Plant Functional Ecology Lab - Unicamp

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14060

New paper highlighting the need to recognize the value of open biomes for protecting biodiversity, securing ecosystem services, mitigating climate change, and enhancing human livelihoods.

Biome Awareness Disparity is BAD for tropical ecosystem conservation and restoration 1. We introduce the concept of Biome Awareness Disparity (BAD)—defined as a failure to appreciate the significance of all biomes in conservation and restoration policy—and quantify disparities in (i)...

Can soil inoculation help us restore neotropical savannas (cerrados)?

In this study, we investigated the joint effects of plant–soil legacies and soil inocula in native and invaded Cerrado grasslands to evaluate whether different microbial origins affect plant–soil feedbacks and the likelihood of restoration.

Our research suggests soil inocula and legacies could be used to aid restoration efforts in the tropics, allowing restoration practitioners to stimulate the growth of species targeting functional traits for a given ecosystem.

Inoculum origin and soil legacy can shape plant–soil feedback outcomes for tropical grassland restoration Restoration techniques tailored to grasslands are needed to improve the effectiveness of restoration in tropical landscapes. In this study, we investigated the joint effects of plant–soil legacies an...

Do you want to know how to restore savanna (cerrado) functional composition?
Check out our new paper in a special issue in


Here, we use a trait-based approach to understand the functional outcomes of ecological restoration via direct seeding in a Brazilian savanna (cerrado, hereafter neotropical savanna). We compared the functional composition from woody and non-woody component, total biomass and biomass allocation of a restored relative to a degraded savanna (abandoned pasture) dominated by exotic grasses and a well-preserved old-growth native savanna. We found that the functional composition of restored communities was very similar to those dominated by exotic grasses, both characterized by a greater dominance of species with acquisitive traits, higher above-ground biomass, and lower investment in root biomass. In contrast, the native vegetation exhibited a dominance of conservative traits and higher investment in belowground rather than aboveground biomass. Even though the acquisitive traits in the restored savanna allow a fast aboveground biomass accumulation and soil cover, the lower belowground biomass investment in the restored savanna may limit its resistance and resilience to droughts and fires. Our findings suggest that restoration efforts in neotropical savanna should focus on fostering the establishment of slow-growing species to recover the ecosystem properties provided by the high biodiversity in neotropical savannas.

How effective is direct seeding to restore the functional composition of neotropical savannas? Species loss leads to changes in ecosystem function and services, impacting human well-being. Although biodiversity restoration is pivotal to circumvent this situation, the techniques for restoring o...

Have you ever heard about resurrection plants? They have the ability to dehydrate completely during sever drought periods and resume functioning after re-hydration. This ability allows them to survive strong droughts, and essential characteristic when living on rocks in the campos rupestres environment:

Desiccation tolerance implies costs to productivity but allows survival under extreme drought conditions in Velloziaceae species in campos rupestres Desiccation tolerance (DT) is the ability of plants to tolerate low leaf water content from which they can recover when water becomes available. DT sp…

A Revista Fapesp publicou esse artigo sobre um trabalho do qual tivemos a oportunidade de participar!

Para proteger as fontes de água no alto das serras Depois de ver, durante três décadas, o desaparecimento de nascentes de rios, a chegada de espécies de plantas exóticas que se espalham com facilidade e outros sinais de declínio da qualidade da paisagem formada pela vegetação predominante na serra do Espinhaço, na região Sudeste do país, o...

A Revista Fapesp escreveu um artigo sobre o papel do fogo no Cerrado, incluindo o nosso artigo sobre a vulnerabilidade das florestas ripárias (de beira de rios) aos incêndios na estação seca:

Incêndio na beira do rio Em 2017, um grande incêndio na chapada dos Veadeiros, em Goiás, queimou 80% da área do parque. Muitas das florestas ripárias, que acompanham os rios, foram parcialmente destruídas. Essa cobertura vegetal que serve de hábitat e corredor de deslocamento para uma diversidade de animais caiu de 90...

http://www.diretodaciencia.com/2020/12/14/grandes-incendios-ameacam-florestas-riparias-nas-savanas-brasileiras/?utm_source=GoDaddy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Grandes+inc%C3%AAndios+amea%C3%A7am+florestas+rip%C3%A1rias+nas+savanas+brasileiras&utm_campaign=20201214_m161238365_Grandes+inc%C3%AAndios+amea%C3%A7am+florestas+rip%C3%A1rias+nas+savanas+brasileiras&utm_term=Clique+aqui+para+continuar+a+ler+o+artigo_

Grandes incêndios ameaçam florestas ripárias nas savanas brasileiras Vegetação que margeia rios e córregos reduz erosão do solo, mantém qualidade da água e alimenta grandes reservatórios.– BERNARDO M. FLORES MICHELE DE SÁ DECHOUM ISABEL B. SCHMIDT MARINA HIROTA RAFA…