• Energy Research

Understanding the processes that influence species diversity is still a challenge in ecological studies. However, there are two main theories to discuss this topic, the niche theory and the neutral theory. Our objective was to understand the importance of environmental and spatial processes in structuring bird communities within the hydrological seasons in dry forest areas in northeastern Brazil. The study was conducted in two National Parks, the Serra da Capivara and Serra das Confusões National Parks, where 36 areas were sampled in different seasons (dry, dry/rainy transition, rainy, rainy/dry transition), in 2012 and 2013. We found with our results that bird species richness is higher in the rainy season and lower during the dry season, indicating a strong influence of seasonality, a pattern also found for environmental heterogeneity. Richness was explained by local environmental factors, while species composition was explained by environmental and spatial factors. The environmental factors were more important in explaining variations in composition. Climate change predictions have currently pointed out frequent drought events and a rise in global temperature by 2050, which would lead to changes in species behavior and to increasing desertification in some regions, including the Caatinga. In addition, the high deforestation rates and the low level of representativeness of the Caatinga in the conservation units negatively affects bird communities. This scenario has demonstrated how climatic factors affect individuals, and, therefore, should be the starting point for conservation initiatives to be developed in xeric environments.

Diversification of Amazon birds led by climate stability: lineages originated in the wetter west and dispersed into the drier east.

La réalisation des objectifs de développement durable (ODD) nécessite d'équilibrer les demandes en terres entre l'agriculture (ODD 2) et la biodiversité (ODD 15).La production d'huiles végétales, et en particulier d'huile de palme, illustre ces demandes concurrentes et ces compromis.L' huile de palme représente ~40 % de la demande annuelle mondiale actuelle d'huile végétale pour l'alimentation humaine, animale et pour le carburant (210 millions de tonnes (Mt)), mais le palmier à huile planté couvre moins de 5 à 5,5 % de la superficie totale des cultures oléagineuses mondiales (environ 425 Mha), en raison des rendements relativement élevés du palmier à huile.L' expansion récente du palmier à huile dans les régions boisées de Bornéo, de Sumatra et de la péninsule malaise, où plus de 90 % de l'huile de palme mondiale est produite, a suscité de vives inquiétudes quant au rôle du palmier à huile dans la déforestation.La contribution directe de l'expansion du palmier à huile à la déforestation tropicale régionale varie considérablement, allant de 3 % en Afrique de l'Ouest à 47 % en Malaisie.Le palmier à huile est également impliqué dans le drainage et la combustion des tourbières en Asie du Sud-Est.Les impacts environnementaux négatifs documentés d'une telle expansion comprennent le déclin de la biodiversité, les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et la pollution atmosphérique.Toutefois, le palmier à huile produit généralement plus l'huile par superficie par rapport aux autres cultures oléagineuses, est souvent économiquement viable sur des sites inadaptés à la plupart des autres cultures, et génère une richesse considérable pour au moins certains acteurs. La demande mondiale d'huiles végétales devrait augmenter de 46 % d'ici 2050. Répondre à cette demande par une expansion supplémentaire du palmier à huile par rapport à d'autres cultures d'huile végétale entraînera des effets différentiels substantiels sur la biodiversité, la sécurité alimentaire, le changement climatique, la dégradation des terres et les moyens de subsistance. Notre examen souligne que, bien que des lacunes importantes subsistent dans notre compréhension de la relation entre les impacts environnementaux, socioculturels et économiques du palmier à huile, et la portée, la rigueur et l'efficacité des initiatives visant à y remédier, il y a eu peu de recherches sur les impacts et les compromis des autres cultures d'huile végétale. Une plus grande attention de la recherche doit être accordée à l'étude des impacts de la production d'huile de palme par rapport aux alternatives pour les compromis à évaluer à l'échelle mondiale. El cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) requiere equilibrar las demandas de tierras entre la agricultura (ODS 2) y la biodiversidad (ODS 15). La producción de aceites vegetales, y en particular el aceite de palma, ilustra estas demandas y compensaciones competitivas. El aceite de palma representa aproximadamente el 40% de la demanda anual mundial actual de aceite vegetal como alimento, pienso y combustible (210 millones de toneladas (Mt)), pero la palma aceitera plantada cubre menos del 5-5,5% del área total de cultivos oleaginosos mundiales (aprox. 425 Mha). debido a los rendimientos relativamente altos de la palma aceitera. La reciente expansión de la palma aceitera en las regiones boscosas de Borneo, Sumatra y la Península Malaya, donde se produce más del 90% del aceite de palma mundial, ha generado una preocupación sustancial sobre el papel de la palma aceitera en la deforestación. La contribución directa de la expansión de la palma aceitera a la deforestación tropical regional varía ampliamente, desde el 3% en África occidental hasta el 47% en Malasia. La palma aceitera también está implicada en el drenaje y la quema de turberas en el sudeste asiático. Los impactos ambientales negativos documentados de dicha expansión incluyen la disminución de la biodiversidad, las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero y la contaminación del aire. Sin embargo, la palma aceitera generalmente produce más. aceite por área que otros cultivos oleaginosos, a menudo es económicamente viable en sitios inadecuados para la mayoría de los otros cultivos y genera una riqueza considerable para al menos algunos actores. Se proyecta que la demanda mundial de aceites vegetales aumentará en un 46% para 2050. Satisfacer esta demanda a través de una expansión adicional de la palma aceitera frente a otros cultivos de aceite vegetal conducirá a efectos diferenciales sustanciales en la biodiversidad, la seguridad alimentaria, el cambio climático, la degradación de la tierra y los medios de vida. Nuestra revisión destaca que, aunque quedan brechas sustanciales en nuestra comprensión de la relación entre los impactos ambientales, socioculturales y económicos de la palma aceitera, y el alcance, la rigurosidad y la efectividad de las iniciativas para abordarlos, ha habido poca investigación sobre los impactos y las compensaciones de otros cultivos de aceite vegetal. Se debe prestar mayor atención a la investigación para investigar los impactos de la producción de aceite de palma en comparación con las alternativas para las compensaciones que se evaluarán a escala mundial. Delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires balancing demands on land between agriculture (SDG 2) and biodiversity (SDG 15).The production of vegetable oils, and in particular palm oil, illustrates these competing demands and trade-offs.Palm oil accounts for ~40% of the current global annual demand for vegetable oil as food, animal feed, and fuel (210 million tons (Mt)), but planted oil palm covers less than 5-5.5% of the total global oil crop area (ca.425 Mha), due to oil palm's relatively high yields.Recent oil palm expansion in forested regions of Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula, where >90% of global palm oil is produced, has led to substantial concern around oil palm's role in deforestation.Oil palm expansion's direct contribution to regional tropical deforestation varies widely, ranging from 3% in West Africa to 47% in Malaysia.Oil palm is also implicated in peatland draining and burning in Southeast Asia.Documented negative environmental impacts from such expansion include biodiversity declines, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution.However, oil palm generally produces more oil per area than other oil crops, is often economically viable in sites unsuitable for most other crops, and generates considerable wealth for at least some actors.Global demand for vegetable oils is projected to increase by 46% by 2050.Meeting this demand through additional expansion of oil palm versus other vegetable oil crops will lead to substantial differential effects on biodiversity, food security, climate change, land degradation, and livelihoods.Our review highlights that, although substantial gaps remain in our understanding of the relationship between the environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts of oil palm, and the scope, stringency and effectiveness of initiatives to address these, there has been little research into the impacts and trade-offs of other vegetable oil crops.Greater research attention needs to be given to investigating the impacts of palm oil production compared to alternatives for the trade-offs to be assessed at a global scale. يتطلب تحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة (SDGs) موازنة الطلب على الأراضي بين الزراعة (SDG 2) والتنوع البيولوجي (SDG 15). يوضح إنتاج الزيوت النباتية، ولا سيما زيت النخيل، هذه المطالب والمقايضات المتنافسة. يمثل زيت النخيل حوالي40 ٪ من الطلب السنوي العالمي الحالي على الزيوت النباتية كغذاء وعلف حيواني ووقود (210 مليون طن متري)، لكن نخيل الزيت المزروع يغطي أقل من 5-5.5 ٪ من إجمالي مساحة محصول النفط العالمي (حوالي 425 مليون هكتار)، بسبب غلة نخيل الزيت المرتفعة نسبيًا. أدى التوسع الأخير في نخيل الزيت في مناطق الغابات في بورنيو وسومطرة وشبه جزيرة الملايو، حيث يتم إنتاج أكثر من 90 ٪ من زيت النخيل العالمي، إلى قلق كبير حول دور نخيل الزيت في إزالة الغابات. تختلف المساهمة المباشرة لتوسع نخيل الزيت في إزالة الغابات الاستوائية الإقليمية اختلافًا كبيرًا، حيث تتراوح من 3 ٪ في غرب إفريقيا إلى 47 ٪ في ماليزيا. كما يتورط نخيل الزيت في تصريف الأراضي الخثية وحرقها في جنوب شرق آسيا. وتشمل الآثار البيئية السلبية الموثقة من هذا التوسع انخفاض التنوع البيولوجي وانبعاثات غازات الدفيئة وتلوث الهواء. ومع ذلك، ينتج نخيل الزيت عمومًا المزيد من المتوقع أن يزداد الطلب العالمي على الزيوت النباتية بنسبة 46 ٪ بحلول عام 2050. وستؤدي تلبية هذا الطلب من خلال التوسع الإضافي في محاصيل نخيل الزيت مقابل محاصيل الزيوت النباتية الأخرى إلى آثار تفاضلية كبيرة على التنوع البيولوجي والأمن الغذائي وتغير المناخ وتدهور الأراضي وسبل العيش. وتسلط مراجعتنا الضوء على أنه على الرغم من استمرار وجود فجوات كبيرة في فهمنا للعلاقة بين الآثار البيئية والاجتماعية والثقافية والاقتصادية لنخيل الزيت، ونطاق وصرامة وفعالية المبادرات الرامية إلى معالجتها، إلا أنه لم يتم إجراء سوى القليل من الأبحاث حول تأثيرات ومقايضات محاصيل الزيوت النباتية الأخرى. ويلزم إيلاء اهتمام بحثي أكبر للتحقيق في آثار إنتاج زيت النخيل مقارنة ببدائل المقايضات التي سيتم تقييمها على نطاق عالمي.

The negative effects of land-use changes on biodiversity significantly contribute to climate change. Primates are among the animals most affected by these changes, because of their high dependence on forest cover where a lack of forest connectivity can limit their dispersal and segregate their populations. In this sense, protected areas (PAs) are crucial for conserving endangered primates, especially endemic species. Using species distribution models, we assessed the impact of climate change and deforestation on the geographic distribution of 35 endangered Brazilian primates. We also evaluated the potential of PAs to retain suitable habitats for primate species under current conditions (baseline) and four future climate scenarios (optimistic and pessimistic, both for the periods 2041-2060 and 2061-2080), as well as the capacity of PAs to preserve species' geographic representation both now and in the future. Our findings indicate that most primate taxa would experience a significant loss of suitable area (> 90%) in both pessimistic and optimistic scenarios. For future scenarios, the loss could exceed 98% for 10 taxa, particularly Amazonian species. Regarding PAs potential to retain suitable areas for maintaining the richness of threatened primates, only 8.6% harbor more species than expected by chance (1-6 taxa) in the baseline conditions, with a decrease in future scenarios. Results suggest that taxa already threatened with extinction are inadequately protected by PAs in the baseline conditions and even less so in future scenarios. Given the restricted geographic distribution and current population decline for most taxa, we emphasize the need to increase the number of PAs to ensure population viability and prevent future extinction.

The Amazonian and Atlantic Forest share several organisms that are currently isolated but were continuously distributed during the Quaternary period. As both biomes are under different climatic regimes, paleoclimatic events may have modulated species' niches due to a lack of gene flow and imposing divergent selection pressure. Here, we assessed patterns of ecological niche overlap in 37 species of birds with disjunct ranges between the Amazonian and Brazilian Atlantic Forests. We performed niche overlap analysis and ecological niche modeling using four machine-learning algorithms to evaluate whether species' ecological niches evolved or remained conserved after the past South American biogeographic events. We found a low niche overlap among the same species populations in the two biomes. However, niche similarity tests showed that, for half of the species, the overlap was higher than the ones generated by our null models. These results lead us to conclude that niche conservatism was not enough to avoid ecological differentiation among species even though detected in many species. In sum, our results support the role of climatic changes in late-Pleistocene-that isolated Amazon and the Atlantic Forest-as a driving force of ecological differences among the same species populations and potential mechanism of current diversification in both regions.

In recent years, carbon dioxide emissions have been potentiated by several anthropogenic processes that culminate in climate change, which in turn directly threatens biodiversity and the resilience of natural ecosystems. Tropical rainforests are among the most impacted biological realms. The Belém endemism center, which is one of the several endemism centers in Amazon, is located in the most affected area within the so-called "Deforestation Arc." Moreover, this region harbors a high concentration of Amazonian endangered bird species, of which 56% of them are considered to be under the threat of extinction. In this work, we sought to evaluate the current and future impacts of both climate change and deforestation on the distribution of endemic birds in the Belém Area of Endemism (BEA). Thus, we generated species distribution models for the 16 endemic bird species considering the current and two future gas emission scenarios (optimistic and pessimistic). We also evaluated climate change impacts on these birds in three different dispersal contexts. Our results indicate that BAE, the endemic taxa will lose an average of 73% of suitable areas by 2050. At least six of these birds species will have less than 10% or no future suitable habitat in all emission scenarios. One of the main mechanisms used to mitigate the impacts of climate change on these species in the near future is to assess the current system of protected areas. It is necessary to ensure that these areas will continue being effective in conserving these species even under climate change. The "Gurupi Mosaic" and the "Rio-Capim" watershed are areas of great importance because they are considered climate refuges according to our study. Thus, conservation efforts should be directed to the maintenance and preservation of these two large remnants of vegetation in addition to creating ecological corridors between them.