GBA - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais / Articles in International Journals
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Percorrer GBA - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais / Articles in International Journals por Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) "15:Proteger a Vida Terrestre"
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- A 13-year termite (Insecta, Blattodea) monitoring programme in the Azores: Dataset and findingsPublication . Borges, P.A.V.; Bettencourt, Sónia; Vargas, Dejalme; Medeiros, Raquel; Melo, João; Rodrigues, Ana; Baker, EdwardABSTRACT: From 2011 to 2024, the Azorean Government tested two coordinated monitoring programmes across the archipelago to survey four invasive termite species: the West Indian drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis (Walker, 1853); the yellow-necked drywood termite, Kalotermes flavicollis (Fabricius, 1793); the Western European subterranean termite, Reticulitermes grassei Clément, 1978; and the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar, 1837). The monitoring programme was mostly directed to the detection of C. brevis in new locations. Drywood species were detected on multiple islands, with C. brevis established on six islands (from west to east: Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Terceira, São Miguel and Santa Maria) and exhibiting the highest infestation densities in the urban centres of the three most important islands in terms of economic activity and human population (São Miguel, Terceira and Faial). Kalotermes flavicollis occurs more sporadically, primarily along the south coasts of Terceira, São Miguel and southeast coast of Faial and seldom attains the pest status of C. brevis. In contrast, the two Reticulitermes species remain restricted to localised subterranean infestations: Reticulitermes grassei in Horta (Faial) and R. flavipes near Lajes Air Force Base (Terceira), each detected via house inspection visits. Collectively, these efforts provide the first comprehensive, archipelago-wide dataset on termite presence, laying the groundwork for targeted Integrated Pest Management strategies in the Azores.
- “Although I was alone, I always felt accompanied”: the experiences of adolescent girls walking in a forestPublication . Amorim do Rosário, Isabel; Gabriel, Rosalina; Arroz, AnaABSTRACT: How do adolescent girls interact with nature? Which affordances do they perceive and enact in nature-rich environments? Drawing on outdoor empirical research, which mobilises cultural probes, walking, and semistructured interviews as key methodological devices, this article provides possible answers to the research questions, as well as further interrogations issued from our analysis. Our research contributes to the field by developing new knowledge on the affordances of nature-rich environments for adolescents, in the context of informal environmental education and outdoor learning experiences. In this study, affordances are understood as ways along which the world comes into presence to human beings, providing contingently relational possibilities for interaction. The findings highlight that these teenagers’ experiences, were potentially transformative, bringing a higher sense of connection with more-thanhuman realms. They extend knowledge on adolescents’ ways of perceiving and interacting with nature, revealing previously unnoticed affordances, such as listen-ability, the affordances of the weather, and depictability.
- Anthropogenic noise can decrease tomato reproductive success by hindering bumblebee-mediated pollinationPublication . Varga-Szilay, Zsófia; Szövényi, Gergely; Pozsgai, GaborABSTRACT: Anthropogenic noise is a little-studied type of pollution that negatively affects the physiology, nervous function and development of insects. Thereby, it has the potential to disrupt even key ecological services such as pollination. Here, we investigate the effects of anthropogenic noise on the pollination success of tomatoes pollinated by Bombus terrestris, under controlled conditions. We hypothesised that bumblebees avoid flowers exposed to noise more than flowers in non-noisy environments, leading to less efficient pollination and lower fruit quality. Three treatments were applied to randomly chosen plants and flowers in polytunnels in Hungary: noisy (with played traffic noise and allowing bumblebees to access the flowers); and two non-noisy, one allowing bumblebees and one excluding them. The flowers were bagged with nets before anthesis to prevent bumblebee visits, opened/unbagged exclusively during treatment, and re-bagged for three more days post-treatment. We recorded the market value of the fruits and the number of seeds they produced. We found no significant differences in the market value of fruits among treatments, but the number of seeds was significantly lower in the noisy treatment, suggesting that anthropogenic noise has substantial effects on bumblebee-mediated pollination. Although these effects may be mitigated by habituation, loud external noise of various machines (e.g. irrigation systems) within polytunnels is still likely to contribute to the everyday noise exposure of bumblebees and could thus potentially lead to hidden economic losses in production. Therefore, further research is needed to understand the behavioural effects of both direct and indirect noise pollution on bumblebees.
- Arthropod communities of insular (São Miguel Island, Azores) and mainland (Portugal) coastal grasslandsPublication . Calado, Hugo Renato; Costa Miranda Soares, António Onofre; Heleno, Ruben; Borges, Paulo; Costa, AnaThe data presented here is part of a doctoral project aimed at characterising and comparing arthropod diversity across biotic communities in coastal ecosystems. The present work provides an inventory of the arthropods recorded in two coastal grasslands ecosystems: the Portugal mainland and the Azores. Sampling was conducted on São Miguel Island (Azores Archipelago) as well as in the Sesimbra and Sines regions (Setúbal District, mainland Portugal). Thirty-one plots were set and visited four times, in spring and summer of 2022.
- Artificial intelligence for biodiversity: Exploring the potential of recurrent neural networks in forecasting arthropod dynamics based on time seriesPublication . Lhoumeau, Sébastien Georges André; Pinelo, João; Borges, P.A.V.ABSTRACT: In the current biodiversity crisis, the increasing demand for effective conservation tools aligns with significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). There is the need for the development of more robust and accurate forecasting methods, ultimately enhancing our understanding of ecological dynamics and supporting the formulation of effective conservation strategies. This research conducted a comparative analysis of Local Polynomial Regression (LOESS), Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) models for time-series prediction. Using a unique Long-Term Monitoring Program for island forest arthropods (2012–2023), wherein we selected the 39 most prevalent species collected using SLAM (Sea Land Air Malaise) traps within a native forest fragment on Terceira Island in the Azores archipelago. The results indicate that RNN outperformed LOESS in terms of both goodness of fit and overall accuracy. Although RNN did not surpass classical SARIMA in data prediction, it demonstrated superior goodness-of-fit on the training dataset. Furthermore, we investigated extinction and invasion scenarios within the Terceira arthropod assemblage, providing insight into broader implications and avenues for future research. This study discusses the utility and limitations of RNN models in biodiversity conservation through various scenarios. It contributes to the ongoing discourse at the convergence of conservation, ecology, and artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting advancements and innovative solutions crucial for the effective implementation of conservation strategies.
- Beyond native habitats: Indigenous arthropods adapted to mid-elevations find refuge in exotic forestsPublication . Borges, Paulo; Lhoumeau, Sébastien Georges André; Oyarzabal da Silva, Guilherme; Borges, P.A.V.ABSTRACT: In island ecosystems, extensive land-use changes since human colonisation has transformed native habitats into agriculture and exotic forests, raising concerns about the long-term persistence of indigenous biodiversity. This study explores the distribution of relict populations of indigenous arthropod species in exotic forests on Terceira Island (Azores) and identifies the ecological and environmental drivers shaping their presence. Using standardized SLAM (Sea, Land, and Air Malaise) traps and pitfall traps data from native and exotic forest plots, we investigated the distribution and abundance of 85 indigenous arthropod species across 15 orders, of which 65 were recorded at least once in exotic forests. We modelled the effects of species traits and biogeographic variables on species abundance and presence in exotic forests. Elevation emerged as the dominant predictor in both models, with species associated with mid-elevation habitats (300 – 500 m a.s.l.) showing higher abundance and occurrence in exotic forests, while high-elevation specialists (above 500 m a.s.l.) were largely absent. Endemic species generally had lower relative abundances in exotic forests compared to native non-endemics, even when their overall elevational range was broad. These results suggest that species historically present in mid-elevation zones find refuge in exotic forests. While relict populations may offer a degree of resilience and restoration potential, their long-term persistence is uncertain, particularly under climate change scenarios that limit available habitat at higher elevations. Conservation strategies should therefore recognize the role of exotic forests as transitional refuges and prioritize their management and restoration of native forests, especially in non-protected and privately-owned landscapes.
- Biodiversity insights from BioBlitz surveys on Terceira Island, AzoresPublication . Borges, Paulo; Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba; Gabriel, Rosalina; Videira, Sandra; Rodrigues, António Félix; Lhoumeau, Sébastien Georges André; Ros Prieto, Alejandra; Melo, Cecilia; Pozsgai, Gabor; Oyarzabal da Silva, Guilherme; Parmentier, Laurine Marie; Lamelas López, Lucas; Canelas Boieiro, Mário Rui; Barcelos, Paulo; Costa, Ricardo; Coelho, Ruben; Wallon, Sophie; Gonçalves, Susana; Arroz, Ana; Amorim do Rosário, Isabel; Elias, RuiABSTRACT: This manuscript is the first scientific publication of the project “BioBlitz Azores". The project was launched in 2019 and had a second event in 2023 under the scope of the FCT-MACRISK project, surveying the historic public garden "Jardim Duque da Terceira", in the historical centre of Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island (Azores, Portugal). In addition to contributing directly to the knowledge of Azorean biota, BioBlitz Azores aims to engage the non-scientific community - including volunteers, amateur naturalists, students, teachers, families and other garden visitors - to foster a sense of community and raise awareness about Azorean biodiversity and its conservation.
- BioTIME 2.0: Expanding and Improving a Database of Biodiversity Time SeriesPublication . Dornelas, Maria; Matthews, Thomas; Zvuloni, Assaf; Davies, JonathanABSTARCT: Motivation - Here, we make available a second version of the BioTIME database, which compiles records of abundance estimates for species in sample events of ecological assemblages through time. The updated version expands version 1.0 of the database by doubling the number of studies and includes substantial additional curation to the taxonomic accuracy of the records, as well as the metadata. Moreover, we now provide an R package (BioTIMEr) to facilitate use of the database. Main Types of Variables Included - The database is composed of one main data table containing the abundance records and 11 metadata tables. The data are organised in a hierarchy of scales where 11,989,233 records are nested in 1,603,067 sample events, from 553,253 sampling locations, which are nested in 708 studies. A study is defined as a sampling methodology applied to an assemblage for a minimum of 2 years. Spatial Location and Grain - Sampling locations in BioTIME are distributed across the planet, including marine, terrestrial and freshwater realms. Spatial grain size and extent vary across studies depending on sampling methodology. We recommend gridding of sampling locations into areas of consistent size. Time Period and Grain - The earliest time series in BioTIME start in 1874, and the most recent records are from 2023. Temporal grain and duration vary across studies. We recommend doing sample-level rarefaction to ensure consistent sampling effort through time before calculating any diversity metric. Major Taxa and Level of Measurement - The database includes any eukaryotic taxa, with a combined total of 56,400 taxa. Software Format - csv and. SQL.
- Bridging worlds: exploring synergies between the arts and biodiversity conservationPublication . Jaric, Ivan; Januchowski-Hartley, Stephanie; Mammola, Stefano; Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba; Lux, Christina; Crowley, Sarah; Albert, Béatric; Correia, Ricardo; Giannoulatou, Ioanna; Jeschke, Jonathan; Ladle, Richard; Markes, Sarah; Mutiny, Jane; Pillai, Athulya; Sbragaglia, Valerio; Veríssimo, Diogo; Roll, UriABSTRACT: Collaborations between biodiversity conservation and the arts can lead to synergies and fresh approaches to intractable problems. These collaborations can yield diverse mutual benefits, such as offering reciprocal sources of inspiration, information, and learning; providing one another with new tools and resources for synthesis and innovation; securing funding; and contributing to increased visibility and influence. The arts may be uniquely poised to raise awareness, influence behavioral change, improve well-being, and assist with developing conservation tools and materials. Likewise, conservation can provide artists with relevant expertise, nature-based art material, samples, and resources, as well as inform sustainability aspects of the arts. Effective synergies between the arts and conservation will necessitate greater funding and institutional support, improved willingness to collaborate, better recognition of the benefits of artists’ involvement in interdisciplinary conservation teams, and sound empirical methods to gauge such collaborations.
- Burned Areas Mapping Using Sentinel-2 Data and a Rao’s Q Index-Based Change Detection Approach: A Case Study in Three Mediterranean Islands’ Wildfires (2019–2022)Publication . Tiengo, Rafaela; Merino de Miguel, Silvia; Uchôa, Jéssica; Guiomar, Nuno; Freire Gil, Artur José; Sprintsin, Michael; Huang, WenjiangABSTRACT: This study explores the application of remote sensing-based land cover change detection techniques to identify and map areas affected by three distinct wildfire events that occurred in Mediterranean islands between 2019 and 2022, namely Sardinia (2019, Italy), Thassos (2022, Greece), and Pantelleria (2022, Italy). Applying Rao’s Q Index-based change detection approach to Sentinel-2 spectral data and derived indices, we evaluate their effectiveness and accuracy in identifying and mapping burned areas affected by wildfires. Our methodological approach implies the processing and analysis of pre- and post-fire Sentinel-2 imagery to extract relevant indices such as the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Mid-infrared Burn Index (MIRBI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Burned area Index for Sentinel-2 (BAIS2) and then use (the classic approach) or combine them (multidimensional approach) to detect and map burned areas by using a Rao’s Q Index-based change detection technique. The Copernicus Emergency Management System (CEMS) data were used to assess and validate all the results. The lowest overall accuracy (OA) in the classical mode was 52%, using the BAIS2 index, while in the multidimensional mode, it was 73%, combining NBR and NDVI. The highest result in the classical mode reached 72% with the MIRBI index, and in the multidimensional mode, 96%, combining MIRBI and NBR. The MIRBI and NBR combination consistently achieved the highest accuracy across all study areas, demonstrating its effectiveness in improving classification accuracy regardless of area characteristics.