Contributions to floristics in New Guinea and species delimitation in the Wanang Forest Dynamics Plot
2023-05-06
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Contributions to floristics in New Guinea and species delimitation in the Wanang Forest Dynamics Plot
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2023-05-06
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As the world’s largest tropical island, New Guinea is host to a rich flora and fauna at the same time boasts large swaths of highly intact forested ecosystems. Despite this however, it is consistently one of the least studied tropical regions in the world with comparatively sparse collection records from throughout much of the island. This dissertation aims to expand upon prior taxonomic research on the island by resolving issues concerning species delimitation and providing resources for understanding the floristic composition of New Guinea forests. In Chapter 1, updates and additions were made to improve the classification of New Guinea endemic Ficus L. (Moraceae) from three separate sections. In F. sect. Dammaropsis (Warb.) C.C.Berg, sufficient morphological, molecular, and ecological evidence supported the hypothesis that the two altitudinally separated forms of Ficus dammaropsis Diels were indeed separate taxonomic entities, resulting in the description of the lowland form as Ficus brusii Weiblen sp. nov. and an amended description for the former. From F. sect. Sycidium Miq., the species Ficus hystricicarpa Warb. was resurrected from synonymy under Ficus wassa Roxb. on account of its distinct syconia. In F. sect. Papuasyce (Corner) C.C.Berg, a prior genetic study led to the discovery of a novel cryptic species found in the altitudinal contact zone between two sister taxa. The transitional species, described as Ficus umbrae Ezedin & Weiblen sp. nov., was found to exhibit a rare functionally gynomonoecious sexual system, the first of its kind reported for Ficus.
In Chapter 2, contributions were made to a large international collaboration towards the first comprehensive checklist of vascular plants of New Guinea. The family Moraceae was revised for New Guinea, with 357 names revised for the family and 199 species accepted for the island. Quality control checks were independently conducted for the entire checklist as part of the revisionary process, resulting in the addition of 259 accepted taxa. The completed checklist recorded 13,634 tracheophyte species as native to New Guinea. In a separate effort, the checklist was subsequently translated into a relational database and digitized online to track future taxonomic progress across the island. Corrections and updates to the checklist are also included.
In Chapter 3, the tree flora of the 50 hectare ForestGEO plot located near the village of Wanang (Madang Province, Papua New Guinea) was systematically revised. Despite witnessing a decade of research, including two plot-wide censuses, the plot had never been subject to a formal taxonomic survey. Over time, this led to unreliable species concepts along with uncertainty in the number of tree species and their identification. The primary goal was to assess the status of the 626 putative morphospecies recognized by the end of the second census. Our survey resulted in the verification of at least 428 accepted species and morphospecies, correcting numerous errors in the process. However, due to this revision having relied heavily on prior census data containing erroneous IDs and unstable species concepts, the tree flora of Wanang remains incomplete.
Through the development of both regional and local scale floras, this thesis contributes towards our broad understanding of New Guinea’s floristic richness. Comprehensive botanical surveys of a given region or locality serve as a critical foundation, providing a myriad of benefits for all biodiversity and ecology research. With thousands of new species projected to await discovery and numerous taxonomic groups yet to be revised, the island’s flora is undoubtedly still in its discovery phase. This work further demonstrates the clear need for detailed (re)examination of species concepts in large taxonomic groups such as Ficus. Such efforts are necessary to facilitate a more accurate portrayal of species diversity for an island that is seldom subject to scientific inquiry.
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University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. May-June 2023. Major: Plant and Microbial Biology. Advisor: George Weiblen. 1 computer file (PDF); xi, 571 pages.
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Ezedin, Zacky. (2023). Contributions to floristics in New Guinea and species delimitation in the Wanang Forest Dynamics Plot. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/258732.
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