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- Fichas de Espécies - AvesPublication . Melo, Cecília; Pereira, CarlosNo Arquipélago dos Açores, até à data, foram registadas cerca de 420 espécies de aves: entre residentes/nidificantes, migradores / invernantes regulares e ocasionais. Este número pode ser considerado elevado, se compararmos com o número total de espécies registado em Portugal Continental, sobretudo se tivermos em consideração que grande parte dos avistamentos compilados abrangem um espaço temporal de pouco mais de 100 anos. Porém, ao contrário do que acontece no continente, nos Açores o número de aves reprodutoras é reduzido (c.40 espécies), sendo que algumas delas – todas pelágicas ou semi-pelágicas – apenas ocorrem no arquipélago durante o período estival.
- Fichas de Espécies - Mamíferos / MammalsPublication . Lamelas-López, Lucas; Amorim, Isabel R.Os mamíferos são animais de sangue quente (endotérmicos) que possuem coluna vertebral e quatro membros, e que facilmente se distinguem de outros vertebrados por terem pêlos, as fêmeas possuírem glândulas mamárias que produzem leite para alimentar as crias, e pelo facto de na grande maioria das espécies as fêmeas engravidarem e darem à luz as crias. Outras características típicas dos mamíferos incluem um diafragma que separa a cavidade torácica da abdominal, um coração com quatro cavidades, um único osso a formar o maxilar inferior, e a existência de glândulas sebáceas, sudoríparas e odoríferas.
- Capacidade de carga de praias. Conceitos, reflexões e desafiosPublication . Silva, Carlos P.; Fonseca, CatarinaOs sistemas litorais são naturalmente sensíveis, susceptíveis a impactos negativos derivados de ações antrópicas que podem gerar mudanças irreversíveis. No entanto, as atividades humanas nessas áreas revestem-se de grande importância econômica, como o turismo balnear. Desde os anos 1960, com a massificação do turismo, as praias são espaços eleitos para o recreio e lazer, emergindo daí problemas de ordenamento e gestão. Por outro lado, o número crescente de usuários de praias torna-se também mais exigente, fazendo que a sua percepção e avaliação seja um elemento central para a gestão desses espaços. É assim importante que o seu planejamento vá também ao encontro das expectativas dos usuários, emergindo o conceito de capacidade de carga como aspecto importante para tal. De forma simplificada, a capacidade de carga de uma praia pode ser entendida como a relação entre a área disponível e o seu nível de ocupação. No entanto, existem diversos outros fatores que devem ser considerados na avaliação da capacidade de carga.
- Contribution to the study of the beneficial fauna of olive orchards in Porto Martins, Terceira Island, AzoresPublication . Moules, Cristina Alexandra Rocha; Tarantino, Elisa; Lopes, David João Horta; Borges, Paulo A. V.The olive tree culture in Terceira Island occupies a strip in Porto Martins area whose fruit is very sought, mainly by tourists and restaurants. The olive tree is very affected by pests, such as the olive fly, which causes high losses and a drastic loss of production. Therefore, large quantities of pesticides are applied whose applications have a great impact, in particular, on beneficial organisms. In this work, the beneficial fauna present in olive groves was identified through the technique of beatings. The impact of the application of pesticides on these beneficial insects present in olive trees with different levels of treatments was also evaluated. For this, orchards with intensive applications, with less intensive applications and one organic orchard were selected to studied and monitoring. It was verified that in the olive groves with intensive and semi-intensive pesticide applications the abundance of beneficial insects was unbalanced, with a low abundance of predatory insects and still high population densities of the olive cottonweed pest. The results obtained point to the fact that chemical treatments do not destroy the target pests and worst contribute to a reduction in auxiliary organisms. In the organic orchard was observed the highest abundance of predatory insects and the lowest abundance of herbivorous insects. These results showed that this type of orchard is in a natural balance and that this is the way to follow in preserving the presence of beneficial insects in the olive parcels because these are very important to keep low pest populations and permit its better control. The conclusions of this study point to the fact that producers can further increase their yield by taking the biological option in their daily practices that will have a lower impact on the beneficial fauna present in the olive groves. At the same time will also permit to preserve the environment and the health of the applicators, producers and of the consumer by obtaining a product without any pesticide residues.
- Species accumulation curves and extreme value theoryPublication . Borda-de-Água, Luís; Alirezazadeh, Saeid; Neves, Manuela; Hubbell, Stephen P.; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Cardoso, Pedro; Dionísio, Francisco; Pereira, Henrique M.The species–area relationship (SAR) has been described as one of the few general patterns in ecology. Although there are many types of SAR, here we are concerned solely with the so-called species accumulation curve (SAC). The theoretical basis of this relationship is not well established. Here, we suggest that extreme value theory, also known as the statistics of extremes, provides a theoretical foundation for, as well as functions to fit, empirical species accumulation curves. Among the several procedures in extreme value theory, the appropriate way to deal with the species accumulation curve is the so-called block minima procedure. We first provide a brief description of this approach and the relevant formulas. We then illustrate the application of the block minima approach using data on tree species from a 50 ha plot in Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We conclude by discussing the extent to which the assumptions under which the extreme types theorem occurs are confirmed by the data. Although we recognize limitations to the present application of extreme value theory, we predict that it will provide fertile ground for future work on the theory of SARs and its application in the fields of ecology, biogeography and conservation.
- Bugs and Society II : Testing Two Communication Strategies for Public Engagement in the AzoresPublication . Amorim, Isabel R.; Arroz, Ana Margarida Moura; Marcos, Rita S.; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Gabriel, RosalinaTwo initiatives to raise biodiversity awareness towards Azorean endemic species, an outdoor exhibition Açorianos há milhões de anos (Azoreans for millions of years) and a web contest to name insects Chama-lhe Nomes! (Pick a Name!), are presented in this chapter. Both communicational strategies targeted non-traditional audiences, relied on the Portuguese and Azorean cultural identity and on anthropic verisimilitude of situations involving insects. The context, principles, assumptions and multidisciplinary approach involved in the development of the public awareness activities were presented in detail in chapter “Bugs and Society I: Raising Awareness About Endemic Biodiversity”. Apart from having symbolically occupied the urban public domain, the outdoor exhibition triggered positive reactions in more than three-quarters of the observers, prompting them to seek more information about the insects, to want to see them alive, to photograph them, etc. On the other hand, the web contest attributed common names to 12 endemic species of insects and motivated over one hundred people to carefully consider their photos and descriptions, engaging in sheer naturalistic pleasure. Less favourable were the post-observation recognition indicators of urban exposure, since only less than one-third of the interviewees correctly identified the insect’ group represented on the banner or could place the origin of the animal. Nevertheless, the means assigned to the evaluation of the intervention were not enough to undertake a full assessment of the impacts produced in the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of viewers and users. Still, the resonance in the media was considerable, in terms of the number of news stories and the diversity of vehicles and audiences reached at regional (outdoor exhibition) and national levels (web contest). Communication devices like the ones presented are expected to raise biodiversity awareness and empower people regarding its preservation in the Azores. Moreover, the critical analysis of these initiatives is expected to provide guidelines that maximise the transferability of communication strategies to other social settings.
- Bugs and Society I : Raising Awareness About Endemic BiodiversityPublication . Arroz, Ana Margarida Moura; Gabriel, Rosalina; Amorim, Isabel R.; Marcos, Rita S.; Borges, Paulo A. V.The negative impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning and services, and ultimately on human well-being, has been unequivocally established; however, despite all efforts, biodiversity is still declining worldwide. It is widely accepted that biodiversity awareness is crucial for its conservation. Nevertheless, after many initiatives to alert society about the consequences of losing biodiversity, biodiversity loss is still perceived as a minor environmental risk compared to others such as climate change. Thus far, most communication strategies have involved conventional venues, targeting people who are already “environmentally-aware”, and have not incorporated societal idiosyncrasies and cultural backgrounds. The wicked problem of loss of biodiversity and the existing strategies to promote people’s engagement are discussed under the risk communication framework. The risk perspective focuses science communication on the mitigation of risk and/or the minimisation of its consequences. Further, it helps to keep the target in mind, to establish activities and strategies that are useful for reaching the proposed goals, and to regulate the processes based on desired outcomes. After presenting the role of communication in risk governance, the principles and strategic options of the Azorean intervention, Bugs & Society, are presented. This communicational programme will be analysed and evaluated in another chapter through the presentation of two activities, which are provided as examples for further discussion.