Management and conservation of natural resources in the recovery of degraded areas through ethnobotany

An ethnobotanical study with an environmental perspective aims to recognize and understand the association between plants and nature for the conservation and recovery of degraded areas. Semistructured interviews were conducted with active members of the União do Vegetal religious community. The participants consider themselves key players in nature conservation and in valuing biological and cultural diversity. In addition, the interviews revealed that the cultivation of sacred plants can be carried out in agroforestry systems and contribute to conservation and recovery through plant management and use practices within a context of ecological self-sustainability, conceiving the sacred in nature itself and the means of connection with the spiritual. The results of the research show that management based on the perspectives of the União do Vegetal community can make a significant contribution to the conservation of natural resources, not only within the institution but also in society.El estudio etnobotánico con perspectiva ambiental pretende reconocer y comprender la asociación entre plantas y naturaleza para la conservación y recuperación de áreas degradadas. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas con miembros activos de la comunidad religiosa União do Vegetal. Los participantes se consideran actores claves en la conservación de la naturaleza y la valorización de la diversidad biológica y cultural. Además, las entrevistas revelaron que el cultivo de plantas sagradas puede realizarse en sistemas agroforestales y contribuir a la conservación y recuperación mediante prácticas de manejo y uso de las plantas, en un contexto de autosostenibilidad ecológica, concibiendo lo sagrado en la propia naturaleza y el medio de conexión con lo espiritual. Los resultados de la investigación muestran que la gestión basada en las perspectivas de la comunidad União do Vegetal puede contribuir significativamente a la conservación de los recursos naturales, no sólo dentro de la institución, sino también en la sociedad en su conjunto.O estudo etnobotânico com perspectiva ambiental, busca visar o reconhecimento e entendimento da associação entre planta e natureza para a conservação e recuperação de áreas degradadas. Foram conduzidas entrevistas semiestruturadas com membros ativos da comunidade religiosa União do Vegetal. Os participantes consideram-se atores-chaves para a conservação da natureza e valorização da diversidade biológica e cultural. Além disso, as entrevistas revelaram que o cultivo das plantas sagradas pode ser realizado em sistemas agroflorestais e contribuir para a conservação e recuperação por meio de práticas de manejo e uso das plantas, dentro de um contexto de autossustentabilidade ecológica, concebendo o sagrado na própria natureza e o meio de conexão com o espiritual. Os resultados da pesquisa demonstram que o manejo baseado nas perspectivas da comunidade da União do Vegetal pode contribuir significativamente para a conservação dos recursos naturais, não apenas dentro da instituição, mas também na sociedade como um todo

Windthrows increase soil carbon stocks in a central Amazon forest

Windthrows change forest structure and species composition in central Amazon forests. However, the effects of widespread tree mortality associated with wind disturbances on soil properties have not yet been described in this vast region. We investigated short-term effects (7 years after disturbance) of widespread tree mortality caused by a squall line event from mid-January of 2005 on soil carbon stocks and concentrations in a central Amazon terra firme forest. The soil carbon stock (averaged over a 0-30 cm depth profile) in disturbed plots (61.4 ± 8.2 Mg ha-1, mean ±95 % confidence interval) was marginally higher (p = 0.09) than that from undisturbed plots (47.7 ± 13.6 Mg h-1). The soil organic carbon concentration in disturbed plots (2.0 ± 0.17 %) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that from undisturbed plots (1.36 ± 0.24 %). Moreover, soil carbon stocks were positively correlated with soil clay content (r2 = 0.332, r = 0.575 and p = 0.019) and with tree mortality intensity (r2 = 0.257, r = 0.506 and p = 0.045). Our results indicate that large inputs of plant litter associated with large windthrow events cause a short-term increase in soil carbon content, and the degree of increase is related to soil clay content and tree mortality intensity. The higher carbon content and potentially higher nutrient availability in soils from areas recovering from windthrows may favor forest regrowth and increase vegetation resilience. © Author(s) 2016

Windthrows control biomass patterns and functional composition of Amazon forests

Amazon forests account for ~25% of global land biomass and tropical tree species. In these forests, windthrows (i.e., snapped and uprooted trees) are a major natural disturbance, but the rates and mechanisms of recovery are not known. To provide a predictive framework for understanding the effects of windthrows on forest structure and functional composition (DBH ≥10 cm), we quantified biomass recovery as a function of windthrow severity (i.e., fraction of windthrow tree mortality on Landsat pixels, ranging from 0%–70%) and time since disturbance for terra-firme forests in the Central Amazon. Forest monitoring allowed insights into the processes and mechanisms driving the net biomass change (i.e., increment minus loss) and shifts in functional composition. Windthrown areas recovering for between 4–27 years had biomass stocks as low as 65.2–91.7 Mg/ha or 23%–38% of those in nearby undisturbed forests (~255.6 Mg/ha, all sites). Even low windthrow severities (4%–20% tree mortality) caused decadal changes in biomass stocks and structure. While rates of biomass increment in recovering vegetation were nearly double (6.3 ± 1.4 Mg ha− 1 year− 1) those of undisturbed forests (~3.7 Mg ha− 1 year− 1), biomass loss due to post-windthrow mortality was high (up to −7.5 ± 8.7 Mg ha− 1 year− 1, 8.5 years since disturbance) and unpredictable. Consequently, recovery to 90% of “pre-disturbance” biomass takes up to 40 years. Resprouting trees contributed little to biomass recovery. Instead, light-demanding, low-density genera (e.g., Cecropia, Inga, Miconia, Pourouma, Tachigali, and Tapirira) were favored, resulting in substantial post-windthrow species turnover. Shifts in functional composition demonstrate that windthrows affect the resilience of live tree biomass by favoring soft-wooded species with shorter life spans that are more vulnerable to future disturbances. As the time required for forests to recover biomass is likely similar to the recurrence interval of windthrows triggering succession, windthrows have the potential to control landscape biomass/carbon dynamics and functional composition in Amazon forests. ©2018 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Lt

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

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

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Desenvolvimento de modelos alométricos para estimar biomassa e carbono de mudas de espécies arbóreas, em áreas atingidas por tempestades de vento em Manaus (Am)

A data set with 504 trees belonging to the natural regeneration (from 30 cm in height and < 5 cm dbh), was used to test 10 allometryc models, five linear and five non linear, to estimate total dry biomass of standing seedlings and saplings. The data was collected destructively, near Manaus (AM), Central Amazonia, on a site covered by dense terra-firme moist forest on plateaus dominated by yellow oxisols, affected by wind storms in 2005. The micro sites created by the wind gust made possible the access to individuals that came to the area after the disturbance. The data set was divided in different size categories. The hole data set (4 cat), RN 1 (30-50 cm in height), RN 2 (50-100 in height), RN 3 (100-200 cm in height), RN 4 (from 200 cm in height and less than 5 cm dbh) and 38 individuals of Goupia glabra Aubl. (Cupiuba) belonging to the 4 cat. For the whole data set 6 models estimated precisely the dry biomass, for RN 1 non models, RN 2 eight models, RN 3 six models, RN 4 one model, and two for cupiuba, being the difference between observed and estimated mean dry weight below 5%. The use of the whole data set produces more consistent results than the use of the different size categories. For 4 cat the use of non linear model with a single independent variable, root collar diameter (Dc), presents results as consistent and precise as the models that include seedling and sapling total height in the model. The individuals belonging to RN 1 and RN 2 was not divided in biomass components, RN 3 was divided in roots and shoot, RN 4 in roots, steams and foliage. The mean carbon content for the different size categories and different biomass components are: RN 1 and RN 2 (45,25% ± 0,07), RN 3 roots (41,84% ± 0,10), shoot (47% ± 0,05), RN 4 roots (46,15% ± 0,11), steam (46,05% ± 0,06) and foliage (47,37% ± 0,08). The weighted means are: RN 3 (46,05% ± 0,06), RN 4 (46,15% ± 0,07) and 4 cat (46,04% ± 0,07). The use of a single equation to estimate total dry weight to represent the different size categories, applying the covariance analysis with dummy variables was not possible. The regression equation of the model six to represent the whole data set can be used to follow carbon dynamics for natural regeneration seedlings and saplings, as well as to estimate carbon sequestration in the beginnings of reforestation/afforestation activities.Usando um arquivo de dados com 504 indivíduos arbóreos pertencentes à regeneração natural (de 30 cm em altura e DAP < 5 cm), foram testados dez modelos alométricos, sendo cinco logarítmicos e cinco não lineares para estimar a biomassa seca total de mudas em pé. Os dados foram coletados de forma destrutiva, na região de Manaus (AM), em um sítio de floresta de terra-firme sobre platôs de latossolo amarelo, atingido por tempestades convectivas no ano de 2005. Os micro sítios criados pela passagem do distúrbio permitiram a coleta de indivíduos que chegaram a área após o evento, evitando a coleta de indivíduos com mais de 5 anos. O arquivo de dados foi dividido nas diferentes categorias de tamanho; categoria RN 1 (de 30 a 50 cm em altura), RN 2 (de 50 a 100 cm em altura), RN 3 (de 100 a 200 cm em altura), RN 4 (de 200 cm em altura e < 5 cm DAP) e 38 indivíduos de Goupia glabra Aubl. (cupiuba) pertencentes ao arquivo (4cat). O material foi seco em estufa a 65°C até atingir peso constante e moído até a consistência de pó. Para todo o arquivo de dados seis modelos estimam precisamente o peso, para RN 1 nenhum modelo, RN 2 oito modelos, RN 3 seis modelos, RN 4 um modelo e para o arquivo de dados de cupiuba dois modelos, sendo o afastamento entre a média observada e estimada menor que 5%. O uso de todo o arquivo de dados é mais consistente que o uso de equações para as diferentes categorias de tamanho. Para todo o arquivo de dados o modelo não linear com apenas uma variável independente, o diâmetro de colo, apresenta resultados tão consistentes e precisos quanto os modelos que incluem a variável altura total. Os indivíduos das categorias RN 1 e RN 2 não foram compartimentados, a RN 3 foi dividida em raízes e parte aérea e a RN 4 em raízes, caule e folhas. Os teores médios de carbono para as diferentes categorias e seus diferentes compartimentos são os seguintes: RN 1 e RN 2 (45,25% ± 0,07), RN 3 raízes (41,84% ± 0,10) e parte aérea (47% ± 0,05), RN 4 raízes (44,77% de ± 0,11), caule (46,05% ± 0,06) e folhas (47,37% ± 0,08). As médias ponderadas para esses teores são: RN 3 (46,05% ± 0,06), RN 4 (46,15% ± 0,07) e 4 cat (46,04% ± 0,07), todos a um IC 95%. Não foi possível pelo método de covariância (variáveis dummy) o uso de uma única equação para estimar biomassa seca total das diferentes categorias de tamanho de mudas. A equação gerada pelo modelo 6 para todo o banco de dados, pode ser utilizada para acompanhar a dinâmica do carbono da regeneração natural bem como ser utilizado, para estimar sequestro de carbono na fase inicial de plantios com espécies de florestas tropicais

Detection of subpixel treefall gaps with Landsat imagery in Central Amazon forests

Treefall gaps play important roles in both forest dynamics and species diversity, but variability across the full range of gap sizes has not been reported at a regional scale due to the lack of a consistent methodology for their detection. Here we demonstrate the sensitivity of Landsat data for detecting gaps at the subpixel level in the Manaus region, Central Amazon. Spectral mixture analysis (SMA) on treefall gaps was used to map their occurrence across a 3.4×104km2 landscape using the annual change in non-photosynthetic vegetation (δNPV) as the change metric. Thirty randomly selected pixels with a spectral signature of a treefall event (i.e. high δNPV) were surveyed in the field. The most frequent single-pixel gap size detected using Landsat was ~360m2, and the severity of the disturbance (δNPV) exhibited a significant (r2=0.32, p=0.001) correlation with the number of dead trees (&gt;10cm diameter at breast height), enabling quantification of the number of downed trees in each gap. To place the importance of these single-pixel disturbances into a broader context, the cumulative disturbance of these gaps was equivalent to 40% of the calculated deforestation across the Manaus region in 2008. Most detected single-pixel gaps consisted of six to eight downed trees covering an estimated area of 250-900m2. These results highlight the quantitative importance of small blowdowns that have been overlooked in previous satellite remote sensing studies. © 2011 Elsevier Inc