Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology

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Diverse bioerosion structures in lower Pliocene deposits from a volcanic oceanic island: Baía de Nossa Senhora section, Santa Maria Island, Azores (central North Atlantic)

Publication . Dávid, Árpád; Uchman, Alfred; Ramalho, Ricardo Dos Santos; Madeira, José; Melo, Carlos; Madeira, Patrícia; Rebelo, Ana Cristina; Berning, Björn; Johnson, Markes E.; Ávila, Sérgio P.

Pliocene body fossils from Santa Maria Island, Azores, have been studied for decades, but only more recently have ichnofossils received their due attention. Calcareous Pliocene deposits from the Baía de Nossa Senhora section contain numerous, diverse, well-preserved natural casts of invertebrate borings. The study of this type of fossils adds to knowledge on the dispersal of benthic faunas across oceans to volcanic oceanic islands. The borings belong to seven ichnogenera and twenty-two ichnotaxa at the ichnospecies level with more than half pertaining to Entobia, which is produced by clionaid sponges. Other borings found were produced by bivalves (Gastrochaenolites), polychaete worms (Caulostrepsis and Maeandropolydora), sipunculid worms (Trypanites), phoronid worms (Talpina) and ctenostome bryozoans (Iramena). The occurrence, ichnogeny, distribution and preservational state of the borings suggest that the bearing bioclasts have been exposed for several years on the sea floor. The borings derive from different bathymetric zones on the shelf, and their formation took place during several bioerosional phases. The association of borings belongs to the Entobia ichnofacies, which is typical of carbonate rocky shores, and shows close similarity to those described from the Paratethys, Mediterranean and partly the eastern Atlantic regions. This fits the idea that most of the Neogene shallow-water marine fauna in the Azores is biogeographically related to the eastern Atlantic shores.

2021-05-01Journal article

Open access

Anthropogenic food subsidies reshape the migratory behaviour of a long-distance migrant

Publication . Marcelino, J.; Franco, A.M.A.; Acácio, M.; Soriano-Redondo, A.; Moreira, F.; Catry, I.

Bird migratory journeys are often long and hostile, requiring high energetic expenditure, and thus forcing birds to pause between migratory flights. Stopover sites allow migrants to replenish fuel reserves and rest, being crucial for the success of migration. Worldwide, the increasing accumulation of waste on landfills and rubbish dumps has been described to provide superabundant food resources for many bird species not only during the breeding and wintering seasons but also during migration, being used as stopover sites. Using GPS-tracking data of juvenile white storks (Ciconia ciconia) during their first migration from the Iberia Peninsula to the sub-Saharan wintering grounds, we uncover the effects of stopping en route on individual migratory perfor- mance. Particularly, we examine the benefits of stopping at artificial sites (landfills and rubbish dumps) when com- pared to natural stopover sites (wetlands, agricultural or desert areas) and explore the influence of anthropogenic food resources on storks' migratory strategies. Overall, white storks spent up to one-third of the migration in stopovers. We found that birds that stopped for longer periods made more detours, increasing migration duration by half a day for each stopover day. Stopping more often did not reflect on increasing in-flight energetic efficiency nor the likelihood of completing the migration. Juvenile storks used artificial sites in 80 % of the stopover days, spending 45 % less time and 10 % less energy foraging than when using natural stopovers. While stopping in landfills did not translate into differences in migratory

2023-02Journal article

Open access

Recent geospatial dynamics of Terceira (Azores, Portugal) and the theoretical implications for the biogeography of active volcanic islands

Publication . Rijsdijk, Kenneth F.; Buijs, Simon; Quartau, Rui; Aguilée, Robin; Norder, Sietze J.; Ávila, Sérgio P.; De Medeiros, Sara Maria Teixeira; Nunes, João Carlos Carreiro; Elias, R.B.; Melo, Carlos S.; Stocchi, Paulo; Koene, Erik F. M.; Seijmonsbergen, A. C. (Harry); De Boer, W. M. (Thijs); Borges, P.A.V.

Ongoing work shows that species richness patterns on volcanic oceanic islands are shaped by surface area changes driven by longer time scale (>1 ka) geological processes and natural sea level fluctuations. A key question is: what are the rates and magnitudes of the forces driving spatial changes on volcanic oceanic islands which in turn affect evolutionary and biogeographic processes? We quantified the rates of surface-area changes of a whole island resulting from both volcanogenic flows and sea level change over the last glacial-interglacial (GI) cycle (120 ka) for the volcanically active island of Terceira, (Azores, Macaronesia, Portugal). Volcanogenic activity led to incidental but long-lasting surface area expansions by the formation of a new volcanic cone and lava-deltas, whereas sea level changes led to both contractions and expansions of area. The total surface area of Terceira decreased by as much as 24% per time step due to changing sea levels and increased by 37% per time step due to volcanism per time step of 10 ka. However, while sea levels nearly continuously changed the total surface area, volcanic activity only impacted total surface area during two time steps over the past 120 ka. The surface area of the coastal and lowland region (here defined as area <300 m) was affected by sea level change (average change of 11% / 10 ka for 120–0 ka) and intra-volcanic change (average change of 17% / 10 ka for 120–0 ka). We discuss the biogeographic implications of the quantified dynamics, and we argue that surface area change is mainly driven by volcanic processes in the early stages of the island’s life cycle, while during the later stages, area change becomes increasingly affected by sea level dynamics. Both environmental processes may therefore affect biota differently during the life cycle of volcanic oceanic islands.

2020-04Journal article

Open access

Fitness, behavioral, and energetic trade-offs of different migratory strategies in a partially migratory species

Publication . Soriano-Redondo, Andrea; Franco, Aldina M. A.; Acácio, Marta; Payo-Payo, Ana; Martins, Bruno Herlander; Moreira, Francisco; Catry, Inês

Alternative migratory strategies can coexist within animal populations and species. Anthropogenic impacts can shift the fitness balance between these strategies leading to changes in migratory behaviors. Yet some of the mecha- nisms that drive such changes remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the phenotypic differences, and the energetic, behavioral, and fitness trade-offs associated with four different movement strategies (long-distance and short-distance migration, and regional and local residency) in a population of white storks (Ciconia ciconia) that has shifted its migratory behavior over the last decades, from fully long-distance migration toward year-round residency. To do this, we tracked 75 adult storks fitted with GPS/GSM loggers with tri-axial acceleration sensors over 5 years, and estimated individual displace- ment, behavior, and overall dynamic body acceleration, a proxy for activity-related energy expenditure. Additionally, we monitored nesting colo- nies to assess individual survival and breeding success. We found that long-distance migrants traveled thousands of kilometers more throughout the year, spent more energy, and >10% less time resting compared with short-distance migrants and residents. Long-distance migrants also spent on average more energy per unit of time while foraging, and less energy per unit of time while soaring. Migratory individuals also occupied their nests later than resident ones, later occupation led to later laying dates and a lower num- ber of fledglings. However, we did not find significant differences in survival probability. Finally, we found phenotypic differences in the migratory proba- bility, as smaller sized individuals were more likely to migrate, and they might be incurring higher energetic and fitness costs than larger ones. Our results shed light on the shifting migratory strategies in a partially migratory popula- tion and highlight the nuances of anthropogenic impacts on species behavior, fitness, and evolutionary dynamics.

2023-10Journal article

Open access

Addressing biodiversity in plantation forests management in northwestern Portugal

Publication . Cosovic, Marija; Borges, José Guilherme Calvão; Bugalho, Miguel Nuno do Sacramento Monteiro; Botequim, Brigite Roxo

Biodiversity is important for forest ecosystem health maintenance and sustainable functioning and therefore its conservation is significant in all types of forests, including plantations. The Mediterranean region is known as a biodiversity ‘hotspot’, but also as an area with recently established forest plantations, that are criticized for the low level of biological diversity and frequent forest fires. Therefore, including biodiversity assessment in forest plantations management planning might benefit forest conservation, fire prevention and land some novel ecosystem services. Here we attempted to investigate: (1) which biodiversity indicators could be considered in forest management planning, (2) how to assess and what is the state of biodiversity at a stand level in plantation forests of northwestern Portugal, (3) how to use stand-level indicators to assess landscape biodiversity aspects in plantation forests in northwestern Portugal? Results demonstrated that: (1) the most convenient for forest managers with various backgrounds is to consider structural indicators in integrating biodiversity in forest management planning; (2) structural indicators such as tree species indicator, mean diameter (cm) and shrub biomass (Mg ha-1) are suitable for stand level biodiversity assessment. Pure blue gum stands on low-quality sites with shrub regenerating by seed had the lowest mean biodiversity, while mixed stands with a dominance of pine, on best-quality sites with shrub regeneration by resprouting had the highest mean biodiversity; (3) using umbrella species concept is suitable for the landscape level biodiversity assessments, and thus, here is estimated the red kite (Milvus milvus) nesting habitat suitability; the results suggested that the least favourable habitat would be in pure blue gum plantations, while mature cork oak forest would serve as the most appropriate long-term habitat.

2023Doctoral thesis

Open access