Functional traits and diversity of intertidal seaweeds: from individuals to communities

Marine producers such as seaweeds and seagrasses support a wide range of coastal ecosystem functions and services worldwide. As marine assemblages face accelerating environmental change, there is a growing need to understand and predict ecosystem-level consequences from changes in community composition and diversity. Functional traits facilitate the link between species identity and ecosystem processes and functions. My research aimed to elucidate patterns, processes, and possible ecosystem effects of community assembly of seaweeds. More specifically, I investigated how multiple aspects of the functional diversity of seaweeds vary across an environmental gradient, from low to high shore. With collaborators, I developed an extensive database of functional traits. I then applied this trait data to community surveys across intertidal rocky shores in south Wales, UK. Scaling from individuals to communities, I investigated the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic structure of assemblages. Among the main findings are that 1) within morpho-functional groups – the most common approach in seaweed functional ecology – there is substantial variation in traits, which demonstrates how much information is gained by moving from grouping approaches to measured traits; 2) functional diversity of seaweeds declines alongside species richness across the intertidal gradient in a scale-dependent way; 3) changes in dominant traits between intertidal zones represent shifts in ecological functions; and 4) phylogenetic diversity of the largest algae clade (Rhodophyta) did not accurately describe how functionally different species are, although it provided additional insights into their ecology. Collectively, results show that seaweed traits can improve our understanding of the assembly of these highly diverse marine producers, while bringing a new perspective to the well-studied seaweed intertidal zonation

DISTRIBUIÇÃO ESPACIAL E ESTRUTURA POPULACIONAL DE PALMEIRAS (ARECACEAE) EM UM FRAGMENTO DE FLORESTA OMBRÓFILA DENSA DE TERRAS BAIXAS NO SUL DO BRASIL

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509820577In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the Dense Humid Forest is reduced to less than 5% of its original cover. However, it still has the highest richness of palms in this state, which constitute an important and economically relevant group. Environmental and demographic aspects of plant populations in forest fragments are of great importance for their management and conservation. We conducted a study on the spatial distribution and age structure of five palm species in a forest fragment at the municipality of Três Cachoeiras, in the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul. We delimited 25 10×10 m plots and counted the number of individuals in the stages of seedling, juvenile and adult for each palm species. Aggregation Indices were calculated with software SADIEShell. We performed variation partitioning analyses among species distribution and environmental variables canopy openness and soil moisture. A total of 1,443 plants were counted and the most abundant species was Euterpe edulis. The average density was of 57.72 ind. 100 m-2. Three species showed a pattern of “inverse J”, which indicated that they have a potential for regenerating in that palm community. The predominant spatial pattern was aggregated (Ia>1) and canopy openness did not influence species abundances. Only the distribution of Bactris setosa and Geonoma gamiova, both understory species, was explained by soil moisture, suggesting that other abiotic or biotic factors may be influencing the spatial arrangement of the canopy species.http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509820577No Rio Grande do Sul, a Floresta Ombrófila Densa está reduzida a menos de 5% da sua área original, porém, apresenta a maior riqueza de palmeiras do estado, que constituem um grupo importante e economicamente relevante. Aspectos ambientais e demográficos de populações de plantas em remanescentes florestais são de grande importância para o seu manejo e conservação. Nós conduzimos o estudo da distribuição populacional e estrutura etária de cinco espécies de palmeiras em um fragmento florestal no município de Três Cachoeiras, no litoral norte do Rio Grande do Sul. Delimitamos 25 parcelas de 10 x 10 m e contamos o número de indivíduos em estádio de plântula, jovem e adulto para cada uma das espécies. Calculamos Índices de agregação (Ia) com o programa SADIEShell. Também desenvolvemos análises de partição de variação entre a distribuição das espécies e as variáveis ambientais, abertura de dossel e umidade do solo. Ao total, foram registrados 1443 indivíduos e a espécie mais abundante foi Euterpe edulis. A densidade média foi de 57,72 ind. 100 m-2. Três espécies apresentaram padrão “J reverso”, o que indica que elas têm um potencial de regeneração nessa comunidade de palmeiras. O padrão espacial predominante foi o agregado (Ia > 1) e o grau de abertura do dossel não influenciou a abundância de nenhuma espécie. Apenas a distribuição de Bactris setosa e Geonoma gamiova, ambas de sub-bosque, foi explicada pela umidade do solo, sugerindo que outros fatores abióticos ou bióticos podem estar influenciando o arranjo espacial das espécies de dossel.

Birds of two protected areas in the southern range of the Brazilian Araucaria forest

Mais de 70% das aves ameaçadas de extinção no Rio Grande do Sul habitam ambientes florestais. A criação e manutenção de áreas protegidas é uma das principais medidas apontadas para mitigar esses problemas. Contudo, para que estas áreas possam ser efetivas na conservação dos recursos naturais, o conhecimento sobre a diversidade biológicas nelas contida se faz necessário. Entre 2004 e 2009, foi realizado o levantamento de aves em duas áreas protegidas no Rio Grande do Sul: a Floresta Nacional de Canela (FNC) e o Parque Natural Municipal da Ronda (PMR), áreas representativas da Floresta Ombrófila Mista (florestas com araucárias). Um total de 224 espécies foi registrado, sendo 166 na FNC e 201 no PMR. Dez espécies ameaçadas de extinção no RS foram registradas: Pseudastur polionotus, Odontophorus capueira, Patagioenas cayennensis, Amazona pretrei, A. vinacea, Triclaria malachitacea, Campephilus robustus, Grallaria varia, Procnias nudicollis e Sporophila melanogaster. A riqueza e composição de espécies parecem estar relacionadas aos diferentes graus de conservação das florestas, às suas dimensões e conectividade, bem como à disponibilidade de variados tipos de ambientes. As melhores condições ambientais do PMR, quando comparadas às da FNC, aliadas a sua posição geográfica, resultam em uma avifauna mais rica e composta em maior número por espécies ameaçadas, raras, endêmicas da Mata Atlântica e de alta sensibilidade à perturbação nos habitats. Medidas de manejo são sugeridas visando à conservação e recuperação das condições naturais das áreas a longo prazo.Over 70% of threatened birds in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, south Brazil, inhabit forest environments. The creation and maintenance of protected areas is one of the most important measures aiming to mitigate these problems. However, the knowledge of the local biodiversity is essential so that these areas can effectively preserve the natural resources. Between 2004 and 2009 we sampled the avifauna in two conservation units in Rio Grande do Sul: Floresta Nacional de Canela (FNC) and Parque Natural Municipal da Ronda (PMR), both representative of the Mixed Humid Forest (Araucaria Forest). A total of 224 species was recorded, 116 at FNC and 201 at PMR, ten of which threatened regionally: Pseudastur polionotus, Odontophorus capueira, Patagioenas cayennensis, Amazona pretrei, A. vinacea, Triclaria malachitacea, Campephilus robustus, Grallaria varia, Procnias nudicollis and Sporophila melanogaster. Richness and species composition seem to be related to different stages of forest conservation, to size and connectivity, as well as to the diversity of environments. The better conservation of PMR compared to FNC, allied to its geographic position, results in a richer avifauna, with a larger amount of rare and endangered species, as well as species sensitive to disturbance and endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest. We suggest management actions aiming the conservation and the long-term recovery of natural environments at these sites

Plasticidade foliar em resposta à luz de cinco espécies de Passiflora em ecótonos campo-floresta no sul do Brasil

A heterogeneidade ambiental, seja ela espacial ou temporal, traz desafios aos organismos e a forma como eles respondem a ela é através de mudanças no fenótipo para a sobrevivência e fitness (i.e. plasticidade fenotípica). Investigamos se atributos foliares de cinco espécies de Passiflora respondiam de forma plástica à variações na disponibilidade de luz (Radiação Fotossinteticamente Ativa) em ecótonos de floresta-­‐ campo. O estudo abrangeu três regiões geomorfológicas do estado do Rio Grande do Sul e os atributos foliares escolhidos foram: área total e específica, espessura, dureza e forma. Utilizamos informações genéticas e filogenéticas dos indivíduos bem como medidas de luz como preditores da expressão fenotípica. Observamos plasticidade (maior influência do ambiente de luz) em três atributos: SLA, espessura e dureza, apenas observada em três espécies, de clados distintos, indicando que a plasticidade neste grupo não é conservada. Ainda, nestes ecótonos, a dinâmica de expansão e retração florestal pode estar levando à plasticidade de atributos foliares e, possivelmente, de uma radiação adaptativa no recurso de luz, através da criação de oportunidades para as plantas de colonizar novos ambientes

DISTRIBUI\uc7\uc3O ESPACIAL E ESTRUTURA POPULACIONAL DE PALMEIRAS (ARECACEAE) EM UM FRAGMENTO DE FLORESTA OMBR 3FILA DENSA DE TERRAS BAIXAS NO SUL DO BRASIL

In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the Dense Humid Forest is reduced to less than 5% of its original cover. However, it still has the highest richness of palms in this state, which constitute an important and economically relevant group. Environmental and demographic aspects of plant populations in forest fragments are of great importance for their management and conservation. We conducted a study on the spatial distribution and age structure of five palm species in a forest fragment at the municipality of Tr\ueas Cachoeiras, in the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul. We delimited 25 10 710 m plots and counted the number of individuals in the stages of seedling, juvenile and adult for each palm species. Aggregation Indices were calculated with software SADIEShell. We performed variation partitioning analyses among species distribution and environmental variables canopy openness and soil moisture. A total of 1,443 plants were counted and the most abundant species was Euterpe edulis . The average density was of 57.72 ind. 100 m-2. Three species showed a pattern of \u201cinverse J\u201d, which indicated that they have a potential for regenerating in that palm community. The predominant spatial pattern was aggregated (Ia>1) and canopy openness did not influence species abundances. Only the distribution of Bactris setosa and Geonoma gamiova , both understory species, was explained by soil moisture, suggesting that other abiotic or biotic factors may be influencing the spatial arrangement of the canopy species.No Rio Grande do Sul, a Floresta Ombr\uf3fila Densa est\ue1 reduzida a menos de 5% da sua \ue1rea original, por\ue9m, apresenta a maior riqueza de palmeiras do estado, que constituem um grupo importante e economicamente relevante. Aspectos ambientais e demogr\ue1ficos de popula\ue7\uf5es de plantas em remanescentes florestais s\ue3o de grande import\ue2ncia para o seu manejo e conserva\ue7\ue3o. N\uf3s conduzimos o estudo da distribui\ue7\ue3o populacional e estrutura et\ue1ria de cinco esp\ue9cies de palmeiras em um fragmento florestal no munic\uedpio de Tr\ueas Cachoeiras, no litoral norte do Rio Grande do Sul. Delimitamos 25 parcelas de 10 x 10 m e contamos o n\ufamero de indiv\uedduos em est\ue1dio de pl\ue2ntula, jovem e adulto para cada uma das esp\ue9cies. Calculamos \ucdndices de agrega\ue7\ue3o (Ia) com o programa SADIEShell. Tamb\ue9m desenvolvemos an\ue1lises de parti\ue7\ue3o de varia\ue7\ue3o entre a distribui\ue7\ue3o das esp\ue9cies e as vari\ue1veis ambientais, abertura de dossel e umidade do solo. Ao total, foram registrados 1443 indiv\uedduos e a esp\ue9cie mais abundante foi Euterpe edulis . A densidade m\ue9dia foi de 57,72 ind. 100 m-2. Tr\ueas esp\ue9cies apresentaram padr\ue3o \u201cJ reverso\u201d, o que indica que elas t\ueam um potencial de regenera\ue7\ue3o nessa comunidade de palmeiras. O padr\ue3o espacial predominante foi o agregado (Ia > 1) e o grau de abertura do dossel n\ue3o influenciou a abund\ue2ncia de nenhuma esp\ue9cie. Apenas a distribui\ue7\ue3o de Bactris setosa e Geonoma gamiova , ambas de sub-bosque, foi explicada pela umidade do solo, sugerindo que outros fatores abi\uf3ticos ou bi\uf3ticos podem estar influenciando o arranjo espacial das esp\ue9cies de dossel

Land use explains the distribution of threatened new world amphibians better than climate

Background: We evaluated the direct and indirect influence of climate, land use, phylogenetic structure, species richness and endemism on the distribution of New World threatened amphibians. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used the WWF’s New World ecoregions, the WWFs amphibian distributional data and the IUCN Red List Categories to obtain the number of threatened species per ecoregion. We analyzed three different scenarios urgent, moderate, and the most inclusive scenario. Using path analysis we evaluated the direct and indirect effects of climate, type of land use, phylogenetic structure, richness and endemism on the number of threatened amphibians in New World ecoregions. In all scenarios we found strong support for direct influences of endemism, the cover of villages and species richness on the number of threatened species in each ecoregion. The proportion of wild area had indirect effects in the moderate and the most inclusive scenario. Phylogenetic composition was important in determining the species richness and endemism in each ecoregion. Climate variables had complex and indirect effects on the number of threatened species. Conclusion/Significance: Land use has a more direct influence than climate in determining the distribution of New World threatened amphibians. Independently of the scenario analyzed, the main variables influencing the distribution of threatened amphibians were consistent, with endemism having the largest magnitude path coefficient. The importance of phylogenetic composition could indicate that some clades may be more threatened than others, and their presence increases the number of threatened species. Our results highlight the importance of man-made land transformation, which is a local variable, as a critical factor underlying the distribution of threatened amphibians at a biogeographic scale

Land use explains the distribution of threatened new world amphibians better than climate

Background: We evaluated the direct and indirect influence of climate, land use, phylogenetic structure, species richness and endemism on the distribution of New World threatened amphibians. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used the WWF’s New World ecoregions, the WWFs amphibian distributional data and the IUCN Red List Categories to obtain the number of threatened species per ecoregion. We analyzed three different scenarios urgent, moderate, and the most inclusive scenario. Using path analysis we evaluated the direct and indirect effects of climate, type of land use, phylogenetic structure, richness and endemism on the number of threatened amphibians in New World ecoregions. In all scenarios we found strong support for direct influences of endemism, the cover of villages and species richness on the number of threatened species in each ecoregion. The proportion of wild area had indirect effects in the moderate and the most inclusive scenario. Phylogenetic composition was important in determining the species richness and endemism in each ecoregion. Climate variables had complex and indirect effects on the number of threatened species. Conclusion/Significance: Land use has a more direct influence than climate in determining the distribution of New World threatened amphibians. Independently of the scenario analyzed, the main variables influencing the distribution of threatened amphibians were consistent, with endemism having the largest magnitude path coefficient. The importance of phylogenetic composition could indicate that some clades may be more threatened than others, and their presence increases the number of threatened species. Our results highlight the importance of man-made land transformation, which is a local variable, as a critical factor underlying the distribution of threatened amphibians at a biogeographic scale

Land Use Explains the Distribution of Threatened New World Amphibians Better than Climate

<div><p>Background</p><p>We evaluated the direct and indirect influence of climate, land use, phylogenetic structure, species richness and endemism on the distribution of New World threatened amphibians.</p><p>Methodology/Principal Findings</p><p>We used the WWF’s New World ecoregions, the WWFs amphibian distributional data and the IUCN Red List Categories to obtain the number of threatened species per ecoregion. We analyzed three different scenarios urgent, moderate, and the most inclusive scenario. Using path analysis we evaluated the direct and indirect effects of climate, type of land use, phylogenetic structure, richness and endemism on the number of threatened amphibians in New World ecoregions. In all scenarios we found strong support for direct influences of endemism, the cover of villages and species richness on the number of threatened species in each ecoregion. The proportion of wild area had indirect effects in the moderate and the most inclusive scenario. Phylogenetic composition was important in determining the species richness and endemism in each ecoregion. Climate variables had complex and indirect effects on the number of threatened species.</p><p>Conclusion/Significance</p><p>Land use has a more direct influence than climate in determining the distribution of New World threatened amphibians. Independently of the scenario analyzed, the main variables influencing the distribution of threatened amphibians were consistent, with endemism having the largest magnitude path coefficient. The importance of phylogenetic composition could indicate that some clades may be more threatened than others, and their presence increases the number of threatened species. Our results highlight the importance of man-made land transformation, which is a local variable, as a critical factor underlying the distribution of threatened amphibians at a biogeographic scale.</p></div

How academic podcasting can change academia and its relationship with society: A conversation and guide

In this paper we explore the potential of academic podcasting to effect positive change within academia and between academia and society. Building on the concept of “epistemic living spaces,” we consider how podcasting can change how we evaluate what is legitimate knowledge and methods for knowledge production, who has access to what privileges and power, the nature of our connections within academia and with other partners, and how we experience the constraints and opportunities of space and time. We conclude by offering a guide for others who are looking to develop their own academic podcasting projects and discuss the potential for podcasting to be formalized as a mainstream academic output. To listen to an abridged and annotated version of this paper, visit: https://soundcloud.com/conservechange/podcastinginacademia