Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-01-21T09:35:50Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Milena Fiuza Diniz - 2015.pdf: 2191789 bytes, checksum: f9b07815a956dcbb354d5efe246b7a13 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-01-21T09:37:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Milena Fiuza Diniz - 2015.pdf: 2191789 bytes, checksum: f9b07815a956dcbb354d5efe246b7a13 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-21T09:37:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Milena Fiuza Diniz - 2015.pdf: 2191789 bytes, checksum: f9b07815a956dcbb354d5efe246b7a13 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / It is expected that networks of protected areas (NPAs) play a key role in conservation of several carnivores species, as jaguar, since habitat fragmentation and population isolation are strong threats. Therefore, the identification and establishment of connector structures, such as corridors and stepping-stones, are essential to ensure the population persistence of these species. Here, we used graph approach and the habitat availability metrics to design NPAs for jaguars in Atlantic Forest and ranking protected areas and other forest fragments according to their importance for landscape connectivity. Our results indicate that the protected jaguar areas (PJAs) are important to functional connectivity, mainly the state parks located in the Serra do Mar. The potential stepping-stone network, formed by 564 fragments with higher levels of importance for connectivity, increased the number of connections in landscape and reduced the amount of isolated PJAs. Only 15 fragments of this network, located in the south of the Atlantic Forest, contributed with 88% of interpatch connectivity, being considered as potential sites for jaguars reintroduction. Most of these connector areas are under the less restrictive protection of sustainable use protected areas. The approach used here has simple data requirements and provides a valuable initial guide to planning NPAs, can be applied to many other species. / (Sem resumo)

One common consequence of ontogenetic niche shifts is that juveniles and adults of the same species often use different resources and habitats. Theory suggests that variation in productivity and/or habitat size for the respective life stage regulates size distribution of individuals and population biomass. Low resources/habitat availability for juveniles relative to adults results in populations with many small juveniles with high mortality and few but large adults, while the opposite situation results in a population with small and slow growing adults with high densities. I tested this theory using lake-living brown trout (Salmo trutta), where adults inhabit lakes and use connected streams for spawning and nurseries for juveniles. My hypothesis was that the relative habitat availability for juveniles respectively adults determines the size structure of adult brown trout in lakes. This was done by quantifying available stream habitats in relation to lake area via GIS analysis of 101 allopatric brown trout lakes in Sweden and Norway. My results showed that the proportion of large trout, mean length and maximum length decreased with increasing juvenile habitat in relation to adult habitat availability. This suggests that relative variation in availability of juvenile and adult habitats can affect the size structure of lake-living brown trout, most likely due to size dependent niche shifts and competitive and cannibalistic interactions. As the lake brown trout is highly valued both for commercial and recreational purposes, these findings can be highly valuable for sustainable management of the ecosystems services that the brown trout provides.

The productivity or availability of juvenile habitats have theoretically been shown to determine size distributions of adult individuals and population abundance. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) is a species where adults may inhabit lakes and use connected streams for spawning and as nursery habitats for juveniles. This project aimed to estimate what factors determine the density and growth of juvenile brown trout in mountain streams. This was done by sampling 21 mountain streams for juvenile brown trout densities and growth, habitat availability and stream size, productivity, and resource availability. Additional data were obtained from other mountain streams from the Swedish Electrofishing Register. My results showed that measures of stream productivity and estimated benthic resource availability did not affect the densities and biomass of older juvenile brown trout. Instead, higher densities of older juvenile brown trout were related to increasing stream size (stream width x water depth). This is likely due to interference competition for space, where territory size influences the growth and densities of brown trout in streams but also that larger streams can provide refuges for larger individuals during periods of drying and thermal stress. This indicates that my estimate of stream size is an important factor determining densities of older juvenile brown trout in low-productive mountain streams. Stream size can be suggested to be a used as proxy for density and production of larger juvenile brown trout and therefore it may also be used to predict adult lake-living brown trout population size structure and abundance.

Increasing demand and competition for freshwater is threatening instream uses including ecosystem services and aquatic habitat. A standard method of evaluating impacts of alternative water management scenarios on instream habitat is Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM). The primary outputs of IFIM studies are: 1) habitat rating curves that relate habitat availability to streamflow for every species, lifestage, or recreational use modelled; and 2) habitat time series under alternative water management scenarios. We compiled 428 habitat rating curves from previous IFIM studies across 11 rivers in Virginia and tested the ability to reduce this number based on similarities in flow preferences and responses to flow alteration. Individual site-species combinations were reduced from 428 objects to four groups with similar seasonal habitat availability patterns using a hierarchical, agglomerative cluster analysis. A seasonal habitat availability (SHA) ratio was proposed as a future indicator of seasonal flow preferences. Four parameters calculated from the magnitude and shape of habitat rating curves were proposed as response metrics that indicate how a lifestage responds to flow alteration. Univariate and multivariate analyses of variance and post-hoc tests identified significantly different means for the SHA ratio, QP (F=63.2, p<2e-16) and SK (F=65.6, p<2e-16). A reduced number of instream flow users can simplify the incorporation of aquatic habitat assessment in statewide water resources management. / Master of Science

No description available.

Os efeitos deletérios da perda e fragmentação de habitat são considerados a maior ameaça à manutenção da biodiversidade do planeta. Uma das maneiras de evitar a perda de espécies em paisagens fragmentadas é a restauração ecológica, que propicia tanto o aumento da quantidade quanto a melhoria da qualidade do habitat remanescente. Além de influenciar a persistência de espécies, as condições da paisagem são reconhecidas como importantes para o sucesso das ações de restauração. Entretanto, as diretrizes para incorporação das características da paisagem no planejamento da restauração são ainda ambíguas, não facilitando o processo de tomada de decisão. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo contribuir para o avanço do uso de análises espacialmente explícitas da estrutura da paisagem para o planejamento de ações de restauração. Para isso, foram elaboradas propostas metodológicas embasadas no atual conhecimento da ecologia de paisagens e foram realizadas simulações para comparar os potenciais benefícios para a biodiversidade resultantes de diferentes estratégias para seleção de áreas para restauração. A primeira proposta, apresentada no capítulo 2, utiliza análises de paisagens em múltiplas escalas, baseadas na teoria dos grafos, para estimar a resiliência das paisagens, entendida neste trabalho como a capacidade das paisagens de reverterem extinções locais por processos de migração. Em seguida, as paisagens com condições ideais para restauração são classificadas segundo sua importância como corredores biológicos e gargalos de conectividade. Essa proposta metodológica é aplicada no caso da Mata Atlântica (capítulo 3), a fim de estabelecer diferentes níveis de prioridade para restauração no conjunto deste bioma. No quarto capítulo, é apresentada uma segunda proposta metodológica, também baseada em análises de conectividade com o uso da teoria dos grafos, mas desta vez voltada para a identificação de áreas prioritárias para restauração em escala local. Essa proposta permite ainda a comparação de prioridades entre áreas situadas em paisagens com diferentes condições de cobertura e conectividade de habitat. Por fim, no quinto capítulo, foi realizado um conjunto de simulações de restauração para comparar os efeitos das características da paisagem (e.g. a cobertura e configuração florestal), das espécies (e.g. a capacidade de dispersão) e da estratégia de restauração (e.g. o tamanho das áreas restauradas e a ordem temporal da restauração) no aumento da disponibilidade de habitat em três paisagens reais da Mata Atlântica. Os resultados desta tese permitiram estabelecer prioridades de restauração tanto em escala regional quanto em escala local, reduzindo as áreas a serem visitadas em campo e possibilitando a otimização dos esforços de restauração. Também foi possível concluir que a adoção de estratégias espaciais para a seleção de áreas para restauração deve ser feita considerando tanto as características das espécies quanto as características das paisagens e a forma de implementação da restauração. Na ausência de informações detalhadas sobre a capacidade de dispersão das espécies, abordagens baseadas em múltiplas capacidades de dispersão são recomendadas. O embasamento teórico da ecologia de paisagens e as ferramentas atuais de tratamento e integração de dados espacializados permitem a definição das melhores estratégias de restauração a partir de simulações em computador, reduzindo substancialmente os custos da restauração e aumentando a sua eficácia para a conservação das espécies em paisagens fragmentadas / The deleterious effects of habitat loss and fragmentation are considered the main threats to biodiversity. To avoid species loss due to these deleterious effects, there is an urgent need to conduct restoration actions to increase the quantity and quality of the remaining habitat. Besides influencing species persistence, the landscape structure also influences the results of restoration actions. However, guidelines to adopt a landscape approach during restoration planning are not always consistent, nor easy to apply. The objective of this study was to contribute to advances in the use of spatially explicit landscape analysis during restoration planning. To achieve this goal we developed methodological frameworks based on landscape ecology theory to set priority areas for restoration. We also adopted a simulation approach to analyze the potential benefits of different restoration strategies for biodiversity conservation. The methodological proposal presented in chapter 2 consists in multi-scale landscape analyses, based on graph theory, to estimate landscape resilience. We considered landscape resilience as the capacity to revert local species extinctions through recolonization processes. Then, those landscapes considered ideal targets to restoration actions were classified according to their importance as corridors or bottlenecks for biological flow. In chapter 3, the methodological proposal presented in chapter 2 was applied to the Atlantic Forest Biome to set restoration priorities. Chapter 4 consists in a methodological proposal, also based on graph theory, to set restoration priorities in local scale. This methodological proposal also allows the comparison of local restoration priority between landscapes with different amount and configuration of habitat cover. Finally, in the fith chapter we adopted a simulation approach to analyze the improvement of habitat availability, in three Atlantic Forest landscapes, due to different restoration strategies considering: (i) different species dispersal capabilities, (ii) initial habitat amount in the landscape, (iii) the dynamics of landscapes during restoration implementation, i.e., the changes in habitat availability as new areas were restored, and (iv) size of restored areas. The results of this study allowed us to establish local and regional restoration priorities, thus reducing field visits and optimizing restoration efforts. It was also possible to conclude that spatial strategies to set restoration priorities should be conceived based on species dispersal capacities, landscape structure and also considering the strategies to implement restoration actions. If data on species dispersal characteristics is not available, a multi species approach to set restoration priorities is also recommended. The theoretical background of landscape ecology and the available tools to manage spatial data allow identifying the best restoration strategies, reducing the costs and optimizing the benefits to conserve biodiversity in fragmented landscapes

Lichens are, in most cases, sensitive to anthropogenic factors such as air pollution, global warming, forestry and fragmentation. Two studies are included in this thesis. The first is an evaluation of the importance of old oak for the rare epiphytic lichen Cliostomum corrugatum (Ach.) Fr. This study analysed whether C. corrugatum was limited by dispersal or restricted to tree stands with an unbroken continuity or the substrate old oaks. The results provide evidence that the investigated five populations in Östergötland, Sweden, of C. corrugatum exhibit substantial gene flow, an effective dispersal and a small genetic variation between the sites. Most of the genetic variation was within the populations. Thus, C. corrugatum is more dependent of the substrate old oaks, rather than limited by dispersal. The second study investigated possible range shift of some common macrolichens, due to global warming, from 64 sites in southern Sweden comparing the two years 1986 and 2003. The centroid of three lichen species had moved a significant distance, all in a north east direction: Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. and Vulpicida pinastri (Scop.) J.-E. Mattsson and M. J. Lai on the tree species Juniperus communis L. (50 and 151 km, respectively) and H. physodes on Pinus sylvestris L. (41 km). Considering also the non-significant cases, there is strong evidence for a prevailing NE direction of centroid movement.

<p>Lichens are, in most cases, sensitive to anthropogenic factors such as air pollution, global warming, forestry and fragmentation. Two studies are included in this thesis. The first is an evaluation of the importance of old oak for the rare epiphytic lichen Cliostomum corrugatum (Ach.) Fr. This study analysed whether C. corrugatum was limited by dispersal or restricted to tree stands with an unbroken continuity or the substrate old oaks. The results provide evidence that the investigated five populations in Östergötland, Sweden, of C. corrugatum exhibit substantial gene flow, an effective dispersal and a small genetic variation between the sites. Most of the genetic variation was within the populations. Thus, C. corrugatum is more dependent of the substrate old oaks, rather than limited by dispersal. The second study investigated possible range shift of some common macrolichens, due to global warming, from 64 sites in southern Sweden comparing the two years 1986 and 2003. The centroid of three lichen species had moved a significant distance, all in a north east direction: Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. and Vulpicida pinastri (Scop.) J.-E. Mattsson and M. J. Lai on the tree species Juniperus communis L. (50 and 151 km, respectively) and H. physodes on Pinus sylvestris L. (41 km). Considering also the non-significant cases, there is strong evidence for a prevailing NE direction of centroid movement.</p>

Os efeitos deletérios da perda e fragmentação de habitat são considerados a maior ameaça à manutenção da biodiversidade do planeta. Uma das maneiras de evitar a perda de espécies em paisagens fragmentadas é a restauração ecológica, que propicia tanto o aumento da quantidade quanto a melhoria da qualidade do habitat remanescente. Além de influenciar a persistência de espécies, as condições da paisagem são reconhecidas como importantes para o sucesso das ações de restauração. Entretanto, as diretrizes para incorporação das características da paisagem no planejamento da restauração são ainda ambíguas, não facilitando o processo de tomada de decisão. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo contribuir para o avanço do uso de análises espacialmente explícitas da estrutura da paisagem para o planejamento de ações de restauração. Para isso, foram elaboradas propostas metodológicas embasadas no atual conhecimento da ecologia de paisagens e foram realizadas simulações para comparar os potenciais benefícios para a biodiversidade resultantes de diferentes estratégias para seleção de áreas para restauração. A primeira proposta, apresentada no capítulo 2, utiliza análises de paisagens em múltiplas escalas, baseadas na teoria dos grafos, para estimar a resiliência das paisagens, entendida neste trabalho como a capacidade das paisagens de reverterem extinções locais por processos de migração. Em seguida, as paisagens com condições ideais para restauração são classificadas segundo sua importância como corredores biológicos e gargalos de conectividade. Essa proposta metodológica é aplicada no caso da Mata Atlântica (capítulo 3), a fim de estabelecer diferentes níveis de prioridade para restauração no conjunto deste bioma. No quarto capítulo, é apresentada uma segunda proposta metodológica, também baseada em análises de conectividade com o uso da teoria dos grafos, mas desta vez voltada para a identificação de áreas prioritárias para restauração em escala local. Essa proposta permite ainda a comparação de prioridades entre áreas situadas em paisagens com diferentes condições de cobertura e conectividade de habitat. Por fim, no quinto capítulo, foi realizado um conjunto de simulações de restauração para comparar os efeitos das características da paisagem (e.g. a cobertura e configuração florestal), das espécies (e.g. a capacidade de dispersão) e da estratégia de restauração (e.g. o tamanho das áreas restauradas e a ordem temporal da restauração) no aumento da disponibilidade de habitat em três paisagens reais da Mata Atlântica. Os resultados desta tese permitiram estabelecer prioridades de restauração tanto em escala regional quanto em escala local, reduzindo as áreas a serem visitadas em campo e possibilitando a otimização dos esforços de restauração. Também foi possível concluir que a adoção de estratégias espaciais para a seleção de áreas para restauração deve ser feita considerando tanto as características das espécies quanto as características das paisagens e a forma de implementação da restauração. Na ausência de informações detalhadas sobre a capacidade de dispersão das espécies, abordagens baseadas em múltiplas capacidades de dispersão são recomendadas. O embasamento teórico da ecologia de paisagens e as ferramentas atuais de tratamento e integração de dados espacializados permitem a definição das melhores estratégias de restauração a partir de simulações em computador, reduzindo substancialmente os custos da restauração e aumentando a sua eficácia para a conservação das espécies em paisagens fragmentadas / The deleterious effects of habitat loss and fragmentation are considered the main threats to biodiversity. To avoid species loss due to these deleterious effects, there is an urgent need to conduct restoration actions to increase the quantity and quality of the remaining habitat. Besides influencing species persistence, the landscape structure also influences the results of restoration actions. However, guidelines to adopt a landscape approach during restoration planning are not always consistent, nor easy to apply. The objective of this study was to contribute to advances in the use of spatially explicit landscape analysis during restoration planning. To achieve this goal we developed methodological frameworks based on landscape ecology theory to set priority areas for restoration. We also adopted a simulation approach to analyze the potential benefits of different restoration strategies for biodiversity conservation. The methodological proposal presented in chapter 2 consists in multi-scale landscape analyses, based on graph theory, to estimate landscape resilience. We considered landscape resilience as the capacity to revert local species extinctions through recolonization processes. Then, those landscapes considered ideal targets to restoration actions were classified according to their importance as corridors or bottlenecks for biological flow. In chapter 3, the methodological proposal presented in chapter 2 was applied to the Atlantic Forest Biome to set restoration priorities. Chapter 4 consists in a methodological proposal, also based on graph theory, to set restoration priorities in local scale. This methodological proposal also allows the comparison of local restoration priority between landscapes with different amount and configuration of habitat cover. Finally, in the fith chapter we adopted a simulation approach to analyze the improvement of habitat availability, in three Atlantic Forest landscapes, due to different restoration strategies considering: (i) different species dispersal capabilities, (ii) initial habitat amount in the landscape, (iii) the dynamics of landscapes during restoration implementation, i.e., the changes in habitat availability as new areas were restored, and (iv) size of restored areas. The results of this study allowed us to establish local and regional restoration priorities, thus reducing field visits and optimizing restoration efforts. It was also possible to conclude that spatial strategies to set restoration priorities should be conceived based on species dispersal capacities, landscape structure and also considering the strategies to implement restoration actions. If data on species dispersal characteristics is not available, a multi species approach to set restoration priorities is also recommended. The theoretical background of landscape ecology and the available tools to manage spatial data allow identifying the best restoration strategies, reducing the costs and optimizing the benefits to conserve biodiversity in fragmented landscapes

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T16:19:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 27 / Nenhuma / O Parque Nacional da Lagoa do Peixe (PNLP), na zona costeira do Rio Grande do Sul, protege amostras importantes de quase todos os ecossistemas de áreas úmidas e espécies de aves aquáticas da região. Os movimentos migratórios e os deslocamentos entre áreas úmidas determinam importantes variações temporais de composição e abundância das assembléias de aves aquáticas. Os objetivos deste estudo foram descrever os padrões de composição e abundância de aves aquáticas em 27 áreas úmidas naturais, distribuídas no entorno do Parque Nacional da Lagoa do Peixe; descrever os padrões de variação temporal das assembléias associados às variações de pluviosidade; avaliar o efeito do tamanho dos fragmentos, do tipo de área úmida, do tipo de matriz circundante e da disponibilidade de áreas úmidas na paisagem na composição, riqueza e abundância de aves aquáticas e discutir a importância dos remanescentes de áreas úmidas do entorno do Parque para a conservação de aves aquáticas. Foram realizados 12 censos mensais de aves aquátic / The Lagoa do Peixe National Park (LPNP), in the coastal plain of Rio Grande do Sul, protect important samples of almost all wetland ecosystems and waterbird species in the region. The surrounding areas also harbor remnant natural wetlands, scattered in a matrix of drained meadows or rice fields, of which the conservation significance is unknown. The structure of waterbird assemblages in these remnants is expected to vary with their spatial attributes and with the characteristics of the surrounding matrix. The aim of this study was to describe the composition, richness and abundance of waterbird assemblages of 27 remnant wetlands; to describe the seasonal variation in the structure of these waterbird assemblages and it’s relation with pluviosity; to evaluate the effect of the remnant’s area, type of wetland, type of matrix and wetland availability in the landscape on the composition, richness and abundance of waterbirds; and to discuss the importance of the remaining wetlands nearby the Park for the conservat