Ecology and biogeography of island parasitoid faunas

Islands constitute natural laboratories for the study of evolutionary and ecological processes due to their discrete and isolated nature. Island biotas tend to be species–poor and disharmonic compared to the mainland; typically, interspecific competition is low, and entire groups of predators, parasitoids or pathogens are absent from their biotas, so the ecological space is often not fully saturated. Consequently, species from island assemblages often use a wider range of resources than their counterparts from the source mainland. Here, I investigate whether island parasitoid communities have proportionally more generalist species than their source mainland, and which factors determine island community structure. These questions were approached using data on the distribution of Ichneumonoidea (Hymenoptera) species worldwide and with data from a survey conducted in the Macaronesian region. Prior to the global analyses, I assessed whether islands and archipelagos follow the same species–area relationship, and identified which islands have comparable inventories. Globally, islands have proportionally more idiobionts (i.e. generalists) than continental areas. However, there is a latitudinal gradient in the level of generalism of island parasitoid faunas that correlates with some environmental factors and island characteristics; the species pool is the most important determinant of island community structure, together with temperature (for braconids) or biogeographical region (for ichneumonids). Host and parasitoid larvae collected in different islands of the Macaronesian region and adjacent mainland were assigned to Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units using a protocol based on host dissection and DNA barcoding. At this scale, mainland faunas have proportionally more koinobiont species and island communities have a greater proportion of idiobionts. Although overall parasitism rates were similar between islands and mainland, islands had higher idiobiont parasitism rates than expected by chance. In summary, results from this thesis indicate that indeed island parasitoid faunas are biased towards generalist species

Island biodiversity in peril: Anticipating a loss of mammals' functional diversity with future species extinctions

Islands are biodiversity hotspots that host unique assemblages. However, a substantial proportion of island species are threatened and their long-term survival is uncertain. Identifying and preserving vulnerable species has become a priority, but it is also essential to combine this information with other facets of biodiversity like functional diversity, to understand how future extinctions might affect ecosystem stability and functioning. Focusing on mammals, we (i) assessed how much functional space would be lost if threatened species go extinct, (ii) determined the minimum number of extinctions that would cause a significant functional loss, (iii) identified the characteristics (e.g., biotic, climatic, geographic, or orographic) of the islands most vulnerable to future changes in the functional space, and (iv) quantified how much of that potential functional loss would be offset by introduced species. Using trait information for 1474 mammal species occurring in 318 islands worldwide, we built trait probability density functions to quantify changes in functional richness and functional redundancy in each island if the mammals categorized by IUCN as threatened disappeared. We found that the extinction of threatened mammals would reduce the functional space in 63% of the assessed islands, although these extinctions in general would cause a reduction of less than 15% of their overall functional space. Also, on most islands, the extinction of just a few species would be sufficient to cause a significant loss of functional diversity. The potential functional loss would be higher on small, isolated, and/or species-rich islands, and, in general, the functional space lost would not be offset by introduced species. Our results show that the preservation of native species and their ecological roles remains crucial for maintaining the current functioning of island ecosystems. Therefore, conservation measures considering functional diversity are imperative to safeguard the unique functional roles of threatened mammal species on island

Métodos de análisis de datos en Ecología con R

Se trata de un manual de estadística básica dirigido a alumnos de Grado de Ciencias Ambientales y Biología (u otros grados que requieran estadística), que incluye los scripts necesarios para hacer los análisis que se explican.Universidad de Alcal

Manual de prácticas y Seminarios de Ecología. (2º de Grado en Ciencias Ambientales)

144 p

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

Ecology and biogeography of island parasitoid faunas

Islands constitute natural laboratories for the study of evolutionary and ecological processes due to their discrete and isolated nature. Island biotas tend to be species–poor and disharmonic compared to the mainland; typically, interspecific competition is low, and entire groups of predators, parasitoids or pathogens are absent from their biotas, so the ecological space is often not fully saturated. Consequently, species from island assemblages often use a wider range of resources than their counterparts from the source mainland. Here, I investigate whether island parasitoid communities have proportionally more generalist species than their source mainland, and which factors determine island community structure. These questions were approached using data on the distribution of Ichneumonoidea (Hymenoptera) species worldwide and with data from a survey conducted in the Macaronesian region. Prior to the global analyses, I assessed whether islands and archipelagos follow the same species–area relationship, and identified which islands have comparable inventories. Globally, islands have proportionally more idiobionts (i.e. generalists) than continental areas. However, there is a latitudinal gradient in the level of generalism of island parasitoid faunas that correlates with some environmental factors and island characteristics; the species pool is the most important determinant of island community structure, together with temperature (for braconids) or biogeographical region (for ichneumonids). Host and parasitoid larvae collected in different islands of the Macaronesian region and adjacent mainland were assigned to Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units using a protocol based on host dissection and DNA barcoding. At this scale, mainland faunas have proportionally more koinobiont species and island communities have a greater proportion of idiobionts. Although overall parasitism rates were similar between islands and mainland, islands had higher idiobiont parasitism rates than expected by chance. In summary, results from this thesis indicate that indeed island parasitoid faunas are biased towards generalist species.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceThe Portuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyGBUnited Kingdo

Funchal (d)escrito: ensaios sobre representações literárias da cidade

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The ReCles.pt CLIL project in practice: teaching with results in higher education

Based on the project partially funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the ReCLes.pt CLIL initiative created communities of practice and learning for Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Higher Education. The project was implemented in six polytechnic institutes in Portugal to support and develop teaching in English based on a methodology that integrates content and language while attending to learners’ needs in both areas. Despite the growing number of English as a Medium of Instruction classes in Higher Education, there remains a paucity of CLIL in the country, both at this and at other levels, although neighboring Spain, for example, has demonstrated an ample use of the CLIL approach, especially in primary and secondary schools. This paper provides an opportunity to get to know these communities of practice and learning in Higher Education to better understand the various ways of dealing with this concept, involving not only the English teachers but also the specific subject teachers in training. This contribution also covers the basis for this training, how the groups are formed, ways to make them work, and best practice as well as results related to monitoring and assessment over the initial three years of the project. The variety of topics and tools created for the 33 piloted modules by these communities of CLIL practice and learning have been published as part of the project. In many cases, continue to be specifically designed and then implemented and assessed in Portuguese Higher Education based on the ReCLes.pt CLIL Training Guide (Morgado et al., 2015).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CLIL in Portuguese Higher Education: building a community of practice and learning

O capítulo reporta os resultados de um projeto, em desenvolvimento, sobre o estudo paralelo e comparativo da utilização de CLIL (abordagem integrada de conteúdo e língua) em cinco institutos politécnicos portugueses, objeto de uma subvenção da FCT, durante sete meses, para Partilha e Divulgação de Experiências em Inovação Didática no Ensino Superior Português. O estudo, que decorre desde 2013, subdivide-se em três etapas de investigação: a primeira, que decorreu em 2013-2014, consistiu num levantamento de necessidades em diversas instituições do ensino superior de modo a perceber a receptividade das mesmas para aceitação de modalidades de ESP (ensino de inglês para fins específicos), EMI (utilização do inglês como língua de ensino) ou abordagens CLIL, como estratégias de apoio à sua internacionalização. Durante a segunda etapa de investigação, que decorreu em 2014-2015, construiu-se uma comunidade de prática entre as diversas instituições de ensino superior politécnico envolvidas no projeto. O capítulo relata essencialmente como se constituiu esta comunidade, como foi apoiada e desenvolvida, os recursos criados e partilhados, as linhas de orientação que apoiaram o trabalho interativo e colaborativo de um grupo de professores de língua estrangeira e de professores de outras áreas científicas no desenvolvimento de módulos CLIL. Descrevem-se outras ações concomitantes ao desenvolvimento da comunidade de aprendizagem CLIL, como sejam a escrita colaborativa de um Guia de Formação de Formadores CLIL por um grupo de professores de língua estrangeira, para apoiar os cursos de formação implementados em cada instituto politécnico; a investigação aplicada decorrente deste processo que sublinhou: a importância da constituição de comunidades de prática CLIL locais, apoiadas na ReCLes (Associação em Rede dos Centros de Línguas do Ensino Superior) enquanto comunidade de prática mais alargada, à escala nacional; a importância de técnicas de scaffolding no ensino superior por oposição ao scaffolding proposto para outros níveis de ensino; e a utilização de estratégias de identificação de terminologia no contexto de práticas de CLIL ou TerminoCLIL. O capítulo inclui ainda alguns dados recolhidos na terceira etapa do projeto (2015-2016), durante a qual se implementaram módulos CLIL piloto; os dados foram recolhidos tanto junto dos professores que os lecionaram, como junto dos alunos, e incidiram sobre a recolha das suas reações e perceções aos módulos CLIL implementados. Estes são apresentados sob a forma de estudos de caso em cada instituição de forma a evidenciar as perspetivas dos sujeitos envolvidos.This report is the result of an ongoing project on the parallel and comparative study of the use of CLIL in five Higher Education Polytechnic lnstitutes in Portugal that received support from FCT for a seven-month period as potential best practice in higher education. The study was developed over a two-year period (2013-2015) and comprised three different research stages. The first stage (2013-2014) focused on needs across HE institutions to assess the readiness of institutions to engage with ESP, EMI or CLIL IICL approaches to meet their internationalization strategy. During the second stage, the emphasis was on the development of a CLIL community of practice across higher education institutions (HEI) in Portugal. This article reports on how this community was created and nurtured, the resources used and shared, guidelines offered through the interaction and collaborative work of HE content and language lecturers. Comments are offered on the Training Guide written collaboratively by a number of language teachers across the lnstitutes and about the CLIL training courses developed in each institute; the applied research that highlighted the importance of building local CLIL communities of practice that were supported by ReCLes (Associação em Rede dos Centros de Línguas do Ensino Superior) as a wider CLIL community of practice, understanding scaffolding in higher education as opposed to what is advised for secondary education, and using terminology-based CLIL or TerminoCLIL. lnsights are also offered on the third stage where CLIL pilot sessions or modules were put into practice by subject teachers' and on their students' reactions and perceptions on the implementation of CLIL through a series of case studies at each HEI as a way to highlight the perspectives of content teachers in HE.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CLIL training guide creating a CLIL learning community in higher education

The ReCLes.pt CLIL Training Guide presents the theoretical and practical basis for the creation of a CLIL Learning Community of foreign language teachers and subject teachers with the topics organized across four chapters. In Chapter 1, the objectives and structuring of the ten hours of sessions and the learning outcomes are presented with an introduction to CLIL design in higher education (HE), forms of interdisciplinary cooperation/collaboration, and a number of models for classroom management. Chapter 2 provides enriching material to help teachers bett er understand the principles of a CLIL Learning Community and CLIL itself, including interactive and student-centered methodologies, a focus on oral interaction and critical dialogue, suggested activities, and the key points for organizing a successful CLIL module. In Chapter 3, on CLIL materials and resources, sections cover the defi nition and examples of scaff olding and activating prior knowledge as well as the selection and adaptation of scaff olding materials, including the use of electronic media and a terminology-based approach. The proposed terminology-based approach focuses on the collection, description, processing, and systematic representation of concepts and their designations. As such, the use of terminology can become a key construct in CLIL teaching, involving the search, production, use, and dissemination of information. International organizations, networks, and multinational professional communities are involved in these steps within the global communication process, providing real motivation for students participating in the CLIL learning process. The final chapter covers the essential research design which has made the ReCLes. pt CLIL project possible. It is included in the hopes of providing a road map for other education organizations or institutions interested in implementing a similar project on their own. Although the pilot experience that resulted in this ReCLes.pt CLIL Training Guide was exclusively in English, most of the recommendations here addressed also apply to other languages