Spatiotemporal variation in phyllostomid bat assemblages over a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest in southeastern Brazil

Abstract:The aim of this study was to investigate the spatiotemporal variation in richness, abundance, structure and composition of phyllostomid bats over a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest in south-eastern Brazil. Four successional stages (pasture, early, intermediate and late) were sampled in the northern part of the state of Minas Gerais. Bats were sampled using mist nets at three sites for each of the four successional stages (12 sites in total) during eight periods between 2007 and 2009. A total of 537 individuals were captured (29 recaptured), distributed among four families and 22 species. Bat abundance and richness varied in space, being higher in the late-successional stage, and over time, being significantly lower during the dry season. When compared between guilds, only the abundance of omnivores varied significantly during the sampled months. Our results demonstrate that areas of late-successional stages showed higher bat richness and abundance in comparison with areas undergoing secondary succession. Our results also suggest the use of early-successional areas as flying routes by bats can lead to failure to detect differences in bat composition within successional gradients. We suggest future studies should assimilate landscape-level analyses into their studies to better evaluate the effects of successional gradients on bat assemblages.

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Changes in tree and liana communities along a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest in south-eastern Brazil

Forest Ecology ◽

10.1007/978-90-481-2795-5_22 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 291-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bruno G. Madeira ◽

Mário M. Espírito-Santo ◽

Santos D’Ângelo Neto ◽

Yule R. F. Nunes ◽

G. Arturo Sánchez Azofeifa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

South Eastern ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

Successional Gradient

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Changes in tree and liana communities along a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest in south-eastern Brazil

Plant Ecology ◽

10.1007/s11258-009-9580-9 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 201 (1) ◽

pp. 291-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 90

Author(s):

Bruno G. Madeira ◽

Mário M. Espírito-Santo ◽

Santos D’Ângelo Neto ◽

Yule R. F. Nunes ◽

G. Arturo Sánchez Azofeifa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

South Eastern ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

Successional Gradient

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Successional and Intraspecific Variations in Leaf Traits, Spectral Reflectance Indices and Herbivory in a Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change ◽

10.3389/ffgc.2021.780299 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Author(s):

Alline Mendes Alves ◽

Mário Marcos do Espírito-Santo ◽

Jhonathan O. Silva ◽

Gabriela Faccion ◽

Gerardo Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spectral Reflectance ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Leaf Traits ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Leaf Reflectance ◽

Successional Gradient ◽

Successional Stages ◽

Reflectance Indices ◽

Late Stages ◽

Spectral Reflectance Indices

Leaf traits are good indicators of ecosystem functioning and can affect herbivory and leaf reflectance patterns, allowing a better understanding of changes in environmental conditions, such those observed during forest natural regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraspecific variation in leaf traits and their influence on the pattern of herbivory and leaf reflectance in three species distributed along a successional gradient (early, intermediate and late stages) in a tropical dry forest (TDF) in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. We sampled individuals of the following abundant tree species that occurred in multiple successional stages: Cenostigma pluviosum, Handroanthus ochraceus, and Tabebuia reticulata. We collected 10 leaves from each tree to determine the contents of chlorophyll a, b, and total, carotenoids and water, as well as the percentage of leaf area removed by herbivores and leaf specific mass (LSM). We also measured five spectral reflectance indices (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index-NDVI, Simple Ratio-SR, modified Normalized Difference-nND, modified SR-mSR and Water Index-WI) using a portable spectrometer. Our results showed intraspecific differences in most leaf traits along the successional gradient, suggesting that local adaptation may play an important role in plant community assembly. However, herbivory only differed for H. ochraceus in early and intermediate stages, but it was not affected by the leaf traits considered here. Spectral reflectance indices also differed among successional stage for all species together and for each species separately, except for T. reticulata in intermediate and late stages. Thus, leaf spectral signatures may be an important tool to the remote detection of different successional stages in TDFs, with implications for forest management.

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Litterfall dynamics along a successional gradient in a Brazilian tropical dry forest

Forest Ecosystems ◽

10.1186/s40663-019-0194-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Saimo R. Souza ◽

Maria D. M. Veloso ◽

Mário M. Espírito-Santo ◽

Jhonathan O. Silva ◽

Arturo Sánchez-Azofeifa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Successional Gradient

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Contrasting patterns of morphology, fluctuating asymmetry and leaf herbivory in three plant species of different successional stages of a tropical dry forest

Trees ◽

10.1007/s00468-020-01982-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 1075-1086

Author(s):

Joan Sebastian Aguilar-Peralta ◽

Antonio González-Rodríguez ◽

Yurixhi Maldonado-López ◽

Marcílio Fagundes ◽

Maurício L. Faria ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Successional Stages ◽

Leaf Herbivory

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Successional stage effect on the availability of tree cavities for cavity-nesting birds in an Atlantic Forest park from the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2017-0391 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michele Viana Katayama ◽

Paulo Victor Queijo Zima ◽

Daniel Fernandes Perrella ◽

Mercival Roberto Francisco

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Human Disturbances ◽

Successional Stage ◽

Forest Park ◽

Tree Cavities ◽

Cavity Nesters ◽

Cavity Nesting ◽

Successional Stages

Abstract The availability of suitable cavities and substrate for hole construction can limit the populations of birds that rely on tree hollows to reproduce. Several studies have focused on the effects of types of habitats, and types of human disturbances on cavities abundance, but the effect of successional stages in the Atlantic Forest has been poorly addressed. In this study we aimed to compare the availability and biometric characteristics of tree cavities between primary and mid-successional stage sites in an Atlantic Forest area from southeastern Brazil. Based on nest characteristics described in the literature, we inferred if hollows present in secondary sites could harbor the large secondary-nester Atlantic Forest birds, with special attention to toucans and hawks. From September 2016 to April 2017, 96 cavities were sampled, 67 in the primary, and 29 in the secondary plots. Our data revealed that the communities of cavity-nester birds in mid-successional stage areas may be more affected by the reduced cavity availability than by cavities quality, as the number of cavities in these sites was less than half than that found in mature forests. We also provide evidences that the largest cavity nesters, such as the biggest hawks, might have limited nesting possibilities in mid-successional stage areas especially due to small cavity entrances, which may have important reflects in conservation strategies.

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Seasonal and successional dynamics of size-dependent plant demographic rates in a tropical dry forest

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9636 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9636

Author(s):

Irving Saenz-Pedroza ◽

Richard Feldman ◽

Casandra Reyes-García ◽

Jorge A. Meave ◽

Luz Maria Calvo-Irabien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

Dry Season ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Species Density ◽

Wet Season ◽

Successional Stage ◽

Size Dependent ◽

Demographic Rates ◽

Successional Stages

Tropical forests are globally important for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation but are being converted to other land uses. Conversion of seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) is particularly high while their protection is low. Secondary succession allows forests to recover their structure, diversity and composition after conversion and subsequent abandonment and is influenced by demographic rates of the constituent species. However, how these rates vary between seasons for different plant sizes at different successional stages in SDTF is not known. The effect of seasonal drought may be more severe early in succession, when temperature and radiation are high, while competition and density-dependent processes may be more important at later stages, when vegetation is tall and dense. Besides, the effects of seasonality and successional stage may vary with plant size. Large plants can better compete with small plants for limiting resources and may also have a greater capacity to withstand stress. We asked how size-dependent density, species density, recruitment and mortality varied between seasons and successional stages in a SDTF. We monitored a chronosequence in Yucatan, Mexico, over six years in three 0.1 ha plots in each of three successional stages: early (3–5 years-old), intermediate (18–20 years-old) and advanced (>50 years-old). Recruitment, mortality and species gain and loss rates were calculated from wet and dry season censuses separately for large (diameter > 5 cm) and small (1–5 cm in diameter) plants. We used linear mixed-effects models to assess the effects of successional stage, seasonality and their changes through time on demographic rates and on plant and species density. Seasonality affected demographic rates and density of large plants, which exhibited high wet-season recruitment and species gain rates at the early stage and high wet-season mortality at the intermediate stage, resulting in an increase in plant and species density early in succession followed by a subsequent stabilization. Small plant density decreased steadily after only 5 years of land abandonment, whereas species density increased with successional stage. A decline in species dominance may be responsible for these contrasting patterns. Seasonality, successional stage and their changes through time had a stronger influence on large plants, likely because of large among-plot variation of small plants. Notwithstanding the short duration of our study, our results suggest that climate-change driven decreases in rainy season precipitation may have an influence on successional dynamics in our study forest as strong as, or even stronger than, prolonged or severe droughts during the dry season.

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