The Brazilian Caatinga protected areas: an extremely unbalanced conservation system

Summary The semiarid Caatinga is the largest Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest and Woodland (SDTFW) in the Neotropics. Yet the vast majority of the Caatinga is unprotected, with severe chronic anthropogenic use, exotic species and global warming among its most immediate threats. Here, we contrast the current Caatinga protected areas (PAs) scenery with that of other SDTFWs in the Neotropics. We also analyse the growth process of the PAs in the Caatinga over time across Brazilian PA categories and jurisdictions. The percentage of Caatinga that is protected is average among the SDTFWs. Caatinga has more state than federal PAs; however, the size of the PAs is greater under a federal jurisdiction. Nonetheless, in both jurisdictions, Environmental Protected Areas, one of the least restrictive categories, are more representative in terms of total area, corresponding to nearly 80% of the Caatinga PA system. Our results are relevant for international conservation goals because they depict the current PA scenery and clarify the challenges for achieving the actual preservation of the unique Caatinga biome.

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Using an occupancy approach to identify poaching hotspots in protected areas in a seasonally dry tropical forest

Biological Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108796 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 251 ◽

pp. 108796

Author(s):

Douglas de Matos Dias ◽

Átilla Colombo Ferreguetti ◽

Flávio Henrique Guimarães Rodrigues

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Seasonally Dry

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Patterns of seed rain and seedling regeneration in abandoned agricultural clearings in a seasonally dry tropical forest in India

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467409990344 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 25-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Karthik Teegalapalli ◽

Ankila J. Hiremath ◽

Devcharan Jathanna

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Tree Species ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Forest Recovery ◽

Agricultural Fields ◽

Chromolaena Odorata ◽

Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Seasonally Dry ◽

Over Time

Abstract:Forest recovery in abandoned pastures and agricultural fields is often impeded, therefore it is important to understand the factors limiting regeneration. Patterns of seed arrival and regeneration in five abandoned agricultural clearings nested within a seasonally dry tropical forest in India were examined along five transects radiating from the forest edge into the clearings. Wind-dispersed seeds dominated the seed arrival in clearings compared with vertebrate-dispersed seeds: 5563 wind-dispersed seeds and 1094 vertebrate-dispersed seeds of 14 and 13 tree species, respectively, were recorded. Numbers of the former declined steeply with increasing distance from the forest, whereas the latter showed no evident pattern with distance. Seeds of the invasive herb, Chromolaena odorata, were abundant in clearings. Although wind-dispersed seeds greatly outnumbered vertebrate-dispersed seeds, seedlings and saplings of vertebrate-dispersed species were three times more abundant than those of wind-dispersed species, indicating distinct differences in patterns of actual and effective seed dispersal. This points to recruitment limitation, and suggests that seed arrival may not be the principal barrier to regeneration in these clearings. Nonetheless, the clearings are likely to revert to forest over time.

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Goats foster endozoochoric dispersal of exotic species in a seasonally dry tropical forest ecosystem

Journal of Arid Environments ◽

10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104473 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 188 ◽

pp. 104473

Author(s):

F.H. Sena ◽

Katharina Schulz ◽

Arne Cierjacks ◽

Hiram Marinho Falcão ◽

Bruno Melo Lustosa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Exotic Species ◽

Forest Ecosystem ◽

Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Seasonally Dry ◽

Tropical Forest Ecosystem

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PALEOCLIMATIC AND PALEOECOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF A MIDDLE TO LATE EOCENE SOUTH AMERICAN SEASONALLY DRY TROPICAL FOREST

10.1130/abs/2019am-336594 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Camila Martínez ◽

◽

Carlos Jaramillo ◽

Jhonatan Martínez Murcia ◽

Federico Moreno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Late Eocene ◽

South American ◽

Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Seasonally Dry

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Quantitative estimates of deciduousness in woody species from a seasonally dry tropical forest are related to leaf functional traits and the timing of leaf flush

10.1101/2021.03.03.433407 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Souparna Chakrabarty ◽

Sheetal Sharma ◽

Shatarupa Ganguly ◽

Asmi Jezeera ◽

Neha Mohanbabu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Woody Species ◽

Leaf Phenology ◽

Deciduous Species ◽

Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Leaf Functional Traits ◽

Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Seasonally Dry ◽

Quantitative Estimates

AbstractLeaf phenology based classification of woody species into discrete evergreen and deciduous categories is widely used in ecology, but these categories hide important variation in leaf phenological behaviour. Few studies have examined the continuous nature of deciduousness and our understanding of variation in quantitative estimates of leaf shedding behaviour and the causes and consequences of this is limited. In this study we monitored leaf phenology in 75 woody species from a seasonally dry tropical forest to quantify three quantitative measures of deciduousness, namely: maximum canopy loss, duration of deciduousness, and average canopy loss. Based on proposed drought tolerance and drought avoidance strategies of evergreen and deciduous species, respectively, we tested whether the quantitative measures of deciduousness were related to leaf functional traits. Additionally, to understand the functional consequences of variation in deciduousness we examined relationships with the timing of leaf flushing and senescing. We found wide and continuous variation in quantitative measures of deciduousness in these coexisting species. Variation in deciduousness was related to leaf function traits, and the timing of leaf flushing. Along a continuous axis ranging from evergreen to deciduous species, increasing deciduousness was associated with more acquisitive leaf functional traits, with lower leaf mass per area and leaf dry matter content, and greater leaf nitrogen content. These results indicate that the continuous nature of deciduousness is an important component of resource acquisition strategies in woody species from seasonally dry forests.

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Threatened Neotropical seasonally dry tropical forest: evidence of biodiversity loss in sap-sucking herbivores over 75 years

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.201370 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Author(s):

J. A. Pinedo-Escatel ◽

G. Moya-Raygoza ◽

C. H. Dietrich ◽

J. N. Zahniser ◽

L. Portillo

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Data Matrix ◽

Dry Tropical Forest ◽

Seasonally Dry ◽

Strong Trend ◽

Arthropod Species

Tropical forests cover 7% of the earth's surface and hold 50% of known terrestrial arthropod species. Alarming insect declines resulting from human activities have recently been documented in temperate and tropical ecosystems worldwide, but reliable data from tropical forests remain sparse. The sap-sucking tribe Athysanini is one herbivore group sensitive to anthropogenic perturbation and the largest within the diverse insect family Cicadellidae distributed in America's tropical forests. To measure the possible effects of deforestation and related activities on leafhopper biodiversity, a survey of 143 historic collecting localities was conducted to determine whether species documented in the Mexican dry tropical forests during the 1920s to 1940s were still present. Biostatistical diversity analysis was performed to compare historical to recent data on species occurrences. A data matrix of 577 geographical records was analysed. In total, 374 Athysanini data records were included representing 115 species of 41 genera. Historically, species richness and diversity were higher than found in the recent survey, despite greater collecting effort in the latter. A strong trend in species decline was observed (−53%) over 75 years in this endangered seasonally dry ecosystem. Species completeness was dissimilar between historic and present data. Endemic taxa were significantly less important and represented in the 1920s–1940s species records. All localities surveyed in the dry tropical forest are disturbed and reduced by modern anthropogenic processes. Mexico harbours highly endemic leafhopper taxa with a large proportion of these inhabiting the dry forest. These findings provide important data for conservation decision making and modelling of distribution patterns of this threatened seasonally dry tropical ecosystem.

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