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Almeida-Gomes M, Gotelli NJ, Rocha CFD, Vieira MV, Prevedello JA. Random placement models explain species richness and dissimilarity of frog assemblages within Atlantic Forest fragments. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:618-629. [PMID: 35007336 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of random versus niche-based processes on biodiversity patterns is a central theme in ecology, and an important tool for predicting effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on biodiversity. We investigated the predictive power of random processes to explain species richness and species dissimilarity of amphibian assemblages in a fragmented tropical landscape of the Atlantic Forest of South America. We analyzed a large database of amphibian abundance and occupancy, sampled in 21 forest fragments ranging in size from 1.9 to 619 ha. We compared observed species richness and species dissimilarity with the outcomes of two null (random placement) models: 1- the traditional Coleman's area-based model and 2- an abundance-based model (based on the number of individuals observed in each fragment). We applied these models for all species combined, and separately for forest-dependent and habitat-generalist species. The abundance-based model fitted the observed species richness data better than the area-based model for all species, forest-dependent species, and generalist species. The area-based and the abundance-based models were also able to significantly explain species dissimilarity for all species and for generalists, but not for forest dependent species. The traditional area-based model assigned too many individuals to large fragments, thus failing to accurately explain species richness within patches across the landscape. Although niche-based processes may be important to structuring the regional pool of species in fragmented landscapes, our results suggest that part of the variation in species richness and species dissimilarity can be successfully explained by random placement models, especially for generalist species. Evaluating which factors cause variation in the number of individuals among patches should be a focus in future studies aiming to understand biodiversity patterns in fragmented landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Almeida-Gomes
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | | | | | - Marcus Vinícius Vieira
- Laboratório de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Benatti HR, Luz HR, Lima DM, Gonçalves VD, Costa FB, Ramos VN, Aguiar DM, Pacheco RC, Piovezan U, Szabó MPJ, Ferraz KMPMB, Labruna MB. Morphometric Patterns and Blood Biochemistry of Capybaras ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from Human-Modified Landscapes and Natural Landscapes in Brazil. Vet Sci 2021; 8:vetsci8080165. [PMID: 34437487 PMCID: PMC8402786 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci8080165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, is the largest extant rodent of the world. To better understand the correlation between size and body mass, and biochemical parameters of capybaras from areas with different degrees of anthropization (i.e., different food supplies), we sampled free-ranging capybaras from areas of natural landscapes (NLs) and human-modified landscapes (HMLs) in Brazil. Analyses of biometrical and biochemical parameters of capybaras showed that animals from HMLs were heavier (higher body mass) than those from NL, a condition possibly related to fat deposit rather than body length, as indicated by Body Condition Index (BCI) analyses. Biochemical parameters indicated higher serum levels of albumin, creatine kinase, cholesterol, fructosamine and total protein among capybaras from HMLs than from NLs; however, when all adult capybaras were analyzed together only cholesterol and triglycerides were positively correlated with body mass. We propose that the biochemical profile differences between HMLs and NLs are related to the obesity condition of capybaras among HMLs. Considering that heavier animals might live longer and reproduce more often, our results could have important implications in the population dynamics of capybaras among HMLs, where this rodent species is frequently represented by overgrowth populations that generate several levels of conflicts with human beings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hector R. Benatti
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil; (H.R.B.); (H.R.L.); (D.M.L.); (V.D.G.); (F.B.C.); (V.N.R.)
| | - Hermes R. Luz
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil; (H.R.B.); (H.R.L.); (D.M.L.); (V.D.G.); (F.B.C.); (V.N.R.)
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia do Renorbio, Ponto Focal Maranhão, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, MA, Brazil
| | - Daniel M. Lima
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil; (H.R.B.); (H.R.L.); (D.M.L.); (V.D.G.); (F.B.C.); (V.N.R.)
| | - Vinicius D. Gonçalves
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil; (H.R.B.); (H.R.L.); (D.M.L.); (V.D.G.); (F.B.C.); (V.N.R.)
| | - Francisco B. Costa
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil; (H.R.B.); (H.R.L.); (D.M.L.); (V.D.G.); (F.B.C.); (V.N.R.)
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, São Luís 65055-970, MA, Brazil
| | - Vanessa N. Ramos
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil; (H.R.B.); (H.R.L.); (D.M.L.); (V.D.G.); (F.B.C.); (V.N.R.)
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, MG, Brazil;
| | - Daniel M. Aguiar
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá 78060-900, MT, Brazil; (D.M.A.); (R.C.P.)
| | - Richard C. Pacheco
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá 78060-900, MT, Brazil; (D.M.A.); (R.C.P.)
| | | | - Matias P. J. Szabó
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, MG, Brazil;
| | - Katia Maria P. M. B. Ferraz
- Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, SP, Brazil;
| | - Marcelo B. Labruna
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil; (H.R.B.); (H.R.L.); (D.M.L.); (V.D.G.); (F.B.C.); (V.N.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-11-3091-1394
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Jakovac CC, Junqueira AB, Crouzeilles R, Peña-Claros M, Mesquita RCG, Bongers F. The role of land-use history in driving successional pathways and its implications for the restoration of tropical forests. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1114-1134. [PMID: 33709566 PMCID: PMC8360101 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Secondary forests are increasingly important components of human‐modified landscapes in the tropics. Successional pathways, however, can vary enormously across and within landscapes, with divergent regrowth rates, vegetation structure and species composition. While climatic and edaphic conditions drive variations across regions, land‐use history plays a central role in driving alternative successional pathways within human‐modified landscapes. How land use affects succession depends on its intensity, spatial extent, frequency, duration and management practices, and is mediated by a complex combination of mechanisms acting on different ecosystem components and at different spatial and temporal scales. We review the literature aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying the long‐lasting effects of land use on tropical forest succession and to discuss its implications for forest restoration. We organize it following a framework based on the hierarchical model of succession and ecological filtering theory. This review shows that our knowledge is mostly derived from studies in Neotropical forests regenerating after abandonment of shifting cultivation or pasture systems. Vegetation is the ecological component assessed most often. Little is known regarding how the recovery of belowground processes and microbiota communities is affected by previous land‐use history. In published studies, land‐use history has been mostly characterized by type, without discrimination of intensity, extent, duration or frequency. We compile and discuss the metrics used to describe land‐use history, aiming to facilitate future studies. The literature shows that (i) species availability to succession is affected by transformations in the landscape that affect dispersal, and by management practices and seed predation, which affect the composition and diversity of propagules on site. Once a species successfully reaches an abandoned field, its establishment and performance are dependent on resistance to management practices, tolerance to (modified) soil conditions, herbivory, competition with weeds and invasive species, and facilitation by remnant trees. (ii) Structural and compositional divergences at early stages of succession remain for decades, suggesting that early communities play an important role in governing further ecosystem functioning and processes during succession. Management interventions at early stages could help enhance recovery rates and manipulate successional pathways. (iii) The combination of local and landscape conditions defines the limitations to succession and therefore the potential for natural regeneration to restore ecosystem properties effectively. The knowledge summarized here could enable the identification of conditions in which natural regeneration could efficiently promote forest restoration, and where specific management practices are required to foster succession. Finally, characterization of the landscape context and previous land‐use history is essential to understand the limitations to succession and therefore to define cost‐effective restoration strategies. Advancing knowledge on these two aspects is key for finding generalizable relations that will increase the predictability of succession and the efficiency of forest restoration under different landscape contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina C Jakovac
- International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-320, Brazil.,Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - André B Junqueira
- International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-320, Brazil.,Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Carrer de les Columnes s/n, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Renato Crouzeilles
- International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-320, Brazil.,International Institute for Sustainability Australia, Canberra, ACT, 2602, Australia.,Mestrado Profissional em Ciências do Meio Ambiente, Universidade Veiga de Almeida, Rio de Janeiro, 20271-901, Brazil
| | - Marielos Peña-Claros
- Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Rita C G Mesquita
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, 2936, Manaus, 69083-000, Brazil
| | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
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Smith CC, Espírito-Santo FDB, Healey JR, Young PJ, Lennox GD, Ferreira J, Barlow J. Secondary forests offset less than 10% of deforestation-mediated carbon emissions in the Brazilian Amazon. Glob Chang Biol 2020; 26:7006-7020. [PMID: 32969561 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Secondary forests are increasing in the Brazilian Amazon and have been cited as an important mechanism for reducing net carbon emissions. However, our understanding of the contribution of secondary forests to the Amazonian carbon balance is incomplete, and it is unclear to what extent emissions from old-growth deforestation have been offset by secondary forest growth. Using MapBiomas 3.1 and recently refined IPCC carbon sequestration estimates, we mapped the age and extent of secondary forests in the Brazilian Amazon and estimated their role in offsetting old-growth deforestation emissions since 1985. We also assessed whether secondary forests in the Brazilian Amazon are growing in conditions favourable for carbon accumulation in relation to a suite of climatic, landscape and local factors. In 2017, the 129,361 km2 of secondary forest in the Brazilian Amazon stored 0.33 ± 0.05 billion Mg of above-ground carbon but had offset just 9.37% of old-growth emissions since 1985. However, we find that the majority of Brazilian secondary forests are situated in contexts that are less favourable for carbon accumulation than the biome average. Our results demonstrate that old-growth forest loss remains the most important factor determining the carbon balance in the Brazilian Amazon. Understanding the implications of these findings will be essential for improving estimates of secondary forest carbon sequestration potential. More accurate quantification of secondary forest carbon stocks will support the production of appropriate management proposals that can efficiently harness the potential of secondary forests as a low-cost, nature-based tool for mitigating climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fernando D B Espírito-Santo
- Leicester Institute of Space and Earth Observation, Centre for Landscape and Climate Research, School of Geography, Geology and Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - John R Healey
- School of Natural Sciences, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Paul J Young
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Data Science, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Gareth D Lennox
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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5
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Leal CG, Barlow J, Gardner TA, Hughes RM, Leitão RP, Nally RM, Kaufmann PR, Ferraz SFB, Zuanon J, de Paula FR, Ferreira J, Thomson JR, Lennox GD, Dary EP, Röpke CP, Pompeu PS. Is environmental legislation conserving tropical stream faunas? A large-scale assessment of local, riparian and catchment-scale influences on Amazonian fish. J Appl Ecol 2018; 55:1312-1326. [PMID: 32831394 PMCID: PMC7433846 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Agricultural expansion and intensification are major threats to tropical biodiversity. In addition to the direct removal of native vegetation, agricultural expansion often elicits other human-induced disturbances, many of which are poorly addressed by existing environmental legislation and conservation programmes. This is particularly true for tropical freshwater systems, where there is considerable uncertainty about whether a legislative focus on protecting riparian vegetation is sufficient to conserve stream fauna.To assess the extent to which stream fish are being effectively conserved in agricultural landscapes, we examined the spatial distribution of assemblages in river basins to identify the relative importance of human impacts at instream, riparian and catchment scales, in shaping observed patterns. We used an extensive dataset on the ecological condition of 83 low-order streams distributed in three river basins in the eastern Brazilian Amazon.We collected and identified 24,420 individual fish from 134 species. Multiplicative diversity partitioning revealed high levels of compositional dissimilarity (DS) among stream sites (DS = 0.74 to 0.83) and river basins (DS = 0.82), due mainly to turnover (77.8% to 81.8%) rather than nestedness. The highly heterogeneous fish faunas in small Amazonian streams underscore the vital importance of enacting measures to protect forests on private lands outside of public protected areas.Instream habitat features explained more variability in fish assemblages (15%-19%) than riparian (2%-12%), catchment (4%-13%) or natural covariates (4%-11%). Although grouping species into functional guilds allowed us to explain up to 31% of their abundance (i.e. for nektonic herbivores), individual riparian - and catchment - scale predictor variables that are commonly a focus of environmental legislation explained very little of the observed variation (partial R2 values mostly <5%).Policy implications. Current rates of agricultural intensification and mechanization in tropical landscapes are unprecedented, yet the existing legislative frameworks focusing on protecting riparian vegetation seem insufficient to conserve stream environments and their fish assemblages. To safeguard the species-rich freshwater biota of small Amazonian streams, conservation actions must shift towards managing whole basins and drainage networks, as well as agricultural practices in already-cleared land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecília G. Leal
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- Fish Ecology Laboratory, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Jos Barlow
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Robert M. Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute and Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Rafael P. Leitão
- National Institute for Amazonia Research, Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Department of General Biology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ralph Mac Nally
- Institute for Applied Ecology, The University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT, Australia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Philip R. Kaufmann
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Silvio F. B. Ferraz
- Forest Hydrology Laboratory (LHF), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Jansen Zuanon
- National Institute for Amazonia Research, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Felipe R. de Paula
- Forest Hydrology Laboratory (LHF), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | | | - James R. Thomson
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Heidelberg, Vic., Australia
| | - Gareth D. Lennox
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Eurizângela P. Dary
- Institute of Natural, Human and Social Sciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Sinop, MT, Brazil
| | - Cristhiana P. Röpke
- Faculty of Agrarian Sciences and Institute of Biology, Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Paulo S. Pompeu
- Fish Ecology Laboratory, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil
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