Article
Microbiology
Ivete Sandra Alberto Maquia, Paula Fareleira, Isabel Videira E Castro, Ricardo Soares, Denise R. A. Brito, Aires Afonso Mbanze, Aniceto Chauque, Cristina Maguas, Obinna T. Ezeokoli, Natasha Sofia Ribeiro, Isabel Marques, Ana Ribeiro-Barros
Summary: The bacterial communities in the Miombo woodlands rhizosphere are highly diverse and influenced by soil type and fire regime. Despite these factors, the functional diversity remains high, and several diazotrophs with plant growth promoting traits were isolated, both symbiotic and non-symbiotic bacteria. These bacteria hold promising potential for beneficial activities in plant growth, nutrient acquisition, stress mitigation, and hormone modulation.
Article
Forestry
Hastings Shamaoma, Paxie W. Chirwa, Abel Ramoelo, Andrew T. Hudak, Stephen Syampungani
Summary: This article introduces the characteristics of the Miombo woodland and the potential of using unmanned aerial systems for remote sensing. Due to logistical challenges, remote sensing has become an important means to supplement field data. The emergence of unmanned aerial systems provides new possibilities for forest data acquisition.
Article
Forestry
Kaumbu Kyalamakasa Jean Marc, Mpundu Mubemba Mulambi Michel, Kasongo Lenge Mukonzo Emery, Ngoy Shutcha Mylor, Tekeu Honore, Kalambulwa Nkombe Alphonse, Damase Khasa
Summary: The study assessed the growth of Miombo woodland species, finding that early successional species grow faster due to their biomass allocation strategies. Two distinct phases of seedling development were observed for all species, and growth differences among late successional species were identified after 4 years of planting.
Article
Soil Science
Tarquinio Mateus Magalhaes
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the impact of shifting cultivation on soil carbon content in miombo woodlands, highlighting the importance of maintaining or introducing the arboreal component to mitigate soil carbon loss.
Article
Forestry
Tarquinio Mateus Magalhaes, Victoria Norberto Cossa, Benard Soares Guedes, Amelia Saraiva Monguela Fanheiro
Summary: This study analyzed the impact of secondary Miombo woodlands and forest plantations in Mozambique on carbon storage and stocks in forest ecosystems. By fitting species-specific allometric biomass models and BCEF, it was found that different tree species exhibit differences in biomass distribution. Plantations store more biomass due to their rapid growth, while Miombo species have larger crown biomass per unit of stem diameter and stored larger amounts of biomass.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Tatenda Gotore, Hilton G. T. Ndagurwa, Shakkie Kativu, Denis Gautier, Laurent Gazull
Summary: The study found that miombo woodlands show resilience to disturbances, maintaining similar species composition and structure at various levels of disturbance. Species diversity did not differ significantly between sites, but evenness increased with disturbance level. Seedlings and saplings had higher evenness and richness compared to mature trees, with significant differences in diameter between sites.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Quezia Ramalho, Mariana M. Vale, Stella Manes, Paula Diniz, Artur Malecha, Jayme A. Prevedello
Summary: A well-known response of biodiversity to ongoing climate change is range shifts towards cooler temperature areas. Still, a major gap remains in the understanding of the latitudinal component and the differences between ectotherms and endotherms in these responses. Our study evaluated latitude and species’ thermoregulation as explanatory variables in climate-induced range shifts using an extensive literature review and statistical models. The findings show that many species are already shifting their ranges towards higher latitudes or altitudes, with ectotherms exhibiting stronger responses to climate change than endotherms. As global warming intensifies, species might face adaptation limits, especially for ectotherms and high-latitude species.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lisbeth A. Hordley, Richard Fox, Andrew J. Suggitt, Nigel A. D. Bourn
Summary: Species' distributions are shifting polewards in response to climate change, with more evidence of range expansions in warm-adapted species than range retractions in cool-adapted species. In a study of 76 cool-adapted moths in Great Britain, it was found that the shifts in range centroids are oriented towards the north-west and are correlated with changes in total precipitation rather than average temperature. The study also revealed that areas with high temperature and low precipitation pose higher local extinction risk for species, which diminishes as precipitation increases.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sean A. A. Parks, Lisa M. M. Holsinger, John T. T. Abatzoglou, Caitlin E. E. Littlefield, Katherine A. A. Zeller
Summary: Species undergoing climate-induced range shifts may not be able to successfully move among protected areas due to factors such as distance, human land uses, and lack of analogous climates. More than half of the global protected land area and two-thirds of the number of protected units are at risk of failure in climate connectivity. This raises doubts about the effectiveness of protected areas as steppingstones for species under climate change, and highlights the need for innovative land management strategies and assisted colonization.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Abilio Santos-Malengue, David Ariza-Mateos, Rafael Navarro-Cerrillo, Antonio M. Cachinero-Vivar, J. Julio Camarero
Summary: Tree-ring studies are lacking in tropical African forests, particularly in seasonally dry miombo forests. This study focused on the Angolan miombo, where tree-ring data is urgently needed to estimate the age at which the minimum cutting diameter is reached. The study found that wet conditions enhanced growth and led to greater growth consistency among individuals, with the dry site showing higher sensitivity to climate.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cassandra Vogel, Vera Mayer, Mwapi Mkandawire, Georg Kuestner, Rachel Bezner Kerr, Jochen Krauss, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
Summary: The conversion of woodland to farmland and subsequent management has negative impacts on biodiversity. The effects of agriculture on insect communities in tropical smallholder agricultural landscapes are understudied. The use of agroecological practices has social and agronomic benefits for smallholders, but their effects on biodiversity are missing, particularly in Africa.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Frederique Montfort, Marie Nourtier, Clovis Grinand, Solene Maneau, Corentin Mercier, Jean-Baptiste Roelens, Lilian Blanc
Summary: The study in Mozambique found that Miombo woodland has a strong regeneration capacity after slash-and-burn farming, with woody species richness and diversity reaching levels similar to mature woodlands after around 20-25 years. However, species composition in regrowth areas remained different from mature woodlands, with tree density decreasing over time and carbon stocks increasing. Overall, the region showed a high regeneration capacity for woody species diversity and soil properties, but disturbances had a long-term impact on species composition and stand structure, emphasizing the importance of integrated landscape management for ecosystem services.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Costanza Geppert, Alessio Bertolli, Filippo Prosser, Lorenzo Marini
Summary: Mountain ecosystems are undergoing significant changes in plant distribution due to human activities. The range dynamics of mountain plants show large variability, with some species expanding, shifting, or shrinking their range. A study of 1,479 species in the European Alps over the past 30 years found that red-listed species experienced a rapid range contraction and were unable to track climate warming. In contrast, aliens quickly expanded upslope while keeping their rear margins almost still. The findings suggest that conservation efforts should prioritize low-elevation areas where red-listed natives and aliens coexist.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chiara Mancino, Daniele Canestrelli, Luigi Maiorano
Summary: Global changes pose a significant threat to biodiversity, especially for species that use different habitats during their life cycles. This study focuses on loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea and examines how climate change and habitat destruction interact to affect their nesting grounds. The results suggest a shift in nesting grounds towards the northwest Mediterranean, with anthropogenic variables and sea surface temperature playing significant roles in nesting probability.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Debanjan Sarkar, Gautam Talukdar
Summary: Climate change poses a major threat to biodiversity by impacting species distribution. Hornbills, large tropical birds in Asia and Africa, play a crucial role in maintaining ecological community structure through seed dispersal and are considered keystone species. This study models the current and future climatic niches of Indian hornbills, predicting significant shifts and loss of suitable habitats under different climate scenarios.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
(2023)
