Repositório da Universidade dos Açores
Repositório Institucional da Universidade dos Açores
Entradas recentes
Atlantic Islands Invertebrate Specialist Group newsletter nº 14
Publication . Teixeira, Dinarte; Wilkins, Vicky; Dempewolf, Lena; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Borges, Paulo
LAST-ISLANDS – Florestas exóticas como refúgio para espécies raras
Publication . Borges, Paulo A. V.; Borges, Paulo; Lhoumeau, Sébastien; Lhoumeau, Sébastien Georges André; Amorim, Isabel; Amorim do Rosário, Isabel; Elias, Rui B.; Pires Bento da Silva Elias, Rui Miguel; Gabriel, Rosalina; Gabriel, Rosalina
EM ILHAS, uma pequena mancha de floresta exótica pode guardar os últimos indivíduos de uma espécie endémica ou a primeira pista para reencontrar espécies dadas como desaparecidas.
Darwin’s naturalization conundrum in the Azores: scale-dependent patterns of arthropod invasion
Publication . Oyarzabal, Guilherme; Oyarzabal da Silva, Guilherme; Cardoso, Pedro; Rigal, François; Boieiro, Mário; Santos, Ana M. C.; Amorim, Isabel R.; Amorim do Rosário, Isabel; Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba; Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba; Costa, Ricardo; Costa, Ricardo; Lhoumeau, Sébastien; Lhoumeau, Sébastien Georges André; Pozsgai, Gábor; Pozsgai, Gabor; Gabriel, Rosalina; Gabriel, Rosalina; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Borges, Paulo; Liu, Chunlong
ABSTRACT:
Aim
To test the mechanisms governing the assembly of exotic arthropods within endemic-rich island communities by evaluating Darwin's naturalization conundrum, which predicts that invasion success occurs through either functional dissimilarity from native species (Naturalization Hypothesis) or functional similarity with them (Pre-adaptation Hypothesis).
Location
Azores archipelago, Portugal, North Atlantic Ocean.
Methods
We analysed long-term spatial and temporal data from two standardized monitoring programmes in Azorean native forests: the BALA project (spatial dataset) and the SLAM project (temporal dataset). The dataset included more than 100 species of spiders and beetles sampled across multiple islands over two decades. Using functional trait approaches, we quantified exotic–endemic community structure across spatial and temporal scales and compared observed patterns with null expectations to assess functional similarity or dissimilarity.
Results
Across both datasets, most Standard Effect Sizes (SES) values clustered around zero, indicating that exotic assemblages were largely indistinguishable from null expectations relative to endemic communities. This neutral pattern was consistent for exotic spiders across all spatial and temporal scales, providing no support for either Darwinian hypothesis. Exotic beetles, however, showed weak but detectable functional overdispersion at broader spatial scales and through time, suggesting limited and context-dependent support for the Naturalization Hypothesis. Overall, the pattern found is consistent with stochastic processes that appear to dominate exotic–endemic functional relationships, although this cannot be demonstrated directly from SES values alone.
Main Conclusions
Our results suggest that deterministic competition plays a minor role in structuring exotic arthropod assemblages in Azorean native forests. Instead, landscape-level processes, particularly the pressure from surrounding anthropogenic habitats and environmental filtering linked to forest fragmentation, likely shape invasion dynamics. These findings highlight the importance of human-modified landscapes in influencing community assembly and provide insights into how invasion processes operate in insular ecosystems.
Using forest structural complexity and topography metrics to characterise vertical microclimatic stratification
Publication . Lhoumeau, Sébastien; Seidel, Dominik; Elias, Rui B.; Gabriel, Rosalina; Borges, Paulo A. V.
ABSTRACT: Understanding how topography and forest structure drive the transformation of incoming solar energy into local microclimatic conditions is essential for predicting forest resilience under climate change. Quantifying the importance of such attributes on the stratification of microclimates requires the integration of heterogeneous ecological data streams. Here, we combined satellite-derived solar radiation and topographic data, LiDARderived forest structural metrics and in situ air temperature and relative humidity time series to quantify the interactions between incoming solar energy, forest structure and topography, ultimately driving microclimatic stratification.
Focusing on native and exotic forest stands on Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal, we evaluated how forest structural complexity and topography interact with incoming solar energy to jointly shape daily air temperature and vapour pressure deficit dynamics. By explicitly linking terrain complexity and three-dimensional vegetation structure with external energy inputs and sensor-derived microclimatic responses, our approach provides a datadriven basis for identifying the structural attributes that drive microclimatic variability within forests.
Our results show that forest structural complexity and topography shape the vertical gradient of air temperature and atmospheric dryness, but with responses differing among canopy, understory, and ground strata. These findings demonstrate the value of integrating remote sensing, environmental sensor networks, and statistical modelling to resolve biologically relevant microclimatic heterogeneity. More broadly, the workflow developed here offers a transferable framework for microclimate monitoring, forest restoration assessment, and the identification of microrefugia in structurally complex ecosystems.
Mycorrhizal status and inoculation response of Proteaceae cultivars on Terceira Island (Azores): Implications for sustainable crop establishment.
Publication . Dutra, Joel; Melo, Catarina Drumonde; Wu, Qiang-Shen
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can support sustainable crop production, but their role in Proteaceae remains poorly understood because many members of this family are considered non-mycorrhizal. This study assessed the mycorrhizal status, AMF taxon occurrence, and seasonal colonisation patterns in four ornamental Proteaceae cultivars on Terceira Island, Azores. The effects of early inoculation with native AMF on the growth and survival of Protea ‘Grandicolor’ cuttings were evaluated under nursery conditions. AMF colonisation was detected only in Protea ‘Grandicolor’ and Leucospermum ‘Succession II’, with total root colonisation ranging from 26–59% and 29–78%, respectively. Arbuscules were observed in both cultivars, providing morphological evidence consistent with a symbiotic interface. Nine AMF morphotypes belonging to Claroideoglomeraceae, Gigasporaceae, and Glomeraceaewere detected, and Funneliformis mosseae was the most frequently detected taxon. AMF taxon richness was highest in samples from Protea ‘Grandicolor’ and varied seasonally for this cultivar. Native AMF inoculation increased survival of Protea ‘Grandicolor’ from 50% to 90% and significantly enhanced shoot and whole-plant growth, leaf and root production, and fresh and dry biomass. These findings reveal cultivar-related variation in detected AMF colonisation and support further evaluation of locally adapted AMF inoculum for sustainable nursery production of ornamental Proteaceae in agroecosystems.