What is the avifauna of Amazonian white-sand vegetation?

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
SÉRGIO HENRIQUE BORGES ◽  
CINTIA CORNELIUS ◽  
CAMILA RIBAS ◽  
RICARDO ALMEIDA ◽  
EDSON GUILHERME ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
White Sand ◽  
Flooded Forests ◽  
Areas Of Endemism ◽  
History Of ◽  
Seasonally Flooded

SummaryWhite-sand vegetation (WSV) is a rare vegetation type in the Amazon basin that grows in nutrient impoverished sandy soils that occur as patches of variable size. Associated with this vegetation is bird assemblage that has not yet been fully characterized. Based on published species inventories and our own field data we compile a checklist of bird species recorded in WSV. In addition, we compared the avifauna of WSV with that found in savanna patches, another type of Amazonian open vegetation. WSV hosted a distinctive avifauna including endemic and threatened species. The number of bird species was lower in WSV compared to nearby terra firme forests, seasonally flooded forests and Amazonian savannas. Despite its low diversity, the avifauna of WSV has a distinctive species composition and makes a significant contribution to Amazonian beta diversity. At least 35 bird species can be considered as indicator species for this environment. Previously identified areas of endemism within the Amazon basin house at least one WSV indicator bird including cases of congeneric species with allopatric distributions. Seven of the WSV indicator species (20% of this avifauna) are in an IUCN threatened category, with one species Polioptila clementsi considered Critically Endangered. Their isolated distribution, small area occupied, and fragility to human-driven disturbances makes WSV one of the most threatened vegetation types in the Amazon basin. The study of WSV avifauna contributes to a better understanding of mechanisms that generate and maintain species diversity as well as of the environmental history of the most biologically diverse biome of the planet.

Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) from a white-sand habitat in the Brazilian Amazon, with the description of four new species

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4504 (3) ◽  
pp. 401
Author(s):  
FERNANDO DA SILVA CARVALHO-FILHO ◽  
INOCÊNCIO DE SOUSA GORAYEB ◽  
JÉSSICA MARIA MENEZES SOARES ◽  
MATHEUS TAVARES DE SOUZA
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Insect Fauna ◽  
Flesh Fly ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
White Sand ◽  
Flesh Flies

The white-sand enclaves in the Amazon Basin are small areas scattered through the tropical forest, with sandy and nutrient-poor soils and an unusual vegetation type. The insect fauna of this ecosystem is poorly known, especially in the eastern Amazon. The flesh fly fauna of an area of open herbaceous white-sand vegetation known as “Campo Redondo” in the municipality of Cametá, state of Pará, was surveyed, resulting in the discovery of 43 species in 11 genera representing the subfamilies Sarcophaginae and Miltogramminae. Four new species are described: Dexosarcophaga (Dexosarcophaga) campina sp. nov., Helicobia cametaensis sp. nov., Helicobia domquixote sp. nov., and Metopia fofo sp. nov. Lepidodexia (Lepidodexia) grisea Lopes and Lepidodexia (Notochaeta) setifrons (Lopes) are newly recorded from Brazil. Dexosarcophaga (Bezzisca) ampullula (Engel), D. (Dexosarcophaga) transita Townsend and Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) larvicida (Lopes) are newly recorded from the Brazilian Amazon. 

Leaf-litter decomposition across three flooding regimes in a seasonally flooded Amazonian watershed

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista A. Capps ◽  
Manuel A. S. Graça ◽  
Andrea C. Encalada ◽  
Alexander S. Flecker
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Transition Zones ◽  
Flooded Forests ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Seasonally Flooded ◽  
Energy Pathways

Decomposition of leaf litter is an important process that releases energy and nutrients in both terrestrial and aquatic environments (Moore et al. 2004, Wallace et al. 1997); therefore, the physical, chemical and biological processes controlling leaf-litter decomposition rates can affect nutrient cycling and productivity in these systems (Cross et al. 2007, Wood et al. 2009). Several studies have shown that leaf decomposition is faster in aquatic than in terrestrial habitats due to relatively constant temperatures, continuous leaching and the physical breakdown of leaves by flowing water (Hutchens & Wallace 2002, Langhans & Tockner 2006, Langhans et al. 2008). Yet, comparatively few studies have examined these relationships in tropical systems with flooded forests. Flooding is a predominant feature of the upper Amazon Basin, but its occurrence and magnitude is complex and not strictly seasonal (Junk et al. 1989). To identify the dominant energy pathways and understand the nutrient dynamics of upper Amazon rain forests, it is imperative to investigate organic matter processing in the aquatic/terrestrial transition zones of these ecosystems.

Sister species, different histories: comparative phylogeography of two bird species associated with Amazonian open vegetation

2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-173
Author(s):  
Camila D Ritter ◽  
Laís A Coelho ◽  
João Mg Capurucho ◽  
Sergio H Borges ◽  
Cíntia Cornelius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Population History ◽  
Sister Species ◽  
White Sand ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Vegetation Patches ◽  
The Last Glacial

Abstract Although the expansion of open vegetation within Amazonia was the basis for the Forest Refugia hypothesis, studies of Amazonian biota diversification have focussed mostly on forest taxa. Here we compare the phylogeographic patterns and population history of two sister species associated with Amazonian open-vegetation patches, Elaenia cristata and Elaenia ruficeps (Aves: Tyrannidae). We sampled individuals across Amazonia for both species, and in the central Brazilian savannas (Cerrado) for E. cristata. We sequenced one mitochondrial (ND2) and two nuclear (BFib7 and ACO) markers. We tested for population structure, estimated migration rates and elucidated the historical demography of each species. The Amazon River is the strongest barrier for E. ruficeps and the Branco River is a secondary barrier. For the more broadly distributed E. cristata, there was no discernible population structure. Both species attained their current genetic diversity recently and E. cristata has undergone demographic expansion since the Last Glacial Maximum, The results suggest distinct effects of recent landscape change on population history for the two species. E. ruficeps, which only occurs in Amazonian white sand habitats, has been more isolated in open-vegetation patches than E. cristata, which occupies Amazonian savannas, and extends into the Central Brazilian Cerrado.

scholarly journals A palaeobiogeographic model for biotic diversification within Amazonia over the past three million years

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1729) ◽  
pp. 681-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila C. Ribas ◽  
Alexandre Aleixo ◽  
Afonso C. R. Nogueira ◽  
Cristina Y. Miyaki ◽  
Joel Cracraft
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Geological Evidence ◽  
The Past ◽  
High Species Diversity ◽  
Areas Of Endemism ◽  
History Of ◽  
Major River ◽  
Glacial Climate

Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain high species diversity in Amazonia, but few generalizations have emerged. In part, this has arisen from the scarcity of rigorous tests for mechanisms promoting speciation, and from major uncertainties about palaeogeographic events and their spatial and temporal associations with diversification. Here, we investigate the environmental history of Amazonia using a phylogenetic and biogeographic analysis of trumpeters (Aves: Psophia ), which are represented by species in each of the vertebrate areas of endemism. Their relationships reveal an unforeseen ‘complete’ time-slice of Amazonian diversification over the past 3.0 Myr. We employ this temporally calibrated phylogeny to test competing palaeogeographic hypotheses. Our results are consistent with the establishment of the current Amazonian drainage system at approximately 3.0–2.0 Ma and predict the temporal pattern of major river formation over Plio-Pleistocene times. We propose a palaeobiogeographic model for the last 3.0 Myr of Amazonian history that has implications for understanding patterns of endemism, the temporal history of Amazonian diversification and mechanisms promoting speciation. The history of Psophia , in combination with new geological evidence, provides the strongest direct evidence supporting a role for river dynamics in Amazonian diversification, and the absence of such a role for glacial climate cycles and refugia.

scholarly journals The Ornithology of the Real Expedición Botánica a Nueva España (1787–1803): An Analysis of the Manuscripts of José Mariano Mociño

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 808-823
Author(s):  
Adolfo G. Navarro-Sigüenza ◽  
A. Townsend Peterson ◽  
Miguel Ángel Puig-Samper ◽  
Graciela Zamudio
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Original Paintings ◽  
The Real ◽  
History Of Ornithology ◽  
Small Collection ◽  
History Of ◽  
Unpublished Manuscripts ◽  
Level Identification

Abstract Until recently, a major gap has existed in our knowledge regarding Mexican bird information from the Real Expedición Botánica a Nueva España in the late 1700s. This expedition (1787–1803) was commanded by Martín de Sessé; the Mexican scientist José Mariano Mociño joined the group in 1790, but his ornithological findings were never published and have long been considered lost. However, study of the Sessé-Mociño ornithological results began in 1979 with the appearance of a small collection of original paintings, apparently from the expedition. Later, in 1997, unpublished manuscripts were discovered in the library of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid that included descriptions of many bird species, again apparently Sessé-Mociño material. These discoveries, covering an important portion of the overall ornithological results of the expedition, make possible a broader study of the Sessé-Mociño ornithology: a taxonomic list using modern nomenclature, an analysis of the correspondence between the paintings and the manuscripts, and conclusions regarding the provenance of those materials. Of a total of 83 paintings available, we were able to identify 78 to species, and 5 only to family. In the manuscripts, 290 species were treated, but for 27, the descriptions were fragmentary and insufficient for identification; of the remaining 263 species, we arrived at a species-level identification for 242, and identified the remainder to genus (19) or family (2). The recent discovery of these ornithological texts and paintings offers a unique view of the history of ornithology as well as of the environmental history of Mexico.

scholarly journals Ecology and life history of an Amazon floodplain cichlid: the discus fish Symphysodon (Perciformes: Cichlidae)

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 599-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. R. Crampton
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
High Water ◽  
Organic Detritus ◽  
Plant Matter ◽  
Amazon Floodplain ◽  
Flood Level ◽  
Flooded Forests ◽  
History Of ◽  
Eggs And Larvae ◽  
Fine Organic

The discus fishes of the genus Symphysodon are popular ornamental cichlids that occur in floodplain lakes and flooded forests of the lowland Amazon Basin. These habitats are characterized by extreme seasonal fluctuations in the availability of food, shelter and dissolved oxygen, and also the densities of predators and parasites. Most aspects of discus biology are influenced by these fluctuating conditions. This paper reports an autoecological study of the western Amazonian discus S. haraldi (until recently classified as S. aequifasciatus). This species feeds predominantly on algal periphyton, fine organic detritus, plant matter, and small aquatic invertebrates. At high water it forages alone or in small groups in flooded forests. At low water it forms large aggregations in fallen tree crowns along lake margins. Breeding occurs at the beginning of the flood season, ensuring that the progeny are well grown before the next low water period. Symphysodon haraldi is an iteroparous partial spawner, reaches reproductive maturity within a year, and undertakes parental care of its eggs and larvae. The timing of spawning events, and/or the rate of brood survival, may be influenced by fluctuations in the flood level, resulting in a non-unimodal distribution of size classes for the subsequent 1+ cohort.

scholarly journals White-Sand Savannas Expand at the Core of the Amazon After Forest Wildfires

Ecosystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo M. Flores ◽  
Milena Holmgren
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
White Sand ◽  
The Core ◽  
Ecosystem Shift ◽  
Seasonally Flooded ◽  
Satellite Analysis

AbstractAcross the tropics, climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires, exposing tropical forests to the risk of shifting into an open vegetation state. A recent satellite analysis of the Amazon basin suggests this might happen first in floodplains where forests are particularly fragile. We studied floodplain landscapes of the middle Rio Negro, covering ~ 4100 km2 at the Central Amazon region, where forest ecosystems are dominant. We used Landsat images to map 40 years of wildfire history and test the hypothesis that repeatedly burnt forests fail to regenerate and can be replaced by white-sand savanna ecosystems. In the field, using a chronosequence of ‘time after the first fire’, we assessed changes in tree species composition, herbaceous cover and topsoil properties. Here we show that when these forests are repeatedly disturbed by wildfires, their soil gradually loses clay and nutrients and becomes increasingly sandy. In synchrony, native herbaceous cover expands, forest tree species disappear and white-sand savanna tree species become dominant. This drastic ecosystem shift happened within 40 years, likely accelerated by topsoil erosion. When recurrent fires maintain floodplain forests in an open vegetation state, topsoil erosion intensifies, transforming clay-rich soils into white-sand soils that may favour savanna tree species. Our findings reveal that white-sand savannas may expand through seasonally flooded ecosystems at the core of the Amazon, facilitated by wildfires.

scholarly journals Impacts of a large hydroelectric dam on the Madeira River (Brazil) on floodplain avifauna

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 298-310
Author(s):  
Tomaz Nascimendo de MELO ◽  
Marconi Campos CERQUEIRA ◽  
Fernando Mendonça D’HORTA ◽  
Hanna TUOMISTO ◽  
Jasper Van DONINCK ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Floodplain Forest ◽  
Dam Construction ◽  
Automated Classification ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Madeira River ◽  
Seasonally Flooded ◽  
Successional Vegetation ◽  
Reservoir Filling

ABSTRACT Hydroelectric dams represent an important threat to seasonally flooded environments in the Amazon basin. We aimed to evaluate how a dam in the Madeira River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazonas River, affected floodplain avifauna. Bird occurrence was recorded through simultaneous passive acoustic monitoring in early successional vegetation and floodplain forest downstream from the dam and upstream in sites impacted by permanent flooding after dam reservoir filling. Species were identified through manual inspection and semi-automated classification of the recordings. To assess the similarity in vegetation between downstream and upstream sites, we used Landsat TM/ETM+ composite images from before (2009-2011) and after (2016-2018) reservoir filling. Downstream and upstream floodplain forest sites were similar before, but not after dam construction. Early successional vegetation sites were already different before dam construction. We recorded 195 bird species. While species richness did not differ between upstream and downstream sites, species composition differed significantly. Ten species were indicators of early successional vegetation upstream, and four downstream. Ten species were indicators of floodplain forest upstream, and 31 downstream. Seven of 24 floodplain specialist species were detected by the semi-automated classification only upstream. While we found some bird species characteristic of early successional vegetation in the upstream sites, we did not find most species characteristic of tall floodplain forest. Predominantly carnivorous, insectivorous, and nectarivorous species appear to have been replaced by generalist and widely distributed species.

scholarly journals Agricultural land in the Amazon basin supports low bird diversity and is a poor replacement for primary forest

The Condor ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Montague H C Neate-Clegg ◽  
Çağan H Şekercioğlu
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
History Of ◽  
Matrix Habitats

Abstract The Amazon has a long history of disturbance under subsistence agriculture, but slash-and-burn agriculture is small in scale and has relatively low impact on resident avifauna. More recently, the Amazon has suffered extensive deforestation in favor of cattle ranching and other modern systems of agriculture. Cattle pastures, mechanized agriculture, and even tree plantations have detrimental effects on bird communities, greatly lowering diversity, especially that of primary forest interior specialists. A rising threat to the Amazon is the spread of oil palm plantations that retain few bird species and are not viable alternatives to forest. Embedded within the expanding agropastoral mosaic are forest fragments that have experienced a well-documented loss of diversity. Yet, the matrix can mitigate the recovery of fragmented bird communities depending on the type of secondary regrowth. Connectivity via matrix habitats or forest corridors is critical for the maintenance of forest avifauna. With so many types of land use developing across the Amazon, the “tropical countryside” has potential value for bird diversity. However, evidence suggests that the agropastoral mosaic harbors a small, more homogenized avifauna with few forest species, especially when primary forest is absent from the landscape. For the Amazon Basin’s bird life to be conserved into the future, preservation of large tracts of well-connected primary forest is vital. Tropical countryside dominated by agriculture simply cannot sustain sufficient levels of biodiversity.

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