Flora diversity survey and establishment of a plant DNA barcode database of Lomas ecosystems in Peru.

Lomas formations or "fog oases" are islands of vegetation in the desert belt of the west coast of South America, with a unique vegetation composition among the world's deserts. However, plant diversity and conservation studies have long been neglected, and there exists a severe gap in plant DNA sequence information. To address the lack of DNA information, we conducted field collections and laboratory DNA sequencing to establish a DNA barcode reference library of Lomas plants from Peru. This database provides 1,207 plant specimens and 3,129 DNA barcodes data corresponding with collections from 16 Lomas locations in Peru, during 2017 and 2018. This database will facilitate both rapid species identification and basic studies on plant diversity, thereby enhancing our understanding of Lomas flora's composition and temporal variation, and providing valuable resources for conserving plant diversity and maintaining the stability of the fragile Lomas ecosystems.

Flora y vegetación de suelos crioturbados y hábitats asociados en la Cordillera Blanca, Ancash, Perú / Flora and vegetation of cryoturbed soils and associated habitats in the Cordillera Blanca, Ancash, Peru

Entre los años 2006 y 2008, se llevaron a cabo estudios florístico y de vegetación de los suelos crioturbados y hábitats asociados en cuatro localidades de la Cordillera Blanca (Ancash, Perú) localizadas por encima de los 4500 m. Se realizaron recolectas botánicas además de transectos de intersección-línea, en los cuales se midió el espacio (en cm) ocupado por cada especie. Fueron determinadas 136 especies de plantas vasculares, agrupadas en 65 géneros y 26 familias. Las Magnoliópsida (dicotiledóneas) fueron las más diversas con 97 especies, seguidas de las Liliópsidas (Monocotiledóneas) con 36. La mayor diversidad está concentrada en las familias Asteraceae y Poaceae (40,63%). Los géneros con mayor riqueza de especies fueron Senecio (18) y Calamagrostis (12). Se registraron 76 especies (54,82%) en suelos crioturbados y hábitats asociados; mientras que 60 especies (44,11%) fueron colectadas en la vegetación adyacente. El 95,56% de las especies reportadas fueron hierbas perennes. Se caracterizaron cuatro tipos de comunidades vegetales: a) comunidad de suelos crioturbados propiamente dicha, b) comunidad de suelos crioturbados asociada a pajonal, c) comunidad desuelos crioturbados asociada a roquedal seco y d) comunidad de suelos crioturbados asociadas a roquedal húmedo. Se indícan las especies características de cada comunidad.

Since 2006 to 2008, floristic and vegetational studies on cryoturbed soils and its associated habitats were carried out in four sites above 4500 m, at Cordillera Blanca (Ancash, Peru). Botanical collections and intersection-line transects were made. The space (in cm) occupied by each species were measurement. A total of 136 species,in 65 genera and 26 families, were recorded. Magnoliopsida (Dicots) were the most diverse (97 spp.), followed by the Liliopsida (Monocots) (36 spp.). The highest species richness was found in the Asteraceae and Poaceae families (40,63%). The most diverse genera was Senecio (18) and Calamagrostis (12 ). We registered 76 species (54,82%) in cryoturbed soils and associates habitats, while 60 species (44,11%) were recorded for the adjacent vegetation. From the total, 95,56% of the species were perennials herbs. Four types of plants comunities were characterized: a) community of cryoturbed soil proper, b) community of cryoturbed soil associated with grassland, c) community of cryoturbed soil associated with dry rocky areas, and d) community of cryoturbed soil associated with humid rocky areas. Species associated to each community are given.