Browsing by Autor "Carolina V. Castilho"

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Biased-corrected richness estimates for the Amazonian tree flora
(Nature Portfolio, 2020) Hans ter Steege; Paulo Inácio Prado; Renato A. Ferreira de Lima; Edwin Pos; Luiz de Souza Coêlho; Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho; Rafael P. Salomão; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos; Carolina V. Castilho
Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2015) Hans ter Steege; Nigel C. A. Pitman; Timothy J. Killeen; Susan G. W. Laurance; Carlos A. Peres; Juan Ernesto Guevara; Rafael P. Salomão; Carolina V. Castilho; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos
Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict that most of the world's >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century.
Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates
(Wiley, 2022) Diego F. Correa; Pablo R. Stevenson; María Natalia Umaña; Luiz de Souza Coêlho; Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho; Rafael P. Salomão; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Florian Wittmann; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos; Carolina V. Castilho
Abstract Aim To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser‐availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource‐availability hypothesis). Time period Tree‐inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree‐inventory plots across terra‐firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance‐weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra‐firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions The disperser‐availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types.
Hyperdominance in the Amazonian Tree Flora
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2013) Hans ter Steege; Nigel C. A. Pitman; Daniel Sabatier; Christopher Baraloto; Rafael P. Salomão; Juan Ernesto Guevara; Oliver L. Phillips; Carolina V. Castilho; William E. Magnusson; Jean‐François Molino
The vast extent of the Amazon Basin has historically restricted the study of its tree communities to the local and regional scales. Here, we provide empirical data on the commonness, rarity, and richness of lowland tree species across the entire Amazon Basin and Guiana Shield (Amazonia), collected in 1170 tree plots in all major forest types. Extrapolations suggest that Amazonia harbors roughly 16,000 tree species, of which just 227 (1.4%) account for half of all trees. Most of these are habitat specialists and only dominant in one or two regions of the basin. We discuss some implications of the finding that a small group of species--less diverse than the North American tree flora--accounts for half of the world's most diverse tree community.
<i>Unraveling Amazon tree community assembly using Maximum Information Entropy</i> : a quantitative analysis of tropical forest ecology
(2021) Edwin Pos; Luiz de Souza Coêlho; Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho; Rafael P. Salomão; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos; Carolina V. Castilho; Oliver L. Phillips; Juan Ernesto Guevara; Marcelo de Jesus Veiga Carim
Abstract In a time of rapid global change, the question of what determines patterns in species abundance distribution remains a priority for understanding the complex dynamics of ecosystems. The constrained maximization of information entropy provides a framework for the understanding of such complex systems dynamics by a quantitative analysis of important constraints via predictions using least biased probability distributions. We apply it to over two thousand hectares of Amazonian tree inventories across seven forest types and thirteen functional traits, representing major global axes of plant strategies. Results show that constraints formed by regional relative abundances of genera explain eight times more of local relative abundances than constraints based on directional selection for specific functional traits, although the latter does show clear signals of environmental dependency. These results provide a quantitative insight by inference from large-scale data using cross-disciplinary methods, furthering our understanding of ecological dynamics.
Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2020) Martin J. P. Sullivan; Simon L. Lewis; Kofi Affum‐Baffoe; Carolina V. Castilho; Flávia R. C. Costa; Aida Cuní‐Sanchez; Corneille E. N. Ewango; Wannes Hubau; Beatriz Schwantes Marimon; Abel Monteagudo‐Mendoza
The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (-9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth's climate.
Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora
(Nature Portfolio, 2023) Hans ter Steege; Nigel C. A. Pitman; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Luiz de Souza Coêlho; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos; Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho; Rafael P. Salomão; Florian Wittmann; Carolina V. Castilho; Juan Ernesto Guevara
Species Distribution Modelling: Contrasting presence-only models with plot abundance data
(Nature Portfolio, 2018) Vitor H. F. Gomes; Stéphanie D. IJff; Niels Raes; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Rafael P. Salomão; Luiz de Souza Coêlho; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos; Carolina V. Castilho; Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho; Dairon Cárdenas López
Unraveling Amazon tree community assembly using Maximum Information Entropy: a quantitative analysis of tropical forest ecology
(Nature Portfolio, 2023) Edwin Pos; Luiz de Souza Coêlho; Diógenes de Andrade Lima Filho; Rafael P. Salomão; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Francisca Dionízia de Almeida Matos; Carolina V. Castilho; Oliver L. Phillips; Juan Ernesto Guevara; Marcelo de Jesus Veiga Carim
Water table depth modulates productivity and biomass across Amazonian forests
(Wiley, 2022) Thaiane R. Sousa; Juliana Schietti; Igor Oliveira Ribeiro; Thaíse Emilio; Rafael Herrera Fernández; Hans ter Steege; Carolina V. Castilho; Adriane Esquivel‐Muelbert; Timothy R. Baker; Aline Pontes Lopes
Abstract Aim Water availability is the major driver of tropical forest structure and dynamics. Most research has focused on the impacts of climatic water availability, whereas remarkably little is known about the influence of water table depth and excess soil water on forest processes. Nevertheless, given that plants take up water from the soil, the impacts of climatic water supply on plants are likely to be modulated by soil water conditions. Location Lowland Amazonian forests. Time period 1971–2019. Methods We used 344 long‐term inventory plots distributed across Amazonia to analyse the effects of long‐term climatic and edaphic water supply on forest functioning. We modelled forest structure and dynamics as a function of climatic, soil‐water and edaphic properties. Results Water supplied by both precipitation and groundwater affects forest structure and dynamics, but in different ways. Forests with a shallow water table (depth <5 m) had 18% less above‐ground woody productivity and 23% less biomass stock than forests with a deep water table. Forests in drier climates (maximum cumulative water deficit < −160 mm) had 21% less productivity and 24% less biomass than those in wetter climates. Productivity was affected by the interaction between climatic water deficit and water table depth. On average, in drier climates the forests with a shallow water table had lower productivity than those with a deep water table, with this difference decreasing within wet climates, where lower productivity was confined to a very shallow water table. Main conclusions We show that the two extremes of water availability (excess and deficit) both reduce productivity in Amazon upland ( terra‐firme ) forests. Biomass and productivity across Amazonia respond not simply to regional climate, but rather to its interaction with water table conditions, exhibiting high local differentiation. Our study disentangles the relative contribution of those factors, helping to improve understanding of the functioning of tropical ecosystems and how they are likely to respond to climate change.