Cláudia P. Fernandes

Urban biodiversity: a review of current concepts and contributions to multidisciplinary approaches

With the increasing impact of urbanization in the natural ecosystems, urban areas have a key role in the preservation and enhancement of biodiversity. A multidisciplinary review, crossing various approaches to urban biodiversity has been carried out, focusing both on the concepts (fragmentation, species richness, habitat structure, pattern analyses) and the research methods used and their outputs. This opens a discussion in which variables are believed to have a direct influence both on the ecological function of the city and on social aspects such as quality of life and human well-being. This review contributes to a better understanding and promotion of the relationship between biodiversity, spatial form, sustainable design and management within the urban realm, particularly for the academic disciplines involved in such areas of knowledge, planners, designers, managers and decision-makers. This will promote the development of integrated planning and design approaches that promote green structures in the urban realm, according to contemporary social needs and grounded on a deep understanding of urban ecosystems.

Contribución para la caracterización florístico-ambiental del Norte de Portugal

En el presente trabajo se hace mencion a diferentes taxones especificos e infraespecificos con distribuciones diversas en el territorio portugues continental. En este sentido, la intensa variabilidad geomorfologica y la intrincada bioclimatologia del Norte de Portugal constituyen, ambos, factores ambientales decisivos para comprender el comportamiento floristico de esta parte del pais. Los taxones analizados en esta aportacion son: Teucrium salviastrum Trigonella polyceratia subsp. amandiana, Ononis viscosa subsp. breviflora var. breviflora, Ononis viscosa subsp. pedroi, Digitalis amandiana, Myosotis welwistchii y Myosotis secunda. De modo a poder contribuir eficientemente en la gestion de la riqueza floristica, se procede a la aplicacion de una rutina programatica multivariada, basada en un sistema de informacion geografico (SIG), a partir del cual cada uno de los taxones estudiados es georeferenciado sobre cartografia ambiental (confeccionada y publicada por el Instituto para a Conservacao da Naturaza, del Ministerio del Ambiente portugues). Los resultados obtenidos confirman el efecto gradual de transicion entre el area de influencia bioclimatica atlantica y la mediterranea, ambas determinantes para comprender el comportamiento floristico del Norte de Portugal.

Phytostructural characterization of several vegetation types in northern Portugal. II. The structural expressivity and the resistance of the vegetation

Abstract The encouraging results obtained in a previous work induced the authors to pursue here the characterization of the structure of the vegetation in northern Portugal, using the phytostructural methodology proposed earlier by the authors. With this objective, eight different types of vegetal communities, representative of the apparent states of the successional process present in this area, and representing the diversity of plant community types in the same area, were selected. The phytostructural method was elaborated on the basis of three types of structural basic matrices regarding diversity, abundance and cover. The data obtained were collected in a contingency matrix, which was then treated by means of a statistical multivariate analysis. Three structural tendencies emerged from this analysis. With the aim of studying their stability, the results are discussed in terms of resistance and resilience, according to the Highest Expressive Amplitude (HEA) concept, and by considering the intra- and inter-community structural dynamics as structural parameters. The data obtained suggest structural situations with different degrees of non-equilibrium that reflect resistance to environmental factors. The resistance of the vegetation is correlated with the apparent functional connectivity detected for the communities analysed.

Urban Habitats Biodiversity Assessment (UrHBA): a standardized procedure for recording biodiversity and its spatial distribution in urban environments

ContextUrban areas are traditionally overlooked by ecologists, but contain a wide range of biodiversity. The existing procedures for consistent recording of habitats and biodiversity are not sufficient to adequately describe urban environments in a fine scale.ObjectivesA method is required to provide information on biodiversity and its spatial distribution in urban areas, for scientific objectives and urban planning. A standardized procedure is presented for the classification and mapping of urban habitats, termed Urban Habitats Biodiversity Assessment (UrHBA), designed to capture the fine detail of urban ecosystems and provide spatial data suitable for analysis and communication.MethodsUrban Habitat Categories (UHCs) have been developed based on plant life forms, and adapted to the requirements of urban areas; new Non-Life Form categories are used to define Artificial Built Elements. Site Descriptors, Vegetation Layers and species are used to add further detail. Guidelines are provided for the mapping process, with site visits being used to elaborate the initial interpretation of remote sensed images. Data are recorded on standard forms which are linked to the mapped units.ResultsExamples of the procedure are included for a park in Porto, Portugal. Because the units are defined according to consistent rules, sites can be repeatedly surveyed to monitor change.ConclusionsThe proposed methodology can be expressed in spatial formats and designed to inform urban planning processes and decisions regarding the conservation of green spaces and biodiversity. As the categories transcend species, the method is applicable in a wide range of urban areas.

Avaliação do património vegetal natural do Alto Douro Vinhateiro 2001 -2012

O Alto Douro Vinhateiro e uma paisagem cultural evolutiva viva, patrimonio mundial desde 2001. Dez anos apos a distincao foi feito um estudo multidisciplinar sobre o seu estado de conservacao. No trabalho que aqui se apresenta avalia-se a evolucao, entre 2001 e 2012, das classes de uso do solo que codificam o patrimonio natural do ADV: Matos e Matas, Pinhais e Galerias Ripicolas. A avaliacao foi feita com base em quatro locais de amostragem associados a paisagens de referencia. Discute-se a incidencia das transformacoes detetadas e as suas implicacoes na manutencao do carater de mosaico da paisagem e na diversidade sensorial e ecologica. http://dx.doi.org/10.17127/got/2014.5.004 Data de submissao: 2014-03-31 Data de aprovacao: 2014-05-28 Data de publicacao: 2014-06-30

Contribución al conocimiento de la diversidad específica del género Medicago L. para el norte de Portugal

La intrincada orografia del norte de Portugal proporciona la posibilidad de desarrollar una alta diversidad especifica, y ademas la de distribuir esta diversidad de acuerdo con la variabilidad ambiental existente. El presente trabajo expone el ejemplo de las especies del genero Medicago, detectandose un total de 13 especies: M. arabica, M. doliata, M. intertexta, M. littoralis, M. lupulina, M. marina, M. minima, M orbicularis, M. polymorpha, M. rigidula, M. sativa, M. italica y M. truncatula, de entre las cuales se observa como M. doliata, M. intertexta, M. littoralis, M. marina, M. orbicularis, M. rigidula, M. italica y M. truncatula presentan una distribucion aparentemente limitada por las condiciones topograficas y climaticas envolventes. Para demostrar este comportamiento se desarrolla no solo un analisis taxonomico de reconocimiento de la diversidad especifica presente, sino que ademas se establece una correlacion entre la distribucion de estos taxones y la variabilidad climatica y altitudinal.