Browsing by Author "Nascimento, Lea"
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- Global change in microcosms : environmental and societal predictors of land cover change on the Atlantic Ocean IslandsPublication . Norder, Sietze; Lima, Ricardo F.; Nascimento, Lea; Lim, Jun Y.; Fernández-Palacios, José María; Romeiras, Maria M.; Elias, Rui B.; Cabezas, Francisco J.; Catarino, Luís; Ceríaco, Luis M.P.; Castilla-Beltrán, Alvaro; Gabriel, Rosalina; Sequeira, Miguel M.; Rijsdijk, Kenneth F.; Nogué, Sandra; Kissling, W. Daniel; van Loon, E. Emiel; Hall, Marcus; Matos, Margarida; Borges, Paulo A. V.Islands contribute enormously to global biodiversity, but their species and ecosystems are highly threatened and often confined to small patches of remaining native vegetation. Islands are thus ideal microcosms to study the local dimensions of global change. While human activities have drastically transformed most islands, the extent to which societal and environmental conditions shape differences in land cover remains unclear. This study analyses the role of contrasting environmental and societal conditions in affecting the extent of native vegetation cover on 30 islands in five Atlantic Ocean archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Gulf of Guinea Islands). We adopt a mixed-method approach in which we combine a statistical analysis of environmental and societal variables with a qualitative reconstruction of historical socioeconomic trends. Statistical results indicate that terrain ruggedness predominantly shapes the extent of remaining native vegetation cover, suggesting that topography constrains human impacts on biodiversity. Overall, environmental variables better explain differences in native vegetation cover between islands than societal variables like human population density. However, throughout history, islands experienced large changes in demography and socioeconomic trends, and therefore modern patterns of native vegetation might also partly reflect these past conditions. While anthropocene narratives often present humans as a global geophysical force, the results show that local environmental context strongly mitigated the degree of human impact on biodiversity. These findings call for integrative approaches to understand the contributions of local human-environment interactions to ongoing global change.
- Macaronesia as a Fruitful Arena for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation BiologyPublication . Florencio, Margarita; Patiño, Jairo; Nogué, Sandra; Traveset, Anna; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Schaefer, Hanno; Amorim, Isabel R.; Arnedo, Miquel A.; Ávila, Sérgio P.; Cardoso, Pedro; Nascimento, Lea; Fernández-Palacios, José María; Gabriel, Sofia I.; Gil, Artur José Freire; Gonçalves, Vitor; Haroun, Ricardo J.; Illera, Juan Carlos; López-Darias, Marta; Martínez, Alejandro; Martins, Gustavo M.; Neto, Ana I.; Nogales, Manuel; Oromí, Pedro; Rando, Juan Carlos; Raposeiro, Pedro M.; Rigal, François; Romeiras, Maria M.; Silva, Luís; Valido, Alfredo; Vanderpoorten, Alain; Vasconcelos, Raquel; Santos, Ana M. C.Research in Macaronesia has led to substantial advances in ecology, evolution and conservation biology. We review the scientific developments achieved in this region, and outline promising research avenues enhancing conservation. Some of these discoveries indicate that the Macaronesian flora and fauna are composed of rather young lineages, not Tertiary relicts, predominantly of European origin. Macaronesia also seems to be an important source region for back-colonisation of continental fringe regions on both sides of the Atlantic. This group of archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands, and Cabo Verde) has been crucial to learn about the particularities of macroecological patterns and interaction networks on islands, providing evidence for the development of the General Dynamic Model of oceanic island biogeography and subsequent updates. However, in addition to exceptionally high richness of endemic species, Macaronesia is also home to a growing number of threatened species, along with invasive alien plants and animals. Several innovative conservation and management actions are in place to protect its biodiversity from these and other drivers of global change. The Macaronesian Islands are a well-suited field of study for island ecology and evolution research, mostly due to its special geological layout with 40 islands grouped within five archipelagos differing in geological age, climate and isolation. A large amount of data is now available for several groups of organisms on and around many of these islands. However, continued efforts should be made toward compiling new information on their biodiversity, to pursue various fruitful research avenues and develop appropriate conservation management tools.
- A roadmap for island biology : 50 fundamental questions after 50 years of The Theory of Island BiogeographyPublication . Patiño, Jairo; Whittaker, Robert J.; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Fernández-Palacios, José María; Ah-Peng, Claudine; Araújo, Miguel B.; Ávila, Sérgio P.; Cardoso, Pedro; Cornuault, Josselin; Boer, Erik J.; Nascimento, Lea; Gil, Artur José Freire; González-Castro, Aarón; Gruner, Daniel S.; Heleno, Ruben; Hortal, Joaquín; Illera, Juan Carlos; Kaiser-Bunbury, Christopher N.; Matthews, Thomas J.; Papadopoulou, Anna; Pettorelli, Nathalie; Price, Jonathan; Santos, Ana C.; Steinbauer, Manuel J.; Triantis, Kostas A.; Valente, Luis; Vargas, Pablo; Weigelt, Patrick; Emerson, Brent C.AIMS The 50th anniversary of the publication of the seminal book, The Theory of Island Biogeography, by Robert H. MacArthur and Edward O. Wilson, is a timely moment to review and identify key research foci that could advance island biology. Here, we take a collaborative horizon-scanning approach to identify 50 fundamental questions for the continued development of the field. LOCATION: Worldwide. METHODS: We adapted a well-established methodology of horizon scanning to identify priority research questions in island biology, and initiated it during the Island Biology 2016 conference held in the Azores. A multidisciplinary working group prepared an initial pool of 187 questions. A series of online surveys was then used to refine a list of the 50 top priority questions. The final shortlist was restricted to questions with a broad conceptual scope, and which should be answerable through achievable research approaches. RESULTS: Questions were structured around four broad and partially overlapping island topics, including: (Macro)Ecology and Biogeography, (Macro)Evolution, Community Ecology, and Conservation and Management. These topics were then subdivided according to the following subject areas: global diversity patterns (five questions in total); island ontogeny and past climate change (4); island rules and syndromes (3); island biogeography theory (4); immigration–speciation–extinction dynamics (5); speciation and diversification (4); dispersal and colonization (3); community assembly (6); biotic interactions (2); global change (5); conservation and management policies (5); and invasive alien species (4). MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, this cross-disciplinary set of topics covering the 50 fundamental questions has the potential to stimulate and guide future research in island biology. By covering fields ranging from biogeography, community ecology and evolution to global change, this horizon scan may help to foster the formation of interdisciplinary research networks, enhancing joint efforts to better understand the past, present and future of island biotas.