Flom : betydning for struktur, biomasse og karbonlager i et skogslandskap i Amazonas

Amazonia accounts for approximately half of the world’s tropical forests and one quarter of all terrestrial species. The forests retain and circulate large amounts of water and store carbon. Amazonia is thus extremely important both for biodiversity and the global climate. Yet, we know relatively little about the distribution and amount of above-ground biomass stored in these forests. Unflooded Amazonian terra firme forests grow above the maximum flood level of rivers, streams, and lakes. On their floodplains grow seasonally inundated forests. Every year the floodplain forests experience an enormous flood. Here, woody plants at all stages of their life must endure prolonged inundation. In response to the seasonal flooding, they have developed special tissues and strategies, possibly affecting forest above-ground biomass, and carbon stocks. Exploring these aspects, I describe structure and composition of an Amazonian forestscape in the central Juruá River Basin, Brazil. Comparing flooded and unflooded forests I found that forest structure differed. Most woody plant species were forest-specific, but some were shared. Flooding affected the below-ground biota. Bacterial community composition varied with woody plant diversity and flooding, but eukaryotes appeared unaffected. Flooding influenced the wood density of the shared tree species. Trees that grew in the seasonally flooded forest had softer wood than terra firme conspecifics. Considering the differences in forest structure, species composition and intraspecific wood density, I investigated how conventional biomass estimation methods performed across the two forests. Regional height allometry and global wood density measurements were relatively well calibrated to terra firme forest. They performed much worse in the floodplain forest. Calibrating the allometric equations with local height data significantly improved biomass estimates in floodplain forest. Combined with forest-specific genus mean wood density, local allometric height produced reliable terra firme and floodplain above-ground woody biomass estimates. In conclusion, the natural, seasonal floods influence species composition, forest structure and above-ground biomass estimates in the Amazonian forestscape. The results in this dissertation thus implies that flooding must be accounted for when mapping Amazonian carbon stocks.Amazonas er verdens største gjenværende regnskogområde og svært viktig både for artsmangfoldet og jordens klima. Skogen sirkulerer store mengder vann og lagrer karbon. Tross dette vet vi forholdsvis lite om hvor mye og hvordan biomasse og karbon er disponert i Amazonas’ skoger. Skog som ikke oversvømmes kalles i Amazonas for terra firme. Disse ligger bortenfor den maksimale flomhøyden på elver og innsjøer. På elvebreddene vokser flomsletteskog som oversvømmes årlig. Her må planter i alle livsstadier tåle lange oversvømmelsesperioder. Derfor har de utviklet spesielle organer og strategier. Potensielt påvirker disse skogens biomasse og karbonlager. Gjennom å beskrive strukturen og artssammensetningen i et skoglandskap i de sentrale delene av Juruávassdraget i Amazonas, Brasil, utforsker jeg disse aspektene. Flomsletteskogen og terra firme-skogen hadde forskjellig skogstruktur. De fleste trevekstene var habitatspesifikke, men skogene hadde også noen felles arter. Flommen påvirket biota i jordsmonnet. Bakteriesamfunnet endret seg med artsrikdom i plantesamfunnet og flomnivå, men eukaryoter var tilsynelatende upåvirket. Flommen påvirket vedtettheten i de felles tresortene. Trær som vokste i flomslettskogen, hadde mykere trevirke enn de som vokste i terra firme. Forskjellene i skogstruktur, artssammensetning og intraspesifikk vedtetthet ble brukt for å undersøke hvordan konvensjonelle metoder for estimering av biomasse presterte i de to skogtypene. Regional høydeallometri og globale målinger av vedtetthet var relativt godt kalibrert til terra firme-skog. De presterte mye dårligere i flomsletteskogen. Kalibrering av de allometriske ligningene med lokale høydedata forbedret biomassestimatene betydelig i flomsletteskogen. Kombinert med skogsspesifikke mål for vedtetthet på slektsnivå, resulterte den lokale høydeallometrien pålitelige biomassestimater både i flomslettskogen og terra firme-skogen. Jeg konkluderer med at naturlige, årlige flommer i Amazonas påvirker artssammensetning, skogstruktur og biomassestimater. Resultatene i denne avhandlingen viser at flommens innflytelse må tas i betraktning når man kartlegger karbonlager i Amazonas

A stakeholder analysis about jaguar (Panthera onca) conservation in central Brazil

This study was undertaken as part of a larger research project on jaguar conservation and environmental justice financed by the Norwegian Research Council and led by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA, Norway) Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC, Spain), the Jaguar Conservation Fund (JCF, Brazil), and in collaboration with the Norwegian University for Life Sciences (UMB, Norway). This paper constitutes the final work for my (Yennie Bredin) master degree in Tropical Ecology and Management of Natural Resources at UMB.A stakeholder analysis was conducted to study attitudes towards jaguar (Panthera onca) conservation in Brazil and identify areas of conflict and agreement between different stakeholder institutions. In my study I defined stakeholders as any institution that directly or indirectly influenced jaguars, were influenced by jaguars, or both. I limited the spatial scope of the study to the states of Goias and Mato Grosso, in central Brazil, and used Q methodology to explore which institutional actors grouped together and on what issues. The Q analysis was complimented by an “interest-influence” analysis to further explore how the different institutional actors perceived their own interest in, and impact on, jaguar conservation, as well as that of the other institutional actors under scrutiny. From the Q analysis I identified three different narratives which could be described as A; anti-hunting and pro-conservation, B; ecocentric and C; tolerant-towards-jaguars. The three prevailing groups of stakeholders whose opinions constituted these narratives were characterised by institutions linked to government and social movements for the “anti-hunting, pro-conservation” narrative (A), research for the “ecocentric” narrative (B) and cattle farming for the “tolerant-towards-jaguars” narrative (C). Although the jaguar’s right to exist in Brazil was fundamental to all three narratives and the over all level of agreement among the narratives was remarkable, there were also significant differences that could be important for successful jaguar conservation. Hunting in general and jaguar hunting in particular were very controversial issues among the narratives. Also the jaguar’s ecological role, where jaguars should be allowed to survive and the impacts of hydropower were topics that caused disagreement among the narratives. My findings suggest that jaguar conservation potentially could be symbolic of other social or political divisions in central Brazil. Results from the interest-influence analysis, although mixed, further suggested that the power relationships between stakeholder institutions were unclear. There was a clear mismatch in perceptions between institutional actors, suggesting that the understandings between actors of their different roles, with respect to jaguars, were poor. These results are worrying, yet not necessarily surprising considering the very broad spectrum of institutions that were involved in the stakeholder analysis. However, the possible implications this holds for jaguars and their conservation could be serious. If the more important stakeholder institutions do not appreciate their roles in jaguar preservation, or do not understand who the other important players are, they may not adequately assume their responsibilities, cooperate with the appropriate partners or take adequate actions with respect to jaguars

Forest type affects the capacity of Amazonian tree species to store carbon as woody biomass

For tropical tree species, wood density can vary greatly both within and between species depending on environmental conditions. In Amazonian seasonally flooded forests, yearly flood pulses influence tree growth and floodplain trees have developed specialised strategies to cope with prolonged submersion during flooding. We therefore hypothesised that seasonal floods significantly affect the capacity of trees to store carbon as woody biomass per unit volume and that forest hydrology would be an important factor in determining above-ground woody biomass and carbon stocks across the Amazon Basin. To test these hypotheses, we collected and analysed wood cores from 44 species occurring in both seasonally flooded (várzea) forests and adjacent unflooded (terra firme) forests along the Juruá River, western Brazilian Amazon. We used wood specific gravity (WSG) as a proxy of woody biomass and carbon. We compared WSG values within species, genera and families and found higher WSG in unflooded forest trees compared to their conspecifics in seasonally flooded várzea. Moreover, the effect of forest type on WSG was strongest at the family level and weakest at the species level. We further assessed the implications of WSG accuracy on above-ground woody tree biomass and found significant differences in AGWB as a function of WSG. Again, the differences became greater with lower taxonomic specificity, but also increased with lower site-specificity and greater tree dimensions. In conclusion, habitat specific WSG is important to quantify and map the spatial distribution of above-ground woody biomass and carbon in Amazonian forests

Structure and Composition of Terra Firme and Seasonally Flooded Várzea Forests in the Western Brazilian Amazon

Research Highlights: Rare, or sparsely distributed, species drive the floristic diversity of upland, terra firme and seasonally flooded forests in the central Juruá—a remote and hitherto floristically poorly known area in the Brazilian Amazon. Background and Objectives: Floristic inventories are critical for modelling and understanding the role of Amazonian forests in climate regulation, for sustainable management of forest resources and efficient conservation planning. Yet, detailed information about the often complex spatial distributions of many Amazonian woody plants is limited. Here, we provide information about forest structure and species composition from a remote terra firme forest and an adjacent floodplain forest in the western Brazilian Amazon. More specifically, we ask (1) how floristically different are the terra firme and floodplain forests? and (2) how variable is species composition within the same forest type? Materials and Methods: Between September 2016 and October 2017, we inventoried 97 plots (each 0.1 ha; 100 × 10 m) placed at least 800 m apart, with 46 plots in terra firme forest and 51 in seasonally flooded forest. We included all trees, hemi-epiphytes and palms with diameter at breast height (dbh) > 10 cm and woody lianas > 5 cm dbh. We examine forest structure, family- and species-level floristic composition and species diversity within and between forest types using family and species importance values, rarefaction curves and dissimilarity matrices. Results: Terra firme forest and seasonally flooded forest woody plant communities differ both in structure and species composition, which was highly variable within forest types. Many species were shared between terra firme and seasonally flooded forests, but most species were forest type-specific. Whereas species richness was greatest in the terra firme forest, floodplain species richness was among the highest regionally. Conclusions: Floodplain forests are a crucial complement to terra firme forests in terms of Amazonian woody plant diversity

Institutional stakeholders’ views on jaguar conservation issues in central Brazil

AbstractLarge carnivore management is typically a source of heated controversy worldwide and, in the Americas, jaguars (Panthera onca) are at the centre of many human–wildlife conflicts. Although findings suggest that social, rather than economic, factors are important reasons for why humans kill jaguars, few studies focus on stakeholder attitudes towards jaguar conservation beyond quantifying livestock depredation. Yet insights from other large carnivore conflicts demonstrate the importance of the political landscape and stakeholder attitudes in carnivore conservation. To explore the extent to which stakeholder views about jaguar conservation aligned with institutional arrangements, we conducted a stakeholder analysis among personnel working for key institutions in central Brazil. Using Q methodology, we identified three stakeholder perspectives focusing on: A) jaguars’ intrinsic right to exist; B) wider ecocentric values; and C) contesting jaguar-focused conservation. The three institutional stakeholder groups all accepted the jaguar’s fundamental right to exist and agreed that it was important to establish protected areas for jaguars. Yet, institutional stakeholder views diverged regarding the desired distribution of jaguars in Brazil, hunting policies, and the effects of hunting and development projects on jaguar conservation. These differences and their underlying motivations are important to consider for successful jaguar conservation strategies in Brazil

Potential mammalian species for investigating the past connections between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest

Much evidence suggests that Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest were connected through at least three dispersion routes in the past: the Eastern route, the central route, and the Western route. However, few studies have assessed the use of these routes based on multiple species. Here we present a compilation of mammal species that potentially have dispersed between the two forest regions and which may serve to investigate these connections. We evaluate the present-day geographic distributions of mammals occurring in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest and the likely connective routes between these forests. We classified the species per habitat occupancy (strict forest specialists, species that prefer forest habitat, or generalists) and compiled the genetic data available for each species. We found 127 mammalian species presently occurring in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest for which, substantial genetic data was available. Hence, highlighting their potential for phylogeographic studies investigating the past connections between the two forests. Differently from what was previously proposed, the present-day geographic distribution of mammal species found in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest points to more species in the eastern portion of the dry diagonal (and adjoining forested habitats). The Central route was associated with the second most species. Although it remains to be seen how this present-day geography reflects the paleo dispersal routes, our results show the potential of using mammal species to investigate and bring new insights about the past connections between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest

Above- and below-ground biodiversity responses to the prolonged flood pulse in central-western Amazonia, Brazil

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A new species of jupati, genus Metachirus Burmeister 1854 (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) for the Brazilian Amazon

The brown or pouchless four-eyed opossums or jupatis represent the genus Metachirus with a wide geographical range in the Neotropics. Recent studies show distinct monophyletic clades with high genetic divergence and recognized two species, Metachirus nudicaudatus and Metachirus myosuros. Nevertheless, there is a need for systematic revision with multiple sources of evidence on the taxonomy of Metachirus, which has never been fully revised. Here we describe a new species of Metachirus for the Brazilian Amazon from the Xingu/Tocantins interfluve using the unification of concepts and evolutionary significant units, morphological, genetic, and geographic data. Our analysis reveals a new species within Metachirus as a differentiated Amazonian clade from the Serra dos Carajás region and the Caxiuanã National Forest, both in the Xingu endemism centre. This new species can be distinguished from the type species, M. nudicaudatus and from M. myosuros through discrete external morphological characters, including cranium and dentition, and molecular data with an average degree of divergence, but ancient divergence time for the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The Amazon River delimits the distribution of the new species, which also occurs in areas under strong anthropogenic pressure, reinforcing the importance to guide conservation strategies for the region. didelphid; Serra dos Carajás; taxonomy; Xingu/ Tocantins interfluve.acceptedVersio

Report on biodiversity and related concepts perceptions. Delivrable number: D1.1

• This report provides insight into the biodiversity discourse by biodiversityrelevant actor groups in Europe • The absence of a common understanding of biodiversity allows actor groups to choose rhetoric strategically • Biodiversity discourse is used strategically to persuade, gather custom or support, or justify action or inaction • Anthropocentric values are mostly used when arguing both for and against biodiversity conservation • The biodiversity discourse is dominated by rhetoric of warning, persuading, calling for action, accusing, and informing • The rhetoric used in biodiversity discourse differs between countries • Knowledge of societal discourses are valuable to tailor interventions to promote biodiversity, such as those in PLANET4B case studie

Using biodiversity to persuade: A discourse analysis

Using biodiversity to persuade: A discourse analysis. Insights from the biodiversity discourse in Europe