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- Standardised sampling of lepidopterans (Lepidoptera) in Serra da Estrela (Portugal) - 2013 and 2014. v1.2Publication . Boieiro, Mário; Antunes, Sandra; Figueiredo, Hugo; Soares, Albano; Lopes, Ana; Monteiro, Eva; Pereira, Patrícia Garcia; Rego, Carla; Conde, José; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Serrano, Artur R. M.Mountain ecosystems are crucial for biodiversity conservation since they host high biodiversity. This study reports novel information on lepidopteran species diversity, distribution and abundance from Serra da Estrela Natural Park (Portugal). Seventy two lepidopteran species were sampled in this protected area, including the first findings of Apatura ilia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) and Vanessa virginiensis (Drury, 1773). New populations of Euphydrias aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775), a protected species under the Habitats Directive, was found in this Natural Park and novel distribution and ecological data was collected for most species, including several rare species [e.g., Coenonympha glycerion iphioides Staudinger, 1870, Cyaniris semiargus (Rottemburg, 1775)]. All data were collected using standardised sampling allowing its use as baseline for environmental changes long-term monitoring of Serra da Estrela mountain biodiversity.
- Pinniped (Carnivora, Phocidae) occurrences in the Azores Archipelago (NE Atlantic)Publication . Barcelos, Luis M. D.; Barreiros, João P.BACKGROUND: The last Pinniped species update was in 2010, as part of the list of the terrestrial and marine biota from the Azores. This list includes a chapter dedicated to marine mammals, based on previously published bibliography. NEW INFORMATION: No new species were added since that list was published. However, there were new occurrences since the last update.
- Impact of human foraging on tree diversity, composition, and abundance in a tropical rainforestPublication . Asuk, Sijeh A.; Matthews, Thomas J.; Sadler, Jonathan P.; Pugh, Thomas A. M.; Ebu, Vincent T.; Ifebueme, Nzube M.; Kettridge, NicholasTropical forest tree communities are structured by a range of large-scale drivers including elevation, certain high-impact anthropogenic activities (e.g., deforestation), and fires. However, low-impact human activities such as foraging may also be subtly but notably altering the composition of tropical forest tree communities. The study assessed the (i) differences in species diversity, patterns of relative abundance, and pairwise beta diversity between trees with edible and inedible fruits and seeds along an elevation gradient, and (ii) impact of human foraging on the forest tree communities in Oban Division of Cross River National Park, Nigeria. Fifteen permanent 40 by 40 m plots were established along an elevational gradient (120–460 m above mean sea level). All trees of 0.1 m diameter at breast height (dbh) and above were measured, identified, and, with the aid of structured questionnaires, classified into those with edible and inedible fruits/seeds. A total of 35 edible species with density of 128 stems/hectare and basal area of 11.99 m2/hectare, and 109 inedible species with density of 364 stems/hectare and basal area of 22.42 m2/hectare were sampled. However, the evenness of edible and inedible species was similar at pooled and plot levels. For inedible species, there was a positive relationship between pairwise beta diversity and elevation, and this was driven mainly by turnover. In contrast, edible species exhibited a non-significant trend between elevation and beta diversity. Thus, the study showed that human foraging of edible fruits may have subtly influenced patterns of species diversity and community structure in this tropical forest.
- Long-term monitoring of Azorean forest arthropodsPublication . Borges, Paulo A. V.; Lhoumeau, SébastienSince 2012 we are conducting in Azorean Islands (Portugal) native and exotic forests a long-term monitoring study named SLAM - Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores. This long-term monitoring study is monitoring arthropods (Arthropoda), aiming to understand the impact of biodiversity erosion drivers in Azorean native forests arthropod distribution, abundance and diversity. The current dataset represents arthropods that were recorded using a total of 42 passive SLAM traps (Sea, Land and Air Malaise) deployed inside native and exotic forest fragments in seven Azorean Islands (Flores, Faial, Pico, Graciosa, Terceira São Miguel and Santa Maria). This manuscript is the fifth data-paper contribution based on data from this long-term project. We provide data of terrestrial arthropods belonging to Arachnida (excluding Acari), Diplopoda, Chilopoda and Insecta classes (excluding Collembola, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera) from seven Azorean Islands during the 2012-2021 period. Data from spiders (Araneae) from the Pico and Terceira Islands is not included in this publication since this data was already published elsewhere (Costa and Borges 2021; Lhoumeau et al. 2022). We collected a total of 176007 specimens, of which 168565 (95.7%) were identified at species or subspecies level. Among these identified specimens, 106 350 (62%) were adults. For Araneae and some Hemiptera species, juveniles are also included in the data presented in this paper, since the low diversity in the Azores allows a relatively precise species-level identification of this life-stage. We recorded a total of 316 species and subspecies, belonging to 25 orders, 106 families and 260 genera. The ten most abundant species are composed mostly of endemic or native non-endemic species and only one exotic species (Ommatoiulus moreleti (Lucas, 1860)). They include 107 330 individuals (60%) of all sampled specimens and can be considered as the dominant species in the Azorean native forests for the target studied taxa. The Hemiptera order was the most abundant taxa, with 90 127 (50,4%) specimens. The Coleoptera order was the most diverse taxa with 30 (28,3%) family sampled. We registered 72 new species records (two for Flores, eight for Faial, 24 for Graciosa, 23 for Pico, eight for Terceira, three for São Miguel and four for Santa-Maria). None of them are new for the Azores archipelago. Most of the new records are introduced species, however abundance of such species is still low on the studied islands. This publication contributes to increase the baseline information for future long-term comparisons of the arthropods of the studied sites and the knowledge of the arthropod fauna of the native forests of the Azores, in terms of species abundance, distribution and diversity throughout seasons and years.
- Gains and losses in ecosystem services and disservices after converting native forest to agricultural land on an oceanic islandPublication . Ferrante, Marco; Lövei, Gábor L.; Nunes, Rui; Monjardino, Paulo; Lamelas-López, Lucas; Möller, Daniella M.; Soares, António O.; Borges, Paulo A. V.Habitat conversion to agricultural land is one of the main threats to terrestrial biodiversity and can affect ecosystem processes and cause changes in ecosystem services (ESs) and disservices (EDs). Yet, studies often rely only on the abundance and diversity of the service providers; the effects on ecological processes of habitat conversion are rarely directly monitored. In this study, we used the sentinel approach to evaluate how habitat conversion from native forest to agricultural land affected ESs and EDs on an oceanic island. We quantified herbivory on lettuce plants, invertebrate and vertebrate predation rates on artificial caterpillars, pollination on strawberry plants, seed predation on wheat and mustard seeds, and leaf decomposition rates in native forests, maize fields and pastures on Terceira Island, Azores (Portugal). Herbivory, invertebrate predation rates, and pollination service were not significantly different between habitats. Vertebrate predation rates in native forests (mean 6.1% d⁻¹) were significantly higher than that in pastures (0.3% d⁻¹), or high-elevation maize fields (0.5% d⁻¹), and marginally higher than in low-elevation maize fields (2.2% d⁻¹). Overall seed predation after 48 h was significantly higher on wheat (mean 16.8%) than mustard seeds (5.6%). High-elevation maize fields also had higher seed predation (27.8%) than low-elevation ones (0.6%) or pastures (3.6%), but did not differ from the native forest (12.9%). Decomposition after 90 days was highest in pastures (78.4% and 45.9%, for tea and rooibos, respectively); although no significant differences between habitats were detected, except for low-elevation maize fields (64.4% and 33.6%). Conversion from native forest to cultivated land did not cause a clear decrease in the intensity of the studied ESs/EDs except for vertebrate predation. Using direct monitoring tools to simultaneously and consistently quantify multiple ecological processes is not only possible but needed, as ecological processes can respond differently to landscape changes.
- SLAM Project - Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores: IV - The spiders of Terceira and Pico Islands (2019-2021) and general diversity patterns after ten years of samplingPublication . Lhoumeau, Sébastien; Cardoso, Pedro; Costa, Ricardo; Boieiro, Mário; Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba; Rosário, Isabel Amorim do; Rigal, François; Santos, Ana M. C.; Gabriel, Rosalina; Borges, Paulo A. V.BACKGROUND: Long-term studies are key to understand the drivers of biodiversity erosion, such as land-use change and habitat degradation, climate change, invasive species or pollution. The long-term project SLAM (Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores) started in 2012 and focuses on arthropod monitoring, using SLAM (Sea, Land and Air Malaise) traps, aiming to understand the impact of the drivers of biodiversity erosion on Azorean native forests (Azores, Portugal). This is the fourth contribution including SLAM project data and the second focused on the spider fauna (Arachnida, Araneae) of native forests on two islands (Pico and Terceira). In this contribution, we describe data collected between 2019 and 2021 and we analyse them together with a previously published database that covered the 2012-2019 period, in order to describe changes in species abundance patterns over the last ten years. NEW INFORMATION: We present abundance data of Azorean spider species for the 2019-2021 period in two Azorean Islands (Terceira and Pico). We also present analyses of species distribution and abundance of the whole sampling period. In the period of 2019-2021, we collected a total of 5110 spider specimens, of which 2449 (48%) were adults. Most juveniles, with the exception of some exotic Erigoninae, were also included in the data presented in this paper, since the low diversity of spiders in the Azores allows a relatively precise species-level identification of this life-stage. We recorded a total of 45 species, belonging to 39 genera and 16 families. The ten most abundant species were composed mostly of endemic or native non-endemic species and only two exotic species (Tenuiphantes tenuis (Blackwall, 1852) and Dysdera crocata C. L. Koch, 1838). They included 4308 individuals (84%) of all sampled specimens and were the dominant species in Azorean native forests. The family Linyphiidae was the richest and most abundant taxon, with 15 (33%) species and 2630 (51%) specimens. We report Cheiracanthium mildei L. Koch, 1864, a non-native species, from Pico Island for the first time. We found no new species records on Terceira Island. This publication contributes to increasing the baseline information for future long-term comparisons of the spiders on the studied sites and the knowledge of the arachnofauna of the native forests of Terceira and Pico, in terms of species abundance, distribution and diversity across seasons for a 10 years period.
- Azores Sea turtles updated checklistPublication . Barcelos, Luis M. D.; Barreiros, João B. V.; Barreiros, João P.Sea turtles are the best-known and more widespread marine reptiles. However, information on their distribution and the occurrence of most species, except for nesting beaches, remains scarce and sporadic, depending on sightings from fishing vessels, tourist activities and occurrences in coastal areas as well as fishing bycatch. Since the last updated species’ list for the Azores (Santos et al, 2010), no new species’ record was known for Azorean waters, until October 2020, with the confirmed sighting of an Olive Ridley, Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) (Barcelos et al. 2021). After that, in February 2021, a second individual was found stranded on Pico Island, already in an advanced state of decomposition. This increased the number of species present in Azores EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) to six out of the seven extant worldwide. The remaining one, Natator depressus (Garman, 1880), is native to the Indo-pacific (see Red List Standards & Petitions Subcommittee, 1996).
- Plant growers' environmental consciousness may not be enough to mitigate pollinator declines : a questionnaire‐based case study in HungaryPublication . Varga‐Szilay, Zsófia; Pozsgai, GaborBACKGROUND: Pesticides are one of the most important anthropogenic-related stressors. In times of global pollinator decline, the role of integrated farming and urban gardens in supporting wild pollinators is becoming increasingly important. We circulated an online questionnaire to survey plant protection practices among Hungarian farmers and garden ownerswith a particular emphasis on pollinator protection. RESULTS: We found that plant growers rely heavily on pesticide use, and pesticides are used widely in otherwise pollinatorfriendly gardens. Whether pesticide use practices were driven by expert opinion and respondent gender were the best predictors of pesticide use. Although most respondents supported pollinators, pesticides are also used widely among home garden owners, which can pose a non-evident ecological trap for pollinator populations in the gardens. CONCLUSION: Special attention should be paid to implementing measures to reduce pesticide use not only in farmland, but also in home gardens. Environmental education and financial support through agroecological schemes could efficiently promote the transition away from pesticide use. However, whereas farmers can be encouraged to reduce pesticide use mostly by expert advice, garden owners are likely to rely on more conventional information channels. The attitudes of Hungarian plant growers can provide an insight into pesticide use practices of Central and Eastern European countries, but similar surveys are needed across Europe for a complete understanding of broad-scale processes. This work lays the foundations for similar studies that can inform and facilitate the transformation to pesticide-free farming and gardening.
- Occurrences of Sea turtles in Azores ArchipelagoPublication . Barcelos, Luis M. D.; Barreiros, João P.Sea turtles are the best-known and more widespread marine reptiles. However, information on their distribution and the occurrence of most species, except for nesting beaches, remains scarce and sporadic, depending on sightings from fishing vessels, tourist activities and occurrences in coastal areas as well as fishing bycatch. Since the last updated species’ list for the Azores (Santos et al, 2010), no new species’ record was known for Azorean waters, until October 2020, with the confirmed sighting of an Olive Ridley, Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) (Barcelos et al. 2021). After that, in February 2021, a second individual was found stranded on Pico Island, already in an advanced state of decomposition. This increased the number of species present in Azores EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) to six out of the seven extant worldwide. The remaining one, Natator depressus (Garman, 1880), is native to the Indo-pacific (see Red List Standards & Petitions Subcommittee, 1996).
- Alemanha aquém da guerra : 1919 -1939Publication . Freitas, José Pedro Soares; Andrade, Luís Manuel Vieira deEsta dissertação tem como principal objetivo compreender como é que a Alemanha se rearmou, cresceu e aglutinou uma enorme quantidade de território, cidadãos e recursos, à margem do Tratado de Versailles, sem iniciar um conflito. A escolha deste tema prende-se com a gravidade das consequências da ascensão ao poder do partido Nacional-Socialista, numa sociedade moderna e avançada como a Alemanha. De modo a ter um panorama da época, foram utilizadas fontes bibliográficas impressas e online que abordassem a situação internacional e a situação interna da Alemanha entre a Grande Guerra Mundial e a Segunda Guerra Mundial. A situação interna da Alemanha proporcionou terreno fértil para os nazis eventualmente subirem ao poder, com o apoio de uma porção considerável da população. No entanto, a paralisia das democracias europeias, vencedoras da Grande Guerra, perante as violações do Tratado de Versailles, juntamente com a sua hesitação em assegurar uma aliança militar com a URSS, foi um dos episódios mais lamentáveis da diplomacia das democracias europeias levando a que apenas reagissem quando a Alemanha nazi invadiu a Polónia, e despoletou a Segunda Guerra Mundial.
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