Denis Silva Nogueira

Patterns in the organization of Cerrado pond biodiversity in Brazilian pasture landscapes

There is a worldwide concern on the loss of pond biodiversity in human dominated landscapes. Nevertheless, agricultural activities appear to increase pond number in the Brazilian Cerrado through damming streams for cattle raising. These man-made ponds may represent important landscape features, but their importance to regional biodiversity has not yet been studied. Here, we evaluated differences in alpha and beta diversity under a multi-taxonomic approach, as well as tested pond size as the main driver of local species richness. We also assessed the importance of environmental heterogeneity through the analysis of the regional species accumulation curves (SAC). The overall result suggests that species turnover was the major component of regional biodiversity for all groups. Major physical and chemical water conditions had no effects on algae, macrophytes, water bugs, and birds species richness. Pond size had a significant effect on Odonata and fish species richness, while water beetles and amphibians were influenced by trophic conditions. Results from regional SAC show variations among different taxonomic groups regarding landscape heterogeneity: only algae, fish, and birds do not reached to an asymptote and had higher z-values. Our results highlight the importance of ponds for biodiversity conservation in increasingly agricultural landscapes in central Brazil.

Estrutura e composição da comunidade de Trichoptera (Insecta) de rios e áreas alagadas da bacia do rio Suiá-Miçú, Mato Grosso, Brasil

The composition, abundance and species diversity of Trichoptera immatures was studied in 12 tributaries of Suia-Micu River Basin, a mosaic of wetlands, streams and rivers tributary of the Xingu River in the Cerrado-Amazonian Forest transition zone in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The varying sizes, flow types and conservation levels of the tributaries were sampled through three periods between 2007 and 2008 by the use of fixed transects along the environments margins. A total of 867 larvae was collected (divided in seven families, 17 genera, 49 species/morphospecies) with the most abundant and rich families being Hydropsychidae and Leptoceridae and the most abundant species Leptonema sparsum (n = 370). There has been loss of species richness in impacted, large and lentic environments. Composition variations related to the flow, the vegetation type and the interaction between conservation levels and flow was detected. Conservation levels, width and the quantitative habitat integrity index (HII) did not influence the Trichoptera composition. These results may encourage further investigation of impact effects on aquatic insect compositions and pattern of distribution in the transition area between the Cerrado and the Amazonian Forest.

Distribuição espacial das guildas tróficas e estruturação da comunidade de Ephemeroptera (Insecta) em córregos do Cerrado de Mato Grosso, Brasil

We analyzed the structure of the functional feeding groups of Ephemeroptera in five different types of substrates (litter in riffles, backwater litter, wood, stones and roots) from first to fifth orders at the Pindaiba River basin, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. We also studied the specificity and frequency of the organism, and if the functional approach reflects changes within the community through ordination analysis. Our results assemble information about the functional classification of mayfly nymphs and show that scrapers were the most abundant, and gathering - collectors are the more diverse. Third order streams were the most richest and most abundant while functional feeding group distribution corroborated the predictions of The River Continuum Concept. Besides, communities were much more taxonomically structured than functionally structured. This fact underlies the importance of the biology of organisms, and not only the functional feeding group, for substrate selection. The preference of some genera for specific substrates confirms this value.

Climate and fragmentation affect forest structure at the southern border of Amazonia

ABSTRACT Background: The remaining forests in the extensive contact zone between southern Amazonia (seasonal rain forest) and the Cerrado (savanna) biomes are at risk due to intense land-use and climate change. Aims: To explore the vulnerability of these transitional forests to changes in land use and climate, we evaluated the effects of fragmentation and climatic variables on forest structure. Methods: We measured the diameter and height of 14,185 trees with diameter ≥10 cm at 24 forest plots distributed over an area of 25,000 km2. For each plot, we obtained data on contemporary fragmentation and climatic variables. Results: Forest structure variables (height, diameter, height:diameter allometry, biomass) varied significantly both within and among plots. The height, H:D and biomass of trees were positively correlated with annual precipitation and fragment area. Conclusions: The association between forest structure and precipitation indicates that these forests plots are likely to be vulnerable to dry season intensification anticipated for the southern edge of the Amazon. Additionally, the reduction in the fragment area may contribute to reductions in forest biomass and tree height, and consequently ecosystem carbon stocks. Given the likely susceptibility of these forests, urgent conservation action is needed to prevent further habitat degradation.

Tree diversity and above-ground biomass in the South America Cerrado biome and their conservation implications

Less than half of the original two million square kilometers of the Cerrado vegetation remains standing, and there are still many uncertainties as to how to conserve and prioritize remaining areas effectively. A key limitation is the continuing lack of geographically-extensive evaluation of ecosystem-level properties across the biome. Here we sought to address this gap by comparing the woody vegetation of the typical cerrado of the Cerrado–Amazonia Transition with that of the core area of the Cerrado in terms of both tree diversity and vegetation biomass. We used 21 one-hectare plots in the transition and 18 in the core to compare key structural parameters (tree height, basal area, and above-ground biomass), and diversity metrics between the regions. We also evaluated the effects of temperature and precipitation on biomass, as well as explored the species diversity versus biomass relationship. We found, for the first time, both that the typical cerrado at the transition holds substantially more biomass than at the core, and that higher temperature and greater precipitation can explain this difference. By contrast, plot-level alpha diversity was almost identical in the two regions. Finally, contrary to some theoretical expectations, we found no positive relationship between species diversity and biomass for the Cerrado woody vegetation. This has implications for the development of effective conservation measures, given that areas with high biomass and importance for the compensation of greenhouse gas emissions are often not those with the greatest diversity.

Does soil pyrogenic carbon determine plant functional traits in Amazon Basin forests

Amazon forests are fire-sensitive ecosystems and consequently fires affect forest structure and composition. For instance, the legacy of past fire regimes may persist through some species and traits that are found due to past fires. In this study, we tested for relationships between functional traits that are classically presented as the main components of plant ecological strategies and environmental filters related to climate and historical fires among permanent mature forest plots across the range of local and regional environmental gradients that occur in Amazonia. We used percentage surface soil pyrogenic carbon (PyC), a recalcitrant form of carbon that can persist for millennia in soils, as a novel indicator of historical fire in old-growth forests. Five out of the nine functional traits evaluated across all 378 species were correlated with some environmental variables. Although there is more PyC in Amazonian soils than previously reported, the percentage soil PyC indicated no detectable legacy effect of past fires on contemporary functional composition. More species with dry diaspores were found in drier and hotter environments. We also found higher wood density in trees from higher temperature sites. If Amazon forest past burnings were local and without distinguishable attributes of a widespread fire regime, then impacts on biodiversity would have been small and heterogeneous. Alternatively, sufficient time may have passed since the last fire to allow for species replacement. Regardless, as we failed to detect any impact of past fire on present forest functional composition, if our plots are representative then it suggests that mature Amazon forests lack a compositional legacy of past fire.