Uruguay's Online Flora: A new resource connecting science, society, and conservation

Abstract Floras and botanical collections are essential tools for understanding plant diversity, promoting its conservation, and supporting a wide range of scientific applications. Uruguay, located in the biodiverse grassland region of southern South America, has had only an incomplete Flora, the most comprehensive of which was published more than a century ago. We review the country's flora and the history of its study, and introduce the new Flora Uruguaya Online (FUO; https://florauruguaya.org ), which when completed will provide a comprehensive record of all vascular plant species, including information on their distribution, morphological, ecological, and phenological characteristics. This online Flora presently contains information on 182 families, 1053 genera, and 3112 species, 85.4% of which are native to Uruguay and 2.2% endemic. Although Uruguay accounts for only 25% of the surface area of the Río de la Plata Grasslands, it contains over 60% of their species and more than 50% of their endemic taxa, reflecting its core geographical position. Uruguay's flora faces increasing pressure from land‐use change, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species. FUO provides critical support for addressing these challenges, offering systematic botanical data for basic and applied research, conservation, sustainable uses, and land management, including practical applications such as the identification of toxic plants affecting livestock production. We highlight key features of FUO with its research‐enabling tools for the exploration of Uruguay's botanical richness by scientists, as well as by policymakers, educators, conservationists, and citizens. These features include its accessibility, interactivity, multiple filters (e.g., geographic regions, ecological characteristics, conservation status, or specific species attributes), rich graphics, and multiple sources of data inputs tied to herbarium specimens.

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Taxon
Published
2025-12-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.70085
Primary Topic
Species Distribution and Climate Change
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article
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article

Uruguay's Online Flora: A new resource connecting science, society, and conservation

Cassiano Aimberê Dorneles Welker, Pedro G. Pañella, Julián Alejandro Greppi, Marcelo Monge et al.
Taxon
Species Distribution and Climate Change
article

Uruguay's Online Flora: A new resource connecting science, society, and conservation

Cassiano Aimberê Dorneles Welker, Pedro G. Pañella, Julián Alejandro Greppi, Marcelo Monge, Felipe Lezama, Detlev Metzing, Ilsi Iob Boldrini, Marcela Preliasco, José Maurício Bonifacino, Dióber B. Lucas, Bianca Ott Andrade, César Fagúndez‐Pachón, Cleusa Vogel Ely, Andrés Rossado, Kenneth J. Wurdack, Carolina Toranza, Marianella Quezada, VINÍCIUS R. BUENO, Martín Jaurena, Nataly O’Leary, Andrés A. Berruti, Gastón Martínez, Eduardo Marchesi, Gabriela Speroni, Daniel Bayce Muñoz, Jennifer R. Mandel, Federico Haretche, Leslie R. Landrum, João Ricardo Vieira Iganci, Gisela Sancho, Mariana Cosse, Pablo Speranza, Antonella Pollero, Serrana Ambite, Patricia Brussa, Fernando O. Zuloaga, Patricia Mai, Henrique Mallmann Büneker, Carlos A. Brussa, Paola Gaiero, Fabián Armando Michelangeli, Ana Laura Mello, Pablo Berazategui, M. Mónica Ponce, Matias Köhler, Guillermo M. Suárez, Sandra Lupo, Reneé H. Fortunato, Jessica Noelia Viera Barreto, Adriana Bartoli, Fabrício Schmitz Meyer, Pablo Boggiano, Andrés González, Ary Mailhos, Sérgio Augusto de Loreto Bordignon, Clara Pritsch, HENRIQUE BORGES ZAMENGO, Paul A. Berry, Fabián Muñoz, Manuel J. Belgrano, Liliana Katinas, Martin Grings, Cecilia Ezcurra, Florencia Grattarola, Débora Chamorro, Iván A. Grela, DARIO J. SCHIAVINATO, Renato Goldenberg, Rafael Vidal, María Victoria Valtierra, Gustavo Heiden, Magdalena Vaio, Jefferson Prado, Cristina Trujillo, Ángeles Beri, Mercedes Souza‐Pérez, Nidia Mendoza‐Díaz, Robbin C. Moran, Cármen Rossini, Marina Del Puppo, Estrella Urtubey, Jorge V. Crisci, Sabina Donadío, Meica Valdivia, Milagros Anzuinelli, Mercedes Rivas, Susana González-Granero, Anderson Santos de Mello, Philip Davies, Manuel Concha Díaz, Catherine Ostos Perez, Colin Hoag, Pablo Hernández Olveyra, Gabriela Jolochin, Silvina Piastri, Ana Tardáguila, Rosario Beyhaut, Angélica Arcila‐Lopera, Pablo Armand Ugon, Mario Oloriz, Federico Gadea, Felipe Noli, Felipe Cairello, Osvaldo Del Puerto, María Zabaleta, Eugenia Pedrero
article en

Abstract

Abstract Floras and botanical collections are essential tools for understanding plant diversity, promoting its conservation, and supporting a wide range of scientific applications. Uruguay, located in the biodiverse grassland region of southern South America, has had only an incomplete Flora, the most comprehensive of which was published more than a century ago. We review the country's flora and the history of its study, and introduce the new Flora Uruguaya Online (FUO; https://florauruguaya.org ), which when completed will provide a comprehensive record of all vascular plant species, including information on their distribution, morphological, ecological, and phenological characteristics. This online Flora presently contains information on 182 families, 1053 genera, and 3112 species, 85.4% of which are native to Uruguay and 2.2% endemic. Although Uruguay accounts for only 25% of the surface area of the Río de la Plata Grasslands, it contains over 60% of their species and more than 50% of their endemic taxa, reflecting its core geographical position. Uruguay's flora faces increasing pressure from land‐use change, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species. FUO provides critical support for addressing these challenges, offering systematic botanical data for basic and applied research, conservation, sustainable uses, and land management, including practical applications such as the identification of toxic plants affecting livestock production. We highlight key features of FUO with its research‐enabling tools for the exploration of Uruguay's botanical richness by scientists, as well as by policymakers, educators, conservationists, and citizens. These features include its accessibility, interactivity, multiple filters (e.g., geographic regions, ecological characteristics, conservation status, or specific species attributes), rich graphics, and multiple sources of data inputs tied to herbarium specimens.

Taxon
National Museum of Natural History (US), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (BR), Universidad de la República de Uruguay (UY), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (BR), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ), Ministerio de Ganadería Agricultura y Pesca (UY), Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación (UY), Real Jardín Botánico (ES), Observatorio Astronómico Los Molinos (UY), Universitario Francisco de Asís (UY), Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (UY), Ministerio de Defensa (ES), Universidad de Montevideo (UY)
Openalex Percentile: Top 79%
Species Distribution and Climate Change
DOISourceOpenAlex
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