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Ali S, Khan SM, Ahmad Z, Siddiq Z, Ullah A, Yoo S, Han H, Raposo A. Carbon sequestration potential of different forest types in Pakistan and its role in regulating services for public health. Front Public Health 2023; 10:1064586. [PMID: 36711385 PMCID: PMC9881653 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1064586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
A high amount of CO2 causes numerous health effects, including headaches, restlessness, difficulty in breathing, increased heart rate, high blood pressure, asphyxia, and dizziness. This issue of increasing atmospheric CO2 can only be solved via above-ground and below-ground carbon sequestration (CS). This study was designed to determine the relationship between CS with the crown area (CA), diameter at breast height (DBH), height (H), species richness (SR), and elevation in different forest types of Pakistan with the following specific objectives: (1) to quantify the direct and indirect relationship of carbon sequestration with CA, DBH, H, and SR in various natural forest types and (2) to evaluate the effect of elevation on the trees functional traits and resultant CS. We used the linear structural equation model (SEM) for each conceptual model. Our results confirmed that the highest CS potential was recorded for dry temperate conifer forests (DTCF) i.e., 52.67%, followed by moist temperate mix forests (MTMF) and sub-tropical broad-leaved forests (STBLF). The SEM further described the carbon sequestration variation, i.e., 57, 32, 19, and 16% under the influence of CA (β = 0.90 and P-value < 0.001), H (β = 0.13 and p-value = 0.05), DBH (β = 0.07 and p-value = 0.005), and SR (β = -0.55 and p-value = 0.001), respectively. The individual direct effect of SR on carbon sequestration has been negative and significant. At the same time, the separate effect of CA, DBH, and H had a positive and significant effect on carbon sequestration. The remaining 20% of CS variations are indirectly influenced by elevation. This means that elevation affects carbon sequestration indirectly through CA, DBH, H, and SR, i.e., β = 0.133 and P-value < 0.166, followed by β = 0.531 and P-value < 0.001, β = 0.007 and P-value < 0.399, and β = -0.32 and P-value < 0.001, respectively. It is concluded that abiotic factors mainly determined carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems along with the elevation gradients in Pakistan. Quantifying the role of various forest types in carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction leads to improved air quality, which positively impacts human health. This is an imperative and novel study that links the dynamics of the biosphere and atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahab Ali
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Shujaul Mulk Khan
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
- Member Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Zeeshan Ahmad
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Zafar Siddiq
- Department of Botany, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Abd Ullah
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sunghoon Yoo
- Audit Team, Hanmoo Convention (Oakwood Premier), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Heesup Han
- College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - António Raposo
- CBIOS (Research Center for Biosciences and Health Technologies), Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisboa, Portugal
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van Rooyen MW, Miabangana ES, Nsongola G, van Rooyen N, Orban B, Thomas A, Drescher K, Vasicek Gaugris C, Gaugris JY. Carbon of Chaillu forests based on a phytosociological analysis in Republic of Congo, more than meets the eye? Afr J Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.13086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Margaretha W. van Rooyen
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
- Department of Plant & Soil Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Edmond Sylvestre Miabangana
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
- Centre d'Etude sur les Ressources Végétales, Herbier National du Congo Brazzaville Republic of Congo
| | - Gilbert Nsongola
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
- Centre d'Etude sur les Ressources Végétales, Herbier National du Congo Brazzaville Republic of Congo
| | - Noel van Rooyen
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
- Ekotrust Somerset West South Africa
| | - Ben Orban
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
| | - Alain Thomas
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
| | - Karsten Drescher
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
| | - Caroline Vasicek Gaugris
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Jérôme Y. Gaugris
- FLORA FAUNA & MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
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Li Y, Bletsa M, Zisi Z, Boonen I, Gryseels S, Kafetzopoulou L, Webster JP, Catalano S, Pybus OG, Van de Perre F, Li H, Li Y, Li Y, Abramov A, Lymberakis P, Lemey P, Lequime S. Endogenous Viral Elements in Shrew Genomes Provide Insights into Pestivirus Ancient History. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6692409. [PMID: 36063436 PMCID: PMC9550988 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
As viral genomic imprints in host genomes, endogenous viral elements (EVEs) shed light on the deep evolutionary history of viruses, ancestral host ranges, and ancient viral-host interactions. In addition, they may provide crucial information for calibrating viral evolutionary timescales. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive in silico screening of a large data set of available mammalian genomes for EVEs deriving from members of the viral family Flaviviridae, an important group of viruses including well-known human pathogens, such as Zika, dengue, or hepatitis C viruses. We identified two novel pestivirus-like EVEs in the reference genome of the Indochinese shrew (Crocidura indochinensis). Homologs of these novel EVEs were subsequently detected in vivo by molecular detection and sequencing in 27 shrew species, including 26 species representing a wide distribution within the Crocidurinae subfamily and one in the Soricinae subfamily on different continents. Based on this wide distribution, we estimate that the integration event occurred before the last common ancestor of the subfamily, about 10.8 million years ago, attesting to an ancient origin of pestiviruses and Flaviviridae in general. Moreover, we provide the first description of Flaviviridae-derived EVEs in mammals even though the family encompasses numerous mammal-infecting members. This also suggests that shrews were past and perhaps also current natural reservoirs of pestiviruses. Taken together, our results expand the current known Pestivirus host range and provide novel insight into the ancient evolutionary history of pestiviruses and the Flaviviridae family in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqiao Li
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Magda Bletsa
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Zafeiro Zisi
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ine Boonen
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sophie Gryseels
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium,Belgium Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Liana Kafetzopoulou
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium,Virology Department, Belgium Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joanne P Webster
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Science, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Stefano Catalano
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Science, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Oliver G Pybus
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Science, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Herts, AL9 7TA, UK
| | | | - Haotian Li
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), 264209 Weihai, China
| | - Yaoyao Li
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), 264209 Weihai, China
| | - Yuchun Li
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), 264209 Weihai, China
| | - Alexei Abramov
- Laboratory of Theriology, Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 190121 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | | | - Philippe Lemey
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Yamashita S, Salleh H, Wasli ME, Alias MA, Itioka T, Kenzo T, Ichie T. Coarse woody debris provides cobenefits between carbon stock and diversity of polypore fungi in Malaysian forest stands. TROPICS 2022. [DOI: 10.3759/tropics.ms21-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Tanaka Kenzo
- Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
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The association between rainforest disturbance and recovery, tree community composition, and community traits in the Yangambi area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467422000347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Despite their key role in biodiversity conservation, forests in the Congo Basin are increasingly threatened by human activities, but it remains challenging to assess the impact of forest degradation under a more or less intact canopy. Likewise, forest recovery following agricultural abandonment remains poorly understood in the Congo Basin. Here, we surveyed 125 vegetation quadrats across 25 forest inventory plots in the Yangambi area. We aimed to find associations between both selective logging and forest recovery, and a range of forest community and tree community trait characteristics, as compared to reference undisturbed old-growth forest. We found that plots in undisturbed old-growth forest harboured both more tree individuals and tree species with a higher wood density as compared to plots in disturbed old-growth forest. In addition, their tree community composition was significantly different, whereas species diversity recovered since relatively recent agricultural abandonment (< 60 years), community composition and forest structure remained significantly different from the plots in undisturbed old-growth forest. Our study provides some insights into the rate of forest recovery in the Congo basin after agricultural abandonment and highlights the need of proper conservation of the remaining relatively undisturbed old-growth forests. Finally, we stress the need for more extensive vegetation surveys in the Congo Basin to further unravel the effects of anthropogenic disturbance.
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Recovery of Carbon and Vegetation Diversity 23 Years after Fire in a Tropical Dryland Forest of Indonesia. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14126964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the recovery rate of forest carbon stocks and biodiversity after disturbance, including fire, is vital for developing effective climate-change-mitigation policies and actions. In this study, live and dead carbon stocks aboveground, belowground, and in the soil to a 30 cm depth, as well as tree and shrub species diversity, were measured in a tropical lowland dry forest, 23 years after a fire in 1998, for comparison with adjacent unburned reference forests. The results showed that 23 years since the fire was insufficient, in this case, to recover live forest carbon and plant species diversity, to the level of the reference forests. The total carbon stock, in the recovering 23-year-old forest, was 199 Mg C ha−1 or about 90% of the unburned forest (220 Mg C ha−1), mainly due to the contribution of coarse woody debris and an increase in the 5–10 cm soil horizon’s organic carbon, in the burned forest. The carbon held in the live biomass of the recovering forest (79 Mg C ha−1) was just over half the 146 Mg C ha−1 of the reference forest. Based on a biomass mean annual increment of 6.24 ± 1.59 Mg ha−1 yr−1, about 46 ± 17 years would be required for the aboveground live biomass to recover to equivalence with the reference forest. In total, 176 plant species were recorded in the 23-year post-fire forest, compared with 216 in the unburned reference forest. The pioneer species Macaranga gigantea dominated in the 23-year post-fire forest, which was yet to regain the similar stand structural and compositional elements as those found in the adjacent unburned reference forest.
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Vanmechelen B, Zisi Z, Gryseels S, Goüy de Bellocq J, Vrancken B, Lemey P, Maes P, Bletsa M. Phylogenomic Characterization of Lopma Virus and Praja Virus, Two Novel Rodent-Borne Arteriviruses. Viruses 2021; 13:1842. [PMID: 34578423 PMCID: PMC8473226 DOI: 10.3390/v13091842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed the discovery of several new viruses belonging to the family Arteriviridae, expanding the known diversity and host range of this group of complex RNA viruses. Although the pathological relevance of these new viruses is not always clear, several well-studied members of the family Arteriviridae are known to be important animal pathogens. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of four new arterivirus variants, belonging to two putative novel species. These new arteriviruses were discovered in African rodents and were given the names Lopma virus and Praja virus. Their genomes follow the characteristic genome organization of all known arteriviruses, even though they are only distantly related to currently known rodent-borne arteriviruses. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Lopma virus clusters in the subfamily Variarterivirinae, while Praja virus clusters near members of the subfamily Heroarterivirinae: the yet undescribed forest pouched giant rat arterivirus and hedgehog arterivirus 1. A co-divergence analysis of rodent-borne arteriviruses confirms that they share similar phylogenetic patterns with their hosts, with only very few cases of host shifting events throughout their evolutionary history. Overall, the genomes described here and their unique clustering with other arteriviruses further illustrate the existence of multiple rodent-borne arterivirus lineages, expanding our knowledge of the evolutionary origin of these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bert Vanmechelen
- Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (B.V.); (Z.Z.); (B.V.); (P.L.); (P.M.)
| | - Zafeiro Zisi
- Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (B.V.); (Z.Z.); (B.V.); (P.L.); (P.M.)
| | - Sophie Gryseels
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium;
- OD Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstreet 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech Republic;
- Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Bram Vrancken
- Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (B.V.); (Z.Z.); (B.V.); (P.L.); (P.M.)
| | - Philippe Lemey
- Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (B.V.); (Z.Z.); (B.V.); (P.L.); (P.M.)
| | - Piet Maes
- Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (B.V.); (Z.Z.); (B.V.); (P.L.); (P.M.)
| | - Magda Bletsa
- Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49/Box 1040, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (B.V.); (Z.Z.); (B.V.); (P.L.); (P.M.)
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Dangulla M, Abd Manaf L, Ramli MF, Yacob MR, Namadi S. Exploring urban tree diversity and carbon stocks in Zaria Metropolis, North Western Nigeria. APPLIED GEOGRAPHY 2021; 127:102385. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2021.102385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
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Bletsa M, Vrancken B, Gryseels S, Boonen I, Fikatas A, Li Y, Laudisoit A, Lequime S, Bryja J, Makundi R, Meheretu Y, Akaibe BD, Mbalitini SG, Van de Perre F, Van Houtte N, Těšíková J, Wollants E, Van Ranst M, Pybus OG, Drexler JF, Verheyen E, Leirs H, Gouy de Bellocq J, Lemey P. Molecular detection and genomic characterization of diverse hepaciviruses in African rodents. Virus Evol 2021; 7:veab036. [PMID: 34221451 PMCID: PMC8242229 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veab036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV; genus Hepacivirus) represents a major public health problem, infecting about three per cent of the human population. Because no animal reservoir carrying closely related hepaciviruses has been identified, the zoonotic origins of HCV still remain unresolved. Motivated by recent findings of divergent hepaciviruses in rodents and a plausible African origin of HCV genotypes, we have screened a large collection of small mammals samples from seven sub-Saharan African countries. Out of 4,303 samples screened, eighty were found positive for the presence of hepaciviruses in twenty-nine different host species. We, here, report fifty-six novel genomes that considerably increase the diversity of three divergent rodent hepacivirus lineages. Furthermore, we provide strong evidence for hepacivirus co-infections in rodents, which were exclusively found in four sampled species of brush-furred mice. We also detect evidence of recombination within specific host lineages. Our study expands the available hepacivirus genomic data and contributes insights into the relatively deep evolutionary history of these pathogens in rodents. Overall, our results emphasize the importance of rodents as a potential hepacivirus reservoir and as models for investigating HCV infection dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magda Bletsa
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bram Vrancken
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sophie Gryseels
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ine Boonen
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Antonios Fikatas
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yiqiao Li
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Sebastian Lequime
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Rhodes Makundi
- Pest Management Center -Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Yonas Meheretu
- Department of Biology and Institute of Mountain Research & Development, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia
| | - Benjamin Dudu Akaibe
- Department of Ecology and Animal Resource Management, Faculty of Science, Biodiversity Monitoring Center, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Sylvestre Gambalemoke Mbalitini
- Department of Ecology and Animal Resource Management, Faculty of Science, Biodiversity Monitoring Center, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Frederik Van de Perre
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Natalie Van Houtte
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jana Těšíková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Elke Wollants
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marc Van Ranst
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Oliver G Pybus
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, London, UK
| | - Jan Felix Drexler
- Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Erik Verheyen
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- OD Taxonomy and Phylogeny-Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Philippe Lemey
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Gendered Species Preferences Link Tree Diversity and Carbon Stocks in Cacao Agroforest in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. LAND 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/land9040108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The degree to which the maintenance of carbon (C) stocks and tree diversity can be jointly achieved in production landscapes is debated. C stocks in forests are decreased by logging before tree diversity is affected, while C stocks in monoculture tree plantations increase, but diversity does not. Agroforestry can break this hysteresis pattern, relevant for policies in search of synergy. We compared total C stocks and tree diversity among degraded forest, complex cacao/fruit tree agroforests, simple shade-tree cacao agroforestry, monoculture cacao, and annual crops in the Konawe District, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. We evaluated farmer tree preferences and the utility value of the system for 40 farmers (male and female). The highest tree diversity (Shannon–Wiener H index 2.36) and C stocks (282 Mg C ha−1) were found in degraded forest, followed by cacao-based agroforestry systems (H index ranged from 0.58–0.93 with C stocks of 75–89 Mg ha−1). Male farmers selected timber and fruit tree species with economic benefits as shade trees, while female farmers preferred production for household needs (fruit trees and vegetables). Carbon stocks and tree diversity were positively related (R2 = 0.72). Adding data from across Indonesia (n = 102), agroforestry systems had an intermediate position between forest decline and reforestation responses. Maintaining agroforestry in the landscape allows aboveground C stocks up to 50 Mg ha−1 and reduces biodiversity loss. Agroforestry facilitates climate change mitigation and biodiversity goals to be addressed simultaneously in sustainable production landscapes.
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Van de Perre F, Willig MR, Presley SJ, Mukinzi IJC, Gambalemoke MS, Leirs H, Verheyen E. Functional volumes, niche packing and species richness: biogeographic legacies in the Congo Basin. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191582. [PMID: 32269793 PMCID: PMC7137932 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the determinants of species coexistence in complex and species-rich communities is a fundamental goal of ecology. Patterns of species coexistence depend on how biotic interactions and environmental filtering act over ecological and evolutionary time scales. Climatic fluctuations in lowland rainforests of the Congo Basin led to the number of vertebrate species being significantly lower in central compared with northern ecoregions of the Basin. We used null models to assess whether climatic variations affected the community assembly of shrews. A consistent limit to functional similarity of species was not related to species richness. Rather, species richness is constrained by environmental factors, and these constraints are stronger in the central lowland forests of the Congo Basin. By constraining species geographic distributions, historical effects of rainforest refugia arising from climatic fluctuations may affect contemporary species composition of local shrew communities. The Congo River represents a vicariance event that led to allopatric speciation of shrews and continues to represent a barrier to dispersal. Ultimately, the historical effects of this barrier have led to differences in the functional volume of shrew communities in northern and central ecoregions. We suggest that the analyses of community assembly can be used to identify Holocene refugia in the Congo Basin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael R. Willig
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering, and Institute of the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-4210, USA
| | - Steven J. Presley
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering, and Institute of the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-4210, USA
| | - Itoka Jean-Claude Mukinzi
- Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Erik Verheyen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
- OD Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
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Osuri AM, Machado S, Ratnam J, Sankaran M, Ayyappan N, Muthuramkumar S, Parthasarathy N, Pélissier R, Ramesh BR, DeFries R, Naeem S. Tree diversity and carbon storage cobenefits in tropical human‐dominated landscapes. Conserv Lett 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anand M. Osuri
- The Earth InstituteColumbia University New York New York
- The Nature Conservancy Arlington Virginia
| | - Siddarth Machado
- School of Forest Resources and ConservationUniversity of Florida Gainesville Florida
- National Centre for Biological SciencesTata Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore Karnataka India
| | - Jayashree Ratnam
- National Centre for Biological SciencesTata Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore Karnataka India
| | - Mahesh Sankaran
- National Centre for Biological SciencesTata Institute of Fundamental Research Bangalore Karnataka India
- School of BiologyUniversity of Leeds Leeds UK
| | - N. Ayyappan
- Department of EcologyFrench Institute of Pondicherry Puducherry India
| | - S. Muthuramkumar
- Department of BotanyV. H. N. S. N. College (Autonomous) Virudhunagar Tamil Nadu India
| | - N. Parthasarathy
- Department of Ecology and Environmental SciencesPondicherry University Puducherry India
| | - Raphaël Pélissier
- Department of EcologyFrench Institute of Pondicherry Puducherry India
- AMAP Lab, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAUniversity of Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - B. R. Ramesh
- Department of EcologyFrench Institute of Pondicherry Puducherry India
| | - Ruth DeFries
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental BiologyColumbia University New York New York
| | - Shahid Naeem
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental BiologyColumbia University New York New York
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13
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Van de Perre F, Leirs H, Cigar J, Gambalemoke Mbalitini S, Mukinzi Itoka JC, Verheyen E. Shrews (Soricidae) of the lowland forests around Kisangani (DR Congo). Biodivers Data J 2019; 7:e46948. [PMID: 31885462 PMCID: PMC6934628 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.7.e46948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Congo Basin rainforest is the second largest rainforest in the world and one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. Nevertheless, the Congo Basin biodiversity remains to be fully mapped, with many species awaiting discovery or official description. In recent years, much effort has been put into research on shrews (Soricidae), particularly in the region around Kisangani (D.R. Congo). Shrews are opportunistic feeders that are able to forage on a large diversity of invertebrate prey and therefore play an important role in the forest ecosystem. Furthermore, as they largely depend on forest habitats and have limited dispersal capacities, shrews form an interesting model group to study biogeographic patterns in the Congo Basin. NEW INFORMATION This paper collates the efforts on shrew research from the wider region around Kisangani, in the centre of the Congo Basin. Apart from sampling information, the dataset includes morphological measures, DNA sequences and photographs. This dataset is therefore critical in the study of the taxonomy and ecology of Soricidae in the Congo Basin lowland rainforests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederik Van de Perre
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology Group, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology Group, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Julien Cigar
- Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Brussels, BelgiumBelgian Biodiversity PlatformBrusselsBelgium
| | - Sylvestre Gambalemoke Mbalitini
- Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the CongoCentre de Surveillance de la BiodiversitéKisanganiDemocratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Jean-Claude Mukinzi Itoka
- Faculté des Sciences, UNIKIS, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the CongoFaculté des Sciences, UNIKISKisanganiDemocratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Erik Verheyen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumEvolutionary Ecology Group, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural SciencesBrusselsBelgium
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14
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Withdrawn as duplicate: Guild-level responses of bats to habitat conversion in a lowland Amazonian rainforest: species composition and biodiversity. J Mammal 2019; 100:e1. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Presley
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Laura M Cisneros
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Brian T Klingbeil
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Michael R Willig
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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16
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Willig MR, Presley SJ, Plante JL, Bloch CP, Solari S, Pacheco V, Weaver SC. Guild-level responses of bats to habitat conversion in a lowland Amazonian rainforest: species composition and biodiversity. J Mammal 2019; 100:223-238. [PMID: 30846887 PMCID: PMC6394116 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Landscape modification represents one of the most severe threats to biodiversity from local to global scales. Conversion of forest to agricultural production generally results in patches of habitat that subdivide or isolate populations, alter the behavior of species, modify interspecific interactions, reduce biodiversity, and compromise ecosystem processes. Moreover, conversion may increase exposure of humans to zoonoses to which they would otherwise rarely be exposed. We evaluated the effects of forest conversion to agriculture, and its subsequent successional dynamics, on bat communities in a region of the Amazon that was predominantly closed-canopy rainforest. Based on a nonmanipulative experiment, we quantified differences in species composition, community structure, and taxonomic biodiversity among closed-canopy forest (bosque), agricultural lands (chacra), and secondary forest (purma) for two phyllostomid guilds (frugivores and gleaning animalivores) during the wet and dry seasons. Responses were complex and guild-specific. For frugivores, species composition (species abundance distributions) differed between all possible pairs of habitats in both wet and dry seasons. For gleaning animalivores, species composition differed between all possible pairs of habitats in the dry season, but no differences characterized the wet season. Ecological structure (rank abundance distributions) differed among habitats in guild-specific and season-specific manners. For frugivores, mean diversity, evenness, and dominance were greater in bosque than in purma; mean dominance was greater in bosque than in chacra, but local rarity was greater in chacra than in bosque, and no differences were manifest between purma and chacra. For gleaning animalivores, mean diversity and evenness were greater in bosque than in purma, but no differences were manifest between chacra and bosque, or between purma and chacra. Such results have important implications for management, conservation, and the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases. La actual modificación del paisaje, a escalas que van de lo local a lo global, es una de las amenazas más severas a la biodiversidad. De manera general, la conversión de bosques a áreas agrícolas produce parches de hábitat que subdividen o aíslan poblaciones, alteran la conducta de las especies, modifican las interacciones interespecíficas, reducen la biodiversidad y comprometen las funciones de los ecosistemas. Más aún, la transformación de estos ambientes puede incrementar la probabilidad de que las poblaciones humanas interactúen con zoonosis con las que de otra manera raramente entrarían en contacto. Evaluamos los efectos de la conversión de hábitat en comunidades de murciélagos en una región de Amazonia en la que la vegetación dominante es un bosque lluvioso de copas cerradas, y en la cual los efectos de la conversión a usos agrícolas sobre la biodiversidad, y la subsecuente dinámica sucesional, son aún poco comprendidos. Por medio de un experimento no-manipulativo, cuantificamos las diferencias en composición de especies, estructura de la comunidad y diversidad taxonómica entre bosque cerrado (bosque), áreas agrícolas (chacra) y bosque secundario (purma) para dos gremios tróficos de murciélagos filostómidos (frugívoros y forrajeadores de sustrato) durante dos temporadas (secas y lluvias). Las respuestas fueron complejas y diferentes para cada gremio. Para los frugívoros, la composición de especies (distribución de las abundancias) fue diferente para todos los posibles pares de hábitats tanto para secas como para lluvias. Para los forrajeadores de sustrato, la composición de especies difirió entre todos los posibles pares de hábitats en la temporada seca, pero no en la de lluvias. La estructura ecológica (distribuciones rango-abundancia) fue también específica para gremios y temporadas. Para los frugívoros, la diversidad promedio, equidad y dominancia fueron mayores en bosque que en purma; la dominancia promedio fue mayor en bosque que en chacra, pero la rareza local fue mayor en chacra que en bosque, y no se encontraron diferencias entre purma y chacra. Para los forrajeadores de sustrato, la diversidad promedio y la dominancia fueron mayores en bosque que en purma, pero no se detectaron diferencias entre chacra y bosque, o entre purma y chacra. Estos resultados tienen importantes implicaciones para el manejo, conservación y epidemiología de zoonosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Willig
- Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Steven J Presley
- Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Jean-Luc Plante
- Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Christopher P Bloch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA, USA
| | - Sergio Solari
- Grupo Mastozoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
| | - Victor Pacheco
- Departamento de Mastozooloía, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima-14, Perú
| | - Scott C Weaver
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, Center for Tropical Diseases, and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
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17
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Liu X, Trogisch S, He JS, Niklaus PA, Bruelheide H, Tang Z, Erfmeier A, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Pietsch KA, Yang B, Kühn P, Scholten T, Huang Y, Wang C, Staab M, Leppert KN, Wirth C, Schmid B, Ma K. Tree species richness increases ecosystem carbon storage in subtropical forests. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181240. [PMID: 30135164 PMCID: PMC6125896 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest ecosystems are an integral component of the global carbon cycle as they take up and release large amounts of C over short time periods (C flux) or accumulate it over longer time periods (C stock). However, there remains uncertainty about whether and in which direction C fluxes and in particular C stocks may differ between forests of high versus low species richness. Based on a comprehensive dataset derived from field-based measurements, we tested the effect of species richness (3-20 tree species) and stand age (22-116 years) on six compartments of above- and below-ground C stocks and four components of C fluxes in subtropical forests in southeast China. Across forest stands, total C stock was 149 ± 12 Mg ha-1 with richness explaining 28.5% and age explaining 29.4% of variation in this measure. Species-rich stands had higher C stocks and fluxes than stands with low richness; and, in addition, old stands had higher C stocks than young ones. Overall, for each additional tree species, the total C stock increased by 6.4%. Our results provide comprehensive evidence for diversity-mediated above- and below-ground C sequestration in species-rich subtropical forests in southeast China. Therefore, afforestation policies in this region and elsewhere should consider a change from the current focus on monocultures to multi-species plantations to increase C fixation and thus slow increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093 Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Trogisch
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jin-Sheng He
- Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Pascal A Niklaus
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Zhiyao Tang
- Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Alexandra Erfmeier
- Institute for Ecosystem Research, University of Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Katherina A Pietsch
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bo Yang
- Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Jingdezhen University, 333000 Jiangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Peter Kühn
- Soil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Scholten
- Soil Science and Geomorphology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yuanyuan Huang
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chao Wang
- Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Michael Staab
- Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katrin N Leppert
- Faculty of Biology, Geobotany, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christian Wirth
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Geography, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Keping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093 Beijing, People's Republic of China
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