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2,390 results for “rainforests”
Canopy cover and ecological restoration increase natural regeneration of rainforest trees in the Western Ghats, India
<p>Restoration of canopy cover through tree planting can assist in overcoming barriers to natural regeneration and catalyze recovery of degraded tropical forests. India has made international pledges to restore millions of hectares of degraded forests by 2030, but lacks empirical research on regeneration under different types of planted and natural overstories to guide this mission. We conducted a field study (65 plots of 25 m<sup>2</sup>) to examine the influence of overstory type and canopy cover on naturally regenerating tree seedlings across degraded rainforests (DR), mixed-native species ecological restoration sites (ER), monoculture eucalypt plantations (MP), and mature "benchmark" rainforests (BR) in the Western Ghats mountains of peninsular India. ER had higher native tree seedling densities and recovered community composition towards BR levels compared to DR, while communities in MP shifted in the opposite direction. Densities of native late-successional species increased with canopy cover (particularly in ER), but greater canopy cover was also associated with increases in alien species, a few of which are shade-tolerant. Further, in a nursery experiment comprising four rainforest species, seed germination and early survival increased with shade, but did not vary across soils originating from DR, ER, and MP. Our findings show that while improving canopy cover is important, doing so by planting diverse native species, and controlling invasive alien species, can benefit rainforest recovery in degraded rainforest fragments. Conversely, planting non-native monocultures in degraded forests, which is a prevalent practice in India, could prove counterproductive for forest recovery in the long term.</p>
Climate change threatens the future of rainforest ringtail possums by 2050
<p><span>Aim</span></p> <p>The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather escalate the pressure of global warming on biodiversity. Globally, synergistic effects of multiple components of climate change have driven local extinctions and community collapses, raising concern about the irreversible deterioration of ecosystems. Here, we disentangle the pressure of different climatic components on the population dynamics of a tropical community of marsupials in a World Heritage Area.</p> <p><span>Location</span></p> <p>The Australian Wet Tropics.</p> <p><span>Method</span></p> <p>We analyse the potential influence of climate change in different dimensions, quantifying the effect of spatial differences in temperature exposure and observed increases in temperature and frequency of extreme heatwaves.</p> <p><span>Results</span></p> <p>We find a strong negative effect of climate change on population dynamics, particularly extreme heatwaves, resulting in a rapid and severe decline in ringtails' population size in the last three decades.</p> <p><span>Main conclusions</span></p> <p>Forecasted increases in temperature and heatwaves threaten the collapse of the community by 2050, with ringtail possums falling below population viability thresholds within two decades.</p>
Data from: Simulating climate change in situ in a tropical rainforest understorey using active air warming and CO2 addition
<p><b>Background: </b>Future climate-change effects on plant growth are most effectively studied using microclimate-manipulation experiments, the design of which has seen much advance in recent years. For tropical forests, however, such experiments are particularly hard to install and have hence not been widely used. We present a system of active heating and CO<sub>2</sub> fertilisation for use in tropical forest understoreys, where passive heating is not possible. The system was run for two years to study climate-change effects on epiphytic bryophytes, but is also deemed suitable to study other understorey plants.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> Warm-air and CO<sub>2</sub> addition were applied in 1.6-m tall, 1.2-m diameter hexagonal open-top chambers and the microclimate in the chambers compared to outside air. Warming was regulated with a feedback system while CO<sub>2</sub> addition was fixed.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> The setup successfully heated the air by 2.8K and increased CO<sub>2</sub> by 250 ppm, on average, with +3K and +300 ppm as the targets. Variation was high, especially due to technical break-downs, but not biased to times of the day or year. In the warming treatment, absolute humidity slightly increased but relative humidity dropped by between 6 to 15% (and the vapour-pressure deficit increased) compared to ambient, depending on the level of warming achieved in each chamber.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> <span>Compared to other heating systems, the chambers provide a realistic warming and CO<sub>2</sub> treatment, but moistening the incoming air would be needed to avoid drying as a confounding factor. The method is preferable over infrared heating in the radiation-poor forest understory, particularly when combined with CO<sub>2</sub> fertilisation. It is suitable for plant-level studies, but ecosystem-level studies in forests may require chamber-less approaches like infrared heating and free-air CO<sub>2</sub> enrichment. By presenting the advantages and limitations of our approach we aim to facilitate further climate-change experiments in tropical forests, which are urgently needed to understand the processes determining future element fluxes and biodiversity changes in these ecosystems.</span></p>
Data from: Season and herbivore defence trait mediate tri-trophic interactions in tropical rainforest
<p>Bottom-up effects from host plants and top-down effects from predators on herbivore abundance and distribution vary with physical environment, plant chemistry, predator and herbivore trait and diversity. Tri-trophic interactions in tropical ecosystems may follow different patterns from temperate ecosystems due to differences in above abiotic and biotic conditions. We sampled leaf-chewing larvae of Lepidoptera (caterpillars) from a dominant host tree species in a seasonal rainforest in Southwest China. We reared out parasitoids and grouped herbivores based on their diet preferences, feeding habits, and defence mechanisms. We compared caterpillar abundance with leaf numbers ('bottom-up' effects) and parasitoid abundance ('top-down' effects) between different seasons and herbivore traits. We found bottom-up effects were stronger than top-down effects. Both bottom-up and top-down effects were stronger in the dry season than in the wet season, which were driven by polyphagous rare species and host plant phenology. Contrary to our predictions, herbivore traits did not influence differences in the bottom-up or top-down effects except for stronger top-down effects for shelter-builders. Our study shows season is the main predictor of the bottom-up and top-down effects in the tropics and highlights the complexity of these interactions. </p>
Spatial patterns of light-demanding tree species in the Yangambi rainforest (Democratic Republic of Congo)
<p>We are studying the factors of spatial distribution of light-demanding tree species in an undisturbed natural forest to contribute to the elucidation of the enigma of the persistence of light-demanding tree species in the canopy of the Congo Basin rainforests. Our objective was to analyze the current spatial distribution combined with the spatial autocorrelation of light-demanding stems species and to carry out a Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to discuss the role that different factors may have played in determining the observed spatial pattern. These species were subdivided into three regeneration guilds, based on their growth speed and longevity: short-lived pioneer (SLP), long-lived pioneer (LLP), and non-pioneer light-demanding (NPLD) species. We also compared the distribution of these species to that of <i>Gilbertiodendron</i> <i>dewevrei</i>, a typical extremely aggregative and locally hyperdominant shade-tolerant species. For this purpose, we carried out a selective inventory of all stems (at least 10 cm DBH) of light-demanding species in the forest around the Moni River, an area rich in individuals of light-demanding species. This inventory was carried out along eight transects equidistant by 450 m. The total length of these transects was 50.125 km (an area of 250.625 ha). The sampling units consisted of contiguous plots (200 m x 50 m) centered on the transect (long side parallel to the transect). Each plot was divided into 8 sub-plots of 25 m x 50 m. The parameters directly measured in the field were diameter at breast height (DBH), wetland indicators, topography, and slope. The last three parameters were measured in each sub-plot. The wetland indicators were spring, stream (stream 1 to about 3 m wide that can be forded), river (stream more than 3 m wide and that cannot be forded), temporary or periodically flooded swamp, permanent swamp, and absence of wetland. The modalities of the topography parameter were ridge, plateau, slope break, upward slope, downward slope, and lowland. The slope was measured using the SUUNTO clinometer. The longitude and latitude were deduced from the Cartesian coordinates (X and Y) of each tree, which were measured directly during the inventory. The altitude and distance from the nearest watercourse were deduced from the Geographic Information System (GIS). The altitude was derived from the digital terrain model of the Yangambi region, while the distance to the nearest watercourse was derived from a distance to watercourses map of the Yangambi region.</p>
Fig. 110 in Comb-footed spiders (Araneae: Theridiidae) in the tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna, Southwest China
Fig. 110. Locality of Xishuangbanna, from which the species of theridiid were collected.
Data set and analytic codes supporting "The effects of land-use change on semi-aquatic bugs (Gerromorpha, Hemiptera) in rainforest streams in Sabah, Malaysia"
<p>This deposit contains data set and analytic codes** (accompanied with a meta data) supporting "The effects of land-use change on semi-aquatic bugs (Gerromorpha, Hemiptera) in rainforest streams in Sabah, Malaysia". We investigated the impacts of land-use change on semi-aquatic bug (Gerromorpha, Hemiptera) communities in Sabah, Malaysia.</p> <p>Semi-aquatic bugs were collected from streams in old-growth forest, logged forest, and oil palm with and without riparian buffer strips. A range of environmental parameters were also collected to represent environmental conditions (associated with land-use change). Environmental data were collected at catchment, riparian, and stream scales, and were used separately for the assessments of their effects on the bugs. We looked at the effects on the abundance, biomass, species richness, and community composition of semi-aquatic bugs. We also assessed the effects on the proportion of juveniles, winged individuals, and female <em>Ptilomera</em> sp. (a morphospecies with clear sexual dimorphism in this study).</p> <p>This research was funded by the Jardine Foundation, the Cambridge Trust, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) (studentship 1122589), Proforest, the Varley Gradwell Travelling Fellowship, the Tim Whitmore Fund, the Panton Trust, the Cambridge University Commonwealth Fund, the Hanne and Torkel Weis-Fogh Fund, and the S.T. Lee Fund.</p> <p> </p> <p>** For reproducibility of outputs of the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), do insert the following function in the R Markdown before the line of "anova.cca(CCAEnvInsect, by = 'terms', first = TRUE)":</p> <p>set.seed(42) # About set.seed: <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13605271/reasons-for-using-the-set-seed-function">r - Reasons for using the set.seed function - Stack Overflow</a></p>
Future drought-induced tree mortality risk in Amazon rainforest
<p>ORCHIDEE-CAN-NHA simulation outputs of aboveground biomass carbon gain and carbon loss, forced by four climate models from ISIMIP2b program</p>
Canopy height, rather than neighborhood effects, shapes leaf herbivory in a tropical rainforest
<p>These files contain the datasets and R codes used in the data analyses in the paper " Canopy height, rather than neighborhood effects, shapes leaf herbivory in a tropical rainforest " that will be published in Ecology.</p>
Large leaf hydraulic safety margins limit the risk of drought-induced leaf hydraulic dysfunction in Neotropical rainforest canopy tree species
<p>The sequence of key water potential thresholds from the onset of water stress to mortality, and the timing of stomatal closure with regard to leaf xylem embolism formation are essential to characterizing plant adaptive strategies to drought. This constitutes a critical knowledge gap for tropical rainforest species, which may be less vulnerable to drought than previously thought.</p> <p>We recorded key leaf and stem water potential thresholds, leaf hydraulic safety margins (HSMleaf), leaf stomatal safety margins (SSMleaf) and estimated native embolism levels during a normal-intensity dry season across 18 Neotropical rainforest tree species. We also solved a sequence of key water potential thresholds. Additionally, we provide a cross-biome analysis of SSMleaf encompassing 97 species from four major biomes based on a literature survey.</p> <p>In the studied rainforest species, leaf turgor loss point, used as a surrogate for stomatal closure, typically occurred before the onset of leaf xylem embolism. Most species exhibited positive HSMleaf and SSMleaf, with contrasting values across species and nearly absent embolism levels during the dry season irrespective of the experienced midday leaf water potentials. Our results point out that leaf xylem embolism is not routine for Neotropical rainforest tree species.</p> <p>Based on our proposal of the water potential sequence for tropical rainforest trees, we argue that leaf xylem embolism is a rare event for these species. This was supported by the literature survey, indicating that across biomes, most woody species have rather large SSM<sub>leaf</sub> and that leaves of tropical rainforest trees are not necessarily more vulnerable than in other biomes. However, we found evidence that some tropical rainforest species may be more vulnerable than others to ongoing climate change. Our data provide an opportunity to parametrize tree-based or land-surface models for tropical rainforests.</p>
Strong habitat-specific phenotypic plasticity but no genome-wide differentiation across a rainforest gradient in an African butterfly
<p>Habitat-specific thermal responses are well documented in various organisms and likely determine the vulnerability of populations to climate change. However, the underlying roles of genetics and plasticity that shape such habitat-specific patterns are rarely investigated together. Here we examined the thermal plasticity of the butterfly <em>Bicyclus</em> <em>dorothea</em> originating from rainforest and ecotone habitats in Cameroon under common garden conditions. We also sampled wild-caught butterflies from forest and ecotone sites and used RADseq to explore genome-wide population differentiation. We found differences in the level of phenotypic plasticity across habitats. Specifically, ecotone populations exhibited greater sensitivity in wing eyespot features with variable development temperatures relative to rainforest populations. Known adaptive roles of wing eyespots in <em>Bicyclus</em> species suggest that this morphological plasticity is likely under divergent selection across environmental gradients. However, we found no distinct population structure of genome-wide variation between habitats, suggesting high levels of ongoing gene flow between habitats is homogenizing most parts of the genome.</p>
Population genomic structure in Goodman's mouse lemur reveals long-standing separation of Madagascar's Central Highlands and eastern rainforests
<p>Madagascar's Central Highlands are largely composed of grasslands, interspersed with patches of forest. The pre-human extent of these grasslands is a topic of vigorous debate, with conventional wisdom holding that they are anthropogenic in nature and emerging evidence supporting that grasslands were a component of the pre-human Central Highlands vegetation. Here, we shed light on the temporal dynamics of Madagascar's vegetative composition by conducting a population genomic investigation of Goodman's mouse lemur (<em>Microcebus lehilahytsara</em>;<em> </em>Cheirogaleidae). These small-bodied primates occur both in Madagascar's eastern rainforests and in the Central Highlands, which makes them a valuable indicator species. Population divergences among forest-dwelling mammals can serve as a proxy for habitat fragmentation and patterns of post-divergence gene flow can reveal potential migration corridors consistent with a wooded grassland mosiac. We used RADseq data to infer phylogenetic relationships, population structure, demographic models of post-divergence gene flow, and population size change through time. These analyses offer evidence that open habitats are an ancient component of the Central Highlands, and that wide-spread forest fragmentation occurred naturally during a period of decreased precipitation near the last glacial maximum. Models of gene flow suggest that migration across the Central Highlands has been possible from the Pleistocene through the recent Holocene via riparian corridors. Notably, though our findings support the hypothesis that Central Highland grasslands predate human arrival, we also find evidence for human-mediated population declines. This highlights the extent to which species imminently threatened by human-mediated deforestation may be more vulnerable from paleoclimatic changes.</p>
Training data for the Singapore Butterfly Classifier used in the XPRIZE Rainforest semifinals
<p>Training data based on Lepidoptera observation data from Singapore with images attached from the Global Biodiversity Index Facility (GBIF) (de Vries H, Lemmens M (2023). Observation.org, Nature data from around the World. Observation.org. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/5nilie accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-04-17; Nature data from around the World, Observation.org, https://doi.org/10.15468/5nilie accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-04-17; iNaturalist Research-grade Observations, iNaturalist.org, https://doi.org/10.15468/ab3s5x; Earth Guardians Weekly Feed, Occurrence dataset <a href="https://doi.org/10.15468/slqqt8">https://doi.org/10.15468/slqqt8</a>)</p> <p>Annotations were produced with a generic butterfly detector trained on annotations available at https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/mistag/arthropod-taxonomy-orders-object-detection-dataset, accessed on 2023-05-08). Annotations were produced with the generic butterfly detector while labels assigned using the specied ID assigned in the GBIF observation.</p> <p>Training data contains 230 species. These were the ones that contained species ID in relevant columns, contained 50+ images, and received predictions with the generic butterfly detector.</p> <p> </p> <p>Dataset: Observation.org, Nature data from around the World <br> Rights as supplied: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode<br> Dataset: iNaturalist Research-grade Observations <br> Rights as supplied: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode<br> Dataset: Earth Guardians Weekly Feed <br> Rights as supplied: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>
Data from: Diversification processes in Gerp's mouse lemur demonstrate the importance of rivers and altitude as biogeographic barriers in Madagascar's humid rainforests
<p><span>Madagascar exhibits exceptionally high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Models to explain the diversification and distribution of species in Madagascar stress the importance of historical variability in climate conditions which may have led to the formation of geographic barriers by changing water and habitat availability. The relative importance of these models for the diversification of the various forest-adapted taxa of Madagascar has yet to be understood. Here, we reconstructed the phylogeographic history of Gerp's mouse lemur (<em>Microcebus gerpi</em>) to identify relevant mechanisms and drivers of diversification in Madagascar's humid rainforests. We used restriction site associated DNA (RAD) markers and applied population genomic and coalescent-based techniques to estimate genetic diversity, population structure, gene flow and divergence times among <em>M. gerpi</em> populations and its two sister species <em>M. jollyae</em> and <em>M. marohita</em>. Genomic results were complemented with ecological niche models to better understand the relative barrier function of rivers and altitude. We show that <em>M. gerpi</em> diversified during the late Pleistocene. The inferred ecological niche, patterns of gene flow and genetic differentiation in <em>M. gerpi</em> suggest that the potential for rivers to act as biogeographic barriers depended on both size and elevation of headwaters. Populations on opposite sides of the largest river in the area with headwaters that extend far into the highlands show particularly high genetic differentiation, whereas rivers with lower elevation headwaters have weaker barrier functions, indicated by higher migration rates and admixture. We conclude that<em> M. gerpi</em> likely diversified through repeated cycles of dispersal punctuated by isolation to refugia as a result of paleoclimatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene. We argue that this diversification scenario serves as a model of diversification for other rainforest taxa that are similarly limited by geographic factors. In addition, we highlight conservation implications for this critically endangered species, which faces extreme habitat loss and fragmentation. </span></p>
Supplemental material for the insight: High levels of mercury contamination in a necrophage dung-beetle of the Amazon rainforest (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)
<p>This study represents the first evidence of mercury contamination in the family Scarabaeidae, with a close focus to <em>Coprophanaeus lancifer</em>, the largest copro-necrophagous beetle in South America. This work shows the repartition of total mercury (THg) in the insect body and lays the groundwork for additional future studies.</p>
Phytochemical diversity impacts herbivory in a tropical rainforest tree community
<p class="p1">Metabolomics provides an unprecedented window <span class="s1">into </span>diverse plant secondary<span class="s2"> </span>metabolites that represent a potentially critical niche dimension in tropical forests<span class="s2"> </span>underlying <span class="s1">species </span>co-existence. Here, we used untargeted metabolomics to evaluate<span class="s2"> </span>chemical composition of 358 tree species and its relationship <span class="s1">with </span>phylogeny and<span class="s2"> </span>variation in light environment, soil nutrients, and insect-herbivore leaf damage in a<span class="s3"> </span><span class="s4">tropical rain forest plot. </span>We report no phylogenetic signal in most compound classes,<span class="s3"> </span>indicating rapid diversification in tree metabolomes. <span class="s4">We found that </span>locally <span class="s4">co-</span>occur<span class="s1">ring species were more </span>chemically <span class="s1">dis</span>similar than random, and that local<span class="s2"> </span>chemical dispersion and metabolite diversity <span class="s1">was associated with lower </span>herbivory,<span class="s2"> </span>especially that of specialist insect herbivores. <span class="s1">Our results highlight the role of secondary</span><span class="s3"> </span>metabolites in mediating plant-herbivore interactions and their potential to facilitate<span class="s3"> </span>niche differentiation in a manner that contributes to species coexistence. Furthermore,<span class="s3"> </span>our findings suggest that specialist herbivore pressure is an important mechanism<span class="s3"> </span>promoting phytochemical diversity in tropical forests.</p>
Endemic species of ectomycorrhizal fungi support the exceptional productivity of a temperate rainforest
<p>Endemic species of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) can be found throughout many forest biomes, but it is unclear whether their localized distribution is dictated by deterministic processes or geographical barriers to dispersal. We investigated the adaptive characteristics and prevalence of endemic versus cosmopolitan EMF species in perhumid temperate rainforests of southwestern Vancouver Island (Canada), characterized by moist, acidic soils with high nitrogen (N) supply alongside low phosphorus (P) and cation availability. Endemic EMF species, representing almost half of the community, had significantly higher sporocarp N (24% increase), potassium (+16%), and magnesium (+17%) concentrations than cosmopolitan species. Sporocarp P concentrations were low overall, reflecting limited soil P availability, and did not differ by fungal range. However, sporocarp N% and P% were well correlated, and species with higher N concentrations showed an increasing N:P ratio, supporting evidence for the N allocation required to produce organic P-acquiring enzymes. Endemics were also more likely to occur on <em>Tsuga</em> <em>heterophylla</em> (a disjunct host genus) than <em>Picea</em> <em>sitchensis</em> (a circumpolar genus), but pairwise comparisons indicated no differences in abundance by fungal range for either host. Endemics represented a diverse group, with moderate dispersion across the phylogeny. The Inocybaceae and Thelephoraceae families had high proportions of endemic taxa, while Cortinariaceae was largely cosmopolitan, highlighting some niche conservatism in certain lineages but not as an overall pattern. We conclude that superior adaptive traits in relation to perhumid soils were skewed towards the endemic community, underscoring the important contribution of these localized fungi to rainforest nutrition and productivity. </p>
Spatiotemporal data for studying the dry forest-rainforest ecotone in Guanacaste, Costa Rica
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Data from: Watershed classification predicts streamflow regime and organic carbon dynamics in the Northeast Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest
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Rainfall seasonality shapes belowground root trait dynamics in an Amazonian tropical rainforest: A test of the stress-dominance hypothesis
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.