracterización de la vegetación de varias localidades del municipio de Cumaribo, departamento del Vichada, y de zonas adyacentes de los departamentos del Guainía y Guaviare. Se realizaron 29 levantamientos de vegetación, en zonas inundables, semiinundables y no inundables. La información se organizó en unidades jerárquicas (...

RESUMEN Se realizó la caracterización de las comunidades vegetales que se establecen en ambientes de planicies de inundación, madreviejas y lagunas en la localidad de Cumaribo, departamento del Vichada. Se efectuaron censos detallados de la vegetación en parcelas (levantamientos) delimitados cuya superficie de muestreo fue de 100 m². Se tuvo en cue...

Se presenta la caracterización de la riqueza y la diversidad de las plantas con flores en el complejo de selvas transicionales de la Orinoquía-Amazonía, municipio de Cumaribo, departamento del Vichada, Colombia. Se do- cumentaron 1653 especies que corresponden a 647 géneros de 128 familias. Las familias más ricas en número de géneros y de especies...

Se caracterizaron las comunidades vegetales acuáticas utilizando la información de 57 levantamientos de vegetación de 100 m2, los cuales se establecieron en la unidad fisiográfica de la llanura aluvial de los municipios de Arauca, Cravo Norte y Puerto Rondón, departamento de Arauca. Las tablas de vegetación se construyeron por medio de la agrupació...

Se presenta el patrón de riqueza y de la diversidad de las plantas con flores en el complejo de humedales y sabanas inundables de los municipios de Arauca, Arauquita, Cravo Norte y Puerto Rondón, departamento de Arauca, Colombia. Se registraron 995 espe- cies que corresponden a 491 géneros y a 110 familias. Las familias con el mayor número de géner...

Las cortezas y raíces de las diferentes especies de los árboles del género Cinchona L. (entre ellas, C. calisaya Wedd., C. officinalis L. y C. pubescens Vahl), han sido ampliamente utilizadas por su gran virtud febrífuga, igualmente para las arritmias cardiacas, los calambres musculares, resfriados, indigestión, fibrilación auricular, tónico eupépt...

Se presenta evidencia histórica de la existencia de al menos cuatro lugares establecidos en la cuenca de los ríos Guainía (alto Río Negro) y Atabapo, con el nombre de “Yavita”, los cuales aparecen en la literatura con diversas grafías. Estas denominaciones incluyen: tres misiones o poblados en la cuenca alta del río Atabapo, y otra, la más antigua...

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such “monodominant”