Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) are the result of human modification of the Amazonian landscape since pre‐Columbian times. ADE are characterized by increased soil fertility compared to natural soils. In ...the Amazonian forest, soil fertility influences understory herb and fern species composition. However, little research has been done to evaluate the effect of ADE on the composition of the understory community. We evaluated the effects of ADE and soil in 36 plots (150 m × 4 m) established in a Bolivian moist forest (La Chonta). For each plot, we determined soil nutrients, and the composition, richness, and abundance of terrestrial fern, angiosperm herb, and understory palm species. We found that the presence of ADE created a gradient in soil nutrients and pH that affected the understory species composition especially of ferns and palms. Additionally, the higher nutrient concentration and more neutral soil pH on ADE soils caused a decrease of ferns species richness. We therefore conclude that the current composition of the understory community in this particular Bolivian forest is a reflection of past human modifications of the soil.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) are ancient anthropogenic soils distributed in the Amazon basin. They are characterized by high nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium and ...nitrogen. We studied the effect of ADE on growth, morphology and physiology of 17 tree species from a Bolivian tropical moist forest. METHODS: We conducted a greenhouse experiment where seedlings were grown for 2–4 months on ADE and non-ADE. We evaluated soil nutrient concentrations, seedling growth, leaf and root functional traits, and leaf nutrient concentrations. RESULTS: Soil type affected 10 out of 24 evaluated seedling traits. Seedlings did not invest more in roots in non-ADE, but they invested in leaves and leaf area in ADE, although this did not lead to faster growth rate. Species responded differently to soil Ca increment; some species seemed to suffer from Ca toxicity as indicated by low survival, others from nutrient imbalance, whereas other species increased their leaf calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen concentration in ADE. Only for this latter group of nutrient accumulators, there was a positive interspecific relationship between leaf Ca and seedling growth rates. CONCLUSIONS: ADE did not lead to increased seedling growth. The ability of plants to colonize patches of ADE might depend on plant responses to increased soil Ca and their capacity to regulate internal tissue calcium to balance nutrition.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
•Crown traits are key descriptors for the effect of trees on regulating water fluxes.•Tree species have complementary effects on stemflow and throughfall dynamics, and, ultimately on hydrological ...regulation.•Functional ecology is a useful tool for understanding the role of species on ecohydrological function.•Ecosystem restoration improves through the prioritization of functional diversity that enhances ecosystem's function recovery.
Vegetation affects local water balance partitioning via effects on incoming precipitation, local radiation balance and soil hydrological properties. The extent of these effects is related to plant functional traits, such that forest composition plays an important role in its hydrological function. Therefore, the selection of species in forest restoration processes is key to recovering ecological (including hydrological) function. However, most restoration projects often do not include functional criteria for species selection, and even less frequently they include ecohydrological functions, although many projects are intended to recover hydrological regulation. We explored the association between plant functional traits and ecohydrological function, indicated by precipitation partitioning in the canopy into stemflow and throughfall, in an 8-year watershed restoration project in the Central Andes of Colombia. We monitored stemflow and throughfall (both mean and variability) on planted individuals from ten native tree species for almost two years and measured functional traits that describe tree crowns and are associated with rainfall partitioning. We found that stemflow and throughfall behavior is generally inverse and differ among species, with the highest variability in mean stemflow and coefficient of variation of throughfall. Furthermore, our results show that stemflow and throughfall are significantly associated with tree crown functional traits (R2 = 0.74 for crown area and R2 = 0.62 for crown density × volume). Besides, the studied species are organized in a variation space of ecohydrological processes and crown functional traits (first two principal components from PCA explain 71.7% of data variability). They are organized from wider/less dense crowns in Alnus acuminata to smaller/denser crowns in Quercus humboldtii, which significantly influenced the temporal variability of stemflow and throughfall, respectively. Other species are located intermittently along this variation space. From a multivariate perspective, our species were differentiated into four discrete groups based on similar functional traits and, therefore, with similar effects on ecohydrological processes. This suggests a complementary effect of different species on the ecosystem hydrological functions, thus highlighting the importance of considering diversity on ecosystem management and ecological restoration for the recovery of ecosystem integrity.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Las Comunicaciones Nacionales sobre Cambio Climático (CNCC) son un mecanismo para que los países informen sus avances en mitigación y adaptación, y constituyen uno de los elementos de base para la ...política sobre cambio climático a escala nacional. Colombia ha emitido tres CNCC. La tercera plantea un escenario que considera las proyecciones de diversos modelos incluidos en la quinta fase del Proyecto de Comparación de Modelos Acoplados (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, CMIP), el cual se estima como el promedio de las proyecciones correspondientes a las cuatro trayectorias de concentración representativa (Representative Concentration Pathways,RCP) presentadas en el quinto reporte de evaluación del Panel Intergubernamental sobre Cambio Climático. Cada una de estas RCP representa una trayectoria de concentración de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) para un escenario particular de crecimiento poblacional, económico y tecnológico que conduce a una posible trayectoria de evolución del sistema climático. En este estudio se comparan las proyecciones presentadas en la Tercera CNCC con las obtenidas directamente de los modelos empleados. Nuestros resultados demuestran que al utilizarse un promedio de RCP se pierden escenarios alternos que podrían ser importantes a la hora de considerar posibles futuros diferentes y anulan la utilidad de plantear diversas trayectorias de emisiones de GEI. Más aun, una comparación entre la Segunda y la Tercera CNCC muestra proyecciones de precipitación opuestas para diferentes regiones del país, lo cual es de particular importancia, pues el escenario de cambio climático planteado en la Tercera CNCC sirve de referencia para la toma de decisiones en materia de cambio climático a nivel nacional.
Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is one of the most harmful atmospheric pollutants with implications for human health. Plants have been used as an alternative for the removal of atmospheric PM in ...urban environments. The removal of PM depends on different plant morphological traits, including trichomes and epicuticles evaluated on trees. However, leaf traits for herbaceous plants commonly used in urban gardens have not been fully explored. This study used filtering to quantify the PM deposition and to describe leaf morphological traits throughout optical devices on 20 leaves from six herbaceous species –Calathea rufibarba, Calathea zebrina, Heliconia psittacorum, Heliconia rostrata, Philodendron sp. and Dieffenbachia sp. Our results suggest that structures such as trichomes –C. rufibarba– and epicuticle –H. psittacorum– play a role in PM deposition. On the other hand, large leaf size did not influence the deposition of PM per leaf unit area. Therefore, for improving city air quality, our study suggests selecting species with epidermal traits independent of leaf area. This is the first study focusing on ornamental herbaceous species ability for PM deposition in urban environments in Medellín, Colombia.
ABSTRACT Understorey herbs form a diverse and understudied plant assemblage in tropical forests. Although several studies and research teams have long been dedicated to the study of this conspicuous ...vegetation component in Amazonia, no effort to unify the data has been undertaken to date. In contrast to trees and other life forms for which major data compilations already exist, a unified database dedicated to herbs is still lacking. Part of the problem is in defining what is a herb and how to effectively sample herb assemblages. In this article, we describe the database HERBase, an exhaustive compilation of published and unpublished data on herb inventories in Amazonia. We also describe the structure, functioning, and guidelines for data curation and integration in HERBase. We were able to compile information from 1381 plots from all six Amazonian geographic regions. Based on this dataset, we describe and discuss sampling and knowledge gaps, priority areas for new collections, and recommend sampling protocols to facilitate data integration in the future. This novel database provides a unique biodiversity data repository on understorey herbs that will enable new studies on community ecology and biogeography.
RESUMO As ervas do sub-bosque formam um componente diversificado e pouco estudado em florestas tropicais. Embora vários estudos e grupos de pesquisa tenham se dedicado ao estudo desse componente conspícuo na Amazônia, nenhum esforço foi feito até o momento para unificar essas informações. Em contraste com árvores e outros grupos de plantas para os quais já existem grandes compilações de dados, uma base de dados unificada dedicada às ervas ainda não existe. Parte do problema está em definir o que é uma erva e como amostrar comunidados de ervas de forma eficiente. Neste artigo descrevemos a base de dados HERBase, uma compilação exaustiva de dados publicados e não publicados sobre inventários de ervas na Amazônia. Também descrevemos a estrutura, funcionamento e diretrizes para curadoria e integração de dados na HERBase. Conseguimos compilar informações de 1381 parcelas de todas as seis regiões geográficas amazônicas. Com base nesses dados, descrevemos e discutimos lacunas de amostragem e conhecimento, apontamos áreas prioritárias para novas coletas e recomendamos protocolos de amostragem para facilitar a integração de dados no futuro. Essa nova base de dados fornece dados únicos de biodiversidade sobre ervas do sub-bosque que permitirão novos estudos sobre ecologia e biogeografia de comunidades.
Las Comunicaciones Nacionales sobre Cambio Climático (CNCC) son un mecanismo para que los países informen sus avances en mitigación y adaptación, y constituyen uno de los elementos de base para la ...política sobre cambio climático a escala nacional. Colombia ha emitido tres CNCC. La tercera plantea un escenario que considera las proyecciones de diversos modelos incluidos en la quinta fase del Proyecto de Comparación de Modelos Acoplados (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, CMIP), el cual se estima como el promedio de las proyecciones correspondientes a las cuatro trayectorias de concentración representativa (Representative Concentration Pathways, RCP) presentadas en el quinto reporte de evaluación del Panel Intergubernamental sobre Cambio Climático. Cada una de estas RCP representa una trayectoria de concentración de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) para un escenario particular de crecimiento poblacional, económico y tecnológico que conduce a una posible trayectoria de evolución del sistema climático. En este estudio se comparan las proyecciones presentadas en la Tercera CNCC con las obtenidas directamente de los modelos empleados. Nuestros resultados demuestran que al utilizarse un promedio de RCP se pierden escenarios alternos que podrían ser importantes a la hora de considerar posibles futuros diferentes y anulan la utilidad de plantear diversas trayectorias de emisiones de GEI. Más aun, una comparación entre la Segunda y la Tercera CNCC muestra proyecciones de precipitación opuestas para diferentes regiones del país, lo cual es de particular importancia, pues el escenario de cambio climático planteado en la Tercera CNCC sirve de referencia para la toma de decisiones en materia de cambio climático a nivel nacional.
Amazonian forest is seen as the archetype of pristine forests, untouched by humans, but this romantic view is far from reality. In recent years, there is increasing evidence of long and extensive ...landscape modification by humans. Processes of permanent inhabitation, expansion and retreat of human populations have not always been obvious in those ecosystems, leaving sometimes weak and overlooked imprints in the landscape. An example of one of these inconspicuous alterations are the modifications in the soil known as Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) or ‘terra preta’ (black earth in Portuguese), which are the product of the accumulation of residuals from permanent or semi-permanent human inhabitation. They are named after the black color of the soils, which is a consequence of the accumulation of charcoal pieces and organic matter in the soil. These soils also contain higher levels of phosphorous, calcium (mainly originated from bone residuals), and nitrogen that increase fertility of the naturally poor soils, thus favouring agricultural practices. Amazonian Dark Earths are distributed in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru, and it is estimated that they could occupy 3% of the area of the Amazon basin. With the decrease in human population in the Americas after the encounter with European colonists, sites where ADE had been formed were abandoned and the vegetation recovered. So far, the effects of ADE on old growth forest had not been widely examined and we are just starting to understand the consequences of past human inhabitation on forest composition and structure. In my thesis, I evaluated the effects of ADE on the forest that has re-grown after abandonment by indigenous people in the La Chonta forest, situated at the southern edge of the Amazon basin, in Bolivia. First, I assessed the magnitude of the changes in the soil as a consequence of human occupation. Then, I studied how soil changes affected plant species composition in the forest understory, forest structure and forest dynamics, and finally I determined how seedlings of tree species respond to anthropogenic changes in soil properties. Detailed information on soil characteristics and its heterogeneity in the landscape is needed to evaluate the effects of soil on the vegetation. Soil heterogeneity in some sites in the Amazon basin can be increased by the presence of ADE. Therefore, I did detailed soil surveys that allowed me to understand the relationship between past human occupation and alteration in the concentration of soil nutrients. I found that natural soils in the southern Amazonian forest are more fertile than their Central and Eastern Amazon counterparts. Past human presence in the area resulted in soil enrichment, due to increases in the concentration of phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and increases in soil pH. Thus, with this information I could test specific hypothesis about the effects of soil fertility on the vegetation that occurs in these sites. In the Amazonian forest in general, soil characteristics influences the composition of understory angiosperm herbs, ferns and palm species. Thus, increases in soil fertility in ADE could affect the distribution of understory angiosperm herbs, ferns and palm species. I evaluated the effect of ADE on composition, richness and abundance of understory species (ferns, angiosperm herbs, and palms). I correlated soil variables associated with ADE, such as Ca, P, and soil pH, with species composition, richness and abundance. I found that the presence of ADE created a gradient in soil nutrients and pH, which changed the composition of understory species, especially of ferns and palms. Additionally, the higher nutrient concentration and the more neutral pH on ADE soils were associated with a decrease in the richness of fern species. I therefore conclude that the current composition of the understory community in La Chonta is a reflection of past human modification of the soil. Soil heterogeneity drives forest structure and forest dynamics across the Amazon region, but at a local scale the role of soils on forest dynamics is not well understood. The study of Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) opens an opportunity to test how increases in soil fertility could affect forest structure and dynamics at local scales. I evaluated the effect of ADE on forest attributes, such standing basal area, tree liana infestation and successional composition, defined by the relative presence of pioneers, to shade tolerant species in the forest. I also evaluated the effect of ADE on individual components of forest dynamics: basal area growth, recruitment, and mortality. Surprisingly, I found that these fertile ADE affected only few forest attributes and components of forest dynamics. Soil pH was one of the edaphic variables that significantly explained forest structure and dynamics. A higher soil pH increased recruitment of intermediate-sized trees (with stem diameter between 20 and 40 cm) and decreased mortality of large trees (stem diameter > 40 cm). The most important effect of pH, however, was on initial basal area and successional composition, which directly affected growth in basal area of intermediate-sized trees. Increases in soil nutrients can drive plant responses promoting higher growth rates and lower mortality. Plants respond to soil nutrient availability through a suite of traits, by adjusting their biomass allocation patterns, morphology, tissue chemistry and physiology, which allow them successful establishment and regeneration. The higher amount of nutrients found on ADE compared to natural soils could improve the growth of tropical tree species. I studied the effect of ADE on seedling growth, morphology and physiology in a greenhouse experiment with seedlings of 17 tree species from La Chonta. I found that seedlings did not invest more in roots in non-ADE (to take up scarce soil resources) but they invested in leaves and leaf area in ADE (to enhance light capture), although this did not lead to faster growth rate. Tree species responded differently to an increase in soil Ca concentration, which was 2.4 times higher in ADE than in non-ADE soils. Some species seemed to suffer from Ca toxicity as indicated by higher seedling mortality on ADE; others suffered from nutrient imbalance; whereas other species increased their leaf Ca, P and N concentrations in ADE. Only for this latter group of nutrient accumulators, there was a positive relationship between leaf Ca concentration and the growth rates of seedlings. Contrary to expectations, ADE did not lead to increased seedling growth. The ability of plants to colonize patches of ADE might depend on plant responses to increased soil Ca and their capacity to regulate internal tissue calcium to balance nutrition. In summary, in this southern Amazon forest the increased soil nutrient concentrations are a legacy of the humans that inhabited the area. This nutrient addition caused changes in understory species composition and decreased fern species richness and had modest effects on forest structure and dynamics. Increases in nutrients, specifically Ca, can cause positive and negative responses of tree species, resulting in potentially long term effects on the tree species composition of the forest.
Amazonian forest is seen as the archetype of pristine forests, untouched by humans, but this romantic view is far from reality. In recent years, there is increasing evidence of long and extensive ...landscape modification by humans. Processes of permanent inhabitation, expansion and retreat of human populations have not always been obvious in those ecosystems, leaving sometimes weak and overlooked imprints in the landscape. An example of one of these inconspicuous alterations are the modifications in the soil known as Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) or ‘terra preta’(black earth in Portuguese), which are the product of the accumulation of residuals from permanent or semi-permanent human inhabitation. They are named after the black color of the soils, which is a consequence of the accumulation of charcoal pieces and organic matter in the soil. These soils also contain higher levels of phosphorous, calcium (mainly originated from bone residuals), and nitrogen that increase fertility of the naturally poor soils, thus favouring agricultural practices. Amazonian Dark Earths are distributed in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru, and it is estimated that they could occupy 3% of the area of the Amazon basin.With the decrease in human population in the Americas after the encounter with European colonists, sites where ADE had been formed were abandoned and the vegetation recovered. So far, the effects of ADE on old growth forest had not been widely examined and we are just starting to understand the consequences of past human inhabitation on forest composition and structure. In this thesis, I evaluated the effects of ADE on the forest that has re-grown after abandonment by indigenous people in the La Chonta forest, situated at the southern edge of the Amazon basin, in Bolivia. First, I assessed the magnitude of the changes in the soil as a consequence of human occupation. For that, I did a detailed soil survey on 12 plots of ~27-ha each, and I evaluate the differences between ADE and non-ADE soils. Then, I studied how soil changes affected plant species composition in the understory (Chapter 2), forest structure and forest dynamics (Chapter 3), and finally I determined how seedlings of tree species respond to anthropogenic changes in soil properties (Chapter 4).Detailed information on soil characteristics and its heterogeneity in the landscape is needed to evaluate the effects of soil on the vegetation. This was even more important for my study site, as soil heterogeneity can be increased by the presence of ADE. Therefore, I did detailed soil surveys (Appendix, Chapter 2, Chapter 3) that allowed me to understand the relationship between past human occupation and alteration in the concentration of soil nutrients. I found that natural soils in the southern Amazonian forest are more fertile than their Central and Eastern Amazon counterparts. Past human presence in the area resulted in soil enrichment, due to increases in the concentration of phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and increases in soil pH. Thus, with this information I could test specific hypothesis about the effects of soil fertility on the vegetation that occurs in these sites.
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