GBA - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais / Articles in International Journals
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- Rebuilding the species pool within a phylogenetic frameworkPublication . Yuan, Sijia; Zhao, Yuhao; Lessard, Jean-Philippe; Martin, Thomas E; Matthews, Thomas; Si, XingfengThe species pool is a fundamental concept with the potential to connect ecological and evolutionary processes in community ecology and biogeography. However, current definitions of the concept primarily focus on contemporary ecological processes, ignoring the historical and evolutionary processes that generated the species pool. We propose a phylogenetic framework that defines the species pool by inferring evolutionary connectivity between communities in a biogeographic region. Our framework is better suited to addressing questions regarding assembly processes occurring over long time periods, offering deeper evolutionary insights for community ecology and conservation biogeography.
- Conservation Value of Sudanese Savannah Land Use Systems for Birds in the Lagdo Area, North CameroonPublication . TONLEU, JEAN; Kougoum, Ghislain; Wandja, Vanessa; Tsafack, Noelline; Lhoumeau, Sébastien Georges André; Kamga, Solange; Riegert, JanABSTRACT: Aggregate biodiversity metrics frequently mask profound structural shifts in human-modified savannahs, creating a persistent paradox where apparent ecological stability conceals severe community reorganization and functional degradation. To resolve this tension in the Sudanese savannah of North Cameroon, systematic sampling of 4,166 individuals across 68 species quantified avian responses to landscape conversion into Mixed Rural Habitats, Rice Paddies, and Annual Crop Fields. Although aggregate species richness and abundance remained invariant across these land-use types, pairwise comparisons confirmed that each habitat supports a distinct avian signature, driving systematic community turnover rather than taxonomic attrition. Community identity partitioned decisively by land-use, with Annual Crop Fields supporting 39.7% of unique species, Rice Paddies at 26.5%, and Mixed Rural Habitats at 7.4%. Furthermore, 13.23% of recorded species were exclusively restricted to these agricultural systems, establishing land-use type as a statistically significant predictor of community assembly and confirming that each habitat contributes a unique structural component to the regional species pool. Functional organization mirrored this targeted reconfiguration; while most feeding guilds exhibited resilience to modification, Aquatic predator and Omnivore abundances proved highly sensitive to land-use variation, identifying these specific guilds as critical functional sentinels of anthropogenic disturbance. Ultimately, these dynamics fundamentally reframe the conservation value of agricultural savannahs, shifting the primary metric of success from gross species counts to the preservation of compositional turnover and functional integrity. The persistence of these diverse assemblages remains strictly contingent upon the structural complexity of the land-use mosaic rather than the mere localized absence of human activity. Consequently, effective conservation in the Sudano-Sahelian biome necessitates management frameworks that transcend simple habitat preservation to actively integrate native vegetation within productive agricultural systems, ensuring that unchecked agricultural expansion does not precipitate silent functional homogenization across the rapidly transforming African tropics.
- Global Diversity Estimates Need to Acknowledge Species–Area RelationshipsPublication . Faurby, Søren; Matthews, Thomas; Silvestro, DanieleABSTRACT: Background - Many studies have tried to estimate the number of undescribed species based on the known diversity. These estimates often rely on extrapolation based on data from a limited number of species. Although statistical methods provide accurate inference when generalizing from a random sample, their predictions will be biased when based on a non-random sample unless the sampling process is explicitly accounted for. Problem - In this paper, we argue that this is a fundamental issue in many estimates of unrecorded biodiversity. We show that the sample of species used in biodiversity extrapolation represents disproportionately common and abundant taxa, which leads to an overestimation of extrapolated diversity. We discuss this issue in the context of three specific cases: estimates of plant-associated insect diversity, estimates of parasite diversity and estimates of cryptic species diversity. Implications - For the example of plant-associated insects, we provide an estimate of the magnitude of the error, but insufficient data are currently available to estimate the magnitude of the problem for the other examples. Our findings cast doubt over previous attempts to estimate the number of undescribed species, suggesting that they provide consistent overestimations.
- SLAM Project - Long-Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores: VII - Long-term arthropod monitoring in Graciosa IslandPublication . Vounatsi, Martha; Lhoumeau, Sébastien Georges André; Dal Lago, Alexandra; Wallon, Sophie; Fonseca Crespo, Luís Carlos; Picanço, Carlos; Raposa, Pedro; Borges, PauloABSTRACT: The data we present are part of the long-term project SLAM – Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores, which was established in 2012 to monitor arthropod communities in Azorean forest habitats using standardised long-term ecological sampling. The main aim of this project is to understand how major biodiversity erosion drivers, including habitat degradation, biological invasions and climate-related pressures, affect the distribution, abundance and diversity of Azorean arthropods through time. Long-term monitoring is particularly relevant on oceanic islands, where biodiversity change may be expressed more strongly through species turnover, shifts in community composition and increases in introduced taxa than through immediate declines in total species richness. The SLAM framework also contributes to the early detection and documentation of new species occurrences, thereby improving baseline knowledge for conservation planning, biodiversity assessment and biosecurity. Sampling relies on passive flight-interception SLAM (Sea, Land and Air Malaise) traps, which are operated continuously and serviced at regular intervals to provide comparable seasonal and interannual samples.
- Movement ecology of urban birds: a review of tracking studiesPublication . Eckhartt, Gregory; Sadler, Jonathan; Matthews, Thomas; Graham, Laura; Reynolds, S. JamesABSTRACT: The world is urbanizing rapidly, impacting the movements of wildlife living within ever fragmenting urban habitats. Movement tracking by biologgers can reveal the nature of these impacts for birds—particularly those that are prevalent within urban environments. We assembled and reviewed 123 studies examining the movements of birds in urban environments using movement tracking. We assumed that avian movements are driven by different internal states, such as foraging or reproduction, and synthesized the literature accordingly. We found that the number of studies per year increased over time, which was accompanied by a significant decrease in the average body mass of studied species over time. However, this was largely driven by studies employing non-satellite biologgers, as opposed to generally more high-resolution satellite biologgers such as GPS (interaction t130 = 3.50, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a tendency towards the study of structurally larger dietary-generalist species (e.g. Laridae spp.; 31.6% study effort) leaves significant gaps in our movement knowledge of smaller dietary-specialist species. Priority areas for future investigations are thus outlined, including focusing on smaller common urban taxa, such as songbirds generally, which form a significant but understudied proportion of our urban birds.
- Sustainability of Island Pastures Under Global Warming: Impacts on Forage Productivity, Soil Fertility and Forage QualityPublication . Drumonde Melo, Catarina Alexandra; Wallon, Sophie; Maduro Dias, cristiana; Silveira de Borba, Alfredo Emilio; Madruga, João; Nunes, Hélder; Pires Bento da Silva Elias, Rui MiguelABSTRACT: The Azorean livestock system depends strongly on pasture-based feeding, making regional agriculture sensitive to global warming. This study assessed the effects of experimental warming on forage productivity, forage quality, and soil fertility in three pastures along an altitudinal gradient over two years (2020–2021). Open-top chambers were used to create warmer conditions, and soil and forage samples were analysed for chemical and mineral composition. Warming increased net forage productivity by 30% and 70% in the lower-altitude pasture in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and by 56% in the intermediate-altitude pasture in 2021. Responses at the highest altitude were weak or not significant. Effects on forage quality were seasonal. In winter and early spring, warming increased crude protein by 14–45% and ash by 4–13% in the lower- and intermediate-altitude pastures. Later in the season, warming was associated with higher fibre fractions, especially in the intermediate-altitude pasture, indicating faster plant maturation. Soil factors significantly structured forage quality, with phosphorus as the main driver. This study contributes to understanding how climate change may affect the sustainability of pasture-based livestock systems in island environments, supporting the development of adaptive management strategies to safeguard productivity, soil fertility, and ecosystem resilience.
- Red listing the flora of the Green Islands reveals high extinction risk in the AzoresPublication . Roxo, Guilherme; Silva, Luís; Pires Bento da Silva Elias, Rui Miguel; Carine, Mark; McCartney, Ann; Borges Silva, Lurdes da Conceição; Rego, Rúben; Souto, Martin; Bateman, Richard; Tavares de Moura, Mónica MariaABSTRACT: Oceanic islands are global biodiversity hotspots, yet they face disproportionate risks of species extinction. The Azores archipelago holds a unique flora composed of 94 endemic vascular plant taxa (species and subspecies) that are strictly endemic to the Azores, which represents about 32% of the native vascular flora. Here, we present the first comprehensive IUCN Red List assessment of the Azorean endemic vascular flora, based on more than 10,600 curated occurrence records, herbaria specimens, and recent field surveys. We found that nearly 60% of assessed taxa are threatened with extinction, Endangered being the most frequent IUCN category. Two species are confirmed Extinct, and 12 taxa remain Data Deficient due to unresolved taxonomy. The Red List Index (RLI) for Azorean endemics was calculated at 0.602, indicating a concerning level of extinction risk and, importantly, providing a reference point for monitoring future changes in conservation status. Spatial analysis revealed that endemic taxa richness is highly uneven, with most areas hosting few or no endemics. Notably, 12 hotspots occur outside the current protected area network, leaving key refuges for endemic taxa unprotected. These findings underscore the urgent need to expand legal protection, prioritise the management of invasive taxa, restore degraded habitats, and integrate newly described taxa into conservation frameworks. By establishing a baseline for monitoring extinction risk, this study provides a critical tool to guide conservation action in the Azores, and contributes to broader efforts to safeguard the unique natural heritage of oceanic islands.
- Genetic and taxonomic data corroborate the existence of lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris (Carchariniformes: Carcharhinidae) (Poey, 1868) in Coiba National Park, PanamaPublication . Díaz-Ferguson, Edgardo; Justo‑Riverol, S.; Barreiros, João PedroFor almost 2 years community structure, characterization and identification of the main fish species from the largest estuaries of Coiba National Park have been the focus of our research interest. Among selachii elasmobranchs (sharks), three common species (Carcharhinus limbatus, Carcharhinus leucas, and Sphyrna lewinii) have been reported during our fish collection campaigns in San Juan, Rio Negro and Boca Grande estuaries. These three species plus the white tip reef shark, Triaenodon obesus, and the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, have been previously listed as frequent along the islands of Coiba archipelago based on visual census and environmental DNA list provided by UNESCO in collaboration with COIBA AIP Scientific Station. From February to October of 2025, six young-of-the-year (YOY) individuals were tentatively identified as lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris), a species non-reported in this area before, were collected in Boca Grande estuary (two individuals during our dry season sampling campaign (February) and four individuals during the wet season (August–October)). Taxonomic and genetic data analysis support that collected individuals corresponded to lemon sharks, N. brevirostris. To corroborate morphological identification, genetic identification of five individuals was conducted using PCR amplification and product sequencing of a mitochondrial gene segment, cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and of the non-coding mitochondrial segment (control region). Sequences from both DNA segments showed a 99.17% and 99.83% similarity with GenBank referenced sequences for N. brevirostris. For COI N. brevirostris sequences accession numbers were generated and deposited in GenBank: PX453691, PX453712, PZ043670, and PZ036798. These are the first sequences deposited in GenBank for the region and for Coiba National Park. This is also the first confirmed report of the presence of this species in waters of Coiba National Park and in any other of the islands of the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor. Therefore, these are the first reported DNA sequences deposited on GenBank of this species for Panama’s Pacific waters and for the corridor. This information will enable scientists to compare these sequences with reference data from other regions and along the Eastern Tropical Pacific allowing assessment of philopatric behavior and local and regional connectivity patterns. The results will also be essential for informing new management and monitoring strategies in Coiba National Park, including the designation of the Boca Grande estuary as a nursery area and the potential establishment of a shark sanctuary.
- Spatial and structural characteristics of occupied nests of Calonectris borealis (Cory, 1881) in the Central Azores in 2025Publication . Parmentier, Laurine Marie; Vedovelli, Alice; Petrone, Andrea; Coelho, Ruben; García, Miriam; Oyarzabal da Silva, Guilherme; Neves, Verónica; Borges, P.A.V.ABSTRACT: The Azores Archipelago hosts approximately 75% of the global breeding population of Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris borealis). This species faces threats ranging from habitat degradation and invasive predators to climate change, which increase the vulnerability of its breeding sites. Effective conservation and threat assessment require data on breeding habitats, yet such information remains scarce. To address this gap, we aimed to provide a standardised baseline of the spatial and structural characteristics of active nests in the Azores Region.
- The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Risk Behaviors and Nonsuicidal Self‑Injury in AdolescencePublication . Carvalho, Célia Barreto; Cordeiro, Filipa; Benevides, Joana; Motta, Carolina da; Arroz, Ana Moura; Cabral, Joana MouraABSTRACT: Through the adaptive use of emotions, emotional intelligence enables emotional information processing and allows the individual to use their emotions more adaptively. Several studies have shown an association between emotional dysregulation, risk behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). The present study aims to characterize emotional intelligence (i.e., emotional comprehension and emotional management/regulation ability) and explore its relationships with risk behaviors and NSSI in a sample of 559 Portuguese adolescents (224 males and 335 females) with ages between 14 and 20 years old. The Situational Test of Emotional Understanding – Brief (STEU-B), the Situational Test of Emotional Management – Brief (STEMB), and the Impulse, Self-harm and Suicide Ideation Questionnaire for Adolescents (ISSIQ-A) were the measures used. Higher levels of emotional intelligence were found in female participants, in older participants (17–20), participants with higher school education and participants with higher socioeconomic level. The regression model using STEU-B, STEM-B, gender, and the interaction between STEU-B and gender explained 16% of the variance in risk behaviors and 12% of the variance in NSSI, and revealed that emotion management/regulation is a negative correlate of these behaviors. The results in this study emphasize the importance of interventions targeting emotional intelligence aimed at youth when preventing or reducing risk behaviors and NSSI.