Experimental trampling effects on sand dune vegetation at Serra do Mar State Park, Picinguaba, Ubatuba, SP

Foi realizado um trabalho de pisoteio experimental na vegetação de dunas do Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba, Ubatuba, SP. Dez parcelas permanentes foram instaladas, cinco no verão e cinco no inverno, subdivididas em 6 tratamentos, que receberam pisoteio controlado nas intensidades de 25, 75, 200, 500 e 1000 passadas, além do controle (sem pisoteio). O procedimento foi repetido em dois anos consecutivos. A cobertura e a altura relativa da comunidade e a cobertura das principais espécies da área foram avaliadas periodicamente ao longo de cada ano. As diferenças entre os tratamentos foram analisadas através do Teste de Friedman. A comunidade apresentou redução na cobertura e na altura da vegetação, mas sua recuperação ocorreu rapidamente. Os efeitos do pisoteio variaram com a estação do ano e com o número de ciclo do impacto, sendo mais evidentes no inverno e no segundo ano independente da estação. A altura decaiu mais rapidamente que a cobertura e demorou mais tempo para se recuperar. Não houve diferenças significativas entre o controle e os tratamentos de menor intensidade (25 e 75 passadas) nem entre os de média e grande intensidade (200, 500 e 1000 passadas), indicando que o uso da capacidade de carga recreativa não é um bom parâmetro para a área estudada. Analisando os dados obtidos pode-se afirmar que a comunidade estudada apresenta alta resistência e resiliência aos efeitos do pisoteio. O número de espécies aumentou com os anos do experimento, mas a maioria delas tem características de plantas invasoras. Três meses após o impacto as espécies apresentavam cobertura semelhante à observada antes do pisoteio. Os dados indicam que as espécies apresentam diferentes padrões de resistência e de resiliência. A Poaceae Panicum racemosum foi a espécie mais resistente ao impacto, e foi classificada como indiferente ao pisoteio; Hidrocotyle bonariensis foi a mais sensível, mas se recuperou rápido e superou os valores iniciais, sendo identificada como favorecida pelo pisoteio. Blutaparon portulacoides apresentou resistência e resiliência intermediárias, mas foi, aos poucos, eliminada da área pelas outras espécies, sendo classificada como desfavorecida pelo pisoteio. Considerando os resultados obtidos, uma forma eficiente de manejo da área é a concentração do uso, direcionando a visitação nas áreas de ocorrência da espécie mais resistente, evitando o lado esquerdo da praia cuja vegetação permanece mais estruturada. Recomenda-se o monitoramento periódico da área para evitar alterações drásticas na estrutura e na composição da vegetação.Experimental trampling was conducted in a coastal sand-dune community located at "Serra do Mar State Park" in Southeastern, Brazil. It was used 10 permanent plots, five trampled in summer and other five in winter. The trampling intensities were 25, 75, 200, 500 and 1000 passes besides a control area (without trampling) in each plot. The procedures were repeated in two years. Response to trampling was assessed by determining species composition, vegetation cover and height evaluation in six evaluations during each year. The differences between trampling intensities were accessed with Friedman Test. Although there was loss of vegetation cover and height the study area was recovered in a few months. There were on trampling effects between season and years of impact. Effects were more noticeable for winter plots and for the second year of trampling. Reductions in height occurred with less impact and it took longer to recover. Neither 200, 500 and 1000 pass interference showed statistical differences between them, nor the control and 25 or 75 pass interference did. This suggests that the Recreation Carrying Capacity is not a good parameter to control visitors' impact in the area. The data analyses showed that the community has good resistance and resilience. The species number increased during the study, but most of the plant species were intruders. After three months, species cover was round the same as before trampling. The species showed different patterns of resistance and resilience, Panicum racemosum was the most resistant species. It was classified as neutral to trampling impacts. Hidrocotyle bonariensis, classified as favored, was the most sensible one, but it was recovered very fast, reaching higher cover values. Blutaparon portulacoides was classified as injured because although it had an intermediate behavior on resistance, it was almost eliminated from the plots as other species showed up, A management option that comes form this work is to concentrate public use on areas where the most resistant specie occur, avoiding the beach left side where vegetation is more preserved. It is important to monitor vegetation periodically to avoid drastic changes on vegetation structure or composition

Fenologia de espécies arbóreas em floresta de planície litorânea do sudeste do Brasil

O presente estudo visou determinar os padrões fenológicos reprodutivos e vegetativos para espécies arbóreas da floresta superúmida de planície litorânea e relacionar os padrões observados com os fatores próximos (abióticos) e os evolutivos (bióticos). O estudo foi realizado no Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba, Ubatuba, SP (23°22'30S; 44°46'-44°51'45W). O clima da região é tropical chuvoso, com precipitação alta e bem distribuída ao longo do ano todo. Observações fenológicas foram realizadas mensalmente, de julho de 1993 a junho de 1994 em 290 indivíduos pertencentes a 46 espécies arbóreas. A fenofase queda de folhas não foi sazonal (teste Rayleigh não significativo), enquanto as demais fenofases foram pouco sazonais (teste Rayleigh significativo, mas com valores baixos de r). A floração e o brotamento foram mais intensos nos meses mais úmidos, de novembro a fevereiro, enquanto a frutificação ocorreu ao longo do ano todo. Cerca de 90% das espécies não são decíduas, com predomínio da dispersão por animais (87%). A floresta de planície mostrou padrões fenológicos pouco sazonais, bastante distintos dos observados para as florestas semidecíduas do interior do estado de São Paulo.The present study aimed to characterize the reproductive and leafing phenology of tree species of a coastal-plain forest from Southeastern Brazil and to relate the observed patterns with the local biotic and abiotic factors. The study was carried out in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo de Picinguaba, Ubatuba, São Paulo State (23°22'30S; 44°46'-44°51'45W). The climate is tropical-wet, with a high rainfall well distributed throughout the year. Monthly observations were carried out from July 1993 to June 1994 on 290 individuals of 46 tree species. The leaf fall was considered non-seasonal (Rayleigh test not significantly), while leaf flushing > 25%, flowering and fruiting were defined as weakly seasonal (Rayleigh test significantly, but low r values). Flowering and leaf flushing were more intense during the wettest months, from November to February. Fruit production was constant along the year. Ninety percent of the species were defined as evergreen and 87% of the species present animal-dispersed fruits. The phenological patterns observed for the coastal-plain forest at Picinguaba were weakly seasonal, contrasting with the very seasonal patterns found in the semideciduous forests from Southeastern Brazil.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Data_Sheet_1_Amount of bird suitable areas under climate change is modulated by morphological, ecological and geographical traits.PDF

Biodiversity is already experiencing the effects of climate change through range expansion, retraction, or relocation, potentializing negative effects of other threats. Future projections already indicate richness reduction and composition modifications of bird communities due to global warming, which may disrupt the provision of key ecological services to ecosystem maintenance. Here, we systematically review the effect of morphological, ecological, and geographical traits on the amount of future suitable area for birds worldwide. Specifically, we tested whether body mass, diet, habitat type, movement pattern, range size, and biogeographic realm affect birds' suitable area. Our search returned 75 studies that modeled the effects of climate change on 1,991 bird species. Our analyses included 1,661 species belonging to 128 families, representing 83% of the total, for which we were able to acquire all the six traits. The proportion of birds' suitable area was affected by range size, body mass, habitat type, and biogeographic realm, while diet and movement pattern showed lower relative importance and were not included in our final model. Contrary to expectations, the proportion of birds' suitable area was negatively related to range size, which may be explained by higher climatic stability predicted in certain areas that harbor species with restricted distribution. In contrast, we observed that birds presenting higher body mass will show an increase of the proportion of suitable area in the future. This is expected due to the high exposure of smaller birds to environmental changes and their difficulty to keep thermoregulation. Our results also indicated a low proportion of suitable area to forest-dependent birds, which is in accordance with their higher vulnerability due to specific requirements for reproduction and feeding. Finally, the proportion of suitable area was low for birds from Oceania, which is expected since the region encompasses small islands isolated from continents, preventing their species from reaching new suitable areas. Our study highlights that different traits should be considered when assessing extinction risk of species based on future projections, helping to improve bird conservation, especially the most vulnerable to climate change.</p

Table_1_Amount of bird suitable areas under climate change is modulated by morphological, ecological and geographical traits.XLSX

Biodiversity is already experiencing the effects of climate change through range expansion, retraction, or relocation, potentializing negative effects of other threats. Future projections already indicate richness reduction and composition modifications of bird communities due to global warming, which may disrupt the provision of key ecological services to ecosystem maintenance. Here, we systematically review the effect of morphological, ecological, and geographical traits on the amount of future suitable area for birds worldwide. Specifically, we tested whether body mass, diet, habitat type, movement pattern, range size, and biogeographic realm affect birds' suitable area. Our search returned 75 studies that modeled the effects of climate change on 1,991 bird species. Our analyses included 1,661 species belonging to 128 families, representing 83% of the total, for which we were able to acquire all the six traits. The proportion of birds' suitable area was affected by range size, body mass, habitat type, and biogeographic realm, while diet and movement pattern showed lower relative importance and were not included in our final model. Contrary to expectations, the proportion of birds' suitable area was negatively related to range size, which may be explained by higher climatic stability predicted in certain areas that harbor species with restricted distribution. In contrast, we observed that birds presenting higher body mass will show an increase of the proportion of suitable area in the future. This is expected due to the high exposure of smaller birds to environmental changes and their difficulty to keep thermoregulation. Our results also indicated a low proportion of suitable area to forest-dependent birds, which is in accordance with their higher vulnerability due to specific requirements for reproduction and feeding. Finally, the proportion of suitable area was low for birds from Oceania, which is expected since the region encompasses small islands isolated from continents, preventing their species from reaching new suitable areas. Our study highlights that different traits should be considered when assessing extinction risk of species based on future projections, helping to improve bird conservation, especially the most vulnerable to climate change.</p