Biodiversity Data Journal 9: e61091 OO) doi: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e61091 open access Data Paper Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species Beta patula Aiton (Amaranthaceae) in the Islands of Madeira Archipelago Humberto Nobrega?, Gregorio Freitas*, M. A. Zavattieri*:$:!, Carla Ragonezi*", Miguel A. A. Pinheiro de Carvalho**1 + ISOPlexis, Centre of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology. University of Madeira. Campus da Penteada. 9020-105, Funchal, Portugal § Biology Department, Colégio da Mitra, University of Evora, Ap. 94. 7002-554, Evora, Portugal | Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT), Colégio Luis Antonio Verney, University of Evora. Rua Romao Ramalho, 59. 7002-554, Evora, Portugal 4] CITAB Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, Vila Real, Portugal # Life Sciences Faculty, University of Madeira. Campus da Penteada. 9020-105, Funchal, Portugal Corresponding author: Humberto Nébrega (humberto_nobrega@yahoo.com) Academic editor: Gianniantonio Domina Received: 24 Nov 2020 | Accepted: 07 Jan 2021 | Published: 18 Feb 2021 Citation: Nébrega H, Freitas G, Zavattieri MA, Ragonezi C, Pinheiro de Carvalho MAA (2021) Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species Beta patula Aiton (Amaranthaceae) in the Islands of Madeira Archipelago. Biodiversity Data Journal 9: e61091. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.9.e61091 Abstract Background Twenty-two native Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) occur in specific dry environments of Madeira Archipelago, like Desembarcadouro islet in Ponta de Sao Lourengo and Chao islet in Desertas Islands. Nine of them share the same gene pool with crop species included in Annex | of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Amongst them, Beta patula Aiton, an IUCN Critically Endangered species, has been studied in detail for in situ and ex situ conservation. The present paper summarises the information recorded during the Beta patula population assessment. Valuable information on plant communities associated with this species was obtained. © Nobrega H et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 2 Nobrega H et al New information 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 Chao islets. The collected dataset consists of 1,786 vegetation descriptions, where 31 species were recorded. All generated data have 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 framework 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, University of Madeira. Keywords associated communities, crop wild relative, floristic survey, Macaronesian endemism Introduction Beta patula has been classified as a Critically Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the Red List of Threatened Species (Pinheiro de Carvalho and Frese 2011), with an extent of occurrence of only 1.0 km? and its area of occupancy less than 0.80 km7?. In nature, the species is endemic to the Madeira Archipelago (Fig. 1a), more specifically occurring only in the Desembarcadouro and Chao islets. The Madeira Archipelago is part of the Macaronesia Region (Fig. 1b), a biogeographic area composed of four archipelagos in the North Atlantic Ocean (Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Madeira). From a geological point of view, all Macaronesian archipelagos are the consequences of mountain-forming and volcanic forces that occurred 60-70 million years ago (Fernandez-Palacios et al. 2011). The contrasting landscapes and mild climate have created an ideal environment for a particularly rich biodiversity. The list of sites of community importance for the Macaronesian biogeographical region included in the Natura 2000 network, was the first to be adopted in December of 2001 and is updated every year. It contains 208 sites of community importance, covering over 5000 km? of land and sea. The list of sites of community importance for the Macaronesian biogeographical region can be found at: http://ec. europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/biogeog regions/macaronesian/index_en.htm. Amongst these sites are the Chao islet, included in the Desertas Islands (Natura 2000 site PTDES0001) and the Desembarcadouro islet, part of the Ponta de Sao Lourengo Peninsula (Natura 2000 site PTMADOO003). The habitat type classification of Desembarcadouro islet and Desertas Islands belongs to: a) vegetated sea cliffs with endemic flora from Macaronesian coast (EUNIS code 1250) and b) thermo-Mediterranean and pre-desert shrub (EUNIS code 5330) (EUNIS, European Nature Information System) (source: http://eunis.eea.europa.eu/sites/PTMADO003; https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/sites/ PTDES0001). Both ecosystems are of extreme importance, according to the Habitats Directive (Fig. 2). These areas harbour a wide variety of endemic and native plant species, Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species ... 3 some of them being crop wild relatives of relevant crops. More specifically, Beta patula is a crop wild relative of fodder, root and sugar beet crops. These species are included in Annex | of the International Threat for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, for being important plant resources, ensuring world food security. Beet CWR have contributed to the breeding of sugar beet varieties, adding genes for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses (Luterbacher et al. 2004; Panella et al. 2012; Capistrano-Gossmann et al. 2016). The source of these genes was obtained from accessions of CWR populations (Hajjar and Hodgkin 2007; Capistrano-Gossmann et al. 2016) showing their importance for in situ and ex situ conservation. In a recent work, Monteiro et al. 2018) pointed out the introgression of traits from CWR for decreasing biotic stresses constraints in sugar beets, namely using Beta and Patellifolia species, both having disease-resistant characteristics. _ F Madeira Archipelago MADEIRA ISLAND Figure 1. Location of the Madeira Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and its relative location to the African Continent as well as to the other Macaronesian archipelagos. a: Madeira Archipelago ETS] b: Macaronesian archipelagos EFS] 4 Nobrega H et al Figure 2. General aspects of the studied habitats. The Chao islet has a flat plateau format arising from the sea (a and b); Desembarcadouro islet has an irregular terrain and a strong influence from North trade winds in its habitat. a: Chao islet habitat aspect. In the distance, it is possible to see Desembarcadouro islet. EE b: View of ChAo islet (flat islet on the left) from the Desembarcadouro islet. ER] c: General vegetation aspect of Desembarcadouro islet's habitat, with Farol islet in the background. EES] d: General vegetation aspect of Desembarcadouro islet's habitat, with Ponta de Sao Lourengao in the background. Ey] Although Beta patula occurs in protected islets, it is threatened by introduced animals, particularly by rabbits and seagull populations, possibly causing a severe fragmentation of the population and a continuous decline in the extent and quality of its habitat. Therefore, there was a need for the development and implementation of a species action plan and a special site management plan (Frese et al. 2010, Pinheiro de Carvalho et al. 2010, Pinheiro de Carvalho et al. 2012, Maxted et al. 2012 and Frese et al. 2012). Consequently, B. patula was one of the target species of AEGRO project (An Integrated European In Situ Management Work Plan: Implementing Genetic Reserves and On Farm Concepts - AGRI GENRES 057), whereupon the ISOPlexis team started, in 2008, the study to establish B. patula distribution, population baseline and to set up appropriate strategies for this CWR conservation. The project also included the monitoring of ecogeographic conditions (habitat description; altitudinal gradient; soil type and edaphic conditions, climatic parameters) that can limit the species distribution or be a factor of plant diversity differentiation. The plant population survey aims to set up its boundaries and estimate the patches of plant coverage and population sizes. Since then, a continuing effort has been made to validate B. patula Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species ... 5 conservation in situ and ex situ by the storage of accessions (ISOP 2512 and ISOP 1911) in the ISOPlexis Gene Bank, at the University of Madeira and to validate population sizes and dynamics. These studies include a complete floristic analysis at the selected occurrence locations of B. patula in Desembarcadouro islet (DI) and Chao islet (Cl). This work was financed by LIFE RECOVER NATURA - LIFE12 NAT / PT / 000195 coordinated by the Madeira Forestry and Nature Conservation Institute IP-RAM (IFCN IP-RAM). The results of a monitoring system to control the conservation status of Beta patula were published in Nobrega et al. 2020. This work condenses the results of a 7 year floristic study of all species associated with B. patula. The floristics analysis is still ongoing and it will continue, thus contributing to the permanent monitoring that aims to determine any signs of change in the diversity of these sites, due to climate change, animal pressure or any other interference in habitat that may affect diversity and long-term conservation of the endangered B. patula and other important endemisms in its distribution areas. General description Purpose: The LIFE RECOVER NATURA - Beta patula population assessment consisted in the use of previous information obtained during AEGRO project to monitor the populations dynamics and validate the established species baseline with the ultimate goal of implementing a genetic reserve and its management plan. With this work, it was also possible to make a vegetation classification, species trend analysis, distribution maps of plant communities and Natura 2000 habitat types for the occurrence areas of Beta patula (Suppl. material 1). Project description Title: LIFE RECOVER NATURA - LIFE12 NAT / PT / 000195 Personnel: Humberto Nobrega, Gregorio Freitas and Miguel Angelo Almeida Pinheiro de Carvalho. Study area description: The study area comprises two Nature 2000 sites located at the Madeira Archipelago, Portugal. The Chao islet, included in the Desertas Islands (PTDES0001) and the Desembarcadouro islet, a part of the Ponta de Sao Lourengo Peninsula (PTMADO0003). Both ecosystems are of extreme importance, with reference to the Habitats Directive 1250 - Scarps with endemic flora from Macaronesian Coastlines and 5330 - Pre Desertic thermo-mediterranean Shrubland. Design description: The objective of Action A6 was to determine occurrence areas and effective population size for the endangered and endemic Beta patula Aiton species. This action was part of a LIFE Project entitled LIFE RECOVER NATURA — Recovery of the species and land habitats of the Natura 2000 sites of Ponta de Sao Lourengo and Desertas Islands. 6 Nobrega H et al Funding: This Project was funded by the EU LIFE Programme Sampling methods Sampling description: To collect the floristic data, 15 areas were selected, taking into consideration that these areas are within the Beta patula distribution range and have a good resolution for herbaceous and small bush plants, being that the floristic composition falls in such criteria (Fig. 3), 12 in the Desembarcadouro islet (DI01; DIO2; DIO3...D112) and three in the ChAo islet (Cl01; Cl02 and Cl03). These areas are quadrats with 16 m? (4 x 4 m) facing North (so replicability could be ensured for each successive sampling) displayed along three parallel transects defined in Desembarcadouro. Inside each quadrat, a full counting and identification of all individuals was carried out in four randomly-selected square metres, using the Research Randomizer Generated Numbers software (Urbaniak and Plous 2013). Sampling effort was dependent on plant density. Plant identification was done according to Pires and Fontinha (2008), Aguiar et al. (2004) and Press and Short (1994). The assigned names of all taxa cited in this work follow the nomenclature given by the Plant List (http:/\www.theplantlist.org/). Soil types in the Desembarcadouro islet are according to Pinto et al. (1992). No information on the soil types in Chao islet exists in literature. a ’ . @ Desembarcadouro Islet \ Dea Chao Islet Figure 3. EES Location of the 15 quadrants established for species survey, sampling and monitoring. Sampling sites DI1 to DI12 correspond to the Desembarcadouro islet and Cl1 to Cl3 are indicated for the Chao islets. Soil types in the Desembarcadouro islet are described. No information exists on the soil types for Chao islet. On both islets, the colours attributed to the circles for each sampling site correspond to a mean density of B. patula plants (plants X square metre). Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species ... 7 The 16 m? plots were set up at a minimum distance from each other of approximately 50 m. Final specimen counts represent the average results of two separate counts per site. If both counts were significantly different, a re-count was made. Each sampling plot was also marked with a coloured steel rod and geographic coordinates were taken with the help of a Global Positioning System (GPS) to facilitate the identification and retrieval of the plots for future monitoring. The target species B. patula and other beet CWR were particularly marked, as well as the Madeiran and Macaronesian endemisms. The species occurrence, floristic composition and structure were studied. The floristic composition of DI and Cl sites are similar, due to geographic proximity and similar climate and soil conditions. Plant species were grouped in 13 families. Thirty-one distinct plant species were recorded during the study; 25 species were found in DI and 12 in Cl. Five of these species, excluding the target species, B. patula, were common to both sites and recorded in occupancy areas, namely Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L., Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum L., Suaeda vera Forssk. ex J.F. Gmel, Spergula fallax (Lowe) E.H.L. Krause and Crepis divaricata (Lowe) F.W. Schultz. The species were also classified as introduced or probably introduced (three taxa) and native or probably native (19 taxa). Amongst the endemic species, nine taxa were present. Of those, five taxa are endemic to Madeira Islands and four taxa are endemic to the Macaronesia Region (Suppl. material 1). Fig. 4 shows the summary number of species occurrence in the 15 sampling sites and its annual variation, in the time period between 2014 and 2020. The graph shows that 2017 was the year with the highest number of species accounted, followed very closely by the year 2018. e = = 3 ro) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Year Figure 4. EES] Summary of number of species occurrences for all 15 sampling sites from 2014 to 2020. The tree map analyses the floristic composition and structure of the habitats where Beta patula occurs. Fig. 5 shows the relative species frequence occurring in Desembarcadouro and Chao islets. The frequency and dominance were established, based on total account of specimens. The Mesembryanthemum crystallinum is the most predominant species in both islets, while Beta patula is the third most common. Fig. 6 shows the relative frequency of families occurring in Desembarcadouro and Chao islets. The most frequent families are Amaranthaceae represented by six species and 8 Noébrega H et al Aizoaceae represented by four species. The Amaranthaceae family dominates Desembarcadouro islet and the Aizoaceae dominates in the Chao islet. Phalaris maderensis Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Mesembryanthemum nodifiorum Crepis divoricata incrassatus Figure 5. Tree map representation for Desembarcadouro and Chao islets for the number of occurrences for each species during the time period between 2014 and 2020. Mesembryanthemum crystallinum is the predominant species on both islets, while Beta patula is the most dominant of the endemic species. a: Desembarcadouro islet species structure. b: Chao islet species structure. j Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species ... Amaranthaceae Fabaceae” Brassicaceae os Xanthorrhoeaceae Poaceae Figure 6. Tree map representation for Desembarcadouro and Chao islets of the total number of species present in each family for the time period between 2014 to 2020. The two most dominant families are Aizoaceae and Amaranthaceae in both islets. The Amaranthaceae family dominates in Desembarcadouro islet and the Aizoaceae dominates in the Chao islet. a: Most represented families of Desembarcadouro islet from 2014 to 2020. | b: Most represented families of Chao islet from 2014 to 2020. 10 Nobrega H et al Geographic coverage Description: The general coverage area comprises two islets that are part of the Madeira Archipelago, Portugal. The Desembarcadouro islet is located on the eastern peninsula of Madeira Island (Ponta de Sao Lourengo) and the Chao islet is one of the three islets that compose the Desertas Islands. Coordinates: 32°34'30"N and 32°44'27.6"N Latitude; 16°40'44.4"W and 16°32'20.4"W Longitude. Figure 7. Endemic species of Madeira Archipelago found in Desembarcadouro and Chao islets. a: Beta patula Aiton EER b: Calendula incana subsp. maderensis (DC.) Ohle EER c: Matthiola maderensis Lowe EF] d: Crepis divaricata (Lowe) F.W. Schultz EES] Taxonomic coverage Description: The floristic composition of Desembarcadouro islet (DI) and Chao islet (Cl) both Macaronesian sites, have similarities, due to their geographic proximity and similarity of soil composition and climate conditions. The flora composition of Desembarcadouro islet is part of the Mayteno umbellatae-Oleion maderensis Vegetation Series Complex (Aguiar et al. 2004, Costa et al. 2012.) It is characterised as a dry infra-mediterranean series, exclusive of southern rocky cliffs, restricted to 0-200 m above sea level. On the sampling Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species ... 11 areas, two vegetation mosaic communities stand out: the arid to semi-arid infra- mediterranean halinotrophyle community of Ponta de Sao Lourengo and Calendula maderensis-Suaedetum verae, composed of species, such as Suaeda vera Forssk. ex J. F. Gmel., Calendula maderensis DC (synomym of Calendula incana subsp. maderensis (DC.) Ohle), Lotus glaucus Sol., Chenoleoides tomentosa (Lowe) Bostch. (synonym of Bassia tomentosa (Lowe) Maire & Weiller), amongst others. The other vegetation mosaic is the semi-arid infra-mediterranean halinotrophyle community of Madeira and Porto Santo Senecio incrassate-Mesembryanthemum cristalini, composed of species, such as Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L., Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum L., Senecio incrassatus Lowe, Aizoon canariensis L., Tetragonia tetragonioides (Pall.) Kuntze and Spergula fallax (Lowe) E.H.L. Krause (Fig. 7). Taxa included: Rank Scientific Name Common Name kingdom Plantae Plants phylum Tracheophyta class Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons class Liliopsida Monocotyledons order Asparagales order Asterales order Brassicales order Caryophyllales order Fabales order Lamiales order Malpighiales order Malvales order Poales family Aizoaceae family Amaranthaceae family Asteraceae family Brassicaceae family Caryophyllaceae family Euphorbiaceae family Fabaceae family Frankeniaceae 12 Nobrega H et al family Malvaceae family Plantaginaceae family Poaceae family Polygonaceae family Xanthorrhoeaceae Temporal coverage Data range: 2014-4-29 - 2020-8-10. Usage licence Usage licence: Creative Commons Public Domain Waiver (CC-Zero) Data resources Data package title: Beta patula Population Assessment from 2014 to 2020 in Madeira Archipelago, Portugal Resource link: https:/Awww.gbif.org/dataset/004ef655-c4ec-4b45-8c00-23603799af15 Alternative identifiers: https://doi.org/10.15468/j3qfk5 Number of data sets: 1 Data set name: Beta patula Population Assessment from 2014 to 2020 in Madeira Archipelago, Portugal Character set: UTF-8 Download URL: hitp://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/archive.do?r=isoplexis beta _patula Data format: Darwin Core Archive format Data format version: 1.8 Column label Column description id Unique ID for each occurrence record. type Type of the record, as defined by the Public Core standard. language The language used in the observation details. licence Reference to the licence under which the record is published. rightsHolder The rights holder to whom the data belong. Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species ... 13 datasetID institutionID ownerlInstitutionCode institutionCode datasetName parentEventID eventID samplingProtocol eventDate sampleSizeUnit sampleSizeValue habitat higherGeographyID higherGeography georeferencedBy continent country countryCode islandGroup island stateProvince municipality locality decimalLatitude decimalLongitude geodeticDatum A unique identifier to this dataset. The identity of the institution publishing the data. The code of the institution who owns publishing data rights The code of the institution publishing the data. The name of this dataset. An identifier for the broader Event that groups this and potentially other Events. Identifier of the events, unique for the dataset. The sampling protocol used to observe the species. The date-time or interval during which an Event occurred. For occurrences, this is the date-time when the event was recorded. The unit of measurement of the size of a sample in a sampling event. Anumeric value for a measurement of the size of a sample in a sampling event. A textual description of the habitat in which the taxon was observed. The code of the region in which the observation occurred. Here: http:// vocab.getty.edu/tgn/7003831 A description of the region in which the observation occurred. Alist (concatenated and separated) of names of people who determined the georeference for the Location. The name of the continent in which the location occurs. The name of the country in which the location occurs. The ISO 3166-1-alpha-2 country code. The name of the island group in which the location occurs. The name of the island in which the location occurs. The first-level administrative subdivision of the country in which the observation occurred. The name of the municipality in which the location occurs. The name of the locality in which the location occurs. The geographic latitude in decimal degrees of the geographic centre of a location. The geographic longitude in decimal degrees of the geographic centre of a location. The ellipsoid, geodetic datum or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude are based. Here: WGS84 14 Nobrega H et al minimumElevation|InMetres The lower limit of the range of elevation (altitude, usually above sea level), in metres. coordinateUncertaintyInMetres Indicator for the accuracy of the coordinate location, described as the radius of a circle around the stated point location in metres. Here: 3 metres footprintWKT A Well-Known Text (WKT) representation of the shape that defines the location. footprintSRS The spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude are based. Here: EPSG:4326 Acknowledgements This work was possible due to the financial support of the Operational Programme Madeira, through the projects LIFE RECOVER NATURA - LIFE12 NAT / PT / 000195 and CASBio, M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000011. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to the Forestry and Rangers services of the Madeira Forestry and Nature Conservation Institute for their support and assistance during the team's fieldwork. References ° Aguiar C, Capelo J, Fontinha S, Espirito-Santo D, Jardim R, Lousa M, Rivas-Martinez S, Mesquita S, Sequeira M, Sousa J (2004) A paisagem vegetal da Ilha da Madeira. Quercetea 6: 3-200. ° Capistrano-Gossmann G, Ries D, Holtgrawe D, Minoche A, Kraft T, Frerichmann SL, Rosleff Soerensen T, Dohm JC, Gonzalez |, Schilhabel M, Varrelmann M, Tschoep H, Uphoff H, Schutze K, Borchardt D, Toerjek O, Mechelke W, Lein JC, Schechert AW, Frese L, Himmelbauer H, Weisshaar B, Kopisch-Obuch FJ (2016) Crop wild relative populations of Beta vulgaris allow direct mapping of agronomically important genes. Nature Communications 8 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15708 ° Costa JC, Neto C, Aguiar C, Capelo J, Esprito Santo MD, Honrado J, Pinto-Gomes J, Monteiro-Henriques T, Sequeira M, Lousa M (2012) Vascular plant communities in Portugal (Continental, the Azores and Madeira). Global Geobotany 2 (1): 1-180. ° Fernandez-Palacios JM, de Nascimento L, Otto R, Delgado J, Garcia-del-Rey E, Arevalo JR, Whittaker R (2011) A reconstruction of Palaeo-Macaronesia, with particular reference to the long-term biogeography of the Atlantic island laurel forests. Journal of Biogeography 38 (2): 226-246. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02427.x ° Frese L, Pinheiro de Carvalho MA, Duarte C (2010) Case crop study Beta (including Patellifolia) Part B: National level (Portugal and Germany). In: Frese L (Ed.) EU Guidelines for the creation for Beta genetic resources conservation. Work Paper. ECPGR. Roma pp. 15 ° Frese L, Bj@rn GK, Branca F, Ford-Lloyd BV, Germeier CU, Iriondo J, Katsiotis A, Kell S, Maxted N, Negri V, Pinheiro de Carvalho MAA (2012) Genetic reserve conservation of European crop wild relative and landrace diversity. In: Maxted N, Dulloo ME, Ford-Lloyd B, Frese L, Iriondo J, Carvalho MPd (Eds) Agrobiodiversity conservation: Securing the Structure and floristic composition associated with an endangered species ... 15 diversity of crop wild relatives and landraces. CAB International, Wallingford, 1-6 pp. [ISBN 978-184593851 2]. Hajjar R, Hodgkin T (2007) The use of wild relatives in crop improvement: a survey of developments over the last 20 years. Euphytica 156 (1-2): 1-13. httos://doi.org/10.1007/ $10681-007-9363-0 Luterbacher MC, Asher MJ, DeAmbrogio E, Biancardi E, Stevenato P, Frese L (2004) Sources of resistance to diseases of sugar beet in related Beta germplasm: |. Foliar diseases. Euphytica 139 (2): 105-121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-004-2488-5 Maxted N, Frese L, Iriondo J, Dulloo E, Ford-Lloyd BV, Pinheiro de Carvalho MAA (2012) Agrobiodiversity conservation: Securing the diversity of crop wild relatives and landraces. CAB International, Wallingford, 392 pp. [ISBN 978-1845938512] Monteiro F, Frese L, Castro S, Duarte MC, Paulo OS, Loureiro J, Romeiras MM (2018) Genetic and genomic tools to asssist sugar beet improvement: The value of the Crop Wild Relatives. Frontiers in Plant Science 9: 74. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00074 Nobrega H, Freitas G, Zavattieri MA, Ragonezi C, Frese L, Pinheiro de Carvalho MAA (2020) Monitoring system and in situ conservation of endemic and threatened Beta patula Aiton populations in Madeira Region. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-020-01035-x Panella L, Stevanato P, Pavli O, Skaracis G (2012) Source of useful traits. In: Biancardi E, Panella L, McGrath JM (Eds) Beta maritima. Springer, New York, 173-223 pp. [ISBN 978-3-030-28747-4]. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28748-1 8 Pinheiro de Carvalho MAA, Nobrega H, Frese L, Freitas G, Abreu U, Costa G, Fontinha S (2010) Distribution and abundance of Beta patula Aiton and other crop wild relatives of cultivated beets wild beets on Madeira. Journal Fur Kulturpflanzen-Journal of Cultivated Plants 62 (10): 357-366. Pinheiro de Carvalho MAA, Frese L (2011) Beta patula Aiton genetic reserve action plan. In: Julius Kihn-Institute, Quedlinburg, Germany (Ed.) Annex 10 des Abschlussberichtes zum AEGRO-Projekt. Quedlinburg, 17 pp. Pinheiro de Carvalho MAA, Nobrega H, Freitas G, Fontinha S, Frese L (2012) Towards the establishment of a genetic reserve for Beta patula Aiton. In: Nigel Maxted, Dulloo ME, Ford-Lloyd B, Frese L, Iriondo J, Carvalho MPd (Eds) Agrobiodiversity conservation: Securing the diversity of crop wild relatives and landraces. CAB International, 36-44 pp. [ISBN 978-184593851 2]. https://doi.org/10.1079/97818 45938512.0036 Pinto R, da Camara ES, Ferreira MAM (1992) Carta dos solos da Ilha da Madeira. Secretaria Regional da Economia. Pires P, Fontinha S (2008) Plantas da Ponta de Sao Lourengo. Edi¢ao do Servigo do Parque Natural da Madeira, Funchal, Portugal. Press JR, Short M (1994) Flora of Madeira. Stationery Office/Tso Urbaniak GC, Plous S (2013) Research Randomizer (Version 4.0). [Computer software]. Retrieved on URL: http://www.randomizer.org/ 16 Nobrega H et al Supplementary material Suppl. material 1: List of the species (Spermatophytes) and number of individuals surveyed between 2014 and 2020 in Desembarcadouro (Dl) and Chao (Cl) islets EE Authors: Humberto Nobrega, Gregorio Freitas, M. A. Zavattieri, Carla Ragonezi, Miguel A. A. Pinheiro de Carvalho Data type: Occurrences Brief description: List of the species (Spermatophytes) surveyed between 2014 and 2020 in Desembarcadouro (DI) and Chao (Cl) islets. The species are classified by their family affiliation and their status. Taxonomic names are in accordance with The Plant List 1.1 (2013) http:// www.theplantlist.org/. The number of individuals counted per specie/year is also presented as well as the total number per islet in the 7 years of sampling. Download file (3.25 kb)