Format: ORAL

Manuel J. Maca1,2, Julia G. de Aledo1, Laura Matas-Granados1, Celina Ben Saadi1, Luis Cayuela3

1 Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain 2 Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Madrid, Spain 3 Departmento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain

Plant biodiversity studies in tropical regions are mainly based on field inventories. Despite the large networks of plots and plant data banks, there is still a need for further fieldwork to document the enormous richness existing in these areas at local and regional scales. In addition, tropical regions are populated by different human groups that have extensive traditional knowledge on the use and management of plant species and communities. Studies of our research group are shown with the idea of promoting a greater integration of different data sets and disciplines: (1) Forest types and plant uses. The inventories show clear floristic differences between different habitats, although often the forests with the highest species richness are not necessarily those with the highest use value for human groups. (2) Elevation and uses. It is widely known that above 1500 m, the floristic richness in tropical areas decreases progressively, although this is not directly related to plant utilization patterns, since they vary according to the needs of local human populations. (3) Latitude and uses. Understanding the variation in plant communities along the latitudinal gradient is essential for comparing the use patterns across different human groups or different communities of the same ethnic group. (4) Traits and uses. There is a clear relationship between functional traits and the use of plants by different communities. Various traits can promote similar uses, however there are some use categories more dependent on a particular trait. (5) Dominance and uses. Plant species with higher abundances and frequencies are potentially more widely used than rare species and generally have uses in a greater number of ethnobotanical categories. (6) In studies with local communities, it is necessary to integrate gender studies, differences between generations and to understand the influence of socioeconomic variables on traditional knowledge.