@article{fdi:010053485,
  title = {{A}re ferns in arid environments underestimated ? {C}ontribution from the {S}aharan {M}ountains},
  author = {{A}nthelme, {F}abien and {A}bdoulkader, {A}. and {V}iane, {R}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A}lthough ferns are able to colonize dry regions through specific adaptations, they are suggested to be rare in arid environments. {B}y comparing recent observations in the {S}outh-{S}aharan {M}ountains with existing data from the whole {S}ahara, we re-evaluated the distribution of the understudied {S}aharan fern diversity. {O}bservations in the {A}ir {M}ountains ({N}iger) from 2003 to 2006 identified six ferns species, among which three were new records for the {A}ir and for {N}iger. {A} total of 17 species are currently known from the {S}ahara. {T}he desiccation tolerant {A}ctiniopteris radiata and {C}heilanthes coriacea were located in habitats with abiotic refuges providing shade, whereas the drought avoiding {O}phioglossum polyphyllum was found in a sandy highland plain. {A}ll were growing in isolated populations at elevations above 1600 m. {T}hese results, combined with data from the {H}oggar and the {T}ibesti mountains, indicate that ferns are more frequent than initially thought in arid environments thanks to efficient dispersal, elevation refuges, physiological adaptations, and the presence of local abiotic refuges. {T}he three newly recorded species most likely radiated from the {E}thiopian highlands. {T}heir deep isolation, their rarity, and their successful adaptation to drought suggest that their conservation status might be particularly high.},
  keywords = {{D}esert ; {D}esiccation tolerance ; {D}rought avoidance ; {E}levation refuge ; {F}ern distribution ; {N}iger},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {A}rid {E}nvironments},
  volume = {75},
  numero = {6},
  pages = {516--523},
  ISSN = {0140-1963},
  year = {2011},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.01.009},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010053485},
}