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Lepanthes gerardensis M.A. Blanco. A-Habit. B-Flower. C-Dissected perianth. D-Lip and column, lateral view. ILLUSTRACTION VOUCHER: Blanco & Arias 924 (USJ).
Source publication
ABSTRACT. Lepanthes gerardensis from north-central Costa Rica is described and illustrated. It is most similar
to the Mexican L. ancylopetala Dressler, from which it differs in shorter habit, petiolate leaves with
broadly elliptic blades, and different lip shape. It appears to be a specialized twig-epiphyte.
RESUMEN. Se describe e ilustra Lepanthes...
Citations
... For that reason, the orchid family (Orchidaceae), which is the largest family of flowering plants (∼725 genera, ∼25,000 species), may be especially vulnerable to climate change since an estimated 500 of its genera and almost 20,000 of its species are epiphytes (Madison 1977;Dressler 1981;Hietz 1998;Seaton et al. 2010;Mondragon et al. 2015). Considering that epiphytic orchids often exhibit specificity in microhabitat associations (Johansson 1974;Pupulin et al. 1995;Blanco 2003;Zotz 2007;Adhikari et al. 2012;Crain 2012), analyses of individuals' responses to climate change is an important undertaking for plant conservation biologists. ...
Premise of research. Tropical epiphytes are susceptible to climatic changes, as evidenced by documented
population declines, range contractions, and range shifts; however, physiological changes in individual plants
may also be indicative of deteriorating climate conditions. Consequently, physiological analyses of tropical
epiphytes whose natural habitats are constrained by climatic conditions are warranted to evaluate their responses to potential changes in these conditions, to assess their vulnerability, and to guide conservation
actions.
Methodology. Here we investigate photosynthetic processes in Puerto Rican Lepanthes species, a group of
Neotropical epiphytic orchids, as a model system to determine whether altered microclimate conditions elicit
adverse physiological responses. We tested for differences in chlorophyll fluorescence, measured as Fv/Fm, as
an indication of plant stress under modified temperature, humidity, and air vapor pressure deficit.
Pivotal results. Mean Fv/Fm was positively correlated with mean relative humidity and negatively correlated
with mean temperature and air vapor pressure deficit. Collectively, plants exposed to altered microclimate conditions had significantly lower mean Fv/Fm than plants in unaltered conditions. Plants in altered microclimate conditions were also more likely to exhibit declines in Fv/Fm over time, and they exhibited greater reductions in Fv/Fm over the course of the study.
Conclusions. Epiphytic plant species such as Lepanthes could exhibit declines in Fv/Fm and experience
greater stress in their natural habitats if current warming and drying trends continue as anticipated in Puerto
Rico and elsewhere. Declining Fv/Fm is a robust indicator of plant stress, and several studies show that increased stress can promote leaf loss, limit reproduction, and lower survival rates. Thus, analyses of Fv/Fm
can be advantageous for monitoring epiphytic orchids and other vulnerable plant species by offering a valuable
means for detecting adverse responses to climate change.
... Ames & Correll, 1952;Schweinfurth, 1958;Foldats, 1970;Hamer, 1974;Williams et al., 1980;Werkhoven, 1986;Ackerman, 1995;Salazar & Soto-Arenas, 1996;Balick et al., 2000;Archila-Morales, 2001;Berry et al., 2003;Farfán et al., 2003;Luer, 2003;Llamacho & Larramendi, 2005; Nelson-Sutherland, 2008;Luer, 2009Luer, , 2010, as well as scientific publications on specific species or groups of species (e.g. Hespenheide, 1973;Carnevali & de Carnevali, 1993;Catling & Salazar, 1994;Luer, 1994Luer, , 1996Luer, , 1997Luer, , 1999Luer, , 2000Ackerman et al., 2001;Pupulin, 2001;Blanco, 2003;Bogarín & Fernández, 2010;Pupulin et al., 2010;Bogarín et al., 2012; were consulted for distribution data. ...
Aim
The aim of this analysis was to identify strategies that will maximize efficiency and effectiveness in conservation planning. As many orchids are threatened with extinction for various reasons, our primary objective was to combine hotspots analyses with stochastic extinction modelling to highlight possible conservation priorities for Lepanthes spp. (Orchidaceae) based on patterns of richness, rarity and threat. Our subsequent objective was to identify potential conservation surrogates and variables that are the best predictors of extinction probabilities. The ultimate goal was to determine which factors should be emphasized in conservation planning to prevent species extinctions.
Location
Latin America; the Caribbean.
Methods
We used herbarium records and Arc GIS to map the distribution of Lepanthes spp. and to identify hotspots of richness and rarity. We forecasted extinction patterns with Koopowitz's stochastic extinction model and calculated extinction probabilities in each country. We used a randomForest regression model in R to assess the importance of richness, rarity and threat for explaining extinction probabilities.
Results
Hotspots of Lepanthes richness and rarity occurred in north‐western South America and southern Central America and largely overlapped with each other. The highest extinction probabilities occurred in northern Central America, Haiti and Ecuador, and generally, hotspots of richness and rarity did not correspond with patterns of threat. Habitat loss was the most important variable for explaining extinction probabilities, followed by measures of rarity.
Main conclusions
Conservation efforts will be most efficient in richness and rarity hotspots, and because they overlap, rarity hotspots could act as surrogates for protecting overall Lepanthes diversity. Hotspots rarely occurred in the most threatened areas, and therefore, conservation efforts are more urgent in non‐hotspot areas. Conservation efforts will be most effective if they combine ex situ strategies in locations with high habitat conversion rates with reservation strategies in rarity and richness hotspots, particularly where they overlap.
... With 112 species currently recognized, Lepanthes is one of the most diverse genera of the Pleurothallidinae in Costa Rica. After Luer (1996), the genus has not been treated formally by botanists for the flora of Costa Rica, however during the past 10 years, studies on Lepanthes yielded 13 new species and two new records (Pupulin 2001, Blanco 2003, Pupulin & Bogarín 2004 Pupulin et al., 2009). It is worth noting that 80% of the species registered are endemic (Ossenbach et al. 2007, Pupulin et al. 2009). ...
Lepanthes arenasiana from the Talamanca range in Costa Rica is described and illustrated. It is most similar to L. lancifolia but differs in having denticulate sepals, the petals with the upper lobe oblong, narrowing at apex and terminating as a short apicule, and the lower lobe basally ovate and straight, filiform towards the apex. rEsuMEn: Se describe e ilustra Lepanthes arenasiana de la Cordillera de Talamanca en Costa Rica. Es similar a L. lancifolia pero difiere en los sépalos denticulados, los pétalos con el lóbulo superior oblongo, estrechándose hacia el ápice y terminando en un corto apículo, y el lóbulo basal ovado, recto y filiforme hacia el ápice.
After the publication of the most recent and comprehensive treatment of the Orchidaceae in the
Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica, new species continue being discovered in the country on a regular basis.
Novelties in Acianthera, Epidendrum, Lepanthes, Masdevallia, Pleurothallis, and Specklinia are discussed.
We present eight new records including the reconsideration of Epidendrum concavilabium (as different from
E. circinatum), and the first record of the genus Epistephium (E. ellipticum) for the country. Three new taxa,
Epidendrum alieniferum, Epidendrum × sandiorum (a putative natural hybrid between E. oerstedii and E.
ciliare) and Lepanthes kabebatae are described.
