BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-21DOI: 10.1111/btp.13423
Vanesa Bejarano Alegre, Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima, Claudia Zukeran Kanda, Maria Luisa S. P. Jorge, Alexine Keuroghlian, Ronaldo G. Morato, Milton Cezar Ribeiro, Luca Börger
{"title":"Predator–Prey Movement Interactions: Jaguars and Peccaries in the Spotlight","authors":"Vanesa Bejarano Alegre, Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima, Claudia Zukeran Kanda, Maria Luisa S. P. Jorge, Alexine Keuroghlian, Ronaldo G. Morato, Milton Cezar Ribeiro, Luca Börger","doi":"10.1111/btp.13423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13423","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Understanding how landscape structure influences predator–prey dynamics is critical for conservation. This study analyzed jaguar-peccary interactions, revealing uncommon close distances and prevalent 3–5 km ranges, especially away from grasslands. Low peccary densities increased interactions. Findings inform conservation strategies, highlighting landscape structure and prey density roles in maintaining Pantanal's balance.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-21DOI: 10.1111/btp.13420
Paula Cepeda, Henrik Balslev, Carolina Isaza
{"title":"Simulated Impacts of Harvesting Chamaedorea linearis and C. pinnatifrons (Arecaceae): Implications for Their Conservation","authors":"Paula Cepeda, Henrik Balslev, Carolina Isaza","doi":"10.1111/btp.13420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13420","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Palms are important sources of nontimber forest products. One of their most common uses is as ornamentals, which often involves harvesting whole individuals or plant parts from wild populations. <i>Chamaedorea linearis</i> and <i>Chamaedorea pinnatifrons</i> are still not excessively harvested, but they have substantial ornamental potential, and their populations are decreasing. The use of a wild species can contribute to its conservation if the use is governed by adequate harvest rates. We simulated harvest impacts on the population dynamics of <i>C. linearis</i> and <i>C. pinnatifrons</i> in an Andean montane forest in Parque Natural Chicaque, Colombia, using integral projection models (IPMs) over the period 2019–2021. We projected management scenarios including the harvest of juveniles, as well as leaves and fruits of adults. In our model, the finite growth rate of <i>C. linearis</i> decreased (<i>λ</i> = 0.76–0.91) whereas in <i>C. pinnatifrons</i> it remained stable (<i>λ</i> = 0.98–1.04). The simulations of the harvest of juveniles and leaves suggested negative impacts on the populations' sizes and in the transient growth rate (<i>λ</i><sub>20</sub>) in the long term when compared to no harvest. Fruits harvest had no considerable effects under 20% of removal once per year in both of the populations, but had a decrease in populations under 20% of removal twice and four times a year. We conclude that sustainable use strategies should focus on protecting juveniles in both populations. Fruit harvest for propagation can be promoted as a sustainable use strategy that does not endanger their conservation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-16DOI: 10.1111/btp.13417
Nina Grella, Karen Pedersen, Nico Blüthgen, Annika Busse, David A. Donoso, Ana Falconí-López, Christian Fiderer, Marco Heurich, Maria de la Hoz, Peter Kriegel, Felicity L. Newell, Marcel Püls, Dominik Rabl, H. Martin Schäfer, Sebastian Seibold, Constance J. Tremlett, Heike Feldhaar, Jörg Müller
{"title":"Vertebrate diversity and biomass along a recovery gradient in a lowland tropical forest","authors":"Nina Grella, Karen Pedersen, Nico Blüthgen, Annika Busse, David A. Donoso, Ana Falconí-López, Christian Fiderer, Marco Heurich, Maria de la Hoz, Peter Kriegel, Felicity L. Newell, Marcel Püls, Dominik Rabl, H. Martin Schäfer, Sebastian Seibold, Constance J. Tremlett, Heike Feldhaar, Jörg Müller","doi":"10.1111/btp.13417","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13417","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Deforestation of tropical forests have resulted in extensive areas of secondary forests with the potential to restore biodiversity to former old-growth forest levels. The recovery of vertebrate communities is an essential component of biodiversity and ecosystem restoration, as vertebrates provide key ecosystem functions. However, little is known about the recovery trajectories and habitat preferences of vertebrates in tropical landscapes with differing land-use legacies. We used camera traps covering 3 weeks to study the activity of ground-based mammals and birds in the understory of 57 sites along a forest recovery gradient, ranging from active agriculture, such as pastures and cacao plantations, to naturally recovering forests and old-growth forests in the Chocó rainforest in north-western Ecuador. Our results show that diversity and biomass of wild vertebrates are highest in old-growth forests and late recovery stages, while for domestic vertebrates, these indices are highest in agricultural land. Additionally, while species-habitat networks showed low habitat specificity for vertebrate species, an indicator species analysis found no species to indicate old-growth forests, <i>Dasyprocta punctata</i> and <i>Tayassu pecari</i> to indicate all forest types, and <i>Aramides wolfi</i> and <i>Pecari tajacu</i> to indicate late regeneration forests. We suggest that these patterns are caused by a high habitat connectivity and large amounts of remaining old-growth forest in our study area. Our findings indicate that secondary forests have a high potential for the recovery of vertebrate species diversity and biomass to old-growth level in lowland tropical forests with short regeneration times.</p><p>Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/btp.13417","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142861398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-14DOI: 10.1111/btp.13419
Steven J. Presley, Julissa Rojas-Sandoval, Michael R. Willig
{"title":"Long-term stability of tropical forest metacommunities in Puerto Rico: Native and non-native species","authors":"Steven J. Presley, Julissa Rojas-Sandoval, Michael R. Willig","doi":"10.1111/btp.13419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13419","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Anthropogenic disturbances alter trajectories of ecological succession, introduce spatiotemporal variability in the composition of communities, and potentially create communities that differ substantially from those prior to disturbance. Invasive species are introduced or spread by human activities, with considerable effect on native ecosystems throughout the world. We evaluate the temporal stability of woody plant metacommunity structures and the mechanisms that give rise to them in a tropical disturbance-mediated environment. We used data collected over 20 years to (1) evaluate elements of metacommunity structure, (2) identify the gradients along which metacommunities are structured, and (3) quantify the relative contributions of environmental and spatial factors on variation in species composition. Analyses were conducted separately for combinations of life zone (areas defined by edaphic features and climate) and species origin (native versus non-native). Native species exhibited compartmentalized structures (i.e., groups of species with similar distributions that are replaced by other such groups along a gradient), whereas non-natives exhibited random structures. Metacommunities based on all species were consistently compartmentalized, except in dry forest, which exhibited random structure. Compartmentalized structures occurred along gradients defined by life zone and soil type, whereas no environmental factors were consistently associated with random structures. Metacommunity structure was stable through time despite a complex disturbance regime. Dry forests, which have experienced the most extensive and intensive history of anthropogenic disturbances of any life zone on Puerto Rico are characterized by degraded and fragmented landscapes, with species that do not respond to a common environmental gradient.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142861115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-13DOI: 10.1111/btp.13416
Francisco dos Reis-Silva, Cristian Pizzigalli, Sambu Seck, Mar Cabeza, Ana Rainho, Ricardo Rocha, Ana Filipa Palmeirim
{"title":"Unveiling how herpetofauna cope with land-use changes—Insights from forest-cashew-rice landscapes in West Africa","authors":"Francisco dos Reis-Silva, Cristian Pizzigalli, Sambu Seck, Mar Cabeza, Ana Rainho, Ricardo Rocha, Ana Filipa Palmeirim","doi":"10.1111/btp.13416","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13416","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Agricultural induced land-use change comprises a key driver of biodiversity loss across tropical forests. Guinea-Bissau, among Afrotropical West Africa, was formerly occupied by native forest-savanna mosaics. While savannas have long given place to traditional rice agroecosystems, forests are now being transformed into cashew monocultures at unprecedented rates. The ecological impact of such rapid change is largely unknown. Here, we examined how rarefied species richness, encounters, and composition of amphibians and reptiles varied across forest remnants, cashew orchards, and rice paddies in northern Guinea-Bissau. To do so, visual encounter surveys were carried across 21 standardized sampling sites, seven in each habitat type. A total of 703 amphibian and 266 reptile encounters was recorded from nine and 14 taxa, respectively. The results show class-specific responses to habitat type. Amphibian richness was similar across habitat types, but rice paddies held more encounters and distinct composition compared to forest remnants. Reptile richness and encounters were lower in rice paddies than in forest remnants, but cashew orchards had the most encounters and a different composition compared to forest remnants. Overall, our results do not support the expected detrimental impacts of cashew expansion, which might be due to the still high heterogeneity of habitat types within the landscape. Rice paddies proved particularly important for amphibians, and for open-habitat reptiles, boosting the landscape-scale species diversity. In face of the eminent habitat conversion, maintaining heterogeneous landscapes, including the persistence of both forest remnants and rice paddies, is critical to minimize biodiversity loss in West Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142861010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Two observations of rescue behavior in wild Asian elephants","authors":"Arjun Kamdar, Samshul Ali, Hiten Kumar Baishya, Kaushik Barua, Rangjalu Basumatary, Parikshit Kakati, Nripen Kalita, Bibhuti Mazumder, Raju Saikia, Anupam Sarmah, Kushal Konwar Sharma, David Smith, Nitin Sekar","doi":"10.1111/btp.13414","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13414","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We report two instances of rescue behavior in wild Asian elephants (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) in Northeast India. Adult males assisted adult females sedated during GPS-collaring efforts, pushing them away from perceived threats. These behaviors meet the criteria for rescue behavior, providing evidence of prosocial and cognitively complex actions in elephants.</p><p>Abstract in Assamese is available with online material.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/btp.13414","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142860768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is climate change to blame? Increased rainfall reduces emergence of Taiwanosemia hoppoensis (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in coastal windbreak forests","authors":"Yuan-Mou Chang, Chung-Jui Kao, Chia-Hsuan Hsu, Shu-Ping Huang, Kent A. Hatch, Chih-Hao Hsieh, Jian-Hong Chen, Kai-Wei Chen, Hui-Lin Mei, Wenbe Hwang","doi":"10.1111/btp.13413","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13413","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We found that increased rainfall reduced exuvial numbers and impacted populations of <i>Taiwanosemia hoppoensis</i> from coastal regions, likely due to prolonged soil flooding harming the subterranean nymphs. As climate change advances, long-term monitoring is essential to track cicada populations across taxa and regions, given their important ecological roles.</p><p>Abstract in Chinese is available with online material.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142762420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-01DOI: 10.1111/btp.13411
Esteban Galindo, Raul Costa-Pereira, Víctor Hugo Cruz-Escalona, Juliana López-García, María Verónica Morales-Zárate, José Tavera, César Augusto Salinas-Zavala, Andrés F. Navia
{"title":"Spatiotemporal patterns of trophic niche variation within and among species of tropical coastal fishes","authors":"Esteban Galindo, Raul Costa-Pereira, Víctor Hugo Cruz-Escalona, Juliana López-García, María Verónica Morales-Zárate, José Tavera, César Augusto Salinas-Zavala, Andrés F. Navia","doi":"10.1111/btp.13411","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13411","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Intraspecific niche variation shapes the structure and function of food webs, but we still know little about the magnitude and drivers of trophic variation within species in species-rich communities. Here, we examined how intrinsic (sex and life stage) and extrinsic (locality and season) factors affect the diet composition and trophic niche width of tropical fish species. Specifically, we studied co-occurring species with benthopelagic (<i>Stellifer ericymba</i>, <i>S. melanocheir</i>, <i>S. zestocarus</i>, and <i>Larimus argenteus</i>) and benthic feeding habits (<i>S. strabo</i>, <i>Cathorops manglarensis</i>, <i>Notarius troschelii</i>, and <i>Urotrygon rogersi</i>) on the central Pacific coast of Colombia. Overall, we observed strong spatial and seasonal effects driving variation in the consumption of (i) amphipods, copepods, and decapods for benthopelagic species and (ii) mollusks and polychaetes for benthic species. As expected, we observed little sexual diet variation; however, surprisingly, most species showed little ontogenetic diet variation. Seasonality strongly shaped the trophic niche width for most species, but effects were species-specific, suggesting no general pattern of seasonal niche expansion across species. In turn, spatial effects on the trophic niche width were congruent across species, which might be related to differences in the diversity of available resources between bays. Our results reveal the complex interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic factors in shaping resource exploitation by coastal fish. This high level of trophic plasticity may be a critical component for both the persistence of marine populations and the stability of local food webs.</p><p>Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.</p><p>La variación intraespecífica de nicho moldea la estructura y función de las redes tróficas, pero aún sabemos poco sobre la magnitud y los factores que impulsan la variación trófica dentro de las especies en comunidades con alta riqueza de especies. En este trabajo examinamos cómo los factores intrínsecos (sexo y estadio de vida) y extrínsecos (localidad y temporada) afectan a la composición de la dieta y a la amplitud del nicho trófico de las especies de peces tropicales. Específicamente, estudiamos especies simpátricas de hábitos alimentarios bentopelágicos (<i>Stellifer ericymba</i>, <i>S. melanocheir</i>, <i>S. zestocarus</i>, y <i>Larimus argenteus</i>) y bentónicos (<i>S. strabo</i>, <i>Cathorops manglarensis, Notarius troschelii</i>, y <i>Urotrygon rogersi</i>) en la costa central del Pacífico colombiano. En general, observamos fuertes efectos espaciales y temporales que impulsan la variación en el consumo de (i) anfípodos, copépodos y decápodos para las especies bentopelágicas y (ii) moluscos y poliquetos para las especies bentónicas. Como era de esperar, observamos poca variación sexual en la dieta; sin embargo, sorprendentemente, la mayoría de las especies mostraron poca variación ontogenética en ","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142762421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-01DOI: 10.1111/btp.13412
T. D. Schowalter, S. J. Presley, M. R. Willig
{"title":"Variation in biodiversity and abundance of functional groups of arthropods along a tropical elevational gradient in Puerto Rico","authors":"T. D. Schowalter, S. J. Presley, M. R. Willig","doi":"10.1111/btp.13412","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13412","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Elevational gradients represent platforms for exploring the effects of environmental variation on biodiversity. The environmental correlates of these spatial gradients are likely to be modified during the Anthropocene, as species respond to global change drivers including warming and increased frequency of extreme events. We quantified variation in the abundance of four functional groups of canopy arthropods (i.e., folivores, sap-suckers, detritivores, and predators), as well as in aspects of biodiversity on each of six host-plant species along two elevational transects in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico: a mixed forest transect, traversing tabonuco, palo colorado, and elfin forests, and a palm forest transect, comprising only patches dominated by sierra palm (<i>Prestoea acuminata</i>). We expected gradients in arthropod abundance and biodiversity to be host-tree specific, and for gradients on palm to differ between transects due to a combination of mechanisms associated with host selection, rescue effects, habitat structure, and source pool dynamics. In general, abundance and biodiversity declined with elevation. The ways in which abundance declined with increasing elevation was contingent on host tree identity and on arthropod functional group, whereas all aspects of biodiversity declined with elevation in consistent manners regardless of host tree identity or transect. Similarly, turnover (beta components of biodiversity between sequential elevational strata) did not differ between transects. Decreases in productivity with increasing elevation may be responsible for gradients in abundance or biodiversity. However, host-specific and functional group-specific gradients suggest that elevational effects manifest differently depending on tree species identity and resource bases that are consumer specific.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/btp.13412","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142762422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1111/btp.13399
A. B. Giroldo, A. Scariot, J. B. Ferreira, P. Moser, I. L. P. Lima, W. A. Hoffmann
{"title":"An enemy's enemy is an ally: Competitive indirect interactions mediate coexistence of trees, grasses, and subshrubs in neotropical savanna","authors":"A. B. Giroldo, A. Scariot, J. B. Ferreira, P. Moser, I. L. P. Lima, W. A. Hoffmann","doi":"10.1111/btp.13399","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13399","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Savannas are complex ecosystems where multiple growth forms, including grasses, trees, and subshrubs, coexist through intricate ecological interactions. Understanding the mechanisms that promote this coexistence is key to conserving savanna biodiversity. This study investigated the effects of grass competition on the survival and growth of trees and subshrubs, as well as the interactions between these two growth forms. Using three species of trees and three species of subshrubs, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to assess how competition between trees and subshrubs is influenced by the presence of grass. We found that grass competition significantly reduced the survival of tree seedlings, while subshrubs were unaffected. When trees and subshrubs competed directly, subshrub biomass was reduced, but only in the absence of grass. Tree seedling biomass was not affected by subshrubs, but was negatively impacted by grass in the absence of subshrubs. Both root and stem biomass of trees and subshrubs were reduced by grass competition; however, this effect was mitigated when grasses, subshrubs, and trees competed simultaneously. These results indicate that when grasses, subshrubs, and trees compete together, the intensity of competition is reduced, promoting coexistence and contributing to the balance of growth forms in savanna ecosystems. While fire is an important factor in savanna dynamics, our study emphasizes the critical role of competition in maintaining this balance. Future studies should explore how fire and competition interact to further our understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem function in Neotropical savannas.</p><p>Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142749162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}