Forest archipelagos: A natural model of metacommunity under the threat of fire

Coelho, Marcel Serra; Neves, Frederico de Siqueira; Perillo, Lucas Neves; Morellato, Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira; Fernandes, Geraldo Wilson

doi:10.1016/j.flora.2017.03.013

Cited by 29 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In contrast to the cerrados, which are rich in unrelated lineages recruited from surrounding fire-free biomes (Simon & al., 2009), campos rupestres appear to conform to the definition of old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs; Hopper, 2009), a concept that was subsequently refined to Old Stable Landscapes (OSLs) by Mucina & Wardell-Johnson (2011) by reducing the correlation between soil infertility and landscape age and including a fire predictability component to the theory. OSLs contain a mix of ancient lineages along with a wealth of young, closely related microendemic species derived from in situ radiations Silveira & al., 2016;Coelho & al., 2017). In Diplusodon, the CEP, CD and C-2 clades are composed mainly of species endemic exclusively to campo rupestre (sensu lato; Alves & al., 2014;Silveira & al., 2016;Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A molecular phylogeny of the genus Diplusodon (Lythraceae), endemic to the campos rupestres and cerrados of South America

Inglis

Cavalcanti

2018

TAXON

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Diplusodon is the second–largest genus of the Lythraceae with 103 species of shrubs or subshrubs endemic to the Cerrado Domain. Many species are narrow endemics, restricted to campos rupestres on quartzite rocks, while others are found in cerrado and, more rarely, in gallery, or dry forest margins. Phylogenetic relationships inferred from nuclear ITS and ETS sequences strongly support the monophyly of Diplusodon. We found four major clades, three of which are strongly correlated with endemism and are centered in the Espinhaço Range (CEP), the Plateau Goiano (PG) and the Chapada Diamantina (CD). The fourth clade was designated the Cerrado clade (C), containing species from all three centers of diversity as well as widely distributed species and several species of lower–elevation cerrado. Species with the most plesiomorphic features occur in the clades east of the São Francisco River (C, CEP, CD), while the greatest morphological diversity is found in the PG. The crown node of the genus is estimated to date to the late Pliocene, likely diversifying in the campos rupestres, where most of the later Pleistocene speciation bursts also appear to have occurred. These patterns of diversification in Diplusodon appear to agree with old stable landscapes (OSL) theory, where high levels of in situ speciation in islands of campo rupestre, possibly isolated by more intense fire regimes of the surrounding cerrado vegetation, resulted in accumulation of high numbers of microendemic species. However, the adaptability of the genus is evidenced by multiple dispersal events to lower elevation cerrado, several long–distance dispersals, notably in the C clade, and the presence, in several clades, of species found both in campo rupestre and cerrado habitats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A molecular phylogeny of the genus Diplusodon (Lythraceae), endemic to the campos rupestres and cerrados of South America

Inglis

Cavalcanti

2018

TAXON

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“…These forests occur at moist locations, associated with springs and streams or with deeper soil patches that are less well drained than the surrounding grasslands (Coelho et al, ; Valente, ). Here, plants experience a range of milder environmental conditions compared with the grassland habitat, for example, slightly less nutrient‐poor soils and historically lower fire frequency (Coelho, Neves, Perillo, Morellato, & Fernandes, ; Valente, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Developmental Stage grassland habitat, for example, slightly less nutrient-poor soils and historically lower fire frequency (Coelho, Neves, Perillo, Morellato, & Fernandes, 2018;Valente, 2009).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic shifts in plant ecological strategies

et al. 2018

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Ontogenetic shifts in plants are ubiquitous, but their ecological and evolutionary significance remain largely unknown. Juveniles have few opportunities to accumulate sufficient biomass to withstand damage, whereas adults allocate resources to reproduction. Thus, age‐specific environmental filters are expected to drive selection towards specific resource‐investment strategies for each developmental stage. We tested whether species exhibited strategies that favour faster rates of biomass accumulation during early developmental stages to cope with vulnerability, shifting towards habitat‐dependent strategies to optimise resource acquisition and use later on. We also hypothesised that juveniles exhibit greater intraspecific variability of strategies than adults, as a result of continuous filtering of traits throughout the plant’s development towards adulthood. We measured key leaf traits—leaf area (LA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and specific leaf area (SLA)—and calculated scores for competitor (C), stress‐tolerator (S), ruderal (R) strategies of the CSR system for juveniles of 54 species and conspecific adults of 27 species naturally occurring either in unproductive (grassland) or productive (forest) habitats. Juveniles exhibited higher SLA and LA and lower LDMC, and thus a more R‐strategy in both habitats when compared with adults, but were not necessarily “R” in absolute terms. We also found smaller intraspecific variation for the R‐strategy in adults compared with juveniles in both habitats, whereas the variation of the other strategies was habitat dependent. Ontogenetic shifts in ecological strategies appear to have been selected as a response to ontogeny‐dependent filters. Thus, strategies that favour less costly leaves and faster growth rates (relatively R‐selected) in juveniles shift towards C and/or S strategies in adulthood, depending on habitat productivity. Nevertheless, habitat‐dependent specialisation seems to be a major driver of ecological strategy selection in juveniles. Our study reveals ontogeny‐dependent strategies, offering a new approach to integrate plant development and functional specialisation. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13221/suppinfo is available for this article.

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“…That said, where altered fire regimes result in more-intense fires, they can threaten fire-sensitive components (e.g. small groves of trees) embedded in grassland landscapes (Trauernicht et al, 2012;Coelho et al, 2018). Studies on the resilience of tropical grasslands to these new fire regimes (Drewa, Platt & Moser, 2002;Andersen et al, 2005;Ribeiro & Figueira, 2011;Alvarado et al, 2012Alvarado et al, , 2014Russell-Smith et al, 2013;Fernandes, 2016) suggest that fire-management decisions should account for landscape-scale heterogeneity in vegetation and incorporate local knowledge to deliver maximum social and ecological benefits.…”

Section: (3) Fire Exclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience and restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and grassy woodlands

et al. 2018

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Despite growing recognition of the conservation values of grassy biomes, our understanding of how to maintain and restore biodiverse tropical grasslands (including savannas and open‐canopy grassy woodlands) remains limited. To incorporate grasslands into large‐scale restoration efforts, we synthesised existing ecological knowledge of tropical grassland resilience and approaches to plant community restoration. Tropical grassland plant communities are resilient to, and often dependent on, the endogenous disturbances with which they evolved – frequent fires and native megafaunal herbivory. In stark contrast, tropical grasslands are extremely vulnerable to human‐caused exogenous disturbances, particularly those that alter soils and destroy belowground biomass (e.g. tillage agriculture, surface mining); tropical grassland restoration after severe soil disturbances is expensive and rarely achieves management targets. Where grasslands have been degraded by altered disturbance regimes (e.g. fire exclusion), exotic plant invasions, or afforestation, restoration efforts can recreate vegetation structure (i.e. historical tree density and herbaceous ground cover), but species‐diverse plant communities, including endemic species, are slow to recover. Complicating plant‐community restoration efforts, many tropical grassland species, particularly those that invest in underground storage organs, are difficult to propagate and re‐establish. To guide restoration decisions, we draw on the old‐growth grassland concept, the novel ecosystem concept, and theory regarding tree cover along resource gradients in savannas to propose a conceptual framework that classifies tropical grasslands into three broad ecosystem states. These states are: (1) old‐growth grasslands (i.e. ancient, biodiverse grassy ecosystems), where management should focus on the maintenance of disturbance regimes; (2) hybrid grasslands, where restoration should emphasise a return towards the old‐growth state; and (3) novel ecosystems, where the magnitude of environmental change (i.e. a shift to an alternative ecosystem state) or the socioecological context preclude a return to historical conditions.

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Forest archipelagos: A natural model of metacommunity under the threat of fire

Cited by 29 publications

References 33 publications

A molecular phylogeny of the genus Diplusodon (Lythraceae), endemic to the campos rupestres and cerrados of South America

A molecular phylogeny of the genus Diplusodon (Lythraceae), endemic to the campos rupestres and cerrados of South America

Ontogenetic shifts in plant ecological strategies

Resilience and restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and grassy woodlands

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