The role of functional diversity in structuring tropical tree communities: a model-based approach

• Grant number: 13/08722-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2013
• End date: August 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Theoretical Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Inácio de Knegt López de Prado
• Grantee: Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/00682-0 - Linking tree community structure to species traits and phylogenetic structure, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The Neutral Theory has generated great repercussion because it challenges the role of well-established processes in classical ecological theory. One of the bolder proposals of this new theory is that species are functionally similar, known as Functional Equivalence Hypothesis (FEH). In this hypothesis, species traits and their relationships with vital rates would not be able to explain the variation in species abundances that would occur randomly over time. Thus, if traits are able to explain changes in species abundances there is evidence that neutrality is not an exclusive explanation for the structure and diversity of a given community. Thus, this proposal aims to test the FEH by examining the effects of species traits and their interactions with the environment on the abundance and spatial distribution of tree species, using a database of tree communities from south and south-eastern of Brazil. We ask: Can the distribution of abundances in the community be explained by species traits? Is there an interaction between traits and environmental variables? Can the spatial distribution of species be explained by their traits? Do emerging groups (sensu Lavorel et al. 1997) have similar patterns of spatial distribution? These questions will be answered using generalized linear regression models that are very flexible and have great predictive power, allowing the combination of ecological, phylogenetic and spatial levels of information. Besides the generation of a unique database to test other scientific questions, the results of this proposal will help to understand the determinants of structure and diversity of ecological communities.

Scientific publications

(23)

(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)

MARJAKANGAS, EMMA-LIINA; GENES, LUISA; PIRES, MATHIAS M.; FERNANDEZ, FERNANDO A. S.; DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; DE OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE A.; OVASKAINEN, OTSO; PIRES, ALEXANDRA S.; PRADO, I, PAULO; GALETTI, MAURO. Estimating interaction credit for trophic rewilding in tropical forests. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 373, n. 1761, SI, DEC 5 2018. (14/01986-0, 13/08722-5)

LIMA, RENATO A. F.; MULLER-LANDAU, HELENE C.; PRADO, PAULO I.; CONDIT, RICHARD. How do size distributions relate to concurrently measured demographic rates? Evidence from over 150 tree species in Panama. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY, v. 32, n. 3, p. 179-192, MAY 2016. (13/08722-5)

MARJAKANGAS, EMMA-LIINA; OVASKAINEN, OTSO; ABREGO, NEREA; GROTAN, VIDAR; DE OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE A.; PRADO, PAULO I.; DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.. Co-occurrences of tropical trees in eastern South America: disentangling abiotic and biotic forces. PLANT ECOLOGY, v. 222, n. 7, p. 791-806, JUL 2021. (99/08515-0, 13/08722-5, 99/09635-0)

MARJAKANGAS, EMMA-LIINA; ABREGO, NEREA; GROTAN, VIDAR; DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; BELLO, CAROLINA; BOVENDORP, RICARDO S.; CULOT, LAURENCE; HASUI, ERICA; LIMA, FERNANDO; MUYLAERT, RENATA LARA; et al. Fragmented tropical forests lose mutualistic plant-animal interactions. DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, v. 26, n. 2, NOV 2019. (14/18800-6, 14/14739-0, 13/08722-5, 17/08440-0, 14/01986-0, 13/25441-0, 17/21816-0, 15/17739-4, 17/09676-8, 13/50421-2)

BELLO, CAROLINA; GALETTI, MAURO; PIZO, MARCO A.; MAGNAGO, LUIZ FERNANDO S.; ROCHA, MARIANA F.; LIMA, RENATO A. F.; PERES, CARLOS A.; OVASKAINEN, OTSO; JORDANO, PEDRO. Defaunation affects carbon storage in tropical forests. SCIENCE ADVANCES, v. 1, n. 11, DEC 2015. (14/01986-0, 13/08722-5, 13/22492-2)

BRANCALION, PEDRO H. S.; BELLO, CAROLINA; CHAZDON, ROBIN L.; GALETTI, MAURO; JORDANO, PEDRO; LIMA, RENATO A. F.; MEDINA, ARETHA; PIZO, MARCO AURELIO; LEIGHTON REID, J.. Maximizing biodiversity conservation and carbon stocking in restored tropical forests. CONSERVATION LETTERS, v. 11, n. 4, JUL-AUG 2018. (13/50718-5, 13/08722-5, 14/01986-0, 04/04820-3, 13/22492-2)

DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE A.; PITTA, GREGORY R.; DE GASPER, ANDRE L.; VIBRANS, ALEXANDER C.; CHAVE, JEROME; TER STEEGE, HANS; PRADO, PAULO I.. The erosion of biodiversity and biomass in the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, v. 11, n. 1, DEC 11 2020. (99/08515-0, 04/04820-3, 99/09635-0, 13/08722-5)

MARJAKANGAS, EMMA-LIINA; GENES, LUISA; PIRES, MATHIAS M.; FERNANDEZ, FERNANDO A. S.; DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; DE OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE A.; OVASKAINEN, OTSO; PIRES, ALEXANDRA S.; PRADO, PAULO, I; GALETTI, MAURO. Estimating interaction credit for trophic rewilding in tropical forests. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 373, n. 1761, p. 8-pg., 2018-12-05. (13/08722-5, 14/01986-0)

KLIPEL, JOICE; BERGAMIN, RODRIGO SCARTON; ESQUIVEL-MUELBERT, ADRIANE; DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; DE OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE ADALARDO; PRADO, PAULO INACIO; MULLER, SANDRA CRISTINA. Climatic distribution of tree species in the Atlantic Forest. Biotropica, v. 54, n. 5, p. 12-pg., 2022-07-16. (13/08722-5)

DE TOLEDO, RENATO MIAZAKI; PIVELLO, VANIA REGINA; VANGANSBEKE, PIETER; JAKOVAC, CATARINA; VERHEYEN, KRIS; VERDADE, LUCIANO MARTINS; DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.. Reassembly dynamics of tropical secondary succession: Evidence from Atlantic forests. JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, v. N/A, p. 14-pg., 2025-06-13. (13/08722-5, 17/01304-4)

DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; DAUBY, GILLES; DE GASPER, ANDRE L.; FERNANDEZ, EDUARDO P.; VIBRANS, ALEXANDER C.; DE OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE A.; PRADO, PAULO I.; SOUZA, VINICIUS C.; DE SIQUEIRA, MARINEZ F.; TER STEEGE, HANS. Comprehensive conservation assessments reveal high extinction risks across Atlantic Forest trees. Science, v. 383, n. 6679, p. 6-pg., 2024-01-12. (13/08722-5)

LIMA, RENATO A. F.; MULLER-LANDAU, HELENE C.; PRADO, PAULO I.; CONDIT, RICHARD. How do size distributions relate to concurrently measured demographic rates? Evidence from over 150 tree species in Panama. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY, v. 32, p. 14-pg., 2016-05-01. (13/08722-5)

DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; MORI, DANILO P.; PITTA, GREGORY; MELITO, MELINA O.; BELLO, CAROLINA; MAGNAGO, LUIZ F.; ZWIENER, VICTOR P.; SARAIVA, DANIEL D.; MARQUES, MARCIA C. M.; DE OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE A.; et al. How much do we know about the endangered Atlantic Forest? Reviewing nearly 70 years of information on tree community surveys. Biodiversity and Conservation, v. 24, n. 9, SI, p. 2135-2148, SEP 2015. (13/08722-5, 13/22492-2)

GRITTZ, GUILHERME SALGADO; DE LIMA, RENATO AUGUSTO FERREIRA; KASSNER FILHO, ANDERSON; VIBRANS, ALEXANDER CHRISTIAN; GASPER, ANDRE LUIS DE. Assessing the extinction risk of tree species in the subtropical Atlantic Forest using multiple IUCN criteria. ORYX, v. N/A, p. 8-pg., 2025-08-12. (13/08722-5)

FERREIRA DE LIMA, RENATO A.; CONDE, PAULA ALVES; BANKS-LEITE, CRISTINA; CAMPOS, RENATA C.; MEDINA HERNANDEZ, I, MALVA; RODRIGUES, RICARDO R.; PRADO, I, PAULO. Disentangling the effects of sampling scale and size on the shape of species abundance distributions. PLoS One, v. 15, n. 9, SEP 11 2020. (99/09635-0, 13/08722-5, 13/50718-5)

PINHO, BRUNO X.; TRINDADE, DIEGO P. F.; PERES, CARLOS A.; JAMELLI, DAVI; DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; RIBEIRO, ELAINE M. S.; MELO, FELIPE P. L.; LEAL, INARA R.; TABARELLI, MARCELO. Cross-scale drivers of woody plant species commonness and rarity in the Brazilian drylands. DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, v. N/A, p. 15-pg., 2022-06-14. (13/08722-5)

PYLES, MARCELA VENELLI; SILVA MAGNAGO, LUIZ FERNANDO; MAIA, VINICIUS ANDRADE; PINHO, BRUNO X.; PITTA, GREGORY; DE GASPER, ANDRE L.; VIBRANS, ALEXANDER C.; DOS SANTOS, RUBENS MANOEL; VAN DEN BERG, EDUARDO; LIMA, RENATO A. F.. Human impacts as the main driver of tropical forest carbon. SCIENCE ADVANCES, v. 8, n. 24, p. 11-pg., 2022-06-17. (13/08722-5)

GORNE, LUCAS DAMIAN; AGUIRRE-GUTIERREZ, JESUS; SOUZA, FERNANDA C.; SWENSON, NATHAN G.; KRAFT, NATHAN JARED BOARDMAN; MARIMON, BEATRIZ SCHWANTES; BAKER, TIMOTHY R.; DE LIMA, RENATO A. FERREIRA; VILANOVA, EMILIO; ALVAREZ-DAVILA, ESTEBAN; et al. Use and misuse of trait imputation in ecology: the problem of using out-of-context imputed values. ECOGRAPHY, v. N/A, p. 12-pg., 2025-02-03. (13/08722-5)

DE LIMA, RENATO A. F.; MORI, DANILO P.; PITTA, GREGORY; MELITO, MELINA O.; BELLO, CAROLINA; MAGNAGO, LUIZ F.; ZWIENER, VICTOR P.; SARAIVA, DANIEL D.; MARQUES, MARCIA C. M.; DE OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE A.; et al. How much do we know about the endangered Atlantic Forest? Reviewing nearly 70 years of information on tree community surveys. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION, v. 24, n. 9, p. 14-pg., 2015-09-01. (13/08722-5, 13/22492-2)

DE ALMEIDA, CRISLAINE; REID, J. LEIGHTON; DE LIMA, RENATO A. FERREIRA; PINTO, LUIS FERNANDO GUEDES; VIANI, RICARDO AUGUSTO GORNE. High-diversity Atlantic Forest restoration plantings fail to represent local floras. PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, v. 23, n. 1, p. 6-pg., 2025-01-01. (22/13398-1, 13/08722-5, 18/18416-2)

DE ALMEIDA, CRISLAINE; REID, J. LEIGHTON; DE LIMA, RENATO A. FERREIRA; PINTO, LUIS FERNANDO GUEDES; VIANI, RICARDO AUGUSTO GORNE. Restoration plantings in the Atlantic Forest use a small, biased, and homogeneous set of tree species. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, v. 553, p. 9-pg., 2023-12-14. (22/13398-1, 13/08722-5)

FERREIRA DE LIMA, RENATO AUGUSTO; FERREIRA BATISTA, JOAO LUIS; PRADO, PAULO INACIO. Modeling Tree Diameter Distributions in Natural Forests: An Evaluation of 10 Statistical Models. FOREST SCIENCE, v. 61, n. 2, p. 320-327, APR 2015. (99/09635-0, 13/08722-5)

SIMOES, LAURA H. P.; PENA-CLAROS, MARIELOS; GUILLEMOT, JOANNES; BROUWER, RENS; BONGERS, FRANS; POORTER, LOURENS; DE ALMEIDA, CATHERINE T.; ALMEIDA, DANILO R. A.; COOPER, MIGUEL; DECUYPER, MATHIEU; et al. Recovery of tree species functional composition in eucalypt plantations with natural regeneration differs among canopy strata. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, v. 594, p. 11-pg., 2025-10-15. (21/11940-0, 22/12138-6, 18/18416-2, 22/01858-8, 20/06734-0, 14/50279-4, 23/09862-7, 19/21920-7, 19/24049-5, 13/08722-5, 21/10573-4, 20/15230-5)