Endemism areas of Ecuador: an analysis based on distributional data of species of plants, animals and fungi

Abstract

From 4 biodiversity repositories (GBIF, NHM, SpeciesLink, and BNDB), 407,570 occurrence records for 10,390 species of plants, animals, and fungi were analyzed to support the identification of areas for conservation and biogeographic studies in Ecuador. The species were assigned to 1,773 higher taxonomic groups to assess the support of endemic areas (EAs). The identification of EAs were carried out in VNDM/NDM using two cell sizes (0.75° and 1° latitude-longitude), and the sets were summarized by mean of consensus; 272 and 88 EAs, in 0.75° and 1°, were obtained, respectively; these sets were included in 94 and 28 consensus EAs, respectively. Most consensus EAs were mainly supported by Tracheophyta and Chordata species, and only 1 set in the Galapagos by Chordata, followed by Tracheophyta, Arthropoda, and Mollusca. Four sets included higher endemic taxa, mainly genera. Some species were included in the IUCN Red List, mainly in the categories of Least Concern and Vulnerable. The results of EAs in Ecuador will serve as the basis for studies on conservation and definitions of biogeographic categories and will show the importance of open biodiversity databases.