Biotropica最新文献

{"title":"Functional Traits and Species Identity Drive Decomposition Along a Successional Gradient in Upper Andean Tropical Forests","authors":"Dennis Castillo-Figueroa,&nbsp;Diego Soler-Marín,&nbsp;Juan M. Posada","doi":"10.1111/btp.13425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13425","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Leaf litter decomposition constitutes one of the most vital processes for maintaining productivity and carbon release in ecosystems. However, this remains one of the least understood processes in upper Andean tropical forests (UATF), a highly diverse ecoregion that has undergone extensive transformation over the centuries. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationships between decomposition rates of leaf litter, leaf functional traits, and microclimatic conditions along a successional gradient of UATF. We also tested the “after-life effect” by analyzing changes between green and senescent leaves. We performed a fully reciprocal translocation experiment with 15 representative species of UATF in a set of 14 permanent plots by using 2520 litterbags distributed across 42 experimental units (three litterbeds per plot), over 1.5 years, with four harvesting times (3, 6, 12, and 18 months). Chemical and physical traits were measured in green and senescent leaves to identify the best predictors of decomposition and to analyze the “after-life effect.” We found that functional traits and species identity drive litter decomposition in UATF, rather than succession and microclimatic conditions of soil moisture and temperature. The relative importance of traits was prevalent in all stages of decay, despite being stronger in the early phases. Although we found an “after-life effect” of green leaves in decomposition, changes in chemical composition from green to senescent leaves indicated substantial nitrogen resorption, which is a limiting resource in tropical montane forests. With the increasing landscape transformation in UATF, changes in plant species composition could have profound impacts by altering decomposition rates, nutrient cycling, and global carbon storage.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143114413","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":"Effects of pasture-burning management on anuran communities in subtropical Brazilian grasslands","authors":"Guilherme Cansan,&nbsp;Camila Fernanda Moser,&nbsp;Juliano Morales de Oliveira,&nbsp;Alexandro Marques Tozetti","doi":"10.1111/btp.13401","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13401","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Anthropogenic fire is a worldwide event that affects many ecosystems and organisms. In Southern Brazil, grassland management with fire has been highly employed since the mid-18th century. Although the practice is regulated by federal law (prescribed fire), there is no detailed information about the impacts of this practice on the small, non-volant fauna. We evaluated the effect of fire management on anuran species richness and community composition in Brazilian grassland areas that have adopted this practice for more than 15 years. Our results show that burning practices lead to a reduction of anuran richness. About 37% of the species occur exclusively in sites free of fire. Sites with fire management have low densities of taller grass and shrubs, which could reduce habitat availability for some anuran species. Nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity did not differ within and between treatments, but there was a tendency for a nestedness organization of the community in burned sites, suggesting that sites with fire management are a subsample of sites where fire is absent. Our results pointed out that prescribed fire practices have potentially negative effects on the anuran diversity. These results suggest that the changes in vegetation, in particular percentages of shrub cover, affect habitat suitability for some species. Therefore, anuran communities tend to become less diverse and lack arboreal species where fire occurs.</p><p>Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143113672","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":"Testing the Effectiveness of Synthetic Chemical Lures to Increase Fruit Bat-Mediated Seed Dispersal in a Tropical Forest","authors":"Mariana Gelambi,&nbsp;Yoselyn Pamela Coto-Pereira,&nbsp;Estefania Morales-M,&nbsp;Susan R. Whitehead","doi":"10.1111/btp.13426","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13426","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Tropical deforestation is occurring at alarming rates, creating an urgent need for global prioritization of restoration efforts. One potential forest recovery strategy is to boost seed-dispersing animal activity (e.g., fruit-eating bats) to increase seed availability in degraded areas. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of synthetic chemical lures in attracting fruit bats and enhancing seed rain in northeastern Costa Rica. The chemical lures were composed of a few volatile organic compounds commonly found in ripe bat-dispersed fruits. Daily deployment of the chemical lures resulted in a significant increase in the capture of <i>Carollia</i> spp., a key neotropical seed disperser, but no detectable effect on other fruit bats. The 15-day deployment of chemical lures also increased the average of total seeds collected in seed traps. However, the effect of lures explained only a small portion of the total variance in seed rain, highlighting the potential context-dependency of these results. Still, in contrast to the previously studied essential oil-based lures, synthetic lures hold the potential to be applied across a broader spectrum of restoration initiatives due to simplified manufacturing and improved reproducibility. Although additional research is essential to understand the full potential for use in restoration efforts, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of synthetic chemical lures in attracting fruit bats and potentially augmenting seed rain.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/btp.13426","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143111420","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":"Differing Agents of Physical Damage to Artificial Seedlings in Remnant and Restored Forests","authors":"Gerald J. Quirós Cedeño,&nbsp;Francis H. Joyce,&nbsp;María Auxiliadora Zúñiga Amador,&nbsp;Karen D. Holl","doi":"10.1111/btp.13421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13421","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We tested the importance of physical damage to seedlings as a bottleneck to natural regeneration in restored tropical forests using an artificial seedling experiment. After one year, more artificial seedlings had been damaged in restored forests (17.6% ± 2.6% SE) compared to remnant forests (12.7% ± 1.1% SE), primarily due to greater frequency of woody debris falling from planted trees. Vertebrate damage was more common in remnant forests.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121353","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":"Agriculturally developed areas reduce genetic connectivity for a keystone Neotropical ungulate","authors":"Mozart Sávio Pires Baptista,&nbsp;Alexine Keuroghlian,&nbsp;Leandro Reverberi Tambosi,&nbsp;Marina Corrêa Côrtes,&nbsp;Fernanda de Góes Maciel,&nbsp;Douglas William Cirino,&nbsp;Gabriela Schmaedecke,&nbsp;Cibele Biondo","doi":"10.1111/btp.13418","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13418","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Modified landscapes can restrict the movement of organisms, leading to isolation and reduced population viability, particularly for species with extensive home ranges and long-distance travel, such as white-lipped peccaries (WLPs, <i>Tayassu pecari</i>). Previous studies have indicated that forested areas favor WLP herd movements, but the impact of the non-forested areas on their genetic connectivity is unknown. In this study, we used land use and land cover maps and population genetic data to investigate the impact of non-forested matrices on WLP's genetic connectivity in the Pantanal floodplain and surrounding Cerrado plateau of central-west Brazil. We compared isolation-by-distance (IBD), isolation-by-barrier, and isolation-by-resistance models and tested 39 hypotheses within a modeling framework. Finally, we identified the optimal areas for ecological corridors based on the most effective landscape model. Barrier and landscape resistance were more strongly correlated with genetic relatedness than the IBD model. The model that received the most robust support considered only forest as habitat. All other classes formed a matrix that impeded gene flow, including agriculture, grassland, savannah, and paved and unpaved roads. WLP herds living in landscapes with reduced forest cover are more vulnerable to the effects of genetic isolation. To maintain gene flow, conservation programs should prioritize strategies that strengthen connections between habitats, including facilitating wildlife road-crossing structures and creating/restoring ecological corridors to link isolated habitat fragments.</p><p>Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143120968","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":"Predator–Prey Movement Interactions: Jaguars and Peccaries in the Spotlight","authors":"Vanesa Bejarano Alegre,&nbsp;Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima,&nbsp;Claudia Zukeran Kanda,&nbsp;Maria Luisa S. P. Jorge,&nbsp;Alexine Keuroghlian,&nbsp;Ronaldo G. Morato,&nbsp;Milton Cezar Ribeiro,&nbsp;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}

{"title":"Simulated Impacts of Harvesting Chamaedorea linearis and C. pinnatifrons (Arecaceae): Implications for Their Conservation","authors":"Paula Cepeda,&nbsp;Henrik Balslev,&nbsp;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>₂₀) 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}

{"title":"Vertebrate diversity and biomass along a recovery gradient in a lowland tropical forest","authors":"Nina Grella,&nbsp;Karen Pedersen,&nbsp;Nico Blüthgen,&nbsp;Annika Busse,&nbsp;David A. Donoso,&nbsp;Ana Falconí-López,&nbsp;Christian Fiderer,&nbsp;Marco Heurich,&nbsp;Maria de la Hoz,&nbsp;Peter Kriegel,&nbsp;Felicity L. Newell,&nbsp;Marcel Püls,&nbsp;Dominik Rabl,&nbsp;H. Martin Schäfer,&nbsp;Sebastian Seibold,&nbsp;Constance J. Tremlett,&nbsp;Heike Feldhaar,&nbsp;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}

{"title":"Long-term stability of tropical forest metacommunities in Puerto Rico: Native and non-native species","authors":"Steven J. Presley,&nbsp;Julissa Rojas-Sandoval,&nbsp;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}

{"title":"Unveiling how herpetofauna cope with land-use changes—Insights from forest-cashew-rice landscapes in West Africa","authors":"Francisco dos Reis-Silva,&nbsp;Cristian Pizzigalli,&nbsp;Sambu Seck,&nbsp;Mar Cabeza,&nbsp;Ana Rainho,&nbsp;Ricardo Rocha,&nbsp;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}