In 2021, more than 28.4 million people were estimated to reside within the Legal Amazon area in Brazil. Since 1970, the resident population in the region has quadrupled. The Legal Amazon in Brazil extends across nine Brazilian states, with the the largest area located in the state of Amazonas.

Strawberry guava (waiawī, Psidium cattleyanum O. Deg., Myrtaceae) is a small tree invasive on oceanic islands where it may alter forest ecosystem processes and community structure. To better understand the dynamics of its invasion in Hawaiian rainforests in anticipation of the release of a biocontrol agent, we measured growth and abundance of vertical stems >= 0.5 cm DBH for 16 years (2005-2020) in an intact Metrosideros-Cibotium rainforest on windward Hawai'i Island. Specifically, we compared the growth and abundance of both shoots (originating from seed or from the root mat) and sprouts (originating above ground from established stems) in four replicate study sites. Mean stem density increased from 9562 stems/ha in 2005 to 26,595 stems/ha in 2020, the majority of which were stems < 2 cm DBH. Mean annual rates of population growth (lambda) varied between 1.03 and 1.17. Early in the invasion, both density and per capita recruitment of shoots was greater than that of sprouts, but a..., Sites: We measured guava stem diameters annually between 2005 and 2020 at each of four replicate study plots selected to represent early stages of strawberry guava invasions in intact Metrosideros-Cibotium rainforest on windward Hawai'i Island (Juvik and Juvik 1998). Wet forests in Hawai'i are high priority conservation areas because of the biological diversity they harbor and their importance in the water economy of the islands (Jacobi and Warshauer 1992, Tunison 1992). Our study plots were established in the following conservation areas: Kahauale'a Natural Area Reserve (KAH, 19o10'N, 155o10'W), Pu'u Maka'ala Natural Area Reserve (MAK, 19o34'N, 155o11'W), Ola'a Forest Reserve (OLA, 19o27'N, 155o11'W), and Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve (WAI, 19o35'N, 155o12'W). All sites are at approximately 900 m elevation and distances between sites are 2 to 17 km. Estimated annual rainfall is 3000-4000 mm at OLA and KAH and 4000-5000 mm at WAI and MAK (Giambelluca et al. 1996). Projected mean annual ..., , # Strawberry guava invasion of a Hawaiian rainforest: Changing population pattern

https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dr7sqvb42 This file provides information on the contents of the file “Psicat Demog 2005-2020 values 20231203.csv†. It is intended to accompany the manuscript titled “Strawberry guava invasion of a Hawaiian rainforest: Changing population pattern†authored by J. S. Denslow, M. T. Johnson, N. L. Chaney, E. C. Farrer. C. C. Horvitz, E. R. Nussbaum, and A. L. Uowolo which appears In the journal Biotropica. Please see the “Methods†section of that paper for more detail.

The file provides diameter at breast height (DBH, 1.37 m) of vertical strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum O. Deg. f. lucidum) stems measured annually (2005-2020) at 4 study sites in rainforest on windward Hawai'i Island.

KAH: Kahauale'a Natural Area Reserve

MAK: Puu Maka'ala Natural Area Reserve

OLA: Ola'a Forest Reserve

WAI: Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve

The ...

Abstract [Related Publication]: Previous studies, based on species distribution modelling approaches, predicted significant declines and the potential for catastrophic levels of species extinctions in the upland vertebrate species in the rainforests of the Australian Wet Tropics bioregion in north-east Queensland. Here we use standardised bird surveys across the latitudinal/elevational gradients of the bioregion to assess the changes in abundance and total population size of rainforest birds over a 17-year period (2000-2016). We used measures of relative abundance in 1977 surveys across 62 different locations ranging from 0 to 1500 meters above sea level and utilised a trend analysis approach (TRIM) to investigate elevational shifts in abundance of species over time. Our aim was to determine if bird populations and assemblages were moving uphill as predicted in earlier studies. The data clearly demonstrate that bird species and assemblages are moving up. The local abundance of most mid and high elevation species has declined at the lower edges of their distribution by more than 40% while lowland species have increased dramatically by up to 190% into higher elevation areas. Upland, specialised species and regional endemics have undergone the most dramatic declines with overall declines of almost 50%. The species declines and the potential for species extinctions previously predicted is supported by the rapid and ongoing changes in populations and elevational distribution shifts demonstrated here. The “Outstanding Universal Value” of the Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, one of the most irreplaceable biodiversity hotspots on Earth, is rapidly degrading. These observed trends truly represent a climate/biodiversity emergency requiring immediate action to protect this unique ecosystem.

This Data Publication includes:

• Survey data (.csv file) from long-term monitoring conducted by Prof. Stephen E. Williams
• Shiny application developed by Alejandro de la Fuente Piñero. The app includes 5 interactive tables (S1-S5) and figures (S1, S1.1(A), S2-S4) to accompany the publication, and is available from the link provided.
• Code and files to execute the application, archived on GitHub and available from the link provided.

The full methodology is available in the Open Access publication from the Related Publications link below.

Early pioneer species share life histories enabling them to colonize disturbed sites, but how much they differ demographically and how such differentiation determines pioneer species turnover during succession are still open questions. Here, we approached these issues by comparing the demography of dominant pioneer tree species during the old-field succession of tropical rainforest in Southeast Mexico.

We assessed changes in population density, population structure, vital rates, and intrinsic population growth rate (r) of the pioneer species Trema micrantha, Cecropia peltata, and Trichospermum mexicanum during the first 35 years of succession. For this, we combined chronosequence and long-term (from 2000 to 2018) data from 14 old-fields with 0.5-35 years fallow age.

Trema colonized and disappeared first during succession (< 15 years), followed by Cecropia (< 28) and Trichospermum (> 31). All species exhibited hump-shaped successional trajectories of population density and...

The Amazon rainforest is known for being one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. According to the source, this biome located in South America was home to one in every ten known species on the planet. The Amazon basin spans across nine South American countries or territories: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. The region occupies an area of 2.6 million square miles, which represents around 40 percent of the total South American territory.

Climate-driven biodiversity erosion is escalating at an alarming rate. The pressure imposed by climate change is exceptionally high in tropical ecosystems, where species adapted to narrow environmental ranges exhibit strong physiological constraints. Despite the observed detrimental effect of climate change on ecosystems at a global scale, our understanding of the extent to which multiple climatic drivers affect population dynamics is limited. Here, we disentangle the impact of different climatic stressors on 47 rainforest birds inhabiting the mountains of the Australian Wet Tropics using hierarchical population models. We estimate the effect of spatiotemporal changes in temperature, precipitation, heatwaves, droughts, and cyclones on the population dynamics of rainforest birds between 2000–2016. We find a strong effect of warming and changes in rainfall patterns across the elevational-segregated bird communities, with lowland populations benefiting from increasing temperature and preci...

Abstract The Southwestern Region of the Brazilian Amazon is formed by forests dominated by bamboos. The genus Guadua is endemic to the Americas, and little is known about the genetic diversity and structure of species of this genus. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity and structure of two native Guadua species in natural populations in the Southwestern region of the Brazilian Amazon. Therefore, the genetic diversity and structure of Guadua aff. chaparensis and Guadua aff. lynnclarkiae were evaluated with the use of microsatellite molecular markers (SSR). It was verified that the average genetic diversity for the populations studied was considered high ( H ^ e =0.5) compared to other species of bamboo. All populations had rare and private alleles, and none of them presented significant values of inbreeding. The populations were divergent ( G ^ ST = 0.46), resulting in a low apparent gene flow. The Bayesian analysis showed that among the 350 individuals analyzed, five groups (K=5) were formed, with little similarity among the groups (Populations), although two of them presented clonal individuals. According to the results obtained, it can be conclude that populations should be treated as having unique characteristics, mainly when accessed for management and for in situ and ex situ conservation studies.

Summary: Rondônia, Brazil Storymap metadata page: URL forthcoming Possible K-12 Next Generation Science standards addressed:Grade level(s) 3: Standard 3-ESS2-2 - Earth’s Systems - Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the worldGrade level(s) 5: Standard 5-ESS2-1 - Earth’s Systems - Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.Grade level(s) 6-8: Standard MS-LS4-4 - Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity - Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environmenGrade level(s) 6-8: Standard MS-LS4-6 - Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity - Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over timeGrade level(s) 6-8: Standard MS-ESS1-2 - Earth’s Place in the Universe - Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar systemGrade level(s) 6-8: Standard MS-ESS2-4 - Earth’s Systems - Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravityGrade level(s) 6-8: Standard MS-ESS2-6 - Earth’s Systems - Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.Grade level(s) 9-12: Standard HS-PS1-2 - Matter and Its Interactions - Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical propertiesGrade level(s) 9-12: Standard HS-LS2-1 - Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics - Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scalesGrade level(s) 9-12: Standard HS-LS4-4 - Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity - Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populationsGrade level(s) 9-12: Standard HS-LS4-5 - Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity - Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.Grade level(s) 9-12: Standard HS-ESS2-2 - Earth’s Systems - Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systemsGrade level(s) 9-12: Standard HS-ESS2-4 - Earth’s Systems - Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climateGrade level(s) 9-12: Standard HS-ESS3-1 - Earth and Human Activity - Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activityGrade level(s) 9-12: Standard HS-ESS3-5 - Earth and Human Activity - Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth’s systems.Most frequently used words:amazondeforestationrondôniaclimatestateApproximate Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level: 9.8. The FK reading grade level should be considered carefully against the grade level(s) in the NGSS content standards above.

Primary forest refers to the area of a forest that has not been disturbed by human activity. When looking at the total amount of primary tropical forest found across the globe, over 54 percent of it can be found in the Amazon. This is over three times the amount found in the Congo, which is the world's second largest rainforest.

Aim

The exceptionally rich biodiversity found in tropical rainforest is under threat from anthropogenic climate change. We recognize the threat, yet we have little knowledge of the capacity of tropical species to adjust their climate sensitivity in response to it. One indicator of a species’ capacity to adjust to different climates is the amount of intraspecific variation observed in its climate-relevant traits; if a climate-relevant trait varies, and this variation is correlated with local climates, it suggests the species can adjust the trait to different conditions through either phenotypic plasticity or evolutionary adaptation. Here, we test for intraspecific variation in climate-relevant traits in a rainforest specialist to shed light on the capacity of such species to adjust to different climates. Location

The Wet Tropics Bioregion, Australia. Methods

We studied 12 populations of a lizard that is a tropical rainforest specialist, the rainforest sunskink (Lampropholis coggeri), ...

The files stored under this doi are the sopporting information of the article "Lower Ungulate Population Density in Rainforests Under Anthropogenic influences" published at The Journal of Applied Ecology

Abstract: This rainforest tree demographic data package comprises recruitment, growth and mortality census data for rainforest trees at the O'Reilly's Plot, Lamington National Park (84 km south of Brisbane), Queensland for 2017. The O’Reilly’s Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart in sub-tropical rainforest, which have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b.

Sampling method: The O'Reilly's Plot consists of two 1.0 hectare plots spaced 600 m apart, which have always been treated as a single unit for the purpose of analysis. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots in Lamington National Park which were initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963. The same sampling methods are employed in a related data package focussing on tropical rainforest plots at Davies Creek, Dinden National Park (1.7 ha, 25 km south-west of Cairns). Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years.

Project funding: The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963 and 2003.

\Between 2012 and 2018 this project was soley funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity with climate change. Population impacts of such harsh environmental events are theorized to vary with life history strategies among species. However, existing demographic models generally do not consider behavioral plasticity that may modify the impact of harsh events. Here we show that tropical songbirds in the New and Old World reduced reproduction during drought, with greater reductions in species with higher average long-term survival. Large reductions in reproduction by longer-lived species were associated with higher survival during drought than pre-drought years in Malaysia, whereas shorter-lived species maintained reproduction and survival decreased. Behavioral strategies of longer-lived, but not shorter-lived, species mitigated the effect of increasing drought frequency on long-term population growth. Behavioral plasticity can buffer the impact of climate change on populations of some species, and differences in plasti...

Aim: Species with wide distributions spanning the African Guinean and Congolian rainforests are often composed of genetically distinct populations or cryptic species with geographic distributions that mirror the locations of the remaining forest habitats. We used phylogeographic inference and demographic model testing to evaluate diversification models in a widespread rainforest species, the African Foam-nest Treefrog (Chiromantis rufescens). Location: Guinean and Congolian rainforests, West and Central Africa. Taxon: Chiromantis rufescens. Methods: We collected mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for 130 samples of Chiromantis rufescens. After estimating population structure and inferring species trees using coalescent methods, we tested demographic models to evaluate alternative population divergence histories that varied with respect to gene flow, population size change, and periods of isolation and secondary contact. Species distribution models were used to identify regions of climatic stability that could have served as forest refugia since the Last Interglacial. Results: Population structure within Chiromantis rufescens resembles the major biogeographic regions of the Guinean and Congolian forests. Coalescent-based phylogenetic analyses provide strong support for an early divergence between the western Upper Guinean forest and the remaining populations. Demographic inferences support diversification models with gene flow and population size changes even in cases where contemporary populations are currently allopatric, which provides support for forest refugia and barrier models. Species distribution models suggest that forest refugia were available for each of the populations throughout the Pleistocene. Main conclusions: Considering historical demography is essential for understanding population diversification, especially in complex landscapes such as those found in the Guineo-Congolian forest. Population demographic inferences help connect patterns of genetic variation to diversification model predictions. The diversification history of Chiromantis rufescens was shaped by a variety of processes, including vicariance from river barriers, forest fragmentation, and adaptive evolution along environmental gradients.

The disjunct temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest of North America (PNW) are characterized by late-successional dominant tree species Thuja plicata (western redcedar) and Tsuga heterophylla (western hemlock). The demographic histories of these species, along with the PNW rainforest ecosystem in its entirety, have been heavily impacted by geological and climatic changes the PNW has experienced over the last 5 million years, including mountain orogeny and repeated Pleistocene glaciations. These environmental events have ultimately shaped the history of these species, with inland populations potentially being extirpated during the Pleistocene glaciations. Here, we collect genomic data for both species across their ranges to test multiple demographic models, each reflecting a different hypothesis on how the ecosystem-dominating species may have responded to dramatic climatic change. Our results indicate that inland and coastal populations in both species diverged approximately 2.5 million years ago in the early Pleistocene and experienced decreases in population size during glacial cycles, with subsequent population expansion. Importantly, we found evidence for gene flow between coastal and inland populations during the mid-Holocene. It is likely that intermittent migration in these species during this time has prevented allopatric speciation via genetic drift alone. In conclusion, our results from combining genomic data and demographic inference procedures involving machine learning establish that populations of the ecosystem dominants Thuja plicata and Tsuga heterophylla persisted in refugia located in both the coastal and inland regions of the PNW throughout the Pleistocene, with populations expanding and contracting in response to glacial cycles with occasional gene-flow.

Abstract: This rainforest tree demographic data package comprises recruitment, growth and mortality census data for rainforest trees Davies Creek Plot in Dinden National Park, (25 km south west of Cairns), Queensland for 1963-2013. This plot consists of one 1.7 hectare plot in tropical rainforest, established in 1963. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years. The Davies Creek Plot was incorporated over an existing 0.4 ha plot established by the Queensland Department of Forestry in 1951 (Nicholson et al. 1988), so the central part of the Davies Creek Plot has records extending back more than a decade prior to 1963.

This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b

Sampling method: The Dinden National Park Plot is a 1.7 hectare plot. The plot was selected by Prof. Joseph H. Connell in 1963 on the advice of his CSIRO collaborators Dr Len Webb and Mr Geoff Tracey, and was chosen for three reasons; it was accessible, it was unlogged, and a smaller 0.4 ha plot belonging to the Queensland Department of Forestry had already been established there in 1951.

This plot is one of two plots established by Connell in 1963 – the other is in subtropical rainforest near O’Reilly’s Guesthouse in Lamington National Park, 65 km south of Brisbane. The same sampling methods are employed at both plots, at intervals of 1-6 years.

Project funding: The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963 and 2003.

Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of, and funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

In 2024, Brazil recorded the largest area of primary tropical forest loss worldwide, at more than 2.8 million hectares. Primary forest loss in Brazil was considerably higher than in any other country that year, accounting for over 40 percent of global primary forest loss. Bolivia ranked second, with roughly 1.5 million hectares of forest loss.

Native plants were sampled from nine Atlantic rainforest locations in Brazil for botanical identification, herbarium mounts and chemical analyses. Plants were marked and the coordinate reference determined by Global Positioning System (GPS). Botanical names are as presented in the list of species of Brazilian flora (Lista de Espécies da Flora do Brasil, Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, 2015). Voucher specimens were deposited at the Herbarium of Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) (http://herbario.iac.sp.gov.br/), under the given accession numbers (Table 1). Marked plants were resampled in two subsequent years and those failing to be located or in poor condition were excluded from analyses. Environmental data were obtained from meteorological stations at the locations. Monthly values were used to calculate the average seasonal data.

Forest fire incidents are becoming increasingly common around the world, posing a threat to the environment, economy, and social life. These wildfires are further expected to rise in their frequency and intensity, considering the global climate change and human activities. A variety of attributes must be studied in order to analyse relationships between the probable causes of fire and the characteristics of wildfire incidents, and inform decision-making. Such attributes are available or easily collectable in various regions around the world, but they are not readily available in the South American Amazon. The Amazon rainforest covers such a large area that acquiring a useful dataset necessitates extensive effort and computer intensive pre-processing. The associated study to this dataset investigates potential data sources for the Amazon, establishes a methodological baseline, and prepares a dataset of covariates thought to be contributing to the wildfire ignition process. The dataset is intended to be used for forest fire studies, specifically spatio-temporal and statistical analysis of wildfires. The study provides three sets of (i) raw data (acquired data with a global extent), (ii) pre-processed data (source data transformed to the same projection system and same file format), and (iii) working data (cropped to Amazon region extent with spatial resolution of 500 meters and monthly temporal resolution, to enable the scientific community to work with various possibilities of forest-fire analysis, and to further encourage research in study areas in the other parts of the world.

Abstract: This rainforest tree data package comprises stand structure data for rainforest trees at the Davies Creek Plot in Dinden National Park, (25 km south west of Cairns), Queensland for 2013. This plot consists of one 1.7 hectare plot in tropical rainforest, established in 1963. Rainforest tree attributes recorded comprise the size (height or girth) of tagged and mapped, free-standing stems of shrub and tree species. Sampling has been undertaken at intervals of 1-6 years since 1963; this data package is from the most recent full re-census of the plot in October 2013, and essentially provides a snapshot of stand structure on the site. This data package forms part of the collection of vegetation data undertaken at plots situated in both Lamington National Park and Davies Creek initiated by Professor Joseph H. Connell (University of California, Santa Barbara) in 1963. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b.

Sampling method: The Dinden National Park Plot is a 1.7 hectare plot. The plot was selected by Prof. Joseph H. Connell in 1963 on the advice of his CSIRO collaborators Dr Len Webb and Mr Geoff Tracey, and was chosen for three reasons; it was accessible, it was unlogged, and a smaller 0.4 ha plot belonging to the Queensland Department of Forestry had already been established there in 1951. This plot is one of two plots established by Connell in 1963 – the other is in subtropical rainforest near O’Reilly’s Guesthouse in Lamington National Park, 65 km south of Brisbane. The same sampling methods are employed at both plots, at intervals of 1-6 years. See Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c13444388e1b.

Study extent: None

Project abstract: This group conducts research in the rainforest looking at tree demographics.

Project funding: The National Science Foundation was the sole funder of this research between 1963 and 2003. Between 2012 and 2018 this project was soley funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

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