scholarly journals EXOTIC PALMS THREATENS NATIVE PALMS: A RISK TO PLANT BIODIVERSITY OF ATLANTIC FOREST

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago Monteiro Condé ◽  
Fernando da Silva ◽  
Agostinho Lopes de Souza ◽  
Helio Garcia Leite ◽  
Eder Aparecido Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Palm Trees ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
High Germination ◽  
Palm Species ◽  
Forest Strata

ABSTRACT Invasive plants can profoundly modify physical and biological characteristics of their new environments, especially when such habitats are already fragmented and reduced by anthropogenic pressure, such as the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Here, we hypothesized that exotic palms successfully establish among the natural Euterpe edulis populations through a continuous propagule input by avifauna, high germination rates, and rapid growth. As a result, the native palm is experiencing decline and may be threatened with extinction. Beginning in 2007, we conducted a continuous forest inventory (FCI) every three years in the primary and secondary forest fragments of Viçosa, Minas Gerais. We use a Markov matrix to project future distributions of palm trees. The secondary forest contained three exotic palm species: Archontophoenix alexandrae, Livistona chinensis, and Arenga caudata. The first palm is a serious risk to natural E. edulis populations in the Atlantic because of frequent interactions with birds, rapid germination, and aggressive colonization in the lower to medium vertical forest strata. Currently, natural E. edulis populations are viable and sustainable, capable of regeneration, growth, and fruiting, their communities maintain continuous gene flow, dominating vertical forest strata compared with exotic palms. However, exotic palms should be monitored and control measures should be analyzed, especially in areas with A. alexandrae populations.

scholarly journals Effects of climate and forest structure on palms, bromeliads and bamboos in Atlantic Forest fragments of Northeastern Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 834-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. R. Hilário ◽  
J. J. Toledo
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Plant Groups ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Palm Species

Abstract Palms, bromeliads and bamboos are key elements of tropical forests and understanding the effects of climate, anthropogenic pressure and forest structure on these groups is crucial to forecast structural changes in tropical forests. Therefore, we investigated the effects of these factors on the abundance of these groups in 22 Atlantic forest fragments of Northeastern Brazil. Abundance of bromeliads and bamboos were assessed through indexes. Palms were counted within a radius of 20 m. We also obtained measures of vegetation structure, fragment size, annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality and human population density. We tested the effects of these predictors on plant groups using path analysis. Palm abundance was higher in taller forests with larger trees, closed canopy and sparse understory, which may be a result of the presence of seed dispersers and specific attributes of local palm species. Bromeliads were negatively affected by both annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality, what may reflect adaptations of these plants to use water efficiently, but also the need to capture water in a regular basis. Bamboos were not related to any predictor variable. As climate and forest structure affected the abundance of bromeliads and palms, human-induced climatic changes and disturbances in forest structure may modify the abundance of these groups. In addition, soil properties and direct measurements of human disturbance should be used in future studies in order to improve the predictability of models about plant groups in Northeastern Atlantic Forest.

scholarly journals Reproductive success of Cabralea canjerana (Meliaceae) in Atlantic forest fragments, Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edivani Villaron Franceschinelli ◽  
Roselaini Mendes do Carmo ◽  
Carlos De Melo e Silva Neto ◽  
Bruno Bastos Gonçalves ◽  
Leonardo Lima Bergamini
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Z Value

In Brazil, the Atlantic forest remnants have high biological diversity and a high level of endemism, but very little is known about the reproductive success of native species. <em>Cabralea canjerana</em> is a common tree in the Montane Atlantic forest, and its reproduction is highly dependent on pollinators. In order to contribute with the particular knowledge on this species, we collected data in three fragmented and three continuous forest sites, where the effects of fragmentation on both mutualistic (pollination) and antagonistic (seed predation) interactions were analysed. We determined fruit production and weight of 25 trees per site. The number of seeds and the percentage of predated and aborted seeds were also accessed for seven fruits of 10 trees per site. Pollinator visitation frequencies to flowers were recorded in two forest fragments and in two sites of the continuous forest. Our data showed<em> </em>that plants of <em>C. canjerana</em> produced more fruits (z-value=-8.24; p&lt;0.0001) and seeds per fruit (z-value=-6.58; p=0.002) in the continuous than in the fragmented sites. This was likely due to differences in pollination, because the number of pollinator visits was higher in the continuous forest than in the fragments. Seed abortion (z-value=4.08, p&lt;0.001) and predation (z-value=3.72, p=0.0002), on the other hand, were higher in the fragmented than in the continuous sites. Then, mutualistic and antagonistic interactions were affected by fragmentation, decreasing the reproductive success of the study tree. This study was the first to show a decrease in the reproductive output in forest fragments in an Atlantic forest tree species. This decrease may threaten the population structure and viability of <em>C. canjerana</em> in forest fragments.

scholarly journals Soil quality indicators in areas with different vegetation cover in the Atlantic Forest biome, Southeastern Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Fernado Silva Coutinho ◽  
Luiz Alberto da Silva Rodrigues Pinto ◽  
Marcos Gervasio Pereira ◽  
Shirlei Almeida Assunção ◽  
Silver Rodrigues Zandoná ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Humic Fractions ◽  
Forest Biome

The southeast region of Brazil, in the Atlantic Forest biome, has been impacted for a long time, observing today small agricultural areas inserted in a matrix of pastures and forest fragments, the soils being highly modified due to the different forms of use they were submitted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the organic carbon content in the humic fractions on soil organic matter (SOM), the distribution of aggregates in size classes and the porosity and aggregates density variables by means of computed tomography in secondary forest, pasture and agriculture areas in Pinheiral (RJ). Three areas composed of secondary forests with different succession stages and three managed areas were evaluated: Secondary Forest (SF) Initial Stage (SFIS), Medium Stage (SFMS), Advanced Stage (SFAS), mixed managed pasture (MMP), and perennial and annual agriculture (PA and AA, respectively). Three types of samples were collected in different layers: i) deformed samples to quantify carbon in the SOM humic fractions; ii) clods for quantifying the mass of aggregates and later assessing the distribution by diameter classes; and iii) undisturbed samples collected with the aid of an acrylic cylinder to perform computed tomography (CT). Humic substances and aggregate classes below 2.0 mm were the attributes most influenced by the forms of use and/or vegetation cover. The CT technique proved to be efficient in the measurement of the edaphic attribute’s porosity and density of the aggregates, helping in the characterization and separation of the different environments.

scholarly journals Weedy and secundary palm species in central amazonian forest Fragments

2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldicir Scariot
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Porto Alegre ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Palm Species ◽  
Unknown Status ◽  
Weedy Species ◽  
Forest Plant Species ◽  
Abundance And Distribution

Forest fragmentation may affect the abundance and distribution of organisms. Some species populations decrease being eventually driven to local extinction while other species may experience population increase. In a survey of the composition and abundance of secondary and weedy palms in eight forest fragments (three of 1-, three of 10- and two of 100-ha), in three sites (Dimona, Porto Alegre and Esteio) in central Amazonia, five native palm species which do not occur in the continuous forest were identified. Three were secondary species (Astrocaryum acaule Mart., Bactris maraja Mart. var. maraja and Bactris sp), one weedy (Lepidocaryum tenue Mart.), and one of unknown status (B. oligocarpa Barb. Rodr. & Trail). The highest abundance was found in the 1-ha fragments which had 172 of the 206 palms found compared with 33 in the 10-ha and one in the 100-ha fragments. However, most of these palms occur in the Dimona site, which accounted for 195 of the 206 of the individuals, compared with seven in Esteio and four in Porto Alegre. The weedy L. tenue, which forms clonal populations, although occurring only in Dimona, accounted for 91% of the individuals recorded. It is possible that with increased habitat degradation of small fragments, some populations of secondary and weedy species will also increase, what may be detrimental to the closed forest plant species populations occurring in forest fragments.

scholarly journals Frugivorous bat (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) community structure and trophic relations in Atlantic Forest fragments

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. e52030
Author(s):  
Camila de Lima Faustino ◽  
Rosa Maria Dias ◽  
Silvia Regina Ferreira ◽  
Henrique Ortêncio Filho
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Trophic Relations ◽  
Forest Remnants ◽  
Food Overlap ◽  
Artibeus Lituratus ◽  
Bat Diversity

We evaluated the structure of a community of frugivorous bats using composition and abundance patterns, niche amplitude and food overlap of these animals in four Atlantic Forest fragments, each one exposed to different conservation realities. For twelve months, we captured six bat species and found the seeds of 13 species of pioneering plants in 158 fecal samples. The most abundant bat species were Artibeus planirostris (25.4%), Artibeus lituratus (24.1%) and Carollia perspicillata (23.9%). Only one fragment (Fazenda Unida), the most conserved area, exhibited a significantly different composition and abundance of species. We found low trophic niche amplitude values (<0.60), associated to high food overlaps. Our results suggest that bats can adjust their foraging strategy to deal with food availability variations. By favoring pioneering plant species, the fragmentation process noted of the studied areas creates an attractive environment for bats more tolerant to this type of disturbance. The sampled areas represent important secondary forest remnants in southern Brazil that require attention to avoid an even greater loss of bat diversity.

scholarly journals Erosion of phylogenetic diversity in Neotropical bat assemblages: findings from a whole-ecosystem fragmentation experiment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabhrina G. Aninta ◽  
Ricardo Rocha ◽  
Adrià López-Baucells ◽  
Christoph F. J. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Habitat Amount ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Ecosystem Fragmentation

AbstractThe traditional focus on taxonomic diversity metrics for investigating species responses to habitat loss and fragmentation has limited our understanding on how biodiversity is impacted by habitat modification. This is particularly true for taxonomic groups such as bats which exhibit species-specific responses. Here, we investigate phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity of Neotropical bat assemblages across two environmental gradients, one in habitat quality and one in habitat amount. We surveyed bats in 39 sites located across a whole-ecosystem fragmentation experiment in the Brazilian Amazon, representing a gradient of habitat quality (interior-edge-matrix, hereafter IEM) in both continuous forest and forest fragments of different sizes (1, 10, and 100 ha; forest size gradient). For each habitat category, we quantified alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity, then used linear models and cluster analysis to explore how forest area and IEM gradient affect phylogenetic diversity. We found that the secondary forest matrix harboured significantly lower total evolutionary history compared to the fragment interiors, especially the 1 ha fragments, containing bat assemblages with more closely related species. Forest fragments ≥ 10 ha had levels of phylogenetic richness similar to continuous forest, suggesting that large fragments retain considerable levels of evolutionary history. The edge and matrix adjacent to large fragments tend to have closely related lineages nonetheless, suggesting phylogenetic homogenization in these IEM gradient categories. Thus, despite the high mobility of bats, fragmentation still induces considerable levels of erosion of phylogenetic diversity, suggesting that the various evolutionary history might not be able to persist in present-day human-modified landscapes.

scholarly journals Myxobiota of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: species on oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis, Arecaceae)

Rodriguésia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 575-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clebson Firmino da Silva ◽  
Laise de Holanda Cavalcanti
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Elaeis Guineensis ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Palm Tree ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Palm Trees ◽  
Ecological Reserve

Abstract Elaeis guineensis Jacq. (Arecaceae), the oil palm tree, serves as a phorophyte for many different groups of organisms, someof whichhelp decompose organic matter comingfromthe organs of the tree itself or fromremainsof other plants retained in leaf sheaths. To study the myxobiota of E. guineensis, we examined living and dead trunks, leaves, bracts and inflorescences in the Gurjaú Ecological Reserve, in the township of Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco, Brazil. Incidence and species abundance were determined in three Atlantic forest fragments. The reported species are listed herein, followed the known distribution of each species in Brazil, and which of them occur on palm trees. All of the subclasses and five orders were recorded and 22 species were added to the list of myxomycetes associated with oil palm trees in Brazil. The highest incidence value was recorded on dead leaves. Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa (O. F. Müll.) T. Macbr., Arcyria cinerea (Bull.)Pers. and Physarum compressum Alb.& Schwein. werethe most commonspecies, while Hemitrichia serpula (Scop.) Rostaf. ex Lister showed the highest levels of abundance and incidence, thus confirming its preference for the substrates provided by palm trees.

scholarly journals Erosion of phylogenetic diversity in Neotropical bat assemblages: findings from a whole-ecosystem fragmentation experiment

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (14) ◽  
pp. 4047-4063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabhrina G. Aninta ◽  
Ricardo Rocha ◽  
Adrià López-Baucells ◽  
Christoph F. J. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Habitat Amount ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Ecosystem Fragmentation

Abstract The traditional focus on taxonomic diversity metrics for investigating species responses to habitat loss and fragmentation has limited our understanding of how biodiversity is impacted by habitat modification. This is particularly true for taxonomic groups such as bats which exhibit species-specific responses. Here, we investigate phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity of Neotropical bat assemblages across two environmental gradients, one in habitat quality and one in habitat amount. We surveyed bats in 39 sites located across a whole-ecosystem fragmentation experiment in the Brazilian Amazon, representing a gradient of habitat quality (interior-edge-matrix, hereafter IEM) in both continuous forest and forest fragments of different sizes (1, 10, and 100 ha; forest size gradient). For each habitat category, we quantified alpha and beta phylogenetic diversity, then used linear mixed-effects models and cluster analysis to explore how forest area and IEM gradient affect phylogenetic diversity. We found that the secondary forest matrix harboured significantly lower total evolutionary history compared to the fragment interiors, especially the matrix near the 1 ha fragments, containing bat assemblages with more closely related species. Forest fragments ≥ 10 ha had levels of phylogenetic richness similar to continuous forest, suggesting that large fragments retain considerable levels of evolutionary history. The edge and matrix adjacent to large fragments tend to have closely related lineages nonetheless, suggesting phylogenetic homogenization in these IEM gradient categories. Thus, despite the high mobility of bats, fragmentation still induces considerable levels of erosion of phylogenetic diversity, suggesting that the full amount of evolutionary history might not be able to persist in present-day human-modified landscapes.

scholarly journals Effects of Forest Fragmentation on the Vertical Stratification of Neotropical Bats

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Silva ◽  
Ricardo Rocha ◽  
Adrià López-Baucells ◽  
Fábio Z. Farneda ◽  
Christoph F. J. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Vertical Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Stratification ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Forest Strata ◽  
Neotropical Bats ◽  
Artibeus Lituratus

Vertical stratification is a key component of the biological complexity of rainforests. Understanding community- and species-level responses to disturbance across forest strata is paramount for evidence-based conservation and management. However, even for bats, known to extensively explore multiple layers of the complex three-dimensional forest space, studies are biased towards understory-based surveys and only few assessments of vertical stratification were done in fragmented landscapes. Using both ground and canopy mist-nets, we investigated how the vertical structure of bat assemblages is influenced by forest fragmentation in the experimentally fragmented landscape of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Central Amazon, Brazil. Over a three year-period, we captured 3077 individuals of 46 species in continuous forest (CF) and in 1, 10 and 100 ha forest fragments. In both CF and forest fragments, the upper forest strata sustained more diverse bat assemblages than the equivalent understory layer, and the midstory layers had significantly higher bat abundance in fragments than in CF. Artibeus lituratus and Rhinophylla pumilio exhibited significant shifts in their vertical stratification patterns between CF and fragments (e.g., R. pumilio was more associated with the upper strata in fragments than in CF). Altogether, our study suggests that fragmentation modulates the vertical stratification of bat assemblages.

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