eISSN: 2357-044X Taeckholmia 38 (2018): 61-83 Re-assessment of the near-endemic taxa in the Egyptian Flora Shaltout K.ˡ, Ahmed D.ˡ, Diab M.² and El-Khalafy M.²* ˡBotany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University ²Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Kafr El-Sheikh University. *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract This paper aims to answer the following questions: 1- what is the actual number of near-endemic taxa in the Egyptian flora?, 2- what are the reasons and justifications for addition or exclusion of plants to or from the final list of near-endemic taxa?, 3- what are the conservation categories of near-endemic taxa according to IUCN?, 4- How can we make a red list of these taxa?, 5-what are the services and goods offered by near-endemic taxa?, and 6- what are the threats that impact these taxa most?. These aims are achieved through preparing a recent list for the near-endemic taxa and their habitats in the Egyptian flora. The lists were analyzed in terms of taxonomic diversity, life and sex forms, size structure, flowering activity, dispersal types, economic potential, threats and national floristic distribution, and IUCN categories. The total number of near-endemic taxa in the prepared recent list is 73, belonging to 58 genera and 28 families; and were recorded in 11 habitats. The life form represented most is the therophytes while the ballochores and pogonochores are the most represented dispersal types. There was a gradual increase in the frequency of the flowered taxa until reaching a maximum value from March to May, and then decreased again reaching a minimum value from August to January. Near endemics are distributed in Egypt and adjacent countries as follows: 39 taxa with Palestine, 19 with Libya, 8 with Saudi Arabia, 4 with Sudan, 2 with Jordan, and only one with Lebanon. Fifty-one taxa had a distribution in only one phyto-geographical region, while the remaining taxa had a distribution in two or more regions. All near-endemic taxa have at least one aspect of economic goods and exposed to at least one type of threats, where the most represented good was the medicinal uses, while over-collecting and over-cutting were the most represented threats. In this paper, 30 near-endemics were evaluated according to IUCN categories as follows: 12 endangered, 5 critically endangered, 4 extinct and 1 vulnerable, while 8 species are data deficient. In addition, 36 near-endemics were also evaluated in previous studies according to IUCN categories as follows: 15 endangered, 11 critically endangered, 7 vulnerable, 2 rare and 1 least concern. Key words: Endemism, Egyptian Flora, Near-endemics, Biodiversity, Conservation, IUCN categories. Introduction From a bio-geographical view point, recorded such as the aridity of the area with endemism is the restriction of the natural range very scarce precipitation year round (Thomas of a taxon to a defined geographical l.c.). Human impacts, animal grazing, and distribution or habitat type (Anderson 1994 traditional plant collection for medicinal uses, and Gaston 1994); with either political further intensify the natural threats of aridity boundaries of a country (endemics), or eco- and fragmentation, thus pushing these taxa to geographical boundaries of two or more the extinction (Zaghloul et al. 2006 and countries regardless of their political Mansour et al. 2013). In the recent centuries, boundaries (near- endemics), however the the rate of extinction has been accelerated, narrow-distributed taxa are called steno- causing hundreds or perhaps thousands of endemics (Gaston 1994) or steno- near species, subspecies and varieties to become endemics. Apart from the loss of natural extinct every year (Cunningham and habitats and climatic changes, the excessive Cunningham 1997). human activities (e.g. over exploitation) may Egypt lies in the northeastern part of generally make endemics and near-endemics Africa and extends to Asia (Sinai Peninsula). to become extinct taxa (Thomas et al. 2004). According to Wickens (1992), Egypt is Also, some important natural threats were perhaps the most arid country in North Africa Received on 19/05/2018 and accepted on 20/06/2018 Re-assessment of the near-endemic taxa in the Egyptian Flora in which desert conditions prevail throughout assign species to categories of relative the country. Egypt contains four main extinction risk, ranging from least concern, geographical regions: Western Desert through near threatened, vulnerable, including the Mediterranean coastal belt endangered and critically endangered to (681,000 km²), Eastern Desert (223,000 km²), extinct in the wild and extinct (IUCN 2001). Nile Land (25,000 km²) and Sinai Peninsula Traditionally, IUCN red list has served not (61,000 km²). The Nile Land includes several only to highlight species at greatest risk of islands in the main stream of the River and its extinction, but also to guide conservation Delta branches. Fayium depression (1700 km²) responses, primarily by identifying key and is connected to the Nile region by a principal priority habitats for species, sites to be safe- irrigation canal called Youssef Sea (Zahran guarded, and actions required (Collar 1993– and Willis 2009). 1994, 1996). Boulos (2009) reported that the near- Near-endemics are considered as taxa endemic taxa in Egypt are 93, while Hosni et restricted to Egypt and a neighboring country al. (2013) reduced them to 61. Many studies (Boulos 2009). They are important have been carried out to provide a conservation components in the flora of most regions of the assessment for different plant species. world. Most of these species have become Although many conservation studies have exposed to extinction within the last years as a taken place in Egypt for sometimes, yet there result of a lot of reasons such as environmental is a lack of comprehensive information on conditions and human activities. Extinction of species distribution and recent IUCN these species is considered as a major threat to categories (Hosni et al. 2013). IUCN (1998) biodiversity, therefore, there is an urgent need listed 82 threatened species in Egypt of which to study these species in the Egyptian flora and two are extinct and 19 endangered. Following evaluate them according to IUCN categories, IUCN (1994) categories, El- Hadidi and Hosni and to prepare conservation strategy for them. (2000) provided a list of 457 threatened This paper aims at: 1- preparing a recent list for species in the Egyptian flora; however, most of the near-endemic species in the Egyptian flora, these studies did not apply the appropriate 2- reporting the reasons and justifications for criteria used to evaluate species conservation addition or exclusion of plants to or from the status (Hosni et al. 2013). Because of the final list of near-endemic species, 3- continuing decline of plant diversity, many determining the conservation categories of initiatives have developed over recent decades for conservation of the most threatened near-endemic taxa according to IUCN, 4- diversity (Mace et al. 2008, Jetz and preparing a red list of these taxa, 5- recording Freckleton 2015 and Maes et al. 2015). The the services and goods offered by the near- IUCN red list of threatened species is widely endemics, and 6- determining threats that recognized as the most objective approach for impact these taxa. evaluating the conservation status of species Material and Methods and categorizing them according to their Ten field visits were conducted during estimated risk of extinction (e.g. Mace et al. summer 2015 to spring 2018 to many locations 2008, Jetz and Freckleton 2015 and Maes et al. allover Egypt including Saint-Catherine, 2015). The IUCN red list uses criteria with Matrouh, Alexandria, Aswan and Assiut for quantitative thresholds based on population collecting the near-endemic taxa in Egypt as size, rate of decline, and area of distribution to live material or from herbaria. The available 62 Shaltout et al. information and data such as: main habitats, 1- Euro +Med plant base coordinates, uses and threats for taxa were (http://ww2.bgbm.org/EuroPlusMed/query.as recorded through visiting different sites. Other p). information was collected from the herbaria of 2- Kew world checklist of different plant Cairo University (CAI), Tanta University families (http://wcsp.science.kew.org). (TANE), Agriculture Museum (CAIM), 3- International Plant Name Index (IPNI; Aswan University (ASW), Assiut University http://www.ipni.org). (ASTU) and Alexandria University (ALEX). 4- The Plant List In each location, specimens of plant taxa were (http://www.theplantlist.org). collected from different sites, and seed 5- Plants of the World Online-Kew samples representing the recorded taxa were Science also collected as can as possible. Other (http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org). notifications were taken into account, if 6- Catalogue of Life possible, such as sex form, size structure, life (http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual- form, flowering time and dispersal type of checklist/2010). diaspores. Other information was collected 7- Tropicos from the herbaria of Cairo University (CAI), (http://www.tropicos.prg/Home.aspx). Tanta University (TANE), Agriculture 8- Global Biodiversity Information Museum (CAIM), Aswan University (ASW), Facility (GBIF; Assiut University (ASTU) and Alexandria http://www.gbif.org/occurence). University (ALEX). Information from the 9- African Plant database available literature (papers, books, M. Sc. and (http://www.villege.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa). Ph.D. Theses, and scientific reports) was also 10- JSTOR Global Plant Science taken into consideration. (http://plants.jstore.org). A recent checklist including 73 near- Following Boulos (2009), the near- endemics arranged alphapitically according to endemic taxa are those restricted to Egypt and LAPG III (The Linear Angiosperm Phylogeny only an adjacent country. Identification of group) system (Haston et al. 2009) and based plant specimens was carried out depending on on literature and database reviews. These the previous mentioned literature. Some resources include previous floras and available identifications were revised in TANE based on the available authentic materials.