Article
Forestry
Rosa Sanchez-Romero, Patricia Balvanera, Alicia Castillo, Francisco Mora, Luis E. Garcia-Barrios, Carlos E. Gonzalez-Esquivel
Summary: This study conducted an integrated socioecological analysis of traditional livestock systems in a region with tropical dry forest in Mexico, revealing the impacts of management strategies on forests and factors influencing decision-making processes. The research showed that adaptive management of livestock and forests in a context of limited economic resources has allowed for conservation of forest areas and use of silvopastoral practices.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
J. A. Pinedo-Escatel, G. Moya-Raygoza, C. H. Dietrich, J. N. Zahniser, L. Portillo
Summary: Research has shown a significant decline in the Athysanini population in the Mexican dry tropical forests over the past 75 years. Despite greater collecting effort in recent surveys, historical records showed higher species richness and diversity.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. Camilo Fagua, Patrick Jantz, Patrick Burns, Richard Massey, Jeiner Y. Buitrago, Sassan Saatchi, Christopher Hakkenberg, Scott J. Goetz
Summary: Understanding the spatial patterns of tree alpha-diversity in tropical forests is crucial for sustainable use and conservation efforts. Incorporating forest structural metrics with environmental variables through remote sensing allows for accurate mapping and highlights the strong connection between canopy structure and tree alpha-diversity.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Caroline Carvalho de Oliveira, Roberto Giolo de Almeida, Nivaldo Karvatte Junior, Severino Delmar Junqueira Villela, Davi Jose Bungenstab, Fabiana Villa Alves
Summary: This study investigates how different tree densities and grazing management influence the daytime behavior of Nellore heifers over a 12-month period in silvopastoral systems in Central Brazil. Results show that varying tree densities lead to beneficial changes in the behavior of the heifers, affecting aspects such as shade preference, grazing time, and rumination behavior.
APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Ever Tallei, Luis Rivera, Alejandro Schaaf, Constanza Vivanco, Natalia Politi
Summary: Native forests are crucial centers of terrestrial diversity and provide vital ecosystem services. However, unsustainable logging poses a severe threat to biodiversity. A study in northwestern Argentina revealed that logging significantly impacted the structure and composition of a dry forest, affecting its functionality and leading to the loss of valuable timber species.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rodrigo Munoz, Frans Bongers, Danae M. A. Rozendaal, Edgar J. Gonzalez, Juan M. Dupuy, Jorge A. Meave
Summary: The study aimed to test the presence of autogenic regulation in dynamics of old-growth forest and secondary forest, indicating forest resilience. Analysis showed negative relationships between key state variables, their rates of change, and underlying demographic processes, supporting the hypothesis of autogenic regulation in integrated forest dynamics.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Susana Maza-Villalobos, Perla Garcia-Ramirez, Bryan A. Endress, Leonel Lopez-Toledo
Summary: This study investigated the effects of cattle grazing and fallow age on plant functional traits and soil nutrients in tropical dry forests. The results showed that fallow age had a greater impact on plant functional traits than cattle grazing, with early succession associated with water conservation traits and late succession associated with sunlight conservation traits. Cattle grazing influenced defensive functional traits of plants. Additionally, cattle exclusion had a positive impact on soil nutrition.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Natalia Mesa-Sierra, Marines de la Pena-Domene, Julio Campo, Christian P. Giardina
Summary: Deforestation poses a significant threat to tropical dry forests in Mexico, and active restoration measures are required to reintroduce tree cover. Through synthesizing restoration literature, we found that the Yucatan Peninsula had the highest number of restoration sites, and planting seedlings was the most commonly used strategy. Plant survival was influenced by factors such as maximum annual temperature and aridity index.
Article
Forestry
Carlos A. Rivas, Jose Guerrero-Casado, Rafael M. Navarro-Cerillo
Summary: The study reveals that Ecuador's seasonal dry forests faced deforestation and fragmentation between 1990 and 2018, with semi-deciduous forests experiencing the highest levels of fragmentation. National protected areas had lower levels of fragmentation, while protected forests had higher levels of fragmentation.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pieter A. Zuidema, Flurin Babst, Peter Groenendijk, Valerie Trouet, Abrham Abiyu, Rodolfo Acuna-Soto, Eduardo Adenesky-Filho, Raquel Alfaro-Sanchez, Jose Roberto Vieira Aragao, Gabriel Assis-Pereira, Xue Bai, Ana Carolina Barbosa, Giovanna Battipaglia, Hans Beeckman, Paulo Cesar Botosso, Tim Bradley, Achim Braeuning, Roel Brienen, Brendan M. Buckley, J. Julio Camarero, Ana Carvalho, Gregorio Ceccantini, Librado R. Centeno-Erguera, Julian Cerano-Paredes, Alvaro Agustin Chavez-Duran, Bruno Barcante Ladvocat Cintra, Malcolm K. Cleaveland, Camille Couralet, Rosanne D'Arrigo, Jorge Ignacio del Valle, Oliver Duenisch, Brian J. Enquist, Karin Esemann-Quadros, Zewdu Eshetu, Ze-Xin Fan, M. Eugenia Ferrero, Esther Fichtler, Claudia Fontana, Kainana S. Francisco, Aster Gebrekirstos, Emanuel Gloor, Daniela Granato-Souza, Kristof Haneca, Grant Logan Harley, Ingo Heinrich, Gerd Helle, Janet G. Inga, Mahmuda Islam, Yu-mei Jiang, Mark Kaib, Zakia Hassan Khamisi, Marcin Koprowski, Bart Kruijt, Eva Layme, Rik Leemans, A. Joshua Leffler, Claudio Sergio Lisi, Neil J. Loader, Giuliano Maselli Locosselli, Lidio Lopez, Maria Lopez-Hernandez, Jose Luis Penetra Cerveira Lousada, Hooz A. Mendivelso, Mulugeta Mokria, Valdinez Ribeiro Montoia, Eddy Moors, Cristina Nabais, Justine Ngoma, Francisco de Carvalho Nogueira Junior, Juliano Morales Oliveira, Gabriela Morais Olmedo, Mariana Alves Pagotto, Shankar Panthi, Gonzalo Perez-De-Lis, Darwin Pucha-Cofrep, Nathsuda Pumijumnong, Mizanur Rahman, Jorge Andres Ramirez, Edilson Jimmy Requena-Rojas, Adauto de Souza Ribeiro, Iain Robertson, Fidel Alejandro Roig, Ernesto Alonso Rubio-Camacho, Ute Sass-Klaassen, Jochen Schongart, Paul R. Sheppard, Franziska Slotta, James H. Speer, Matthew D. Therrell, Benjamin Toirambe, Mario Tomazello-Filho, Max C. A. Torbenson, Ramzi Touchan, Alejandro Venegas-Gonzalez, Ricardo Villalba, Jose Villanueva-Diaz, Royd Vinya, Mart Vlam, Tommy Wils, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Summary: According to a pantropical tree-ring network, dry-season climate variability is a primary driver of tropical tree growth. The study found that woody biomass growth increases with dry-season precipitation and decreases with dry-season maximum temperature. The strength of these dry-season climate responses varies among sites and is influenced by drier, hotter, and more climatically variable regions.
Article
Agronomy
Adrian Bojorquez, Angelina Martinez-Yrizar, Juan C. Alvarez-Yepiz
Summary: The study found that extreme climatic and weather events have caused widespread tree mortality in the lowland tropical dry forest in northwestern Mexico. The use of NDVI spectral index allows for rapid assessment of vegetation changes, with higher frost-disturbance severity leading to more new recruitment and less tree resprouting.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Gustavo Pereira Valani, Aline Fachin Martini, Jose Ricardo Macedo Pezzopane, Alberto Carlos De Campos Bernardi, Miguel Cooper
Summary: Integrated and non-integrated grazing systems exhibit similar soil quality characteristics, potentially influenced by the duration of the experiment. Further research is needed to assess long-term experiments and test novel indicators of soil quality.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Jakelyne S. Bezerra, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Juan Manuel Dupuy-Rada, Inara R. Leal, Marcelo Tabarelli
Summary: Agricultural activities, such as slash-and-burn farming, pose a threat to the recovery potential of forests in human-modified landscapes. This is due to the disruption of critical sources of forest regeneration, including seed rain. The hypothesis that slash-and-burn agriculture promotes seed source and seed dispersal limitation remains poorly tested.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yves Basset, Mehrdad Hajibabaei, Michael T. G. Wright, Anakena M. Castillo, David A. Donoso, Simon T. Segar, Daniel Souto-Vilaros, Dina Y. Soliman, Tomas Roslin, M. Alex Smith, Greg P. A. Lamarre, Luis F. De Leon, Thibaud Decaens, Jose G. Palacios-Vargas, Gabriela Castano-Meneses, Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, Marleny Rivera, Filonila Perez, Ricardo Bobadilla, Yacksecari Lopez, Jose Alejandro Ramirez Silva, Maira Montejo Cruz, Angela Arango Galvan, Hector Barrios
Summary: The soil fauna of the tropics is one of the least studied components of the biosphere. Lack of taxonomic expertise and funding have hindered long-term monitoring of this fauna. This study used DNA metabarcoding to analyze ants, springtails, and termites in soil samples from Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The results show that metabarcoding is suitable for the long-term monitoring of termites and springtails, but additional sampling methods are needed for ants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kimberly Stephenson, Byron Wilson, Michael Taylor, Kurt McLaren, Rick van Veen, John Kunna, Jayaka Campbell
Summary: Tropical dry forests, especially those in the insular Caribbean, are highly vulnerable and threatened ecosystems. This study developed a simple model using the Hellshire Hills protected area in Jamaica to project the future abundance of arthropods and lizards based on sensitivities to climate variables. The results showed that both rainfall and temperature had strong impacts on the abundance of these species, and most taxa were projected to decrease in abundance under drier and warmer conditions by the end of the century.
Editorial Material
Biology
A. M. Barbosa-Silva, L. A. Santos, M. E. S. Caceres, A. Vasconcellos
BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alane Ayana Vieira de Oliveira Couto, Simon Hellemans, Yves Roisin, Martin Alejandro Montes, Alexandre Vasconcellos
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Wallisson Sylas Luna de Oliveira, Anna Karolina Martins Borges, Sergio de Faria Lopes, Alexandre Vasconcellos, Romulo Romeu Nobrega Alves
JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE
(2020)
Article
Zoology
Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, Alexandre Vasconcellos
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Antonio Paulino De Mello, Marcilio Martins De Moraes, Claudio Augusto Gosmes Da Camara, Alexandre Vasconcellos
Summary: The composition of chemical weaponry in termite soldiers varies both within and between species, with spatial distance playing a role in the differences. Two chemotypes were identified based on chemical variations between populations in regions with distinct geographical and climate characteristics, showing a pattern of chemical differentiation among termite soldiers.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Diego de M. Bento, Marconi Souza-Silva, Alexandre Vasconcellos, Bruno C. Bellini, Xavier Prous, Rodrigo L. Ferreira
Summary: This study investigated the influence of caves and external environmental features on species richness and composition of cave invertebrates in the semiarid region of northern Brazil. It found that caves in the area have high species diversity and endemism, with many troglomorphic species having narrow distributions and complex evolutionary histories. Additionally, factors such as water sources, guano, resources, native vegetation, cave size, and entrance numbers were identified as relevant variables affecting species composition and richness. Caves with water or guano were found to have the highest richness of troglobites, highlighting the need for urgent conservation actions due to the area's unique concentration of troglobites and karstic aquifers.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Lara Oliveira Clemente, Reginaldo Constantino, Diogo Andrade Costa, Og DeSouza
Summary: In heterospecific termite-termite cohabitation, defensive morphologies are more evident in inquiline soldiers than in the workers. The mandibular modifications in termite workers show a significant correlation with their propensity to inquilinism. These adaptations play relevant roles in the defense/attack dynamics of guests and hosts, suggesting that the mandibles may mediate nest heterospecific cohabitation.
ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Reginaldo Constantino
Article
Soil Science
Israel S. Silva, Emanuelly F. Lucena, Flavia M. S. Moura, Alexandre Vasconcellos
Summary: The study estimated the nutrient yields transferred at ground level from termite dispersion flights in the Caatinga dry forest of Brazil. It found that alates flights transfer nutrients to the soil, providing a seasonal pulse of nutrients that plays an important role in the ecosystem of the semiarid region. However, anthropogenic disturbances and changes in climate may impact termite populations, affecting the seasonal pulses of nutrient release.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Natalie A. Clay, Donald B. Shepard, Adrian A. Garda, Daniel O. Mesquita, Alexandre Vasconcellos
Summary: The nutritional ecology of Neotropical savannas, such as ants and termites, is influenced by sodium limitation. The study found that termites were more likely to occur in areas with sufficient sodium supply, specifically 1% NaCl plots. The usage of NaCl and sugar bait by ants was similar. Additionally, ants were more active at night.
JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Emanuelly F. Lucena, Israel S. Silva, Sara R. P. Monteiro, Flavia M. S. Moura, Alexandre Vasconcellos
Summary: Termite dispersal flights in a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest in northeastern Brazil were found to be highly synchronised and influenced by accumulated precipitation and air density, variables which had not been previously evaluated in similar studies. Flight peaks occurred in February, with alates from 37 species captured within a concentrated time frame. The study highlights the distinct environmental factors affecting termite dispersal flights in semiarid ecosystems compared to tropical rainforests.
AUSTRAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Carolina Cuezzo, Rudolf H. Scheffrahn, Reginaldo Constantino
Summary: A new monotypic nasute termite genus, Hyleotermes gen. nov., is proposed for a species previously classified in the genus Nasutitermes. The morphological differences between Hyleotermes brevipilus and Nasutitermes are described. Phylogenetic analysis confirms that H. brevipilus is unrelated to Nasutitermes.
Article
Entomology
G. W. Fernandes, Y. Oki, D. Negreiros, R. Constantino, S. Novais
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of fire on termites in a tropical mountain ecosystem in Brazil. The findings showed that fire did not have a significant impact on termite species richness and bait colonization at different elevations. Despite their sensitivity to environmental changes, termites exhibited high tolerance to fire.
Letter
Plant Sciences
Nathalia U. Ferretti-cisneros, Priscilla S. Souza, J. Renato C. Barbosa, Rivete S. Lima, Alexandre Vasconcellos, Felipe Wartchow
Article
Environmental Studies
Helder F. P. de Araujo, Celia C. C. Machado, Frans G. C. Pareyn, Naysa F. F. do Nascimento, Lenyneves D. A. Araujo, Lais A. de A. P. Borges, Braulio A. Santos, Raphael M. Beirigo, Alexandre Vasconcellos, Bruno de O. Dias, Fredy Alvarado, Jose Maria Cardoso da Silva
Summary: The study found that landscapes with intermediate structure complexity are most efficient in producing food, water, and energy in the Caatinga region of South America. Increasing the percentage of natural lands in the landscape can enhance the production of biomass energy, water, and food. However, the proportion of agricultural land in the landscape should be carefully managed to avoid declines in the production of ecosystem services.
Article
Ecology
Narendra Nelli, Diana Francis, Ricardo Fonseca, Olivier Masson, Mamadou Sow, Emmanuel Bosc
Summary: This study investigates the changes in the atmospheric electric field (Ez) during foggy conditions in the hyperarid region of the United Arab Emirates. The results show that as fog persists, Ez becomes more variable due to the absorption and redistribution of charges by the fog, which alters the ion balance and affects electrical conductivity in the atmosphere.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Ezra Hadad, Amir Balaban, Jakub Z. Kosicki, Reuven Yosef
Summary: This study investigated whether the prey of striped hyenas has adapted to the change in the natural environment caused by human activities, particularly artificial light at night (ALAN). The results showed that ALAN had no impact on the diet or den distribution of the hyenas in central Israel. The study also found that domestic animals were the most common prey, and there were also some vegetative species in their diet. Overall, the feeding behavior of striped hyenas is influenced by geographical region, habitat, and human activities.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2024)
Article
Ecology
Rahim Najafi Tireh Shabankareh, Pardis Ziaee, Mohammad Javad Abedini
Summary: This study evaluated the IMERG satellite-based precipitation product in the Fars province of Iran using daily rain gauges as reference data. The results showed that the product tends to overestimate light rainfall and underestimate heavy rainfall, with the best performance in the 40-80 mm/day range. The accuracy of the product varies by month and is less biased in months with milder temperatures. Additionally, there was a higher correlation in mid-elevated areas, positive bias in low-elevated areas, and negative bias in high-elevated areas. Longer time scales showed considerable improvement in the IMERG estimates.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2024)
