Carlos Alfredo Joly

The vegetation of granite rock outcrops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the need for its protection

Summary Rock outcrop communities usually receive very little attention from scientists and environmentalists. We examined the vegetation occurring in eight gneissgranite rock outcrops at Rio de Janeiro State (Brazilian Atlantic coast) which exists in natural associations on soil islands. A total of 86 vascular plant species, belonging to 30 families, was found on 347 soil islands. Bromeliaceae, Asteraceae and Velloziaceae species were the most frequent plants, many of them endemic to these habitats. Ordination and cluster analyses using species frequency on each site made evident some major distinctions related to local influences, most probably the proximity to the sea. Each outcrop presented high values of the Shannon-Wiener index of species diversity. Species richness was very dependent on the total area, and high beta diversity was observed amongst sites. Similarities with the South American and African rock-outcrop communities were found. Despite their uniqueness as habitats, their possession of several endemic species and the fragility of the ecosystem involved, Brazilian rock outcrops are not protected by specific environmental legislation and we propose urgent actions for their protection.

Brazilian Atlantic Forest lato sensu: the most ancient Brazilian forest, and a biodiversity hotspot, is highly threatened by climate change

After 500 years of exploitation and destruction, the Brazilian Atlantic Forest has been reduced to less the 8% of its original cover, and climate change may pose a new threat to the remnants of this biodiversity hotspot. In this study we used modelling techniques to determine present and future geographical distribution of 38 species of trees that are typical of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica), considering two global warming scenarios. The optimistic scenario, based in a 0.5% increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, predicts an increase of up to 2 °C in the Earths average temperature; in the pessimistic scenario, based on a 1% increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, temperature increase may reach 4 °C. Using these parameters, the occurrence points of the studied species registered in literature, the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Predictions/GARP and Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions/MaxEnt we developed models of present and future possible occurrence of each species, considering Earths mean temperature by 2050 with the optimistic and the pessimistic scenarios of CO2 emission. The results obtained show an alarming reduction in the area of possible occurrence of the species studied, as well as a shift towards southern areas of Brazil. Using GARP, on average, in the optimistic scenario this reduction is of 25% while in the pessimistic scenario it reaches 50%, and the species that will suffer the worst reduction in their possible area of occurrence are: Euterpe edulis, Mollinedia schottiana, Virola bicuhyba, Inga sessilis and Vochysia magnifica. Using MaxEnt, on average, in the optimistic scenario the reduction will be of 20% while in the pessimistic scenario it reaches 30%, and the species that will suffer the worst reduction are: Hyeronima alchorneoides, Schefflera angustissima, Andira fraxinifolia and the species of Myrtaceae studied.

Evolutionary biology in biodiversity science, conservation, and policy: A call to action

Evolutionary biologists have long endeavored to document how many species exist on Earth, to understand the processes by which biodiversity waxes and wanes, to document and interpret spatial patterns of biodiversity, and to infer evolutionary relationships. Despite the great potential of this knowledge to improve biodiversity science, conservation, and policy, evolutionary biologists have generally devoted limited attention to these broader implications. Likewise, many workers in biodiversity science have underappreciated the fundamental relevance of evolutionary biology. The aim of this article is to summarize and illustrate some ways in which evolutionary biology is directly relevant. We do so in the context of four broad areas: (1) discovering and documenting biodiversity, (2) understanding the causes of diversification, (3) evaluating evolutionary responses to human disturbances, and (4) implications for ecological communities, ecosystems, and humans. We also introduce bioGENESIS, a new project within DIVERSITAS launched to explore the potential practical contributions of evolutionary biology. In addition to fostering the integration of evolutionary thinking into biodiversity science, bioGENESIS provides practical recommendations to policy makers for incorporating evolutionary perspectives into biodiversity agendas and conservation. We solicit your involvement in developing innovative ways of using evolutionary biology to better comprehend and stem the loss of biodiversity.

A Rosetta Stone for Nature's Benefits to People

After a long incubation period, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is now underway. Underpinning all its activities is the IPBES Conceptual Framework (CF), a simplified model of the interactions between nature and people. Drawing on the legacy of previous large-scale environmental assessments, the CF goes further in explicitly embracing different disciplines and knowledge systems (including indigenous and local knowledge) in the co-construction of assessments of the state of the world’s biodiversity and the benefits it provides to humans. The CF can be thought of as a kind of “Rosetta Stone” that highlights commonalities between diverse value sets and seeks to facilitate crossdisciplinary and crosscultural understanding. We argue that the CF will contribute to the increasing trend towards interdisciplinarity in understanding and managing the environment. Rather than displacing disciplinary science, however, we believe that the CF will provide new contexts of discovery and policy applications for it.

Biodiversity Conservation Research, Training, and Policy in São Paulo

The BIOTA-FAPESP program is linking a decade of research on biodiversity into public policy in the state of São Paulo. Since the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992, biodiversity conservation (the protection of species, ecosystems, and ecological processes) and restoration (recovery of degraded ecosystems) have been high priorities for many countries. Scarce financial resources must be optimized, especially in developing countries considered megadiverse (1), by investing in programs that combine biodiversity research, personnel training, and public-policy impact. We describe an ongoing program in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, that may be a useful example of how conservation initiatives with a solid scientific basis can be achieved.

Physiological and anatomical adaptations by young Astrocaryum jauari Mart. (Arecaceae) in periodically inundated biotopes of Central Amazonia

Young plants of the palm, Astrocaryum jauari, are well-adapted anatomically and physiologically to hypoxic conditions. Annual inundation for as long as 300 days, at water temperatures of 28?C, produce neither leaf loss nor rotting of the roots. At a depth of 1.2 m beneath blackwaters, the leaves in the crowns of the plants show little decrease in the amount of chlorophyll. In contrast, submersion to an equal depth in whitewater produces a loss of chlorophyll. Photosynthetic oxygen production decreases to less than 30 percent of the terrestrial rate in plants submerged beneath blackwater, and to less than 10 percent in plants submerged in whitewater. Ethanol production compensates for temporary energy deficits. Respiration by the roots is greatly reduced but does not cease during inundation. Welldeveloped aerenchyma permits gas transport from the branches to the roots. A cylinder of stone cells and sclerenchyma fibers in the outer periphery of the primary bark prevents the collapse of the root aerenchyma due to reduced pressure within the roots and increasing external pressure as water depth rises.

Impact of point source pollution on nitrogen isotope signatures (δ15N) of vegetation in SE Brazil

This study presents novel evidence that 15N natural abundance can be used as a robust indicator to detect pollutant nitrogen in natural plant communities. Vegetation from the heavily polluted industrial area of Cubatão in São Paulo State, SE Brazil, was strongly 15N depleted compared to plants at remote sites. Historic herbarium samples from Cubatão were significantly less 15N depleted than extant plants, indicating that 15N depletion of vegetation is associated with present-day nitrogen pollution in Cubatão. The heavy load of nitrogenous atmospheric pollutants in Cubatão provides a nitrogen source for plants, and strongly 15N depleted air NH3 is likely to contribute to plant and soil 15N depletion. Epiphytic plants from Cubatão were extremely 15N depleted (average –10.9‰) contrasting with epiphytes at remote sites (averages –1.0‰ and –3.0‰). Nitrogen isotope composition of vegetation provides a tool to determine input of pollutant nitrogen into plant communities. The strong isotopic change of epiphytes suggests that epiphytes are particularly sensitive biomonitors for atmospheric pollutant nitrogen.

A falsa dicotomia entre a preservação da vegetação natural e a produção agropecuária

Through the analysis of census data on land use in Brazil this article shows that the dichotomy between food production and preservation of natural vegetation used as the main driver to change the Forest Code is false. We showed here that Brazil has already cleared an area large enough that support the production of food, fiber and bioenergy to meet the requirements of the country and global markets. We also showed the area of export-oriented crops like soybean and sugar cane have been expanded significantly in the last decades, while staple crops like rice and bean have decreased and the area planted with cassava has been stable for the last four decades. At the same time we show that the productivity of export-oriented crops has increased in a much more significant rate than staple crops or cattle stocking rate, which in average is extremely low in Brazil. We concluded by stating that the real constraint for food production in Brazil does not rely on the Forest Code environmental restrictions but instead in inequalities in land distribution and income, coupled with lack of credit to small producers and investment in research and development in the staples crops of the country.

Identification and distribution of C3 and C4 grasses in open and shaded habitats in São Paulo State, Brazil

Our objective was to identify by leaf anatomy the photosynthetic pathway of grasses from different vegetation formations of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and correlate the distribution of these species with the local conditions of irradiance

Permeability - impermeability: canopy trees as biodiversity filters

Each tropical and subtropical forest canopy species may create specific microsite conditions below its crown, which works as a filter for those species that attempt to regenerate below it. In function of the permeability or impermeability level, each canopy species could partially determine a plant community structure and composition beneath its crown projection. Therefore, present and future forest plant community biodiversity could be partially determined by the present structure of the canopy tree species community (filter effect). Some theoretical and practical aftermaths are suggested.