Variação na composição da comunidade herbácea em áreas ripárias da Amazônia central

In spite of general agreement on the influence of environmental heterogeneity on species distribution, in Central Amazonia habitat is often delimited as rough classes, such as plateau, slope and floodplain. However, important differences in species composition may occur within seemingly “homogeneous” environments. We investigated the structure of the ground herb community occurring on floodplains in a “terra-firme” forest in Central Amazonia. Fifty 200m2 plots were distributed throughout the floodplains of Ducke Reserve (100 Km2), Manaus, Brazil. Twenty plots were sampled to detect variation in species composition from the stream margin to the edge of the slopes. Thirty plots were sampled to detect the variation from stream headwaters to larger streams. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the effects of environmental variables on species composition, which was summarized by Multidimensional Scaling. Laterally, herb species composition changes along the environmental gradient from the stream margin to the edge of the slopes. This indicates that, within one frequently-adopted broad environmental category, herb species can show niche segregation. The composition of herbs in riparian areas along watercourses was spatially auto correlated and differed between watersheds. The high species turnover indicates high Z diversity and suggests that dispersal limitation is playing an important role on shaping herb species distribution. The strong effects of environmental heterogeneity and dispersal patterns need to be taken into account in planning conservation units for riparian vegetation in central Amazonian "terra-firme" forests.Apesar do reconhecimento geral da influência da heterogeneidade ambiental sobre a distribuição de espécies, o ambiente é tratado como classes grosseiramente delimitadas, tais como platô, vertente e baixio na Amazônia Central. Entretanto, dentro desses habitats supostamente homogêneos, podem ocorrer especializações que foram pouco estudas até agora. Para detectar a variação da vegetação herbácea ripária em baixios de florestas de terra firme na Amazônia Central, foram instaladas 50 parcelas de 200m2 na Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke (100 Km2), Manaus, AM. Destas, 20 parcelas foram instaladas para detectar a variação da composição de espécies das margens dos igarapés às beiras das vertentes (variação lateral), enquanto 30 parcelas foram instaladas para detectar a variação ao longo dos cursos de água (variação longitudinal). Análises Multivariadas foram utilizadas para resumir a composição de espécies, e análise de regressão múltipla para determinar se, lateralmente, distância da margem do igarapé, abertura do dossel e nível do lençol freático influenciam na composição de espécies. Longitudinalmente, foi testado o efeito de bacias e sub-bacias de drenagem, distância da nascente, inclinação e largura do baixio. Os resultados mostraram que, lateralmente, a composição de espécies de ervas se diferenciou ao longo do gradiente ambiental que vai das margens dos igarapés às beiras de vertentes. Isso indica que, dentro de uma das classes abrangentes de habitat geralmente adotadas, há oportunidade de segregação de nichos, pelo menos para plantas herbáceas. Longitudinalmente, a composição de espécies de ervas nos baixios esteve autocorrelacionada espacialmente. Essa tendência de substituição de espécies com a distância indica altos níveis de diversidade Z de ervas nos baixios e sugere a atuação de processos de limitação de dispersão. Além disso, a composição de espécies diferiu entre as bacias e sub-bacias de drenagem da Reserva Ducke. Os resultados deste trabalho evidenciam a importância tanto da heterogeneidade ambiental quanto dos padrões de dispersão na distribuição de espécies de ervas terrestres em áreas ripárias na Reserva Ducke. Esses mecanismos podem estar determinando a distribuição de espécies herbáceas em outros baixios de terra firme da Amazônia Central e devem ser considerados no planejamento da conservação da vegetação ripária nessa região

A GESTÃO DE DADOS DE PESQUISA NO CONTEXTO DA E-SCIENCE: BENEFÍCIOS, DESAFIOS E OPORTUNIDADES PARA ORGANIZAÇÕES DE P&D

Esse trabalho situa a gestão de dados de pesquisa como elemento propulsor do avanço científico e tecnológico no novo paradigma da e-Science, e alerta quanto aos desafios que se impõem às universidades e organizações atuantes no setor de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento. Discute os princípios e os fundamentos da gestão de dados de pesquisa e propõe um roteiro para a implantação de um programa institucional de gestão dados de pesquisa

Building up an Open Data Plan for a public Research and Development organization and the challenge of an Open Agricultural Science

In keeping with the Open Data Policy of the Federal Executive Branch and the Law on Access to Information, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) has initiated discussions on the construction of its Open Data Plan – a planning tool for implementation and rationalization of open data publishing processes in public organizations. This paper aims to report the general strategy that was established for this purpose and the challenges that have been encountered in the preliminary stages of its implementation. As the opening of data by research institutions in Brazil is still in its infancy, Embrapa’s experience is expected to contribute to similar initiatives from other organizations

WorldFAIR Project (D10.1) Agriculture-related pollinator data standards use cases report

Although pollination is an essential ecosystem service that sustains life on Earth, data on this vital process is largely scattered or unavailable, limiting our understanding of the current state of pollinators and hindering effective actions for their conservation and sustainable management. In addition to the well-known challenges of biodiversity data management, such as taxonomic accuracy, the recording of biotic interactions like pollination presents further difficulties in proper representation and sharing. Currently, the widely-used standard for representing biodiversity data, Darwin Core, lacks properties that allow for adequately handling biotic interaction data, and there is a need for FAIR vocabularies for properly representing plant-pollinator interactions. Given the importance of mobilising plant-pollinator interaction data also for food production and security, the Research Data Alliance Improving Global Agricultural Data Community of Practice has brought together partners from representative groups to address the challenges of advancing interoperability and mobilising plant-pollinator data for reuse. This report presents an overview of projects, good practices, tools, and examples for creating, managing and sharing data related to plant-pollinator interactions, along with a work plan for conducting pilots in the next phase of the project. We present the main existing data indexing systems and aggregators for plant-pollinator interaction data, as well as citizen science and community-based sourcing initiatives. We also describe current challenges for taxonomic knowledge and present two data models and one semantic tool that will be explored in the next phase. In preparation for the next phase, which will provide best practices and FAIR-aligned guidelines for documenting and sharing plant-pollinator interactions based on pilot efforts with data, this Case Study comprehensively examined the methods and platforms used to create and share such data. By understanding the nature of data from various sources and authors, the alignment of the retrieved datasets with the FAIR principles was also taken into consideration. We discovered that a large amount of data on plant-pollinator interaction is made available as supplementary files of research articles in a diversity of formats and that there are opportunities for improving current practices for data mobilisation in this domain. The diversity of approaches and the absence of appropriate data vocabularies causes confusion, information loss, and the need for complex data interpretation and transformation. Our explorations and analyses provided valuable insights for structuring the next phase of the project, including the selection of the pilot use cases and the development of a ‘FAIR best practices’ guide for sharing plant-pollinator interaction data. This work primarily focuses on enhancing the interoperability of data on plant-pollinator interactions, envisioning its connection with the effort WorldFAIR is undertaking to develop a Cross-Domain Interoperability Framework. Visit WorldFAIR online at http://worldfair-project.eu. WorldFAIR is funded by the EC HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ERA-01-41 Coordination and Support Action under Grant Agreement No. 101058393

Flower-Insect Timed Counts (FIT Count):protocol adaptation and preliminary results in Brazil

FIT Count (Flower-Insect Timed Counts) is a citizen science initiative that seeks to monitor flower visitation by diverse pollinator groups, including bumblebees, stingless bees, honeybees, flies, hummingbirds, among others. The protocol entails determining a 50 x 50 cm plot area around a target plant species, photographing the plant and conducting a standardized 10-minute survey on this area to estimate the frequency of flower visits by different pollinator groups. Conducting FIT Counts in different habitats and locations produces data on the temporal and spatial dynamics of these interactions (Carvell 2022, UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme 2018).FIT Count methodology was originally developed by the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) and has been used in the United Kingdom since 2017, with over 8,500 counts conducted to date. In 2021, the FIT Count application (app) was launched in the United Kingdom, and became available in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and some other European countries in 2022. After installation, users may select in which country the observations will be conducted and their preferred language, either English or the main native language of participating countries. The adaptation of the application for use by Brazilian citizen scientists involved not only the translation of the interface, but also relied on the expertise of a local team who helped select which plant species and pollinator groups would be appropriate and representative of biodiversity within the country (Fig. 1). The application is supported by a website that features a dedicated page for each country. Users can download the app on Google Play or App Store (Fig. 2).To allow the participation of non-experts, who generally are not familiar with taxonomy or species identification, the flower visitors are identified in general categories such as bumblebees and carpenter bees (grouped together), flies, and others (see Fig. 1), representing the main functional groups of pollinators. If a flower visitor cannot be identified, it should be classified as "other insect" or marked as "I don't know". Including the possibility of uncertainty in flower visitor identification was a suggestion of the Brazilian team for quality assurance during data collection.Currently, 834 flower visits have been counted by 15 participants, who performed 109 FIT Counts across Brazil as a pilot testing phase of the app. Two training workshops were held to disseminate the app, and an illustrated guide was published to help participants identify flower types and flower visitor groups (Koffler 2022). Nineteen plant species were monitored, but most flower-visits counted were on basil (Ocimum basillicum, n = 47) and false heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia, n = 33). The mean number of flower visitors per FIT Count was 8 (min = 0, max = 45). While most visits were performed by honeybees, participants also recorded visits by beetles, butterflies or moths, small insects, solitary bees, wasps and other insects. Next steps include assessing data quality and promoting strategic partnerships to further disseminate this citizen science initiative. For instance, quality control measures may include assessing whether participants perform the protocol steps according to instructions and whether plants and flower visitors are correctly identified and counted. Also, we are exploring the prospective implementation of the Darwin Core standard (Darwin Core Task Group 2009) along with the Plant-Pollinator Interactions vocabulary (Salim 2022) to standardize data description

Citizen Science Data on Urban Forageable Plants:A Case Study in Brazil

This paper presents two key data sets derived from the Pomar Urbano project. The first data set is a comprehensive catalog of edible fruit-bearing plant species, native or introduced in Brazil. The second data set, sourced from the iNaturalist platform, tracks the distribution and monitoring of these plants within urban landscapes across Brazil. The study encompasses data from all 27 Brazilian state capitals, focusing on the ten cities that contributed the most observations as of August 2023. The research emphasizes the significance of citizen science in urban biodiversity monitoring and its potential to contribute to various fields, including food and nutrition, creative industry, study of plant phenology, and machine learning applications. We expect the data sets to serve as a resource for further studies in urban foraging, food security, cultural ecosystem services, and environmental sustainability

WorldFAIR (D10.3) Agricultural biodiversity FAIR data assessment rubrics

The WorldFAIR Case Study on Agricultural Biodiversity (WP10) addresses the challenges of advancing interoperability and mobilising plant-pollinator interactions data for reuse. Previous efforts, reported in WorldFAIR Deliverable 10.1, ‘Agriculture-related pollinator data standards use cases report’ (Trekels et al., 2023), provided an overview of projects, good practices, tools, and examples for creating, managing and sharing data related to plant-pollinator interactions. It also outlined a work plan for conducting pilot studies. Deliverable 10.2 (Drucker et al., 2024) presented Agricultural Biodiversity Standards, Best Practices and Guidelines Recommendations. This deliverable presented results from six pilot studies that adopted standards and recommendations from the earlier report. The current report complements the efforts with Agricultural Biodiversity FAIR data assessment rubrics.We introduce a set of FAIR assessment tools tailored to the plant-pollinator interactions domain. These tools are designed to help researchers and institutions evaluate adherence to the FAIR principles. In the discovery phase, we found that a significant amount of data on plant-pollinator interactions is available as supplementary files of research articles, in a diversity of formats such as PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, and text files. The diversity of approaches and the lack of appropriate data vocabularies lead to confusion, information loss, and the need for complex data interpretation and transformation. Our proposed framework primarily targets researchers in this domain who wish to assess the FAIRness of the data they produce and take action to improve it. However, we believe it can also benefit data reviewers, data stewards, data repository managers and librarians dealing with plant-pollinator data. Our approach focuses on being as familiar as possible with the researcher's practices, language, and jargon. Ultimately, we aim to promote data publishing and reuse in the plant-pollinator interactions domain.We present a ‘Rubric for the assessment of Plant-Pollinator Interactions Data’ with examples from the data from the pilots developed in Deliverable 10.2 and in relation to the FAIR Implementation Profile (FIP) created by Work Package 10. We conduct ‘dataset assessments’ of available data from research projects surveyed in the discovery phase. Additionally, we describe in detail the ‘Automated FAIR-enabled Data Reviews’ generated by the Global Biotic Interactions (GLoBI) infrastructure, with examples from the pilots. We believe the tools described in this report will encourage data publishing and reuse in the plant-pollinator interactions domain. Moving from diverse approaches and siloed initiatives to widely available FAIR plant-pollination interactions data for scientists and decision-makers will enable the development of integrative studies that enhance our understanding of species biology, behaviour, ecology, phenology, and evolution

Optimizing the Monitoring of Urban Fruit-Bearing Flora with Citizen Science:An Overview of the Pomar Urbano Initiative

The "Pomar Urbano" (Urban Orchard) project focuses on the collaborative monitoring of fruit-bearing plant species in urban areas throughout Brazil.The project collected a list of 411 fruit-bearing plant species (Soares et al. 2023), both native and exotic varieties found in Brazil. This list was selected from two main sources: the book Brazilian Fruits and Cultivated Exotics (Lorenzi et al. 2006) and the book series Plants for the Future, which includes volumes specifically dedicated to species of economic value in different regions of Brazil, namely the South (Coradin et al. 2011), Midwest (Vieira et al. 2016), Northeast (Coradin et al. 2018) and North (Coradin et al. 2022). To ensure broad geographic coverage, the project spans all 27 state capitals of Brazil. The data collection process relies on the iNaturalist Umbrella and Collection projects. Each state capital has a single collection project, including the fruit-bearing plant species list, and the locality restriction to that specific city. For example, the collection project Pomar Paulistano gathers data from the city of São Paulo. The Umbrella Project Urban Orchard was set to track data from all 27 collection projects.We firmly believe that these fruit-bearing plant species possess multifaceted value that extends beyond mere consumption. As such, we have assembled a dynamic and multidisciplinary team comprising professionals from various institutions across Brazil in a collaborative effort that encompasses different dimensions of biodiversity value exploration and monitoring, especially phenological data.One facet of our team is focused on creating products inspired by the diverse array of Brazilian fruit-bearing plants. Their work spans across sectors of the creative industry, including fashion, painting, and graphic design to infuse these natural elements into innovative and sustainable designs (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).A group of nutrition and health scientists in conjunction with communication and marketing professionals is working to produce engaging media content centered around food recipes that incorporate Brazilian fruits (Fig. 3). These recipes primarily feature the fruit-bearing plants most frequently observed on iNaturalist in the city of São Paulo, allowing us to showcase the local biodiversity while promoting culinary diversity. Some of these recipes are based on the book Brazilian Biodiversity: Flavors and Aromas (Santiago and Coradin 2018). This book is an extensive compendium of food recipes that use fruits derived from native Brazilian species

Leveraging citizen science for monitoring urban forageable plants

Urbanization brings forth social challenges in emerging countries such as Brazil, encompassing food scarcity, health deterioration, air pollution, and biodiversity loss. Despite this, urban areas like the city of São Paulo still boast ample green spaces, offering opportunities for nature appreciation and conservation, enhancing city resilience and livability. Citizen science is a collaborative endeavor between professional scientists and nonprofessional scientists in scientific research that may help to understand the dynamics of urban ecosystems. We believe citizen science has the potential to promote human and nature connection in urban areas and provide useful data on urban biodiversity