Linking plant phenology to conservation biology

Author(s):Show less -

Cerdeira Morellato, Leonor Patricia ; Alberton, Bruna ; Alvarado, Swanni T. ; Borges, Bruno ; Buisson, Elise ; Camargo, Maria Gabriela G. ; Cancian, Leonardo F. ; Carstensen, Daniel W. ; Escobar, Diego F. E. ; Leite, Patricia T. P. ; Mendoza, Irene ; Rocha, Nathalia M. W. B. ; Soares, Natalia C. ; Freire Silva, Thiago Sanna ; Staggemeier, Vanessa G. ; Streher, Annia Susin ; Vargas, Betania C. ; Peres, Carlos A.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Biological Conservation; v. 195, p. 13-pg., 2016-03-01.

Abstract

Phenology has achieved a prominent position in current scenarios of global change research given its role in monitoring and predicting the timing of recurrent life cycle events. However, the implications of phenology to environmental conservation and management remain poorly explored. Here, we present the first explicit appraisal of how phenology a multidisciplinary science encompassing biometeorology, ecology, and evolutionary biology can make a key contribution to contemporary conservation biology. We focus on shifts in plant phenology induced by global change, their impacts on species diversity and plant-animal interactions in the tropics, and how conservation efforts could be enhanced in relation to plant resource organization. We identify the effects of phenological changes and mismatches in the maintenance and conservation of mutualistic interactions, and examine how phenological research can contribute to evaluate, manage and mitigate the consequences of land-use change and other natural and anthropogenic disturbances, such as fire, exotic and invasive species. We also identify cutting-edge tools that can improve the spatial and temporal coverage of phonological monitoring, from satellites to drones and digital cameras. We highlight the role of historical information in recovering long-term phenological time series, and track climate-related shifts in tropical systems. Finally, we propose a set of measures to boost the contribution of phonology to conservation science. We advocate the inclusion of phenology into predictive models integrating evolutionary history to identify species groups that are either resilient or sensitive to future climate-change scenarios, and understand how phenological mismatches can affect community dynamics, ecosystem services, and conservation over time. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/00215-0 - Remote phenology and leaf exchange patterns towards a sazonality gradient
• Grantee: Bruna de Costa Alberton
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 13/50155-0 - Combining new technologies to monitor phenology from leaves to ecosystems
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - University-Industry Cooperative Research (PITE)
• FAPESP's process: 10/52113-5 - e-phenology: the application of new technologies to monitor plant phenology and track climate changes in the tropics
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Regular Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/12429-9 - Floristic diversity and seasonal patterns of Rupestrian Fields and Cerrado
• Grantee: Nathália Miranda Walter Bretas Rocha
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 14/07700-0 - Combining new technologies to monitor phenology from leaves to ecosystems
• Grantee: Bruno Defane Borges
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 10/01762-3 - Fruiting patterns and diversity in production, color and chemical composition of cerrado fruits: an integrated view
• Grantee: Maria Gabriela Gutierrez de Camargo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 12/21601-0 - Phenological responses of woody plants to climate change: a comparative analysis across the Neotropics
• Grantee: Irene Mendoza Sagrera
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 14/13899-4 - Phenology and phylogenies as tools to understand the effects of climate changes in the tropics
• Grantee: Vanessa Graziele Staggemeier
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 10/51307-0 - Floristic diversity and seasonal patterns of rupestrian fields and cerrado
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Partnership for Technological Innovation - PITE
• FAPESP's process: 15/17534-3 - Abiotic and biotic drivers of species diversity across an elevation gradient: an optical trait-based approach for testing ecological theories
• Grantee: Annia Susin Streher
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 14/01594-4 - Variation of plant-pollinator networks and pairwise interactions across space and time
• Grantee: Daniel Wisbech Carstensen
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 11/22635-2 - Floristic diversity and seasonal patterns of rupestrian fields and cerrado
• Grantee: Daniel Wisbech Carstensen
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 14/12728-1 - Monitoring the effects of fire on the phenology and community structure of campos rupestres and Cerrado vegetation through remote sensing
• Grantee: Swanni Tatiana Alvarado Romero
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 14/13354-8 - Phenology at the landscape scale: image collection and processing using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
• Grantee: Leonardo Farage Cancian
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training