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Schultz ED, Thom G, Zuquim G, Hickerson MJ, Tuomisto H, Ribas CC. Habitat specialization predicts demographic response and vulnerability of floodplain birds in Amazonia. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17221. [PMID: 38018028 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
The annual flooding cycle of Amazonian rivers sustains the largest floodplains on Earth, which harbour a unique bird community. Recent studies suggest that habitat specialization drove different patterns of population structure and gene flow in floodplain birds. However, the lack of a direct estimate of habitat affinity prevents a proper test of its effects on population histories. In this work, we used occurrence data, satellite images and genomic data (ultra-conserved elements) from 24 bird species specialized on a variety of seasonally flooded environments to classify habitat affinities and test its influence on evolutionary histories of Amazonian floodplain birds. We demonstrate that birds with higher specialization in river islands and dynamic environments have gone through more recent demographic expansion and currently have less genetic diversity than floodplain generalist birds. Our results indicate that there is an intrinsic relationship between habitat affinity and environmental dynamics, influencing patterns of population structure, demographic history and genetic diversity. Within the floodplains, historical landscape changes have had more severe impacts on island specialists, making them more vulnerable to current and future anthropogenic changes, as those imposed by hydroelectric dams in the Amazon Basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo D Schultz
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia (Ecologia), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
| | - Gregory Thom
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Gabriela Zuquim
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Hanna Tuomisto
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Camila C Ribas
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
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Cavalcante T, Weber MM, Barnett AA. Combining geospatial abundance and ecological niche models to identify high-priority areas for conservation: The neglected role of broadscale interspecific competition. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.915325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological niche models (ENMs) have become a practical and key mechanism for filling major gaps in spatial information for targeted conservation planning, particularly when only occurrence data are available. Nonetheless, accounting for abundance patterns in the internal structure of species’ ranges, and the role of biotic interactions in such models across broadscale, remains highly challenging. Our study gathered baseline information on abundance data of two Endangered Amazonian primates (Ateles chamek and Lagothrix lagotricha cana) to create geospatial abundance models using two spatial interpolation methods: Inverse distance weight (IDW) and Ordinary kriging (OK). The main goals were to: (i) test whether geospatial abundance models are correlated with habitat suitability derived from correlative ENMs; (ii) compare the strength of the abundance-suitability relationships between original and interpolated abundances; (iii) test whether interspecific competition between the two target taxa constrained abundance over broad spatial scales; and (iv) create ensemble models incorporating both habitat suitability and abundance to identify high-priority areas for conservation. We found a significant positive relationship between habitat suitability with observed and predicted abundances of woolly (L. l. cana) and spider (A. chamek) monkeys. Abundance-suitability correlations showed no significant differences when using original relative abundances compared to using interpolated abundances. We also found that the association between L. l. cana abundance and habitat suitability depended on the abundance of its putative competitor species, A. chamek. Our final models combining geospatial abundance information with ENMs were able to provide more realistic assessments of hotspots for conservation, especially when accounting for the important, but often neglected, role of interspecific competition in shaping species’ geographic ranges at broader scales. The framework developed here, including general trends in abundance patterns and suitability information, can be used as a surrogate to identify high-priority areas for conservation of poorly known species across their entire geographic ranges.
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Pivari D, Pagliani B, Lemos L, Lima D, Gravena W. Monitoring a critical population of the Bolivian river dolphin, Inia boliviensis, before and after closing the floodgates of a hydroelectric dam in the Amazon Basin, Brazil: A quantitative analysis. J Nat Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Arantes CC, Laufer J, Pinto MDDS, Moran E, Lopez MC, Dutka‐Gianelli J, Pinto D, Chaudhari S, Pokhrel Y, Doria C. Functional responses of fisheries to hydropower dams in the Amazonian Floodplain of the Madeira River. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline C. Arantes
- Division of Forestry and Natural Resources West Virginia University Morgantown WV USA
- Center for Global Change and Earth Observations Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - Juliana Laufer
- Center for Global Change and Earth Observations Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - Mac David da Silva Pinto
- Biology Department Federal University of Tocantins Palmas Brazil
- Programa de Pós‐graduação da Rede de Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia da Amazônia Legal (Bionorte), and Ichthyology and Fisheries Laboratory of the Federal University of Rondonia Federal University of Rondônia Porto Velho Brazil
| | - Emilio F. Moran
- Center for Global Change and Earth Observations Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - Maria Claudia Lopez
- Department of Community Sustainability Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | | | - Danielle Mendonça Pinto
- Programa de Pós‐graduação da Rede de Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia da Amazônia Legal (Bionorte), and Ichthyology and Fisheries Laboratory of the Federal University of Rondonia Federal University of Rondônia Porto Velho Brazil
| | - Suyog Chaudhari
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - Yadu Pokhrel
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - Carolina R. C. Doria
- Programa de Pós‐graduação da Rede de Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia da Amazônia Legal (Bionorte), and Ichthyology and Fisheries Laboratory of the Federal University of Rondonia Federal University of Rondônia Porto Velho Brazil
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Assessing Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Direct Influence Zone of the Braço Norte Hydropower Complex, Brazilian Amazonia. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11090988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Over the decades, hydropower complexes have been built in several hydrographic basins of Brazil including the Amazon region. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects of these constructions on the environment and local communities. This work presents a land use and land cover change temporal analysis considering a 33-year period (1985–2018) in the direct influence zone of the Braço Norte Hydropower Complex, Brazilian Amazonia, using the Collection 4.1 level 3 of the freely available MapBiomas dataset. Additionally, we have assessed the Brazilian Amazon large-scale deforestation process acting as a land use and land cover change driver in the study area. Our findings show that the most impacted land cover was forest formation (from 414 km2 to 287 km2, a reduction of 69%), which primarily shifted into pasturelands (increase of 664%, from 40 km2 to 299 km2). The construction of the hydropower complex also triggered indirect impacts such as the presence of urban areas in 2018 and the consequent increased local demand for crops. Together with the ongoing large-scale Amazonian deforestation process, the construction of the complex has intensified changes in the study area as 56.42% of the pixels were changed between 1985 and 2018. This indicates the importance of accurate economic and environmental impact studies for assessing social and environmental consequences of future construction in this unique region. Our results reveal the need for adopting special policies to minimize the impact of these constructions, for example, the creation of Protected Areas and the definition of locally-adjusted parameters for the ecological-economic zoning considering environmental and social circumstances derived from the local actors that depend on the natural environment to subsist such as indigenous peoples, riverine population, and artisanal fishermen.
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Examining Water Area Changes Accompanying Dam Construction in the Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon. WATER 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/w12071921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Two recently constructed run-of-the-river dams (Santo Antônio and Jirau), along the Madeira River in Brazil, have been controversial due to their large unquantified impacts on (1) land use and land cover (LULC) and (2) on the area that would be flooded. Based on annual LULC data from 1985 to 2017, this study integrated intensity analysis and difference components methods to analyze the impacts of the two dams on the annual flooded area in upstream, midstream, and downstream regions of the Madeira River. The dam construction significantly influenced LULC change intensity in the upstream and midstream regions since 2011 and 2010, respectively. An increase of 18.5% of the newly flooded area (462.58 km2) in the post-dam construction period was observed. The water gross gain intensity was active during 2011–2017 and 2011–2014 in upstream and midstream, respectively. The dominant difference components of water change were exchanged in the pre-dam period and became quantity in the post-dam period for both upstream and midstream regions. Forest was the major land category replaced by water; however, the highest gain intensities occurred in other non-vegetated areas in upstream and midstream. This study provided a useful approach for characterizing impacts of dam construction on water area change.
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Almeida RM, Hamilton SK, Rosi EJ, Arantes JD, Barros N, Boemer G, Gripp A, Huszar VLM, Junger PC, Lima M, Pacheco F, Carvalho D, Reisinger AJ, Silva LHS, Roland F. Limnological effects of a large Amazonian run-of-river dam on the main river and drowned tributary valleys. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16846. [PMID: 31727931 PMCID: PMC6856549 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53060-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Run-of-river dams are often considered to have lower environmental impacts than storage dams due to their smaller reservoirs and low potential for flow alteration. However, this has been questioned for projects recently built on large rivers around the world. Two of the world's largest run-of-river dams-Santo Antônio and Jirau-were recently constructed on the Madeira River, a major tributary to the Amazon River in Brazil. Here we evaluate the effects of the creation of the Santo Antônio dam on the water chemistry and thermal structure of the Madeira River mainstem and back-flooded valleys of tributaries within the reservoir inundated area. In contrast to the mainstem river, some back-flooded tributaries periodically developed thermal stratification, which is associated with higher water residence times. Additionally, biochemical oxygen demand, partial pressure of CO2, and organic carbon all increased in the tributary valleys inundated by the reservoir, possibly due to increased input of allochthonous organic matter and its subsequent mineralization upon back-flooding-a common feature of newly flooded impoundments. The mainstem did not show detectable dam-related changes in water chemistry and thermal structure. Although the majority of the reservoir area maintained riverine conditions, the lateral valleys formed upon back-flooding-corresponding to ~30% of the Santo Antônio reservoir area-developed lake-like conditions akin to a typical reservoir of a storage dam.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael M Almeida
- Department of Biology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Stephen K Hamilton
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
| | - Emma J Rosi
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
| | | | - Nathan Barros
- Department of Biology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Gina Boemer
- Ecology and Environment do Brasil Ltda., Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Anderson Gripp
- Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Vera L M Huszar
- National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Pedro C Junger
- Department of Hydrobiology, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Michele Lima
- Ecology and Environment do Brasil Ltda., Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Felipe Pacheco
- Earth System Science Center, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Lúcia H S Silva
- National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Fábio Roland
- Department of Biology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
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Moser P, Simon MF, Medeiros MB, Gontijo AB, Costa FRC. Interaction between extreme weather events and mega‐dams increases tree mortality and alters functional status of Amazonian forests. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Moser
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Universidade de Brasília Brasília Brazil
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