Multi-taxa ecological responses to habitat loss and fragmentation in western Amazonia as revealed by RAPELD biodiversity surveys

Moulatlet, Gabriel M.; Ambriz, Emmanuel; Guevara, Jennifer; López, Karima G.; Rodes-Blanco, Marina; Guerra-Arévalo, Nereida; Ortega‐Andrade, H. Mauricio; Meneses, Pablo

doi:10.1590/1809-4392202004532

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…We applied community and diversity indices to assess species co-occurrence mechanisms in assemblages in this area. We expected changes in species composition and abundance patterns of fern and lycophyte assemblages in plots located in areas with different habitat loss and fragmentation levels, as previously shown for other taxa in the same study area (Moulatlet et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 71%

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Diversity and composition of ferns and lycophytes in a fragmented landscape in Ecuadorian Amazonia

Moulatlet,

Riaño,

Rodrigues

et al. 2023

Rodriguésia

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Tropical forests have been subjected to increasing deforestation, leading to severe habitat loss and fragmentation of the landscape. Studies of various plant groups-indicate alteration in species diversity and assemblage composition in response to these impacts. How theses impacts affect ferns and lycophytes, however, is less well known. In this study we evaluate the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on ferns and lycophytes in lowland non-inundated forests in Ecuadorian Amazonia. We obtained assemblage information from thirteen plots located in gradients of habitat loss and fragmentation (as measured by the landscape fragmentation index: fragindex) and used community and diversity indices to evaluate species responses. We found 3,824 individuals of 55 species. The plot with the highest fragindex value (more than 20% of habitat loss and fragmentation) had the lowest diversity, but the highest diversity was found in plots with fragindex values from 12% to 21% of habitat loss and fragmentation rather than in the landscapes without deforestation. Although community composition varied along the fragindex gradient, species turnover was not significantly related to this index. These results suggest that changes in the landscape caused by deforestation alter the availability of habitats, consequently affecting the distribution patterns of ferns and lycophytes.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…We calculate a fragmentation index (hereafter fragindex), according to Moulatlet et al (2021). For that, we generated a forest/non-forest raster layer based on the classification of land-use maps and land-cover layers with accumulated information from 2000-2017.…”

Section: Landscape Metricmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and composition of ferns and lycophytes in a fragmented landscape in Ecuadorian Amazonia

Moulatlet,

Riaño,

Rodrigues

et al. 2023

Rodriguésia

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“…2). This observation also brings attention to habitat alterations in the Ecuadorian Amazon that are likely to facilitate encounters between generalist species and forest specialists (Bonilla et al 2008;Moulatlet et al 2021).…”

Section: T a B L E O F C O N T E N T S F E A T U R E A R T I C L E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Predation on a Roughskin Anole (Anolis trachyderma) by a Smooth-billed Ani (Aves: Cuculidae)

Espinoza

Yánez-Muñóz

2023

RandA

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This species has a disjunct distribution east of the Andes in the western Amazon of Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, it is present between 150 and 1,400 m asl in well preserved evergreen forests, most frequently in primary forest and less commonly along the borders of rivers and forest clearings (Ayala-Varela 2004). During daily activity, it forages in leaf litter, around logs, and in small shrubs (Ayala-Varela 2004).Smooth-billed Anis (Crotophaga ani) have an extensive distribution from Florida (USA) to northern Argentina, where they occupy a wide variety of habitats (BirdLife International 2023). They are generally diurnal and considered generalist predators that feed on arthropods and small vertebrates, including lizards. They typically forage near cattle in grasslands, disturbed open habitats, and forest borders, and they frequently perch in low vegetation, such as shrubs and small trees, between feeding events (Bent 1940;Ridgely and Greenfield 2001;Cooke et al. 2019).At 1455 h on 9 July 2021, while traveling to the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon, we stopped near Manuel Galindo between the Coca River and Cayambe-Coca National Park in Napo, Ecuador (-0.138053, -77.619137), where we observed Smooth-billed Anis feeding on insects and witnessed one individual on the upper branch of a small tree next to the highway with a captured adult A. trachyderma in its beak (Fig. 1).Although records of predation on other lizard species by C. ani exist, to our knowledge this is the first report of predation on A. trachyderma. This is likely an unusual event given the habitat preferences of the two species. Anolis trachyderma is a tropical forest specialist (Castañeda et al. 2020), whereas

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“…However, Refs. [71][72][73] reported that the area assessed has suffered from deforestation in recent years.…”

Section: Global Product Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Applicability of Global LULC Products and an Author-Generated Phenology-Based Map for Regional Analysis: A Case Study in Ecuador’s Ecoregions

Rugel

Ochoa

Menéndez

et al. 2023

Land

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An accurate and detailed understanding of land-use change affected by anthropogenic actions is key to environmental policy decision-making and implementation. Although global land cover products have been widely used to monitor and analyse land use/land cover (LULC) change, the feasibility of using these products at the regional level needs to be assessed due to the limitation and biases of generalised models from around the world. The main objective of the present study was to generate regional LULC maps of three target areas located in the main ecoregions of Ecuador at a resolution of 10 m using Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud-based computing. Our approach is based on (1) Single Date Classification (SDC) that processes Sentinel-2 data into fuzzy rule-driven thematic classes, (2) rule refinement using Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) data, and (3) phenology-based synthesis (PBS) classification that combines SDC into LULC based on the occurrence rule. Our results show that the three target areas were classified with an overall accuracy of over 80%. In addition, cross-comparison between the global land cover products and our LULC product was performed and we found discrepancies and inaccuracies in the global products due to the characteristics of the target areas that included a dynamic landscape. Our LULC product supplements existing official statistics and showcases the effectiveness of phenology-based mapping in managing land use by providing precise and timely data to support agricultural policies and ensure food security.

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Multi-taxa ecological responses to habitat loss and fragmentation in western Amazonia as revealed by RAPELD biodiversity surveys

Cited by 9 publications

References 52 publications

Diversity and composition of ferns and lycophytes in a fragmented landscape in Ecuadorian Amazonia

Diversity and composition of ferns and lycophytes in a fragmented landscape in Ecuadorian Amazonia

Predation on a Roughskin Anole (Anolis trachyderma) by a Smooth-billed Ani (Aves: Cuculidae)

Evaluating the Applicability of Global LULC Products and an Author-Generated Phenology-Based Map for Regional Analysis: A Case Study in Ecuador’s Ecoregions

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