Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena
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Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena
Main Affiliation
Quito
Email
noraoleas@uti.edu.ec
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Scopus Author ID
12645534600

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Expelled by the Antarctic ice: Evolutionary history of the tribe Cunonieae (Cunoniaceae)

2025 , Francisco Fajardo‐Gutiérrez , Mariasole Calbi , Markus S. Dillenberger , Sebastian Tello , Alfredo Fuentes , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena , Ricardo A. Segovia , Christine E. Edwards , Yohan Pillon , James E. Richardson , Thomas Borsch

The tribe Cunonieae comprises five genera and 214 species of shrubs and trees currently distributed in the Southern Hemisphere and the tropics, exhibiting an amphi-Pacific disjunct distribution shared with Araucariaceae, Myrtaceae, Nothofagaceae, Podocarpaceae, and Proteaceae, among others. To address the central question of how historical geological forces have shaped the distribution of plant diversity in the southern hemisphere, we aimed to provide evidence from the biogeographical history of Cunonieae. We generated the most densely sampled phylogenetic trees of Cunonieae available to date, with 121 samples and 81 species, based on 404 new sequences of plastid and nuclear DNA regions with high hierarchical phylogenetic signal (matK, trnL-F, rpl16, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS)). We included 184 samples of Rosids to estimate divergence times using fossil calibration points. For biogeographic inference, we employed a time-stratified model including fossils as tips. Cunonia and Pterophylla were paraphyletic in the ITS tree, and Cunonia was paraphyletic in the plastid tree. Pancheria, Vesselowskya, and Weinmannia were monophyletic, the latter with conflicting nuclear and plastid phylogenies. The crown group Cunonieae was dated at ~56 Ma, and its ancestral areas were Antarctica and Patagonia. Antarctica acted as a bridge between Australia and South America before the consolidation of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the extinction of the lineage in Antarctica from the Oligocene to the Miocene. Following that, Cunonieae spread to lower latitudes via Zealandia/Oceania and Patagonia/South America. Geological changes during the Pliocene facilitated a further burst in diversification along the Andes, in Madagascar, and in New Caledonia, where at least three colonization events occurred

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Typification of names of Weinmannia (Cunoniaceae) of species described by José Cuatrecasas from Colombian collections

2025 , Carmen Ulloa Ulloa , Andrea Chaspuengal-Morales , Francisco Fajardo-Gutiérrez , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena

We propose 18 new lectotype designations for names of Weinmannia, five of which are second-step typifications involving four inadvertent first-step lectotype designations, and 13 of them are designations of one single duplicate at the herbarium where deposited. José Cuatrecasas described all, but one, of the taxa from collections made in Colombia. We clarify the lectotypification for Weinmannia parvifoliolata Cuatrec. Finally, we propose one lectotype designation for W. cochensis described by Georg Hieronymus.

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Conservation profile of endemic species of Berberis from Ecuador (Berberidaceae, Ranunculales)

2025 , Carmen Ulloa Ulloa , Sánchez Lara, Enmily , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena

Background The plant family Berberidaceae is represented in Ecuador by a single genus, Berberis. It comprises 15 species, seven endemic to the high Andean forests and páramos above 2,400 meters of altitude. These ecosystems, globally recognized for their exceptional biodiversity, are increasingly threatened by fragmentation and degradation, placing endemic species at serious risk of extinction. The conservation status of Berberis species in Ecuador was last assessed more than 20 years ago, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive and updated evaluation. New information This study presents IUCN Red List assessments for all endemic species of the genus Berberis in Ecuador. Incorporating the latest taxonomic revision, we evaluate Berberis engleriana and B. rigida for the first time. Among the five species previously assessed, three have retained their original conservation status, while two are now classified under a higher threat category. Conservation measures are proposed to mitigate extinction risk and support the preservation of these species.

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Carex huancabambica (Cyperaceae), a new species from the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes

2025 , Luis González-Gallego , Carmen Benítez-Benítez , Anton A. Reznicek , Asunción Cano , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena , Santiago Martín-Bravo , Pedro Jiménez-Mejías

The Huancabamba Depression in Neotropical South America, a natural barrier between the Northern and Central Andes, serves as a refuge for high levels of angiosperm diversity. However, this biodiversity remains understudied, especially in complex and species-rich genera, such as Carex L. (Cyperaceae). This genus is notably underrepresented in taxonomic and systematic research on the Neotropics. In this study, we employed an integrative systematic approach combining molecular and morphological data to elucidate the taxonomic status of several Carex populations from Ecuador and northern Peru, which exhibit morphological affinities with the sect. Porocystis Dumort. (Castanea Clade). We conducted a phylogenetic analysis using two nuclear (ITS and ETS) and one plastid (matK) DNA regions and carried out a detailed morphological comparison with Neotropical relatives within the section. Both phylogenetic and morphological results supported the systematic distinctiveness of the focal populations. As a result, we describe a new species, Carex huancabambica Gonz.Gallego & Jim.Mejías, sp. nov. and provide its taxonomic treatment. This study contributes to disentangling the biodiversity of the genus Carex in the Neotropics.

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