Browsing by Author "Ah-Peng, Claudine"
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- Bryophyte Diversity along an Elevational Gradient on Pico Island (Azores, Portugal)Publication . Coelho, Márcia Catarina Mendes; Gabriel, Rosalina; Hespanhol, Helena; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Ah-Peng, ClaudineThe study of elevational patterns is a valuable method for inferring the influence of the climate and other variables in the regional distributions of species. Bryophytes are ideal for revealing different environmental patterns in elevational studies, since they occur from sea level to above the tree line. Taking advantage of the long elevational transect of Pico Island and the use of standardized survey methods, our main aims were: (1) to identify and characterize the alpha and beta diversities of bryophytes across the full elevational gradient (12 sites of native vegetation, ranging from 10 to 2200 m above sea level [a.s.l.]); (2) to detect the ecological factors driving bryophyte composition; (3) to identify bryophytes’ substrate specificity; and (4) to check the presence of rare and endemic species. The identification of 878 microplots yielded 141 species (71 liverworts and 70 mosses), almost half of those known to occur on Pico Island. The bryophyte species richness followed a parabolic unimodal pattern with a mid-elevation peak, where the richest native forests occur. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of the bryophyte composition and explanatory variables revealed the effect of the elevation, precipitation, disturbance, richness of vascular plants and bark pH in explaining bryophyte compositions at regional levels. Very few species of bryophytes showed substrate specificity. Pico Island’s elevational gradient could be an asset for studying long-term changes in bryophyte species composition and alpha diversity under global change.
- Bryophytes distribution along an altitudinal gradient of native forest in Pico island (Azores): preliminary results of epiphytic generaPublication . Coelho, Márcia Catarina Mendes; Gabriel, Rosalina; Henriques, Débora; Ah-Peng, ClaudineThe evergreen forests of the Azores offer a great variety of habitats for bryophytes, owing to the diversity of microhabitats and available substrata, and to the hyper-humid conditions they provide. Bryophytes play a vital role in such ecosystems (Homem & Gabriel, 2009). The understanding of species rarity is important in ecological and conservational research.
- Challenges, advances and perspectives in Island BiogeographyPublication . Borges, Paulo A. V.; Cardoso, Pedro; Gabriel, Rosalina; Ah-Peng, Claudine; Emerson, Brent C.Island biogeographical research is becoming more and more fashionable, with the continuous identification of new challenges that are critical for the advancement of science. In this contribution we identify biases and limitations associated with island biogeographical studies, and also describe recent advances and propose new perspectives. The main proposals include: 1) downscaling island biogeographical studies to local/plot scale; 2) investigating geographical patterns of intra-specific genetic variation to infer dispersal processes among and within islands; 3) using applied biogeographical research to respond to the current island biodiversity crisis; and 4) applying new computer-intensive methods such as artificial intelligence (AI) approaches.
- Characterizing and quantifying water content in 14 species of bryophytes present in azorean native vegetationPublication . Coelho, Márcia Catarina Mendes; Gabriel, Rosalina; Ah-Peng, ClaudineBryophytes are an important component of plant diversity, may be found from sea level to mountaintops, and are particularly conspicuous on the Azores islands. These plants rely on environmental water, which acquires intercepting rain and dew (liquid water) and uses fog (water vapor), and transports both externally, by capillary forces, and internally, in different cells (specialized or not). This study characterizes and quantifies the ability of six liverworts and eight mosses to retain water, through different pathways, and to lose water by evaporation. Twelve replicates of each species were collected in Azorean native vegetation during the summer of 2016. The absolute water content (AWC) was obtained through measurements of specimens saturated, without free water, and completely dry. Most of the 14-target species showed an ectohydric behavior pattern retaining more than 60% of water through gametophyte surface. The AWC value ranged from 646% in Polytrichum commune to 5584% in Sphagnum subnitens. The water loss by direct evaporation showed, for most of species, an exponential decay curve along time. Understanding how much native bryophytes, acquire, store, and release water into the system contributes not only to the knowledge of native vegetation resilience but also to potential impacts on the availability and quality of water—a major ecosystem service performed by bryophytes.
- Diversidade de briófitos e alterações climáticas nos Açores: olhar para o futuro para delinear o presentePublication . Henriques, Débora; Gabriel, Rosalina; Coelho, Márcia Catarina Mendes; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Ah-Peng, ClaudineAs alterações que o clima do planeta tem vindo a sofrer nas últimas décadas têm efeitos variados sobre a biodiversidade, alterando a distribuição das espécies e as interacções entre estas, afectando a jusante os serviços de ecossistemas e, consequentemente, o ser humano. Nos Açores, vários desses serviços são garantidos pelos briófitos. Para além das suas funções ecossistémicas, estes organismos respondem rapidamente a variações ambientais, sendo por isso indicados para detectar os efeitos biológicos das alterações climáticas. Este estudo procura determinar que impactos terão as alterações climáticas previstas pelo Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sobre a distribuição e composição específica e funcional da brioflora dos Açores e que novos dados podemos integrar no sistema de gestão de áreas protegidas do arquipélago. Para tal, pretende-se inventariar a diversidade específica e funcional de briófitos ao longo de gradientes altitudinais em várias ilhas dos Açores, relacionar os padrões de distribuição encontrados com uma série de factores ambientais e desenvolver, através de modelação bioclimática, previsões da distribuição futura destas espécies em resposta a diferentes cenários de alterações climáticas. Utilizando a brioflora açoriana, pretende-se assim ilustrar de que forma o estudo dos futuros efeitos das alterações climáticas sobre a biodiversidade pode servir como base para o desenvolvimento de estratégias de gestão e conservação da natureza a curto, médio e longo prazos. Ao fazê-lo, estaremos a contribuir para garantir a sustentabilidade do arquipélago, preservando a sua biodiversidade, os serviços dos ecossistemas e os benefícios e lucros por eles gerados em sectores como o do turismo, fortemente ligado à qualidade ambiental das ilhas.
- Functional diversity and composition of bryophyte water-related traits in Azorean native vegetationPublication . Henriques, Débora; Rigal, François; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Ah-Peng, Claudine; Gabriel, RosalinaBACKGROUND: Functional trait-based approaches link species diversity patterns to ecosystem functioning. In the context of global change, understanding these links is vital for developing holistic biodiversity management strategies. Bryophytes, important ecosystem components owing to their biogeochemical functions, have not been the focus of many functional studies. AIMS: This is the first assessment of bryophyte functional diversity in the Azores archipelago, aiming to uncover multivariate trait richness and composition patterns along the elevational gradient on Terceira Island. METHODS: Based on five water acquisition and retention traits of leafy liverworts and mosses, we calculated functional diversity metrics within and among six bryophyte communities sampled along a 1021-m elevational transect. RESULTS: Trait composition differed significantly between coastal and mountain communities. Mosses presented inrolled leaves and ornamented leaf cells at low elevation but not at high elevation. These patterns were associated with an uphill shift from drier and warmer conditions to a moister and cooler environment. CONCLUSIONS: Future climatic changes might affect bryophyte functional diversity patterns in Terceira Island, particularly for mosses. These results can be directly compared with those obtained for other archipelagos where the same protocol has been applied, allowing a joint assessment of insular vegetation functional diversity patterns.
- Long-term monitoring across elevational gradients (II) : vascular plants on Pico Island (Azores) transectPublication . Coelho, Márcia Catarina Mendes; Elias, Rui B.; Kluge, Jürgen; Pereira, Fernando E. A.; Henriques, Débora; Aranda, Silvia C.; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Ah-Peng, Claudine; Gabriel, RosalinaPico Island remains one of the last remnants of natural vegetation in the Azores, including the largest natural protected area; nevertheless, habitat change and the spread of exotic plants are visible, especially in those areas where human presence prevails. Currently, the lowlands are vastly occupied by pastures dominated by exotic herbs/grasses and most forests are dominated by Pittosporum undulatum. This paper aims to: i) review previous botanical studies related to elevational gradients; ii) investigate vascular plants composition and abundance in native vegetation, following an elevational transect (from 10 to 2200 m); and iii) investigate some patterns of the recorded diversity and distribution of vascular plants. Methodology follows a standardized protocol with observations in 100 m2 plots. A total of 88 species were recorded, representing 35% of the indigenous but only 5% of the exotic species previously known from Pico. The richest areas were found between 600 and 1000 m and the areas with the lowest proportion of indigenous species occurred between 1800 and 2200 m. The recorded composition and richness values of endemic and native vascular plants support the high ecological and conservation value of the studied areas and constitute a good basis for long-term monitoring projects.
- Long-term monitoring across elevational gradients to assess ecological hypothesis : a description of standardized sampling methods in oceanic islands and first resultsPublication . Gabriel, Rosalina; Coelho, Márcia M. C.; Henriques, Débora; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Elias, Rui B.; Kluge, Jürgen; Ah-Peng, ClaudineWe are launching a long-term study to characterize the biodiversity at different elevations in several Azorean Islands. Our aim is to use the Azores as a model archipelago to answer the fundamental question of what generates and maintains the global spatial heterogeneity of diversity in islands and to be able to understand the dynamics of change across time. An extensive, standardized sampling protocol was applied in most of the remnant forest fragments of five Azorean Islands. Fieldwork followed BRYOLAT methodology for the collection of bryophytes, ferns and other vascular plant species. A modified version of the BALA protocol was used for arthropods. A total of 70 plots (10 m x 10 m) are already established in five islands (Flores, Pico, São Jorge, Terceira and São Miguel), all respecting an elevation step of 200 m, resulting in 24 stations examined in Pico, 12 in Terceira, 10 in Flores, 12 in São Miguel and 12 in São Jorge. The first results regarding the vascular plants inventory include 138 vascular species including taxa from Lycopodiophyta (N=2), Pteridophyta (N=27), Pinophyta (N=2) and Magnoliophyta (N=107). In this contribution we also present the main research question for the next six years within the 2020 Horizon.
- Mosses and liverworts show contrasting elevational distribution patterns in an oceanic island (Terceira, Azores) : the influence of climate and spacePublication . Henriques, Débora; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Ah-Peng, Claudine; Gabriel, RosalinaDue to ongoing global changes, it is essential to establish a baseline record from which to determine future shifts in species distributions and community assembly patterns. In this context, we used digitised historical bryophyte distribution data along a 1021 m elevational gradient in Terceira Island (Azores) to determine how bryophyte species distribution varies with elevation and which spatial and climatic drivers contribute to this variation. We used ordinary least squares analysis to test for climatic and spatial data as explanatory variables for bryophyte richness and Mid-Domain Null simulations to assess the influence of spatial constraints on species distributions. Bryophyte richness follows a hump-shaped pattern, with mosses predominating in the first half of the gradient and liverworts in the second half. While moss richness did not correlate to any climatic variables and responded weakly to the presence of forest cover, liverwort presence was related to temperature, rainfall, humidity and the occurrence of native forest areas, suggesting that these plants are more sensitive to changes in their environment and can thus be used as better indicator species for climate change. Despite their inherent biases, our study shows that historically compiled data can be a valuable tool for preliminary assessment of macroecological patterns.
- New national and regional bryophyte records, 65Publication . Ellis, L. T.; Ah-Peng, Claudine; Aslan, G.; Bakalin, V. A.; Bergamini, A.; Callaghan, D. A.; Campisi, P.; Raimondo, F. M.; Choi, S. S.; Csiky, J.; Csikyné Radnai, É.; Cykowska-Marzencka, B.; Czernyadjeva, I. V.; Kalinina, Yu M.; Afonina, O. M.; Domina, G.; Drapela, P.; Fedosov, V. E.; Fuertes, E.; Gabriel, Rosalina; Kubová, M.; Albergaria, Isabel Soares de; Gospodinov, G.; Natcheva, R.; Graulich, A.; Hedderson, T.; Hernández-Rodríguez, E.; Hugonnot, V.; Hyun, C. W.; Kırmacı, M.; Çatak, U.; Kubešová, S.; Kučera, J.; La Farge, C.; Larraín, J.; Martin, P.; Mufeed, B.; Manju, C. N.; Rajesh, K. P.; Németh, Cs.; Nagy, J.; Norhazrina, N.; Syazwana, N.; O’Leary, S. V.; Park, S. J.; Peña-Retes, A. P.; Rimac, A.; Alegro, A.; Šegota, V.; Koletić, N.; Vuković, N.; Rosadziński, S.; Rosselló, J. A.; Sabovljević, M. S.; Sabovljević, A. D.; Schäfer-Verwimp, A.; Sérgio, C.; Shkurko, A. V.; Shyriaieva, D.; Virchenko, V. M.; Smoczyk, M.; Spitale, D.; Srivastava, P.; Omar, I.; Asthana, A. K.; Staniaszek-Kik, M.; Cienkowska, A.; Ștefănuţ, M.-M.; Ștefănuţ, S.; Tamas, G.; Bîrsan, C.-C.; Nicoară, G.-R.; Ion, M. C.; Pócs, T.; Kunev, G.; Troeva, E. I.; van Rooy, J.; Wietrzyk-Pełka, P.; Węgrzyn, M. H.; Wolski, G. J.; Bożyk, D.; Cienkowska, A.Pseudoamblystegium subtile (Hedw.) Vanderp. & Hedenäs. CONTRIBUTORS: R. Gabriel, M. Kubová, C. Sérgio and I. Soares Albergaria. PORTUGAL, AZORES: Terceira Island, Angra do Heroísmo, municipal garden ‘Jardim Duque da Terceira’, 38° 39′ 24.0′′N, 27°13′ 05.99′′W, 31 m a.s.l, on the base of a shrub, in acidic conditions, 7 April 2017, leg. Michaela Kubová s.n. (AZU). A new understanding of the pleurocarpous moss species Pseudoamblystegium subtile was proposed by Vanderpoorten and Hedenäs (2009). The new genus is separated from the other Amblystegiaceae primarily due to its phylogenetic consistency and is characterised by the possession of leaves with a very short nerve, and erect capsules (Vanderpoorten and Hedenäs 2009). (excerpt)