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Utteridge TMA. What is in store for the tropical forests of Indo-Australia? New Phytol 2023; 240:2176-2178. [PMID: 37749862 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19277] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
This article is a Commentary on Prohaska et al. (2023), 240: 2513–2529.
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Chomphuphuang N, Sippawat Z, Sriranan P, Piyatrakulchai P, Songsangchote C. A new electric-blue tarantula species of the genus Chilobrachys Karsh, 1892 from Thailand (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae). Zookeys 2023; 1180:105-128. [PMID: 37767521 PMCID: PMC10520723 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1180.106278] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The enchanting phenomenon of blue coloration in animals arises from the fact that blue is one of the rarest colors found in nature, and it is a structural color that is produced by the arrangement of biological photonic nanostructures, rather than pigments. This unique coloration has evolved independently in many different species, adding to the fascination and diversity of coloration patterns in the animal kingdom. This study describes a new species of Chilobrachys Karsch, 1892 from southern Thailand that exhibits a blue-violet hue resembling the color of electrical sparks. Photographic illustrations, a morphological description, and the natural habitat of the new species are given. The diagnosis, palpal-bulb structures, spermathecae, and stridulatory organ morphology of related species are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narin Chomphuphuang
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Zongtum Sippawat
- 160 village no. 7, Mae Tho, Mueang Tak district, Tak province, Thailand
| | - Patipan Sriranan
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Paveen Piyatrakulchai
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Chaowalit Songsangchote
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
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Claridge BR, Kaunisto KM, Sääksjärvi IE. Capitojoppa, a new genus of Ichneumoninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Peruvian Amazonia. Zookeys 2023; 1178:69-76. [PMID: 37692917 PMCID: PMC10492037 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1178.108929] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
A new monotypic genus of ichneumonine parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae) is described from Peru; Capitojoppagen. nov. is described to accommodate Capitojoppaamazonicasp. nov. The new genus is morphologically very distinctive and can be easily separated from all known ichneumonine genera. By describing Capitojoppa from the lowland rain forests of Peru, we aim to draw attention to the considerable diversity and morphological variation of the Amazonian ichneumonine fauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon R. Claridge
- Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322 USAUtah State UniversityLoganUnited States of America
| | - Kari M. Kaunisto
- Biodiversity Unit, Zoological Museum, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Ilari E. Sääksjärvi
- Biodiversity Unit, Zoological Museum, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
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Singh N, Pradhan R, Singh RP, Gupta PK. The role of continental evapotranspiration on water vapour isotopic variability in the troposphere. Isotopes Environ Health Stud 2023; 59:248-268. [PMID: 37210706 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2023.2212834] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Rainforests play an important role in hydrological and carbon cycles, both at regional and global scales. They pump large quantities of moisture from the soil to the atmosphere and are major rainfall hotspots of the world. Satellite-observed stable water isotope ratios have played an essential role in determining sources of moisture in the atmosphere. Satellites provide information about the processes involving vapour transport in different zones of the world, identifying sources of rainfall and distinguishing moisture transport in monsoonal systems. This paper focuses on major rainforests of the world (Southern Amazon, Congo and Northeast India) to understand the role of continental evapotranspiration in influencing tropospheric water vapour. We have used satellite measurements of 1H2H16O/1H216O from Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS), evapotranspiration (ET), solar-induced fluorescence (SIF), precipitation (P), atmospheric reanalysis-derived moisture flux convergence (MFC) and wind to discern the role of ET in influencing water vapour isotopes. A global map of the correlation between δ2Hv and ET-P flux indicates that densely vegetated regions in the tropics show the highest positive correlation (r > 0.5). Using mixing models and observations of specific humidity and isotopic ratio over these forested regions, we discern the source of moisture in pre-wet and wet seasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimisha Singh
- Land Hydrology Division, Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, India
| | - Rohit Pradhan
- Land Hydrology Division, Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, India
| | | | - Praveen K Gupta
- Land Hydrology Division, Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, India
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5
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Moi DA, Barrios M, Tesitore G, Burwood M, Romero GQ, Mormul RP, Kratina P, Juen L, Michelan TS, Montag LFA, Cruz GM, García-Girón J, Heino J, Hughes RM, Figueiredo BRS, Teixeira de Mello F. Human land-uses homogenize stream assemblages and reduce animal biomass production. J Anim Ecol 2023. [PMID: 36994670 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13924] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
1. Human land-use change is a major threat to natural ecosystems worldwide. Nonetheless, the effects of human land-uses on the structure of plant and animal assemblages and their functional characteristics need to be better understood. Furthermore, the pathways by which human land uses affect ecosystem functions, such as biomass production, still need to be clarified. 2. We compiled a unique dataset of fish, arthropod and macrophyte assemblages from 61 stream ecosystems in two Neotropical biomes: Amazonian rainforest and Uruguayan grasslands. We then tested how the cover of agriculture, pasture, urbanization and afforestation affected the taxonomic richness and functional diversity of those three species assemblages, and the consequences of these effects for animal biomass production. Single trait categories and functional diversity were evaluated, combining recruitment and life-history, resource and habitat-use, and body size. 3.The effects of intensive human land-uses on taxonomic and functional diversities were as strong as other drivers known to affect biodiversity, such as local climate and environmental factors. In both biomes, the taxonomic richness and functional diversity of animal and macrophyte assemblages decreased with increasing cover of agriculture, pasture, and urbanization. Human land-uses were associated with functional homogenization of both animal and macrophyte assemblages. Human land-uses reduced animal biomass through direct and indirect pathways mediated by declines in taxonomic and functional diversities. 4. Our findings indicate that converting natural ecosystems to supply human demands results in species loss and trait homogenization across multiple biotic assemblages, ultimately reducing animal biomass production in streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieison A Moi
- Graduate Program in Ecology of Inland Water Ecosystems (PEA), Department of Biology (DBI), Center of Biological Sciences (CCB), State University of Maringá (UEM), Brazil
| | - Margenny Barrios
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental CURE, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó s/n, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - Giancarlo Tesitore
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental CURE, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó s/n, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - Maite Burwood
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental CURE, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó s/n, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, 13083-862, Brazil
| | - Roger P Mormul
- Graduate Program in Ecology of Inland Water Ecosystems (PEA), Department of Biology (DBI), Center of Biological Sciences (CCB), State University of Maringá (UEM), Brazil
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Leandro Juen
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia - Universidade Federal do Pará/Embrapa, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation (LABECO), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Bernardo Saião, Guamá, Belém, PA, 68625-150, Brazil
| | - Thaísa S Michelan
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia - Universidade Federal do Pará/Embrapa, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation (LABECO), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Bernardo Saião, Guamá, Belém, PA, 68625-150, Brazil
| | - Luciano F A Montag
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia - Universidade Federal do Pará/Embrapa, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation (LABECO), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Bernardo Saião, Guamá, Belém, PA, 68625-150, Brazil
| | - Gabriel M Cruz
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation (LABECO), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Bernardo Saião, Guamá, Belém, PA, 68625-150, Brazil
| | - Jorge García-Girón
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, P. O. Box 8000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Campus de Vegazana, 24007, León, Spain
| | - Jani Heino
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, P. O. Box 8000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Robert M Hughes
- Amnis Opes Institute, 2895 SE Glenn, Corvallis, Oregon, 97333, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
| | - Bruno R S Figueiredo
- Department of Ecology and Zoology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Franco Teixeira de Mello
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental CURE, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó s/n, Maldonado, Uruguay
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Tao S, Chave J, Frison PL, Le Toan T, Ciais P, Fang J, Wigneron JP, Santoro M, Yang H, Li X, Labrière N, Saatchi S. Increasing and widespread vulnerability of intact tropical rainforests to repeated droughts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2116626119. [PMID: 36067321 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116626119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Intact tropical rainforests have been exposed to severe droughts in recent decades, which may threaten their integrity, their ability to sequester carbon, and their capacity to provide shelter for biodiversity. However, their response to droughts remains uncertain due to limited high-quality, long-term observations covering extensive areas. Here, we examined how the upper canopy of intact tropical rainforests has responded to drought events globally and during the past 3 decades. By developing a long pantropical time series (1992 to 2018) of monthly radar satellite observations, we show that repeated droughts caused a sustained decline in radar signal in 93%, 84%, and 88% of intact tropical rainforests in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, respectively. Sudden decreases in radar signal were detected around the 1997-1998, 2005, 2010, and 2015 droughts in tropical Americas; 1999-2000, 2004-2005, 2010-2011, and 2015 droughts in tropical Africa; and 1997-1998, 2006, and 2015 droughts in tropical Asia. Rainforests showed similar low resistance (the ability to maintain predrought condition when drought occurs) to severe droughts across continents, but American rainforests consistently showed the lowest resilience (the ability to return to predrought condition after the drought event). Moreover, while the resistance of intact tropical rainforests to drought is decreasing, albeit weakly in tropical Africa and Asia, forest resilience has not increased significantly. Our results therefore suggest the capacity of intact rainforests to withstand future droughts is limited. This has negative implications for climate change mitigation through forest-based climate solutions and the associated pledges made by countries under the Paris Agreement.
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Yap JYS, Rossetto M, Das S, Wilson PD, Beaumont LJ, Henry RJ. Tracking habitat or testing its suitability? Similar distributional patterns can hide very different histories of persistence versus nonequilibrium dynamics. Evolution 2022; 76:1209-1228. [PMID: 35304742 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14460] [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: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The expansions and contractions of a species' range in response to temporal changes in selective filters leave genetic signatures that can inform a more accurate reconstruction of their evolutionary history across the landscape. After a long period of continental decline, Australian rainforests settled into localized patterns of contraction or expansion during the climatic fluctuations of the Quaternary. The environmental impacts of recurring glacial and interglacial periods also intensified the arrival of new lineages from the Sunda shelf, and it can be expected that immigrant versus locally persistent taxa responded to environmental challenges in quantifiably different manner. To investigate how such differences impact on species' distribution, we contrast landscape genomic patterns and changes in habitat availability between a species with a long continental history on Doryphora sassafras and a Sunda-derived species (Toona ciliata), across a distributional overlap. Extensive landscape-level homogeneity across chloroplast and nuclear genomes for the Sunda-derived T. ciliata, characterize the genetic signature of a very recent invasion and a rapid southern "exploratory" expansion that had not been previously recorded in the Australian flora (i.e., of Gondwanan origin or Sahul-derived). In contrast, D. sassafras is consistent with other Sahul-derived species characterized by strong geographical divergence and regional differentiation. Interestingly, our findings suggest that admixture between genetically divergent populations during expansion events might be a contributing factor to the successful colonization of novel habitats. Overall, this study identifies some of the mechanisms regulating the rearrangements in species distributions and assemblage composition that follow major environmental shifts, and reminds us how a species' current range might not necessarily define species' habitat preference, with the consequence that estimates of past or future range might not always be reliable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Yee Samantha Yap
- Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Maurizio Rossetto
- Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sourav Das
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Brisbane, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Peter D Wilson
- Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Brisbane, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Linda J Beaumont
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Brisbane, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Robert J Henry
- Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Galán-de-Mera A, Campos-de-la-Cruz J, Linares-Perea E, Montoya-Quino J, Torres-Marquina I, Vicente-Orellana JA. A Phytosociological Study on Andean Rainforests of Peru, and a Comparison with the Surrounding Countries. Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:E1654. [PMID: 33256180 DOI: 10.3390/plants9121654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This work is a phytosociological approach to the montane rainforests of Peru with the aim of advancing on the diversity of plant communities, which we had already begun in previous research. From 364 phytosociological plots and 3389 species of the South American tropics, we have developed a cluster, using the Sørensen index, to know the similarities between the forests and their parallelism with bioclimatic conditions. After studying the existence of characteristic groups of the Peruvian forests, we have established different communities and phytosociological units for Peru. As a result, we have described seven associations, within three new alliances, which are gathered in the new order Saurauio peruvianae-Condaminetalia corymbosae of the new class Morello pubescentis-Myrsinetea coriaceae. In addition, two associations have been described within the class Pruno rigidae-Oreopanacetea floribundae (mesotropical laurel-like forests), and three for the class Alnetea acuminatae (alder forests and palm groves). The humid forests of Peru are closer to those of Ecuador and to those of the set formed by the three Colombian mountain ranges than to those of Bolivia and Argentina, due to the common flora these share with areas of Paraguay and even of the Parana River region.
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Ondei S, Prior LD, Williamson GJ, Vigilante T, Bowman DMJS. Water, land, fire, and forest: Multi-scale determinants of rainforests in the Australian monsoon tropics. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:1592-1604. [PMID: 28261468 PMCID: PMC5330914 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [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: 07/02/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The small rainforest fragments found in savanna landscapes are powerful, yet often overlooked, model systems to understand the controls of these contrasting ecosystems. We analyzed the relative effect of climatic variables on rainforest density at a subcontinental level, and employed high-resolution, regional-level analyses to assess the importance of landscape settings and fire activity in determining rainforest density in a frequently burnt Australian savanna landscape. Estimates of rainforest density (ha/km2) across the Northern Territory and Western Australia, derived from preexisting maps, were used to calculate the correlations between rainforest density and climatic variables. A detailed map of the northern Kimberley (Western Australia) rainforests was generated and analyzed to determine the importance of geology and topography in controlling rainforests, and to contrast rainforest density on frequently burnt mainland and nearby islands. In the northwestern Australian, tropics rainforest density was positively correlated with rainfall and moisture index, and negatively correlated with potential evapotranspiration. At a regional scale, rainforests showed preference for complex topographic positions and more fertile geology. Compared with mainland areas, islands had significantly lower fire activity, with no differences between terrain types. They also displayed substantially higher rainforest density, even on level terrain where geomorphological processes do not concentrate nutrients or water. Our multi-scale approach corroborates previous studies that suggest moist climate, infrequent fires, and geology are important stabilizing factors that allow rainforest fragments to persist in savanna landscapes. These factors need to be incorporated in models to predict the future extent of savannas and rainforests under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Ondei
- School of Biological Sciences University of Tasmania Sandy Bay Tas. Australia
| | - Lynda D Prior
- School of Biological Sciences University of Tasmania Sandy Bay Tas. Australia
| | - Grant J Williamson
- School of Biological Sciences University of Tasmania Sandy Bay Tas. Australia
| | - Tom Vigilante
- Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation Kalumburu WA Australia; Bush Heritage Australia Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - David M J S Bowman
- School of Biological Sciences University of Tasmania Sandy Bay Tas. Australia
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Bello C, Galetti M, Pizo MA, Magnago LFS, Rocha MF, Lima RAF, Peres CA, Ovaskainen O, Jordano P. Defaunation affects carbon storage in tropical forests. Sci Adv 2015; 1:e1501105. [PMID: 26824067 PMCID: PMC4730851 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1501105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Carbon storage is widely acknowledged as one of the most valuable forest ecosystem services. Deforestation, logging, fragmentation, fire, and climate change have significant effects on tropical carbon stocks; however, an elusive and yet undetected decrease in carbon storage may be due to defaunation of large seed dispersers. Many large tropical trees with sizeable contributions to carbon stock rely on large vertebrates for seed dispersal and regeneration, however many of these frugivores are threatened by hunting, illegal trade, and habitat loss. We used a large data set on tree species composition and abundance, seed, fruit, and carbon-related traits, and plant-animal interactions to estimate the loss of carbon storage capacity of tropical forests in defaunated scenarios. By simulating the local extinction of trees that depend on large frugivores in 31 Atlantic Forest communities, we found that defaunation has the potential to significantly erode carbon storage even when only a small proportion of large-seeded trees are extirpated. Although intergovernmental policies to reduce carbon emissions and reforestation programs have been mostly focused on deforestation, our results demonstrate that defaunation, and the loss of key ecological interactions, also poses a serious risk for the maintenance of tropical forest carbon storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Bello
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
- Corresponding author. E-mail:
| | - Marco A. Pizo
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Luiz Fernando S. Magnago
- Departamento de Biologia, Setor de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais 37200-000, Brazil
| | - Mariana F. Rocha
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Plants, Av PH Rolfs s/n, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900 MG, Brazil
| | - Renato A. F. Lima
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Carlos A. Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR47TJ, UK
| | - Otso Ovaskainen
- Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, P. O. Box 65, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Isla de La Cartuja, Avenida Américo Vespucio S/N, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
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11
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Merkhofer L, Wilf P, Haas MT, Kooyman RM, Sack L, Scoffoni C, Cúneo NR. Resolving Australian analogs for an Eocene Patagonian paleorainforest using leaf size and floristics. Am J Bot 2015; 102:1160-1173. [PMID: 26199371 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF THE STUDY The diverse early Eocene flora from Laguna del Hunco (LH) in Patagonia, Argentina has many nearest living relatives (NLRs) in Australasia but few in South America, indicating the differential survival of an ancient, trans-Antarctic rainforest biome. To better understand this significant biogeographic pattern, we used detailed comparisons of leaf size and floristics to quantify the legacy of LH across a large network of Australian rainforest-plot assemblages.• METHODS We applied vein scaling, a new method for estimating the original areas of fragmented leaves. We then compared leaf size and floristics at LH with living Australian assemblages and tabulated the climates of those where NLRs occur, along with additional data on climatic ranges of "ex-Australian" NLRs that survive outside of Australia.• KEY RESULTS Vein scaling estimated areas as accurately as leaf-size classes. Applying vein scaling to fossil fragments increased the grand mean area of LH by 450 mm(2), recovering more originally large leaves. The paleoflora has a majority of microphyll leaves, comparable to leaf litter in subtropical Australian forests, which also have the greatest floristic similarity to LH. Tropical Australian assemblages also share many taxa with LH, and ex-Australian NLRs mostly inhabit cool, wet montane habitats no longer present in Australia.• CONCLUSIONS Vein scaling is valuable for improving the resolution of fossil leaf-size distributions by including fragmented specimens. The legacy of LH is evident not only in subtropical and tropical Australia but also in tropical montane Australasia and Southeast Asia, reflecting the disparate histories of surviving Gondwanan lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Merkhofer
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 USA
| | - Peter Wilf
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 USA
| | - M Tyler Haas
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 USA
| | - Robert M Kooyman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Lawren Sack
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095 USA
| | - Christine Scoffoni
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095 USA
| | - N Rubén Cúneo
- Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Trelew 9100, Chubut, Argentina
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Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Agathis is an iconic genus of large, ecologically important, and economically valuable conifers that range over lowland to upper montane rainforests from New Zealand to Sumatra. Exploitation of its timber and copal has greatly reduced the genus's numbers. The early fossil record of Agathis comes entirely from Australia, often presumed to be its area of origin. Agathis has no previous record from South America. METHODS We describe abundant macrofossils of Agathis vegetative and reproductive organs, from early and middle Eocene rainforest paleofloras of Patagonia, Argentina. The leaves were formerly assigned to the New World cycad genus Zamia. KEY RESULTS Agathis zamunerae sp. nov. is the first South American occurrence and the most complete representation of Agathis in the fossil record. Its morphological features are fully consistent with the living genus. The most similar living species is A. lenticula, endemic to lower montane rainforests of northern Borneo. CONCLUSIONS Agathis zamunerae sp. nov. demonstrates the presence of modern-aspect Agathis by 52.2 mya and vastly increases the early range and possible areas of origin of the genus. The revision from Zamia breaks another link between the Eocene and living floras of South America. Agathis was a dominant, keystone element of the Patagonian Eocene floras, alongside numerous other plant taxa that still associate with it in Australasia and Southeast Asia. Agathis extinction in South America was an integral part of the transformation of Patagonian biomes over millions of years, but the living species are disappearing from their ranges at a far greater rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Wilf
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 USA
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13
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Fu R, Yin L, Li W, Arias PA, Dickinson RE, Huang L, Chakraborty S, Fernandes K, Liebmann B, Fisher R, Myneni RB. Increased dry-season length over southern Amazonia in recent decades and its implication for future climate projection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:18110-5. [PMID: 24145443 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1302584110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We have observed that the dry-season length (DSL) has increased over southern Amazonia since 1979, primarily owing to a delay of its ending dates (dry-season end, DSE), and is accompanied by a prolonged fire season. A poleward shift of the subtropical jet over South America and an increase of local convective inhibition energy in austral winter (June-August) seem to cause the delay of the DSE in austral spring (September-November). These changes cannot be simply linked to the variability of the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Although they show some resemblance to the effects of anthropogenic forcings reported in the literature, we cannot attribute them to this cause because of inadequate representation of these processes in the global climate models that were presented in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report. These models significantly underestimate the variability of the DSE and DSL and their controlling processes. Such biases imply that the future change of the DSE and DSL may be underestimated by the climate projections provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report models. Although it is not clear whether the observed increase of the DSL will continue in the future, were it to continue at half the rate of that observed, the long DSL and fire season that contributed to the 2005 drought would become the new norm by the late 21st century. The large uncertainty shown in this study highlights the need for a focused effort to better understand and simulate these changes over southern Amazonia.
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14
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Eclesia RP, Jobbagy EG, Jackson RB, Biganzoli F, Piñeiro G. Shifts in soil organic carbon for plantation and pasture establishment in native forests and grasslands of South America. Glob Chang Biol 2012; 18:3237-3251. [PMID: 28741815 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02761.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2012] [Revised: 05/23/2012] [Accepted: 05/25/2012] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The replacement of native vegetation by pastures or tree plantations is increasing worldwide. Contradictory effects of these land use transitions on the direction of changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, quality, and vertical distribution have been reported, which could be explained by the characteristics of the new or prior vegetation, time since vegetation replacement, and environmental conditions. We used a series of paired-field experiments and a literature synthesis to evaluate how these factors affect SOC contents in transitions between tree- and grass-dominated (grazed) ecosystems in South America. Both our field and literature approaches showed that SOC changes (0-20 cm of depth) were independent of the initial native vegetation (forest, grassland, or savanna) but strongly dependent on the characteristics of the new vegetation (tree plantations or pastures), its age, and precipitation. Pasture establishment increased SOC contents across all our precipitation gradient and C gains were greater as pastures aged. In contrast, tree plantations increased SOC stocks in arid sites but decreased them in humid ones. However, SOC losses in humid sites were counterbalanced by the effect of plantation age, as plantations increased their SOC stocks as plantations aged. A multiple regression model including age and precipitation explained more than 50% (p < 0.01) of SOC changes observed after sowing pastures or planting trees. The only clear shift observed in the vertical distribution of SOC occurred when pastures replaced native forests, with SOC gains in the surface soil but losses at greater depths. The changes in SOC stocks occurred mainly in the silt+clay soil size fraction (MAOM), while SOC stocks in labile (POM) fraction remained relatively constant. Our results can be considered in designing strategies to increase SOC storage and soil fertility and highlight the importance of precipitation, soil depth, and age in determining SOC changes across a range of environments and land-use transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxana P Eclesia
- Estación Experimental Agropecuaria INTA Cerro Azul, Misiones, Argentina
- IFEVA/Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires/CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Esteban G Jobbagy
- Grupo de Estudios Ambientales, IMASL, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, CONICET, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment, Center on Global Change, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Fernando Biganzoli
- Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gervasio Piñeiro
- IFEVA/Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires/CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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15
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Rix MG, Harvey MS. Australian Assassins, Part III: A review of the Assassin Spiders (Araneae, Archaeidae) of tropical north-eastern Queensland. Zookeys 2012; 218:1-50. [PMID: 22977344 PMCID: PMC3433871 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.218.3662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 07/10/2012] [Accepted: 08/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The assassin spiders of the family Archaeidae from tropical north-eastern Queensland are revised, with eight new species described from rainforest habitats of the Wet Tropics bioregion and Mackay-Whitsundays Hinterland: Austrarchaea griswoldisp. n., Austrarchaea hoskinisp. n., Austrarchaea karenaesp. n., Austrarchaea tealeisp. n., Austrarchaea thompsonisp. n., Austrarchaea wallaceisp. n., Austrarchaea westisp. n. and Austrarchaea woodaesp. n. Specimens of the only previously described species, Austrarchaea daviesae Forster & Platnick, 1984, are redescribed from the southern Atherton Tableland. The rainforests of tropical eastern Queensland are found to be a potential hotspot of archaeid diversity and endemism, with the region likely to be home to numerous additional short-range endemic taxa. A key to species complements the taxonomy, with maps, natural history information and conservation assessments provided for all species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G. Rix
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, Perth, Western Australia 6986, Australia
| | - Mark S. Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, Perth, Western Australia 6986, Australia
- Research Associate, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Research Associate, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
- Adjunct Professor, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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