3 research outputs found
Rapid tropicalization evidence of subtidal seaweed assemblages along a coastal transitional zone
Anthropogenic climate change, particularly seawater warming, is expected to drive quick shifts in marine species distribution transforming coastal communities. These shifts in distribution will be particularly noticeable in biogeographical transition zones. The continental Portuguese coast stretches from north to south along 900 km. Despite this short spatial scale, the strong physical gradient intensified by the Iberian upwelling creates a transition zone where seaweed species from boreal and Lusitanian-Mediterranean origin coexist. On the northern coast, kelp marine forests thrive in the cold, nutrient-rich oceanic waters. In the south, communities resemble Mediterranean-type seaweed assemblages and are dominated by turfs. Recent evidence suggests that in these coastal areas, marine intertidal species are shifting their distribution edges as a result of rising seawater temperatures. Taking advantage of previous abundance data collected in 2012 from subtidal seaweed communities, a new sampling program was carried out in the same regions in 2018 to assess recent changes. The results confirmed the latitudinal gradient in macroalgal assemblages. More importantly we found significant structural and functional changes in a short period of six years, with regional increases of abundance of warm-affinity species, small seaweeds like turfs. Species richness, diversity, and biomass increase, all accompanied by an increase of community temperature index (CTI). Our findings suggest that subtidal seaweed communities in this transitional area have undergone major changes within a few years. Evidence of “fast tropicalization” of the subtidal communities of the Portuguese coast are strong indication of the effects of anthropic climate change over coastal assemblages.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Conservation Biogeography of the Sahara‐Sahel: additional protected areas are needed to secure unique biodiversity
Aim Identification of priority conservation areas and evaluation of coverage of
the current protected areas are urgently needed to halt the biodiversity loss.
Identifying regions combining similar environmental traits (climate regions)
and species assemblages (biogroups) is needed for conserving the biodiversity
patterns and processes. We identify climate regions and biogroups and map
species diversity across the Sahara-Sahel, a large geographical area that exhibits
wide environmental heterogeneity and multiple species groups with distinct
biogeographical affinities, and evaluate the coverage level of current network of
protected areas for biodiversity conservation.
Location Sahara-Sahel, Africa.
Methods We use spatially explicit climate data with the principal component
analysis and model-based clustering techniques to identify climate regions.
We use distributions of 1147 terrestrial vertebrates (and of 125 Sahara-Sahel
endemics) and apply distance clustering methods to identify biogroups for
both species groups. We apply reserve selection algorithms targeting 17% of
species distribution, climate regions and biogroups to identify priority areas
and gap analysis to assess their representation within the current protected
areas.
Results Seven climate regions were identified, mostly arranged as latitudinal
belts. Concentrations of high species richness were found in the Sahel, but the
central Sahara gathers most endemic and threatened species. Ten biogroups
(five for endemics) were identified. A wide range of biogroups tend to overlap
in specific climate regions. Identified priority areas are inadequately represented
in protected areas, and six new top conservation areas are needed to achieve
conservation targets.
Main conclusions Biodiversity distribution in Sahara-Sahel is spatially structured and apparently related to environmental variation. Although the majority of priority conservation areas are located outside the areas of intense
human activities, many cross multiple political borders and require internationally coordinated efforts for implementation and management. Optimized
biodiversity conservation solutions at regional scale are needed. Our work
contradicts the general idea that deserts are uniform areas and provide
options for the conservation of endangered species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone
As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved