title: GuiaTreeKey, a multi-access electronic key to identify tree genera in French Guiana.
abstract: The tropical rainforest of Amazonia is one of the most species-rich ecosystems on earth, with an estimated 16000 tree species. Due to this high diversity, botanical identification of trees in the Amazon is difficult, even to genus, often requiring the assistance of parataxonomists or taxonomic specialists. Advances in informatics tools offer a promising opportunity to develop user-friendly electronic keys to improve Amazonian tree identification. Here, we introduce an original multi-access electronic key for the identification of 389 tree genera occurring in French Guianaterra-firmeforests, based on a set of 79 morphological characters related to vegetative, floral and fruit characters. Its purpose is to help Amazonian tree identification and to support the dissemination of botanical knowledge to non-specialists, including forest workers, students and researchers from other scientific disciplines. The electronic key is accessible with the free access softwareXper², and the database is publicly available on figshare: https://figshare.com/s/75d890b7d707e0ffc9bf (doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.2682550).
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR AMAP (botAnique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des végétations), Boulevard de la Lironde, TA A-51/PS2, F-34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; CNRS, UMR EcoFoG (Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane), Campus Agronomique, BP 316, F-97379 Kourou cedex, France.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR EcoFoG (Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane), Campus Agronomique, BP 316, F-97379 Kourou cedex, France; INRA, UR0629 URFM (Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes), Domaine Saint Paul, Site Agroparc CS 40509, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brousseau
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR EcoFoG (Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane), Campus Agronomique, BP 316, F-97379 Kourou cedex, France; International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baraloto
keywords: Amazonia; Electronic key; French Guiana; Neotropics; Xper²; morphological characters; trees identification