Repositório da Universidade dos Açores
Repositório Institucional da Universidade dos Açores
Entradas recentes
The Role of Functional Traits in Structuring Fish Assemblages Across the Four Macaronesia Archipelagos
Publication . Barcelos, Luís; Anderson, Antônio; Freitas, Rui; Barreiros, João Pedro
ABSTRACT: Aim: To investigate how functional traits shape the composition and functional structure of coastal fish assemblages across the four North-East Atlantic archipelagos, providing insights into the ecological drivers of species distributions and trait patterns in oceanic island systems. Location: Four North-East Atlantic oceanic archipelagos within Macaronesia: the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands and Cabo Verde. Taxon: Coastal marine fishes occurring up to 200 m depth, comprising 682 species. Methods: We compiled a validated checklist of coastal fish species (≤ 200 m depth) for each archipelago and integrated these data with a functional trait matrix comprising size category, trophic category, habitat affinity, milieu and climatic affinity. Generalised Linear Models (GLMs) were used to assess the influence of traits on species occurrences. Functional community structure was quantified using six functional diversity indices: functional richness (FRic), evenness (FEve), divergence (FDiv), dispersion (FDis), Rao's quadratic entropy (RaoQ) and FRic intersection (FRic Inter). Model performance was evaluated using AIC, BIC, pseudo R² and post hoc comparisons. Trait-based GLMs were complemented with assemblage-level RLQ ordination and fourth-corner tests to evaluate trait–environment coupling while accounting for species co-occurrence. Results: Species richness followed a clear latitudinal gradient, peaking in the Canary Islands and declining towards higher latitudes. RLQ revealed strong global trait–environment co-structure (Axis 1 = 91.7% of projected inertia), whereas Fourth-Corner tests detected no individually significant trait–environment associations after Holm correction. RV tests indicated a significant link between trait structure and species composition (Q–L), but not between environmental context and species composition (R–L). Among traits, body size and habitat affinity were the strongest predictors of species occurrences, with larger-bodied and reef-associated species more frequent in the southern archipelagos. Functional richness was highest in the Azores, indicating functional distinctiveness despite comparatively low species richness. Incorporating functional diversity indices into GLMs did not improve explanatory power beyond species-level traits. Main Conclusions: Body size and habitat affinity are key determinants of coastal fish assemblages across the Macaronesia archipelagos. Functional diversity peaks in the Azores, while Madeira exhibits intermediate trait compositions between temperate and tropical systems. These patterns provide insight into community assembly mechanisms and may inform predictions of species turnover under future climate change scenarios.
O restaurante de um só prato: riscos de seguir influenciadores digitais sem questionar
Publication . Grafolin, Tâmela; Coordenação e edição de Ana Teresa Alves (FCSH-UAc)
Já ouviste dizer que as redes sociais são alimentadas por algoritmos? Que, quanto mais acompanhas um certo tipo de conteúdo, mais aplicações como o YouTube, o Instagram ou o TikTok te mostram variações desse mesmo tema?
Global insular leaf size shifts follow the island rule, independently of insect herbivory and macroclimate
Publication . Moreira, Xoaquín; Abdala-Roberts, Luis; Amorim do Rosário, Isabel; Baider, Claúdia; Burns, Kevin; Caujapé-Castells, Juli; Cubas, Jonay; Dean, Lydia; Domínguez-Lapido, Paula; Endara, María-José; Florens, F. B. Vincent; Galmán, Andrea; Guevara-Andino, Juan Ernesto; Hutton, Ian; Lago-Núñez, Beatriz; Mooney, Kailen; Larrinaga, Asier; Pereira, Fernando; Randimbiarison, Finaritra; Razafindratsima, Onja; Rivas-Torres, Gonzalo; Vázquez-González, Carla; de Lafontaine, Guillaume
ABSTRACT: The island rule, originally formulated for animals, predicts that small-bodied mainland species evolve larger body sizes on islands (gigantism), but that this effect weakens with increasing mainland body size, ultimately reversing and leading to dwarfism for the largest species. This dynamic is expected to produce a positive, saturating relationship between island and mainland body size, with insular size increases at small sizes and reductions at large sizes. Despite extensive support in animals, this prediction has rarely been tested in plants. Consequently, it remains unclear whether the island rule applies to plants, whether it operates consistently across evolutionary scales, and how biotic and abiotic drivers jointly shape insular size shifts.
We tested the island rule in plants by examining leaf size variation—an organ-level analogue of body size—across 48 island species from six oceanic systems and their mainland counterparts. We conducted both conspecific comparisons (same species on islands and the mainland; n = 19 pairs) and congeneric comparisons (island endemics paired with closely related mainland species; n = 29 pairs) to assess patterns across evolutionary scales. We also measured insect herbivory and recorded climatic variables to explore ecological correlates of island–mainland variation in leaf size.
Although mean leaf size did not differ significantly between island and mainland populations for either conspecific or congeneric comparisons, we detected a non-linear, positive saturating relationship between mainland and island leaf sizes, consistent with an island rule-like pattern. Small-leaved mainland species tended to evolve larger leaves on islands, whereas this effect diminished for larger leaved species, a pattern observed in both conspecific and congeneric comparisons. Insect herbivory and climate did not explain these relationships.
Synthesis: These findings demonstrate that plants follow the island rule for leaf size and suggest that mainland-to-island shifts at opposite ends of the mainland leaf size spectrum offset one another, possibly explaining no overall difference in leaf size between island and mainland populations.
Subterranean environments contribute to three-quarters of classified ecosystem services
Publication . Mammola, Stefano; Brankovits, David; Di Lorenzo, Tiziana; Amorim do Rosário, Isabel; Bancila, Racula; Bellvert, Adrià; Bernard, Enrico; Blomberg, Anna; Borges, P.A.V.; Cappelletti, Martina; Ferreira, Rodrigo; Gabriel, Rosalina; Galassi, Diana M.P.; Garzoli, Laura; Gerovasileiou, Vasilis; Hose, Grant; Korbel, Kathryn; Martino, Simone; Miller, Ana; Mori, Nataša; Nanni, Veronica; Nicolosi, Giuseppe; Saccò, Mattia; Sakihara, Troy; Silva, Marconi; Tamalavage, Anne; Zagmajster, Maja; Chávez, Efraín; Griebler, Christian; Cardoso, Pedro; Serrano Martínez, Alejandro
ABSTRACT: Beneath the Earth's surface lies a network of interconnected caves, voids, and systems of fissures forming in rocks of sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic origin. Although largely inaccessible to humans, this hidden realm supports and regulates services critical to ecological health and human well-being. Subterranean ecosystems are integral to major biogeochemical cycles, sustain diverse surface habitats, and serve as the primary source of irrigation and drinking water. They also offer non-material benefits, including scientific discovery, education, and cultural practices. Yet, these contributions often go unrecognised, partly due to the lack of a unified synthesis of ecosystem services across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine subterranean compartments. This gap limits effective communication of their value to scientists, practitioners, and the public. Through a systematic expert-based review, we show that subterranean ecosystems contribute to up to 75% of classified ecosystem services. Notably, many of these contributions are described only qualitatively, lacking numerical or economic quantification. Next, we list examples of the main ecosystem services provided by subterranean systems to offer a global overview of their multifaceted value and vulnerability to environmental change. We believe this synthesis provides researchers and practitioners with concrete examples to communicate more effectively the importance of subterranean ecosystems to diverse audiences.
Monitoring agroforest plots under the scope of the COMCHA project. 1. Baseline data for the vascular plants and arthropods of "Vale da Fonte Plot" in Pico Island (Azores Archipelago)
Publication . Lago, Alexandra; Petrone, Andrea; Costa Miranda Soares, António Onofre; Canelas Boieiro, Mário Rui; Horta Lopes, David; Freitas, Tiago; Lhoumeau, Sébastien Georges André; Wallon, Sophie; Borges, Paulo; Mologni, Fabio
ABSTRACT: Agroforestry is increasingly promoted as a nature-based solution (NbS) capable of reconciling production with biodiversity conservation, particularly in island landscapes, where endemism and fragmentation heighten conservation stakes. We established a permanent agroforest monitoring plot at Vale da Fonte (Pico Island, Azores) to generate baseline data on vascular plants and terrestrial arthropods and to evaluate whether a structurally complex orchard embedded in native coastal forest can support native and endemic biotas and key ecosystem functions. We used a modified COBRA framework integrating complementary active protocols (nocturnal aerial searching, day/night beating and day sweeping), together with pollinators time transects, pan traps and targeted pest traps. We collected 69 standardised samples (5 plant, 64 arthropod) and made the dataset publicly available in Darwin Core format via the GBIF IPT for long-term use.