Stable isotopes reveal complex changes in trophic relationships following nutrient addition in a coastal marine ecosystem

Complex links between the top-down and bottomup forces that structure communities can be disrupted by anthropogenic alterations of natural habitats.We used relative abundance and stable isotopes to examine changes in epifaunal food webs in seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) beds following 6 months of experimental nutrient addition at two sites in Florida Bay (USA) with different ambient fertility. At a eutrophic site, nutrient addition did not strongly affect food web structure, but at a nutrient-poor site, enrichment increased the abundances of crustacean epiphyte grazers, and the diets of these grazers became more varied. Benthic grazers did not change in abundance but shifted their diet away from green macroalgae + associated epiphytes and towards an opportunistic seagrass (Halodule wrightii) that occurred only in nutrient addition treatments. Benthic predators did not change in abundance, but their diets were more varied in enriched plots. Food chain length was short and unaffected by site or nutrient treatment, but increased food web complexity in enriched plots was suggested by increasingly mixed diets. Strong bottom-up modifications of food web structure in the nutrient-limited site and the limited top-down influences of grazers on seagrass epiphyte biomass suggest that, in this system, the bottom-up role of nutrient enrichment can have substantial impacts on community structure, trophic relationships, and, ultimately, the productivity values of the ecosystem.

Historic primary producer communities linked to water quality and hydrologic changes in the northern Everglades

The northern Everglades Water Conservation Areas have experienced recent ecological shifts in primary producer community structure involving marl periphyton mats and dense Typha-dominated macrophyte stands. Multiple investigations have identified phosphorus (P) as a driver of primary producer community structure, but effects of water impoundment beginning in the 1950s and changes in water hardness [e.g., (CaCO3)] have also been identified as a concern. In an effort to understand pre-1950, primary producer community structure and identify community shifts since 1950, we measured pigment proxies on three sediment cores collected in Water Conservation Area-2A (WCA-2A) along a phosphorus enrichment gradient. Photosynthetic pigments, sediment total phosphorus content (TP), organic matter, total organic carbon and nitrogen were used to infer historic primary producer communities and changes in water quality and hydrology regulating those communities. Excess 210Pb was used to establish historic dates for the sediment cores. Results indicate the northern area of WCA-2A increased marl deposition and increased algal abundance ca. 1920. This increase in (presumably) calcareous periphyton before intensive agriculture and impoundment suggest canal-derived calcium inputs and to some extent early drainage effects played a role in initiating this community shift. The northern area community then shifted to Typha dominance around 1965. The areas to the south in WCA-2A experienced increased marl deposition and algal abundance around or just prior to 1950s impoundment, the precise timing limited by core age resolution. Continued increases in algal abundance were evident after 1950, coinciding with impoundment and deepening of canals draining into WCA-2A, both likely increasing water mineral and nutrient concentrations. The intermediate site developed a Typha-dominated community ca. 1995 while the southern-most core site WCA-2A has yet to develop Typha dominance. Numerous studies link sediment TP >650 mg P/kg to marsh habitat degradation into Typha-dominance. The northern and intermediate cores where Typha is currently support this previous research by showing a distinct shift in the sediment record to Typha dominance corresponding to sediment TP between 600 and 700 mg P/kg. These temporal and spatial differences are consistent with modern evidence showing water-column gradients in mineral inputs (including Ca, carbonates, and phosphorus) altering primary producer community structure in WCA-2A, but also suggest hydroperiod has an effect on the mechanisms regulating periphyton development and Typha dominance.

Evaluating the Distribution of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Matter in a Complex Coastal Ecosystem Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy

The coastal zone of the Florida Keys features the only living coral reef in the continental United States and as such represents a unique regional environmental resource. Anthropogenic pressures combined with climate disturbances such as hurricanes can affect the biogeochemistry of the region and threaten the health of this unique ecosystem. As such, water quality monitoring has historically been implemented in the Florida Keys, and six spatially distinct zones have been identified. In these studies however, dissolved organic matter (DOM) has only been studied as a quantitative parameter, and DOM composition can be a valuable biogeochemical parameter in assessing environmental change in coastal regions. Here we report the first data of its kind on the application of optical properties of DOM, in particular excitation emission matrix fluorescence with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC), throughout these six Florida Keys regions in an attempt to assess spatial differences in DOM sources. Our data suggests that while DOM in the Florida Keys can be influenced by distant terrestrial environments such as the Everglades, spatial differences in DOM distribution were also controlled in part by local surface runoff/fringe mangroves, contributions from seasgrass communities, as well as the reefs and waters from the Florida Current. Application of principal component analysis (PCA) of the relative abundance of EEM-PARAFAC components allowed for a clear distinction between the sources of DOM (allochthonous vs. autochthonous), between different autochthonous sources and/or the diagenetic status of DOM, and further clarified contribution of terrestrial DOM in zones where levels of DOM were low in abundance. The combination between EEM-PARAFAC and PCA proved to be ideally suited to discern DOM composition and source differences in coastal zones with complex hydrology and multiple DOM sources.

Sistematización in Urban Disaster Risk Reduction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of sistematización’s use as a research tool in the operationalization of a “neighborhood approach” to the implementation of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in informal urban settlements. Design/methodology/approach – The first section highlights sistematización’s historical origins in Latin America in the fields of popular adult education, social work, and rural development. The second explains why sistematización was made a required component of project implementation. The third section addresses the approach to sistematización used. The final discusses how this experience both contributes to sistematización’s theoretical development and practical application as a methodology. Findings – The introduction of “sistematización” as a research tool facilitated real-time assessment of project implementation, providing timely information that positively influenced decision-making processes. This on-going feedback, collective learning, and open-exchange of know-how between NGOs and partner institutions allowed for the evaluation of existing practices and development of new ways of collaborating to address disaster risk in complex and dynamic urban environments. Practical implications – Sistematización transcends the narrow focus of traditional monitoring and evaluation on final results, emphasizing a comprehensive understanding of processes and contexts. Originality/value – Its use in the implementation of DRR initiatives in informal urban environments is particularly novel, highlighting the capacity of the methodology to be tailored to a variety of needs, in this case, bridging the gap between NGOs, local governments, and vulnerable communities, as well as between urban, development, and disaster risk management planning.

The emergence of a mass community-based ecotourism theme park : the case of Ejido Chacchoben, Quintana Roo, Mexico

In 1998, a dispute between a federal government agency and the local community of Chacchoben resulted in the emergence of a community-based ecotourism (CBE) enterprise to be fully owned and operated by the community in conjunction with a complex arrangement of agreements and partnerships with external actors. CBE is usually framed as a lower-impact, often small-scale alternative to mass tourism and as a conservation and development strategy that can hypothetically protect biologically diverse landscapes while improving the lives of marginalized peasant and indigenous communities through their participation. This case study analyzes the roles of common property land tenure and social capital and how the unique dilemma of a mass community-based ecotourism theme park emerged in Chacchoben. Findings indicate that local decisions and processes of development, conservation, and land use are affected by the complex interaction between local and external institutions and fluctuating levels of social capital.

Diversity of Hymenoptera, Cultivated Plants and Management Practices in Home Garden Agroecosystems, Kyrgyz Republic

Pollination-dependent fruit trees grown in home gardens play an important role in the agricultural based economy of Central Asian countries, yet little is known about the status of pollinator communities, the cultivated plant composition or the factors that influence management practices in Kyrgyz home garden agroecosystems. As agricultural systems are human created and managed, a logical approach to their study blends anthropological and ecological methods, an ethnoecological approach. Over three years, I investigated how species richness and abundance of Hymenoptera, cultivated plants, and home garden management were related using quantitative and qualitative methods in the Issyk-kul Man and Biosphere reserve. Structured surveys were undertaken with heads of households using a random sample stratified by village. Gardens were then mapped with participation of household members to inventory edible species in gardens, most of which are pollinator-dependent, and to compare home garden diversity as reported by respondents during interviews. Apple diversity was studied to the variety level to understand respondents’ classification system in the context of in situ agrobiodiversity conservation. Household members identified 52 edible plant species when mapping the garden, compared with 32 reported when interviewed. The proportion of plant species received from others through exchange and the number of plots cultivated significantly explained the variation in edible plant diversity among gardens. Insects were sampled in gardens and orchards to determine potential pollinator community composition and the effect of different management practices on Hymenoptera richness and abundance. I collected 756 Hymenoptera individuals (56 bee; 12 wasp species); 12 species were new records for Kyrgyzstan or within Kyrgyzstan. Economic pressures to intensify cultivation could impact management practices that currently promote diversity. A home garden development initiative was undertaken to study management practice improvement. Participants in the initiative had higher adoption rates than controls of management practices that improve long-term yield, ecological sustainability and stability of home gardens. Home gardens, as currently managed, support abundant and diverse pollinator communities and have high cultivated plant diversity with few differences in community composition between garden management types.

The impact of solid and liquid wastes from a rural town on the Chorobamba River Oxapampa, Peruvian Amazon

The goal of this study was to determine the instantaneous vs. integrated effects of waste on the water quality of the Chorobamba River. I sampled 9 stations upstream and downstream of the Town of Oxapampa, Peru during the dry season (June-August) of 2004. I measured in-situ parameters such as pH, DO, temperature, etc. as well as vegetation, riverbank erosion, nutrients (N03, NH4, P04), coliform bacteria and macroinvertebrate communities to determine the current conditions of the river, as well as the integrated effects of pollution. Although water quality conditions remained stable, high fecal coliform concentrations and macroinvertebrate communities indicate deterioration in river health over a longer period of time. If riparian areas along the Chorobamba continue to decrease and if inputs of sewage into the rivers continue to increase, as a function of population, then, conditions will continue to deteriorate in the coming years.

Conservation ecology of amphibians and reptiles in Sarapiqui, Costa Rica : forest fragmentation and long term population change

In order to explore the conservation ecology of frogs and lizards in the Sarapiqui region of Costa Rica, I compared populations and communities among forest fragments and La Selva Biological Station, as well as across 35 years of sampling at La Selva. Species richness in nine fragments combined was 85% of that found in La Selva, and community composition varied among sites and by fragment size class. Although communities in fragments differed fundamentally from those in intact forest, the high diversity observed across all fragments indicates that preserving a network of small forest patches may be of great conservation value to the herpetofauna of this region. According to data from past studies at La Selva, most common species of leaf-litter frogs and lizards demonstrated significant decreases in density over the 35-year period. My findings may represent either natural population fluctuations or sweeping faunal declines at this site.

Understanding the role of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate as a Potential Chemotactic Cue for Coral-Associated Bacteria

Most reef-building corals are known to engage in symbiosis not only with unicellular dinoflagellates from the genus, Symbiodinium, but they also sustain highly complex symbiotic associations with other microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The details of these non-pathogenic interactions remain largely unclear. The impetus of this study is to gain a better understanding of the symbiotic interaction between marine bacteria and a variety of coral species representative of differing morphologies. Studies have shown that certain bacterial orders associate specifically with certain coral species, thus making the symbiotic synergy a non-random consortium. Consequently both corals and bacteria may be capable of emitting chemical cues that enables both parties to find one another and thus creating the symbiosis. One potential chemical cue could be the compound DMSP (Dimethylsulfoniopropionate) and its sulphur derivatives. Reef-building corals are believed to be the major producers of the DMSP and its derivatives during times of stress. As a result corals could potentially attract their bacterial consortium depending on their DMSP production. Corals may be able to adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions by changing their bacterial communities to that which may aid in survival. The cause of this attraction may stem from the capability of a variety of marine bacteria to catabolize DMSP into different metabolically significant pathways, which may be necessary for the survival of these mutualistic interactions. To test the hypothesis that coral-produced DMSP play a role in attracting symbiotic bacteria, this study utilized the advent of high-through sequencing paired with bacterial isolation techniques to properly characterize the microbial community in the stony coral Porites astreoides. We conducted DMSP swarming and chemotaxis assays to determine the response of these coral-associated bacterial isolates towards the DMSP compound at differing concentrations. Preliminary data from this study suggests that six out of the ten bacterial isolates are capable of conducting unidirectional motility; these six isolates are also capable of conducting swarming motility in the direction of an increasing DMSP concentration gradient. This would indicate that there is a form of positive chemotaxis on behalf of the bacteria towards the DMSP compound. By obtaining a better understanding of the dynamics that drive the associations between bacterial communities and corals, we can further aid in the protection and conservation processes for corals. Also this study would further elucidate the significance of the DMSP compound in the survival of corals under times of stress.

Understanding the role of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate as a Potential Chemotactic Cue for Coral-Associated Bacteria

Most reef-building corals are known to engage in symbiosis not only with unicellular dinoflagellates from the genus, Symbiodinium, but they also sustain highly complex symbiotic associations with other microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The details of these non-pathogenic interactions remain largely unclear. The impetus of this study is to gain a better understanding of the symbiotic interaction between marine bacteria and a variety of coral species representative of differing morphologies. Studies have shown that certain bacterial orders associate specifically with certain coral species, thus making the symbiotic synergy a non-random consortium. Consequently both corals and bacteria may be capable of emitting chemical cues that enables both parties to find one another and thus creating the symbiosis. One potential chemical cue could be the compound DMSP (Dimethylsulfoniopropionate) and its sulphur derivatives. Reef-building corals are believed to be the major producers of the DMSP and its derivatives during times of stress. As a result corals could potentially attract their bacterial consortium depending on their DMSP production. Corals may be able to adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions by changing their bacterial communities to that which may aid in survival. The cause of this attraction may stem from the capability of a variety of marine bacteria to catabolize DMSP into different metabolically significant pathways, which may be necessary for the survival of these mutualistic interactions. To test the hypothesis that coral-produced DMSP play a role in attracting symbiotic bacteria, this study utilized the advent of high-through sequencing paired with bacterial isolation techniques to properly characterize the microbial community in the stony coral Porites astreoides. We conducted DMSP swarming and chemotaxis assays to determine the response of these coral-associated bacterial isolates towards the DMSP compound at differing concentrations. Preliminary data from this study suggests that six out of the ten bacterial isolates are capable of conducting unidirectional motility; these six isolates are also capable of conducting swarming motility in the direction of an increasing DMSP concentration gradient. This would indicate that there is a form of positive chemotaxis on behalf of the bacteria towards the DMSP compound. By obtaining a better understanding of the dynamics that drive the associations between bacterial communities and corals, we can further aid in the protection and conservation processes for corals. Also this study would further elucidate the significance of the DMSP compound in the survival of corals under times of stress.

Data compilation on the biological response to ocean acidification: environmental and experimental context of data sets and related literature

The exponential growth of studies on the biological response to ocean acidification over the last few decades has generated a large amount of data. To facilitate data comparison, a data compilation hosted at the data publisher PANGAEA was initiated in 2008 and is updated on a regular basis (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.149999). By January 2015, a total of 581 data sets (over 4 000 000 data points) from 539 papers had been archived. Here we present the developments of this data compilation five years since its first description by Nisumaa et al. (2010). Most of study sites from which data archived are still in the Northern Hemisphere and the number of archived data from studies from the Southern Hemisphere and polar oceans are still relatively low. Data from 60 studies that investigated the response of a mix of organisms or natural communities were all added after 2010, indicating a welcomed shift from the study of individual organisms to communities and ecosystems. The initial imbalance of considerably more data archived on calcification and primary production than on other processes has improved. There is also a clear tendency towards more data archived from multifactorial studies after 2010. For easier and more effective access to ocean acidification data, the ocean acidification community is strongly encouraged to contribute to the data archiving effort, and help develop standard vocabularies describing the variables and define best practices for archiving ocean acidification data.

Borboletas no semiárido: sazonalidade e padrões de diversidade de borboletas frugívoras em um ambiente extremo

The spatial and temporal distribution of the population reflects the adjustment of their biological characteristics to environmental conditions and biotic interactions as adaptive and phylogenetic precursors elements. The habitat’s heterogeneity and alternating seasons tend to cause patterns of activity of organisms and species diversity. However, these seasonal and spatial patterns in butterfly communities in dry environments are not yet clear. We studied a community of frugivorous butterflies in ESEC Seridó, in northeastern Brazil, aiming to characterize the guild in semiarid and check the relative contribution of climate and vegetation variables on its composition, diversity and phenofaunistic. The butterflies were sampled monthly during one year, and the distribution of species was associated with structural characteristics of three vegetation types (eg. richness and abundance of tree and shrub species, canopy cover, herbaceous cover, litter) and climatological data (temperature, rainfall and humidity). We captured 9580 individuals of 16 species of butterflies belonging to four subfamilies (Biblidinae, Charaxinae, Nymphalinae and Satyrinae). The richness, abundance and diversity varied in different scales, especially in time, being higher in the rainy season, while the β-diversity and turnover was higher in the dry. The distribution of species mainly followed the changes in humidity, rainfall and vegetation phenology, with no defined boundaries between habitats. The flight period was shared within subfamilies, which should have distinct response to environmental stimuli, as well as respond to the phenology of host plants and have different reproductive strategies. There is even evidence of physiological and behavioral adaptations as seasonal reproduction and aestivation. So there was environmental control over the distribution and diversity of species, with the key role climate Association and vegetation structure in the community of differentiation in the seasons, and the availability and quality of resources on the variation of species abundance in small scales. These results may support the biomonitoring and conservation preserved areas, particularly in environments under human pressure and extreme environmental conditions such as semi-arid.

Vernaculares: a casa de fazenda seridoense do século XIX como exemplo de adaptação ao clima semiárido

The farm’s rural dwellings of creation from the Seridó Potiguar microregion, built in the nineteenth century, became a reference by its vernacular character, i.e. these buildings, besides having recognized relevance to the identity of the region, they are adapted to the conditions of the place in many aspects (economic, cultural, construction, physical, et.) and consist in protective spaces in relation to hostile characteristics of Seridó’s climate. Considering the above premise, the following question arises: What characteristics of the nineteenth century Seridó Potiguar’s cattle farms are crucial for them to be a protective space in relation to the semiarid climate? In order to answer the question, this research aim to identify which particularities of the Seridó’s farmhouses that contribute to adaptability in these buildings to semiarid climate, as protection environments; and contribute to the stock valuation of the architectural heritage concerned. Therefore, procedures were adopted divided into two stages. Were first identified the recurring characteristics in the studied buildings, through typological study performed from existing inventories (DINIZ, 2008; FEIJÓ, 2002; IPHAN, 2012). To define the type it worked up with the concept that merges Durand’s analytical typology that identifies the similarities and differences to classify buildings, having the character of historical survey and architectural documentation, with the definition proposed by Argan (1963) that the type is not defined a priory, but the deduction from a number of illustrative cases which have formal and functional similarity with each other. Then worked up in a sample of five different types with each other, defined by the possibility of access to the interior of the houses, proximity to other copies, good state of conservation and preservation. The contemplated farms were: Pitombeiras, Agenus e Garrotes in Acari’s town, and the municipality of Caicó, Palma and Penedo. The second stage consists of the architectural survey, photographic record, digital three-dimensional modeling (aiming to expand the existing documentation and registration) and thermal monitoring over approximately a representative day in five farmhouses, relating the thermal performance of the houses with their individual characteristics. The selected variables for analysis monitoring are based on the thermal comfort adaptive model (SPAGNOLO and DE DEAR, 2003 apud NEGREIROS, 2010). The characteristics of the houses were analyzed as meeting the passive thermal conditioning strategies recommended by NBR 15220 (ABNT, 2005), for the bioclimatic zone 7 where the municipalities of Caicó and Acari are located. The house’s analysis of the operating temperatures revealed that 90% of the times of day the environments are within the comfort range. The farmhouses, which had a higher degree of compliance with recommended bioclimatic strategies, had the best thermal performance. In environments (usually the kitchen and rooms with low ceiling heights, exposed to west radiation) which still had discomfort hours, the thermal comfort can be reached with air movement approximately 1,0 m/s.

Vernaculares: a casa de fazenda seridoense do século XIX como exemplo de adaptação ao clima semiárido

The farm’s rural dwellings of creation from the Seridó Potiguar microregion, built in the nineteenth century, became a reference by its vernacular character, i.e. these buildings, besides having recognized relevance to the identity of the region, they are adapted to the conditions of the place in many aspects (economic, cultural, construction, physical, et.) and consist in protective spaces in relation to hostile characteristics of Seridó’s climate. Considering the above premise, the following question arises: What characteristics of the nineteenth century Seridó Potiguar’s cattle farms are crucial for them to be a protective space in relation to the semiarid climate? In order to answer the question, this research aim to identify which particularities of the Seridó’s farmhouses that contribute to adaptability in these buildings to semiarid climate, as protection environments; and contribute to the stock valuation of the architectural heritage concerned. Therefore, procedures were adopted divided into two stages. Were first identified the recurring characteristics in the studied buildings, through typological study performed from existing inventories (DINIZ, 2008; FEIJÓ, 2002; IPHAN, 2012). To define the type it worked up with the concept that merges Durand’s analytical typology that identifies the similarities and differences to classify buildings, having the character of historical survey and architectural documentation, with the definition proposed by Argan (1963) that the type is not defined a priory, but the deduction from a number of illustrative cases which have formal and functional similarity with each other. Then worked up in a sample of five different types with each other, defined by the possibility of access to the interior of the houses, proximity to other copies, good state of conservation and preservation. The contemplated farms were: Pitombeiras, Agenus e Garrotes in Acari’s town, and the municipality of Caicó, Palma and Penedo. The second stage consists of the architectural survey, photographic record, digital three-dimensional modeling (aiming to expand the existing documentation and registration) and thermal monitoring over approximately a representative day in five farmhouses, relating the thermal performance of the houses with their individual characteristics. The selected variables for analysis monitoring are based on the thermal comfort adaptive model (SPAGNOLO and DE DEAR, 2003 apud NEGREIROS, 2010). The characteristics of the houses were analyzed as meeting the passive thermal conditioning strategies recommended by NBR 15220 (ABNT, 2005), for the bioclimatic zone 7 where the municipalities of Caicó and Acari are located. The house’s analysis of the operating temperatures revealed that 90% of the times of day the environments are within the comfort range. The farmhouses, which had a higher degree of compliance with recommended bioclimatic strategies, had the best thermal performance. In environments (usually the kitchen and rooms with low ceiling heights, exposed to west radiation) which still had discomfort hours, the thermal comfort can be reached with air movement approximately 1,0 m/s.

People and big cats (Panthera onca and Puma concolor) of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Conservation of large felids is not only about collecting ecological information; it is also about understanding people’s values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour. The overarching goal of this thesis is to assess the relationship between people and jaguars and pumas. Specifically by contributing to the understanding of public acceptance of big cats, as well as the forces (cognitive and social) that influence people’s acceptability. Self-administered questionnaires (n=326) were applied to rural residents outside two protected areas in the State of Sao Paulo: Intervales and PETAR state parks. Findings showed that the acceptability of killing big cats varied accordingly to attitudinal type (positive and negative). Additionally, acceptability of jaguars and pumas was influenced by existence values, attitudes and park credibility. Human dimensions research helped in understanding the relationship between people and the big cats, highlighting the need, for example, to improve the credibility of the parks in the communities and to decrease the fear of jaguars and pumas.