Restoring neo-tropical dry ecosystems - is plant functional composition the key to success?

• Grant number: 19/07773-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2019
• End date: October 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Agreement: NERC, UKRI
• Principal Investigator: Rafael Silva Oliveira
• Grantee: Rafael Silva Oliveira
• Principal researcher abroad: Dr Lucy Rowland
• Institution abroad: University of Exeter, Exeter, England
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alexandre Bonesso Sampaio ; Fernando Augusto de Oliveira e Silveira ; Isabel Belloni Schmidt ; Marina Hirota Magalhães ; Michele de Sá Dechoum ; Natashi Aparecida Lima Pilon ; Peter Stoltenborg Groenendyk ; Ricardo Augusto Gorne Viani ; Tomas Ferreira Domingues
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/12801-0 - Restoring neo-tropical dry ecosysteams - is plant functional composition the key to sucess, BP.TT; 21/14598-1 - The functional and structural role of phloem in the performance of Cerrado plants, BP.PD; 23/05267-7 - Field Guide to cerrado species of Chapada dos Veadeiros to assist restoration initiatives, BP.IC; + associated scholarships 22/10308-1 - Elucidating water use in native and exotic grass communities in the Cerrado, BP.IC; 22/02619-7 - Restoring dry neotropical ecosystems: is the functional composition of plants the key to success?, BP.TT; 21/09384-2 - Restoring dry neotropical ecosystems: is the functional composition of plants the key to success?, BP.TT; 21/09366-4 - Restoring neo-tropical dry ecosystems: is plant functional composition the key to success?, BP.TT; 20/09164-0 - An evolutionary approach to understanding drought-resistance in Neotropical trees, BP.PD; 21/02116-2 - Characterization of the regeneration strategies in Cerrado wet grasslands as a subsidy to restore fire resilient communities, BP.IC; 20/06085-1 - Tropical ecosystems responses to drought-fire interactions: tree mortality, ecosystem functioning and restoration success, BP.PD; 20/15362-9 - Restoring neo-tropical dry ecosystems: is plant functional composition the key to success?, BP.TT; 20/09257-8 - Indicators to assess conservation status and restoration effectiveness in Cerrado open ecosystems, BP.PD; 19/23208-2 - Functional and evolutionary responses to resource availability among native and invasive grasses in the Cerrado, BP.PD; 20/06619-6 - Restoring Neotropical Savannas using plant functional traits, BP.TT; 19/24619-6 - Hydraulic traits of invasive species: towards a mechanistic understanding of biological invasions in a Cerrado restoration area, BP.MS; 19/18176-4 - The role of plant functional traits in the success rates of restoration efforts of tropical dry forests and savannas (TDFS), BP.PD; 19/18145-1 - Restoring Neotropical dry ecosystems - is plant functional composition the key to success?, BP.PD - associated scholarships

Abstract

Tropical dry forests and savannahs (TDFS) represent 34% of Brazil's land area and contain >50% of Brazil's plant species. However, <10% of Brazil's dry forest and <20 % of its savannahs remain intact, with only 1.2% of dry forests and 7.5% of savannahs protected. More than 100 million people live in the TDFS regions of Brazil and rely on the essential ecosystem services they provide, including: food-, economic-, social-, and water-security. Furthermore, the resilience of TDFS has been questioned by Earth system modelling studies suggesting increased drought threats arising from both climate-change and climate-extremes will adversely impact TDFS. Thus, it is vital that the long-term resilience of TDFS is understood to facilitate their restoration. The main aim of this research is to evaluate how functional composition is linked to TDFS restoration success, in order to improve tropical dry forest and savannahs (TDFS) restoration policy in Brazil and facilitate the creation of TDFS which are resilient to climate change. We will develop new understanding of how community-scale functional diversity is linked to: i) taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity and; ii) ecosystem resistance and resilience to environmental change across restored TDFS sites. Working at sites which span the various restoration strategies in TDFS, we will, in collaboration with the Brazilian governments Ministry for Environment and Ministry for Agriculture, develop new scientific knowledge targeted at the creation of new restoration policy within Brazil. We will achieve this through using plant functional traits, to understand how to create TDFS ecosystems which are "climate-smart", maximising the likelihood of long-term restoration success under current and future climates. We will test five key hypothesis, using cutting-edge scientific techniques, which will lead to globally important high-impact scientific output and a step-change in Brazilian restoration policy: H1: Maximum taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity is not synonymous with maximum functional diversity and ecosystem resistance in restored TDFS. H2: Restoration success varies with restoration strategy due to shifts in functional diversity. H3: Restoring plant communities with greater drought resistance reduces the risk of desertification and exotic invasion. H4: Exotic invasive grasses reduce the resistance of TDFS to drought.H5: Greater resistance to current climate extremes increases resilience to future climate change. (AU)

Scientific publications

(29)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FERNANDES, G. WILSON; ARANTES-GARCIA, LUCAS; BARBOSA, MILTON; BARBOSA, NEWTON P. U.; BATISTA, EUGENIA K. L.; BEIROZ, WALLACE; RESENDE, FERNANDO M.; ABRAHAO, ANNA; ALMADA, EMMANUEL D.; ALVES, ELAINE; et al. Biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Campo Rupestre: A road map for the sustainability of the hottest Brazilian biodiversity hotspot. PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, v. 18, n. 4, p. 213-222, OCT-DEC 2020. (19/07773-1, 10/51307-0, 13/50155-0)

LIRA-MARTINS, DEMETRIUS; NASCIMENTO, DIEGO LUCIANO; ABRAHAO, ANNA; COSTA, PATRICIA DE BRITTO; D'ANGIOLI, ANDRE M.; VALEZIO, EVERTON; ROWLAND, LUCY; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.. Soil properties and geomorphic processes influence vegetation composition, structure, and function in the Cerrado Domain. PLANT AND SOIL, v. 476, n. 1-2, p. 40-pg., 2022-08-03. (19/07773-1, 19/18176-4)

LEWIS, KENNEDY; BARROS, FERNANDA DE V.; MOONLIGHT, PETER W.; HILL, TIMOTHY C.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; SCHMIDT, ISABEL B.; SAMPAIO, ALEXANDRE B.; PENNINGTON, R. TOBY; ROWLAND, LUCY. Identifying hotspots for ecosystem restoration across heterogeneous tropical savannah-dominated regions. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 378, n. 1867, p. 12-pg., 2023-01-02. (19/07773-1)

BARROS, F. DE. V.; LEWIS, K.; ROBERTSON, A. D.; PENNINGTON, R. T.; HILL, T. C.; MATTHEWS, C.; LIRA-MARTINS, D.; MAZZOCHINI, G. G.; OLIVEIRA, R. S.; ROWLAND, L.. Cost-effective restoration for carbon sequestration across Brazil's biomes. Science of The Total Environment, v. 876, p. 12-pg., 2023-03-16. (19/18145-1, 19/18176-4, 19/07773-1)

SILVEIRA, FERNANDO A. O.; ARRUDA, ANDRE J.; BOND, WILLIAM; DURIGAN, GISELDA; FIDELIS, ALESSANDRA; KIRKMAN, KEVIN; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; OVERBECK, GERHARD E.; SANSEVERO, JERONIMO B. B.; SIEBERT, FRANCES; et al. Myth-busting tropical grassy biome restoration. RESTORATION ECOLOGY, v. 28, n. 5, SEP 2020. (15/06743-0, 19/07773-1)

MCDOWELL, NATE G.; SAPES, GERARD; PIVOVAROFF, ALEXANDRIA; ADAMS, HENRY D.; ALLEN, CRAIG D.; ANDEREGG, WILLIAM R. L.; AREND, MATTHIAS; BRESHEARS, DAVID D.; BRODRIBB, TIM; CHOAT, BRENDAN; et al. Mechanisms of woody-plant mortality under rising drought, CO2 and vapour pressure deficit. NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT, v. 3, n. 5, p. 15-pg., 2022-03-29. (19/07773-1)

ZHU, SONGYAN; CLEMENT, ROBERT; MCCALMONT, JON; DAVIES, CHRISTIAN A.; HILL, TIMOTHY. Stable gap-filling for longer eddy covariance data gaps: A globally validated machine-learning approach for carbon dioxide, water, and energy fluxes. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, v. 314, p. 10-pg., 2022-03-01. (19/07773-1)

GILES, ANDRE LUIZ; COSTA, PATRICIA DE BRITTO; ROWLAND, LUCY; ABRAHAO, ANNA; LOBO, LUISA; VERONA, LARISSA; SILVA, MATEUS CARDOSO; MONGE, MARCELO; WOLFSDORF, GABRIEL; PETRONI, AMANDA; et al. ow effective is direct seeding to restore the functional composition of neotropical savannas. RESTORATION ECOLOGY, v. 30, n. 1, JAN 2022. (19/07773-1)

SILVEIRA, FERNANDO A. O.; ORDONEZ-PARRA, CARLOS A.; MOURA, LIVIA C.; SCHMIDT, ISABEL B.; ANDERSEN, ALAN N.; BOND, WILLIAM; BUISSON, ELISE; DURIGAN, GISELDA; FIDELIS, ALESSANDRA; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; et al. Biome Awareness Disparity is BAD for tropical ecosystem conservation and restoration. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, OCT 2021. (19/07773-1)

SOARES JANCOSKI, HALINA; SCHWANTES MARIMON, BEATRIZ; C. SCALON, MARINA; DE V. BARROS, FERNANDA; MARIMON-JUNIOR, BEN HUR; CARVALHO, EDER; S. OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL; OLIVERAS MENOR, IMMA. Distinct leaf water potential regulation of tree species and vegetation types across the Cerrado-Amazonia transition. Biotropica, v. 54, n. 2, p. 13-pg., 2022-02-01. (19/07773-1)

CASSIA-SILVA, CIBELE; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; SALES, LILIAN P.; FREITAS, CINTIA G.; JARDIM, LUCAS; EMILIO, THAISE; BACON, CHRISTINE D.; COLLEVATTI, ROSANE G.. Acaulescence promotes speciation and shapes the distribution patterns of palms in Neotropical seasonally dry habitats. ECOGRAPHY, v. 2022, n. 3, p. 13-pg., 2022-02-15. (19/07773-1)

CLEMENT, CHARLES R.; CASAS, ALEJANDRO; PARRA-RONDINEL, FABIOLA ALEXANDRA; LEVIS, CAROLINA; PERONI, NIVALDO; HANAZAKI, NATALIA; CORTES-ZARRAGA, LAURA; RANGEL-LANDA, SELENE; ALVES, RUBANA PALHARES; FERREIRA, MARIA JULIA; et al. Disentangling Domestication from Food Production Systems in the Neotropics. QUATERNARY, v. 4, n. 1, MAR 2021. (19/07773-1)

PILON, NATASHI A. L.; CAMPOS, BRUNA H.; DURIGAN, GISELDA; CAVA, MARIO G. B.; ROWLAND, LUCY; SCHMIDT, ISABEL; SAMPAIO, ALEXANDRE; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.. Challenges and directions for open ecosystems biodiversity restoration: An overview of the techniques applied for Cerrado. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, v. N/A, p. 10-pg., 2023-01-27. (19/03463-8, 19/07773-1, 20/09257-8)

MANHAES, ADRIANA PELLEGRINI; MAZZOCHINI, GUILHERME GERHARDT; MARINHO, FELIPE; GANADE, GISLENE; CARVALHO, ADRIANA ROSA. Loss of plant cover mediates the negative effect of anthropogenic disturbance on the multifunctionality of a dryland. APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, v. 25, n. 1, p. 12-pg., 2022-01-01. (19/07773-1)

BERNARDINO, PAULO N.; DANTAS, VINICIUS L.; HIROTA, MARINA; PAUSAS, JULI G.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.. Savanna-Forest Coexistence Across a Fire Gradient. ECOSYSTEMS, JUN 2021. (13/50169-1, 14/06453-0, 14/06100-0, 19/07773-1)

WOLFSDORF, GABRIEL; ABRAHAO, ANNA; D'ANGIOLI, ANDRE M.; DECHOUM, MICHELE DE SA; MEIRELLES, SERGIO T.; PECORAL, LUISA F. L.; ROWLAND, LUCY; VERONA, LARISSA DA SILVEIRA; SCHMIDT, ISABEL B.; SAMPAIO, ALEXANDRE B.; et al. Inoculum origin and soil legacy can shape plant-soil feedback outcomes for tropical grassland restoration. RESTORATION ECOLOGY, JUL 2021. (19/07773-1)

GILES, ANDRE LUIZ; COSTA, PATRICIA DE BRITTO; ROWLAND, LUCY; ABRAHAO, ANNA; LOBO, LUISA; VERONA, LARISSA; SILVA, MATEUS CARDOSO; MONGE, MARCELO; WOLFSDORF, GABRIEL; PETRONI, AMANDA; et al. How effective is direct seeding to restore the functional composition of neotropical savannas?. RESTORATION ECOLOGY, JUL 2021. (19/07773-1)

PEREIRA, LUCIANO; BITTENCOURT, PAULO R. L.; PACHECO, VINICIUS S.; MIRANDA, MARCELA T.; ZHANG, YA; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; GROENENDIJK, PETER; MACHADO, EDUARDO C.; TYREE, MELVIN T.; JANSEN, STEVEN; et al. The Pneumatron: An automated pneumatic apparatus for estimating xylem vulnerability to embolism at high temporal resolutionKey-words. PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT, v. 43, n. 1, p. 131-142, JAN 2020. (18/09834-5, 17/14075-3, 18/01847-0, 19/07773-1)

LAMBERS, HANS; DE BRITTO COSTA, PATRICIA; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; SILVEIRA, FERNANDO A. O.. Towards more sustainable cropping systems: lessons from native Cerrado species. THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, v. 32, n. 3, JUL 2020. (19/07773-1)

ZANNE, AMY E.; FLORES-MORENO, HABACUC; POWELL, JEFF R.; CORNWELL, WILLIAM K.; DALLING, JAMES W.; AUSTIN, AMY T.; CLASSEN, AIMEE T.; EGGLETON, PAUL; OKADA, KEI-ICHI; PARR, CATHERINE L.; et al. Termite sensitivity to temperature affects global wood decay rates. Science, v. 377, n. 6613, p. 5-pg., 2022-09-23. (19/07773-1)

BUISSON, ELISE; FIDELIS, ALESSANDRA; OVERBECK, GERHARD E.; SCHMIDT, ISABEL B.; DURIGAN, GISELDA; YOUNG, TRUMAN P.; ALVARADO, SWANNI T.; ARRUDA, ANDRE J.; BOISSON, SYLVAIN; BOND, WILLIAM; et al. A research agenda for the restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas. RESTORATION ECOLOGY, v. 29, n. 1, SI, NOV 2020. (15/06743-0, 19/09903-0, 19/07773-1)

BERNARDINO, PAULO N.; DANTAS, VINICIUS L.; HIROTA, MARINA; PAUSAS, JULI G.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.. Savanna-Forest Coexistence Across a Fire Gradient. ECOSYSTEMS, v. 25, n. 2, p. 12-pg., 2021-06-07. (13/50169-1, 14/06453-0, 19/07773-1, 14/06100-0)

LEWIS, KENNEDY; DE V. BARROS, FERNANDA; CURE, MARCIO B.; DAVIES, CHRISTIAN A.; FURTADO, MARIANA N.; HILL, TIMOTHY C.; HIROTA, MARINA; MARTINS, DEMETRIUS L.; MAZZOCHINI, GUILHERME G.; MITCHARD, EDWARD T. A.; et al. apping native and non-native vegetation in the Brazilian Cerrado using freely available satellite product. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 12, n. 1, JAN 28 2022. (19/07773-1)

NUNES, MATHEUS HENRIQUE; CAMPANA CAMARGO, JOSE LUIS; VINCENT, GREGOIRE; CALDERS, KIM; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; HUETE, ALFREDO; DE MOURA, YHASMIN MENDES; NELSON, BRUCE; SMITH, MARIELLE N.; STARK, SCOTT C.; et al. orest fragmentation impacts the seasonality of Amazonian evergreen canopie. ATURE COMMUNICATION, v. 13, n. 1, FEB 17 2022. (19/07773-1)

RODDY, ADAM B.; MARTINEZ-PEREZ, CECILIA; TEIXIDO, ALBERTO L.; CORNELISSEN, TATIANA G.; OLSON, MARK E.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; SILVEIRA, FERNANDO A. O.. Towards the flower economics spectrum. NEW PHYTOLOGIST, v. 229, n. 2, p. 665-672, JAN 2021. (19/07773-1)

GARCIA, MAQUELLE N.; HU, JIA; DOMINGUES, TOMAS F.; GROENENDIJK, PETER; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; COSTA, FLAVIA R. C.. Local hydrological gradients structure high intraspecific variability in plant hydraulic traits in two dominant central Amazonian tree species. Journal of Experimental Botany, v. 73, n. 3, p. 14-pg., 2021-10-28. (18/01847-0, 19/07773-1)

WOLFSDORF, GABRIEL; ABRAHAO, ANNA; D'ANGIOLI, ANDRE M.; DECHOUM, MICHELE DE SA; MEIRELLES, SERGIO T.; PECORAL, LUISA F. L.; ROWLAND, LUCY; VERONA, LARISSA DA SILVEIRA; SCHMIDT, ISABEL B.; SAMPAIO, ALEXANDRE B.; et al. Inoculum origin and soil legacy can shape plant-soil feedback outcomes for tropical grassland restoration. RESTORATION ECOLOGY, v. 29, n. 8, NOV 2021. (19/07773-1)

PILON, NATASHI A. L.; FREIRE, CAMILA T. R.; OLIVEIRA-ALVES, MARIA JULIA; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S. S.. Speedy blooming in Cerrado after fire is not uncommon: New records of Cyperaceae species flowering 24 h after burning. AUSTRAL ECOLOGY, v. 48, n. 5, p. 4-pg., 2023-04-06. (21/02116-2, 20/09257-8, 19/07773-1)

CASSIA-SILVA, CIBELE; SALES, LILIAN P.; HILL, ADRIAN P.; COLLEVATTI, ROSANE; BACON, CHRISTINE; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.. Uneven patterns of palm species loss due to climate change are not driven by their sexual systems. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION, v. N/A, p. 17-pg., 2023-08-23. (20/09164-0, 19/07773-1)