How to fill the biodiversity data gap: Is it better to invest in fieldwork or curation?

Data gaps and biases are two important issues that affect the quality of biodiversity information and downstream results. Understanding how best to fill existing gaps and account for biases is necessary to improve our current information most effectively. Two current main approaches for obtaining and improving data include (1) curation of biological collections, and (2) fieldwork. However, the comparative effectiveness of these approaches in improving biodiversity data remains little explored. We used the Flora de Bogotá project to study the magnitude of change in species richness, spatial coverage, and sample coverage of plant records based on curation versus fieldwork. The process of curation resulted in a decrease in species richness (synonym and error removal), but it significantly increased the number of records per species. Fieldwork contributed to a slight increase in species richness, via accumulation of new records. Additionally, curation led to increases in spatial coverage, species observed by locality, the number of plant records by species, and localities by species compared to fieldwork. Overall, curation was more efficient in producing new information compared to fieldwork, mainly because of the large number of records available in herbaria. We recommend intensive curatorial work as the first step in increasing biodiversity data quality and quantity, to identify bias and gaps at the regional scale that can then be targeted with fieldwork. The stepwise strategy would enable fieldwork to be planned more cost-effectively given the limited resources for biodiversity exploration and characterization.

A new species of Iochroma Benth. (Solanaceae) from the eastern Andes of Colombia.

Iochromaorozcoae A.Orejuela & S.D.Sm., sp. nov. (Solanaceae) is described from the Andean forests of Cundinamarca in the eastern cordillera of Colombia. Iochromaorozcoae was first collected by the eminent Spanish priest and botanist José Celestino Mutis in the late part of the 18th century, but the specimens have lain unrecognised in herbaria for over 200 years. The species shares many features with its closest relative, Iochromabaumii S.D.Sm. & S.Leiva, but it differs from it in having small flowers with five corolla lobes and few inflorescences per branch, located near the shoot apex with 1 to 4 (-8) flowers, fruits that are greenish-yellow when ripe and its restricted geographic distribution. A description of I.orozcoae is provided, along with a detailed illustration, photographs of live plants, a comparison with closely-related species and a key to all Colombian species of Iochroma Benth. In closing, we emphasise the value of historical collections for the knowledge of biodiversity.

ResumenIochromaorozcoae A.Orejuela & S.D.Sm., sp. nov. (Solanaceae) se describe a partir de los bosques andinos de Cundinamarca, en la cordillera oriental de Colombia. Iochromaorozcoae fue recolectada por primera vez por el eminente sacerdote y botánico español José Celestino Mutis a finales del siglo XVIII, pero los especímenes han permanecido sin ser reconocidos en herbarios durante más de 200 años. La especie comparte muchas características con su pariente más cercano, Iochromabaumii S.D.Sm. & S.Leiva, pero difiere de esta en sus flores más pequeñas con cinco lóbulos de la corola y pocas inflorescencias por rama ubicadas cerca del ápice de la rama, con 1 a 4 (­8) flores por inflorescencia, frutos verde-amarillentos al madurar, y su distribución geográfica restringida. Se presenta una descripción de I.orozcoae, junto con una ilustración detallada, fotografías en vivo, una comparación con las especies cercanamente relacionadas y una clave para las especies colombianas de Iochroma Benth. Finalmente, enfatizamos el valor de las colecciones históricas para el conocimiento de la biodiversidad.

Monograph of Doselia (Solanaceae), a new hemiepiphytic genus endemic to the northern Andes.

A new genus, Doselia A.Orejuela & Särkinen, gen. nov., is described in the tribe Solandreae (Solanaceae) consisting of four species of hemiepiphytic lianas endemic to the premontane forests of the Colombian and Ecuadorian Andes. The genus is distinguished based on the membranous leaves, usually sparsely pubescent with eglandular simple trichomes, pseudo-verticillate leaf arrangement, and elongated, pendulous, and few-flowered inflorescences with showy flowers and conical fruits. Three new combinations are made to transfer species to the new genus previously described as part of the polyphyletic genus Markea Rich. (Doseliaepifita (S.Knapp) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov., D.huilensis (A.Orejuela & J.M.Vélez) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov. and D.lopezii (Hunz.) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov.). One new species is described from the western slopes of the eastern cordillera of the Colombian Andes, known only from three localities in the Boyacá, Santander, and Tolima departments (Doseliagalilensis A.Orejuela & Villanueva, sp. nov.). The new species is unique in the genus in having glabrescent adult leaves, green-purplish calyces and long, greenish-white, infundibuliform corollas with delicate purplish veins and large lobes tinged with purple, and pubescent styles. Here we provide a revision of Doselia with a distribution map of all species, an identification key, photographs, preliminary conservation assessments, and line drawings of all four species.

ResumenUn nuevo género, Doselia A.Orejuela & Särkinen, gen. nov., es descrito en la tribu Solandreae (Solanaceae), conformado por cuatro especies de lianas hemiepífitas endémicas de los bosques premontanos de los Andes de Colombia y Ecuador. El género se distingue por sus hojas membranáceas con tricomas simples no glandulares, el arreglo pseudoverticilado de las hojas y sus inflorescencias paucifloras, largo pedunculadas y péndulas, flores vistosas y frutos cónicos. Se proponen tres nuevas combinaciones para acomodar especies previamente descritas en el polifilético género Markea Rich. (Doseliaepifita (S.Knapp) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov., D.huilensis (A.Orejuela & J.M.Vélez) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov. and D.lopezii (Hunz.) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov.) Una nueva especie es descrita aquí proveniente de la vertiente occidental de la cordillera Oriental de los Andes colombianos, y conocida únicamente de tres localidades en los departamentos de Boyacá, Santander y Tolima (Doseliagalilensis A.Orejuela & Villanueva, sp. nov.). La nueva especie se caracteriza por sus hojas glabrescentes cuando adultas, cáliz verde-púrpura, corolas infundibuliformes grandes, blanco-verdosas con una reticulación fina de venas púrpuras, lóbulos corolinos grandes y teñidos de púrpura en su lado ventral y estilos pubescentes. El nuevo género es formalmente descrito incluyendo un mapa de distribución, una clave taxonómica y fotografías e ilustraciones para sus cuatro especies.

Specific gravity of woody tissue from lowland Neotropical plants: differences among forest types.

Wood density, or more precisely, wood specific gravity, is an important parameter when estimating aboveground biomass, which has become a central tool for the management and conservation of forests around the world. When using biomass allometric equations for tropical forests, researchers are often required to assume phylogenetic trait conservatism, which allows us to assign genus- and family-level wood specific gravity mean values, to many woody species. The lack of information on this trait for many Neotropical plant species has led to an imprecise estimation of the biomass stored in Neotropical forests. The data presented here has information of woody tissue specific gravity from 2,602 individual stems for 386 species, including trees, lianas, and hemi-epiphytes of lowland tropical forests in Colombia. This data set was produced by us collecting wood cores from woody species in five localities in the Orinoco and Magdalena Basins in Colombia. We found lower mean specific gravity values in várzea than in terra firme and igapó.