Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species Beta patula Aiton (Amaranthaceae) in the Islands of Madeira Archipelago

Abstract

Twenty-two native Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) occur in specific dry environments of Madeira archipelago, like Desembarcadouro islet in Ponta de São Lourenço and Chão islet in Desertas islands. Nine of them share the same gene pool with crop species included in the Annex I of International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Among them Beta patula Aiton, an IUCN critical endangered species, has been studied in detail for in situ and ex situ conservation. The present paper summarizes the information recorded during the Beta patula population assessment. Valuable information on plant communities associated with this species were obtained.The data provides information of a vegetation census spanning 7 years, from 2014 to 2020, in two uninhabited islets where Beta patula occurs, Desembarcadouro and Chão islets. The collected data set consists of 1786 vegetation descriptions, where 31 species were recorded. All generated data has been published and will be used towards the implementation of conservation actions and to establish a middle term management protocol for Beta patula and other CWR in situ conservation in the frame of a genetic reserve. This work is part of a EU LIFE Project, LIFE RECOVER NATURA, and was conducted by members of the ISOPlexis Center of the University of Madeira.