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

• Grant number: 13/08722-5
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Theoretical Ecology
• Principal researcher: Paulo Inácio de Knegt López de Prado
• Grantee: Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima
• Home 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

(10)

(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; 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. Web of Science Citations: 0.

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. Web of Science Citations: 0.

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. Web of Science Citations: 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; NIEBUHR, BERNARDO BRANDAO; OLIVEIRA, ALEXANDRE A.; PEREIRA, LUCAS AUGUSTO; PRADO, PAULO I.; STEVENS, RICHARD D.; VANCINE, MAURICIO HUMBERTO; RIBEIRO, MILTON CEZAR; GALETTI, MAURO; OVASKAINEN, OTSO. Fragmented tropical forests lose mutualistic plant-animal interactions. DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, v. 26, n. 2 NOV 2019. Web of Science Citations: 2.

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. Web of Science Citations: 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. Web of Science Citations: 13.

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. Web of Science Citations: 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. Web of Science Citations: 100.

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.; PRADO, PAULO I. 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. Web of Science Citations: 34.

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. Web of Science Citations: 7.