Monitoring ‘biocomplexity’: The complexity of

processes as drivers of the diversity of biological

patterns

Luciano M. VerdadeAssociate Professor at the USP / CENA / Isotopic Ecology Lab

Steering Comittee member of the Biota Program / FAPESP

lmverdade@usp.br

FAPESP Week California, Davis

November 21, 2014

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Area of interest

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- Adaptive processes of wildlife to anthropogenic

environments (in special agricultural landscapes)

Rationale

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- Agriculture: intrinsic conflict between the

production of domesticated species and the

conservation of wild species

- Impacts of agriculture on the wildlife:

- Direct land and use change (dLUC): Habitat loss

- Agriculture intensification: Context-specific

(dependent on agricultural management

techniques)

Wildlife in agricultural landscapes in

São Paulo, SE Brazil

- Medium to large mammals: 27 spp. (~ 70%)

- Small mammals: 17 spp. (~ 50%)

- Birds: 202 spp. (~ 60%)

- Reptiles: 18 spp.

- Amphibians: 31 spp.

- Fish: 55 spp.

Dotta, G. & L.M. Verdade. 2011. Mammalia 75:345-352.

Gheler-Costa, C., M.C. Lyra-Jorge & L.M. Verdade [Eds.]. Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes of Southeastern Brazil. Versita, Warsaw, Poland.

Current tendencies of LUC in SE

Brazil

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Eucalyptus: ↑ (5 → 16 Mha by 2020)

Sugarcane: ↑ (9 →14 Mha by 2016)

Pastures: ↓

Verdade, L.M., C. Gheler-Costa, M. Penteado &, G. Dotta. 2012. Journal of Sustainable Bioenergy Systems 2:138-144.

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From pastures to Eucalyptus

- Original biome: Cerrado

- ↓ Birds; ↑ Rodents; ↑ Amphibians; ↑ Reptiles

- ↑ Rodents → ↑ Mesopredators;

- ↑ Rodents → ↑ Diseases (e.g., Hantavirus,

Leptospirosis, Spotted fever etc);

- ↑ Rodents → ↑ Agrochemicals;

- ↑ Agrochemicals → ↓↓ Birds;

8Millan, C.H., P.F. Develey & L.M. Verdade . 2015. Forest Ecology and Management 336:174-182.

From pastures to sugarcane

- Original biome: Atlantic Forest

- ↓ Birds; ↑ Rodents;

- ↑ Agrochemicals → ↓↓ Birds;

- ↑ Rodents → ↑ Mesopredators;

- ↑ Rodents → ↑ Diseases (e.g., Hantavirus,

Leptospirosis, Spotted fever etc);

- ↑ Rodents → ↑ Agrochemicals.

9Gheler-Costa, C., G. Sabino-Santos, Jr., L.S. Amorim, L.M. Rosalino, L.T M. Figueiredo & L.M. Verdade. 2013. Agriculture, Ecosystems and

Environment 171:85-89.

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Spatial heterogeneity

Gheler-Costa, C., M.C. Lyra-Jorge & L.M. Verdade [Eds.]. Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes of Southeastern Brazil. Versita, Warsaw, Poland.

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Temporal heterogeneity

Small mammals Amphibians

Martin, P.S, C. Gheler-Costa, P.C. Lopes, L.M. Rosalino & L.M. Verdade. 2012. Forest Ecology and Management 282:185-195.

Wildlife mangement (at the population

level): What it is about...

• ↑ depleted populations: Biological conservation

• ↓ excessive populations: Control

• MSY: Sustainable use

• N.B.K.E.O.I: Monitoring

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Graeme Caughley (1937-1994)

Wildlife mangement: what really

matters...

• Biological conservation: Endangered spp. (a few thousands)

• Sustainable use: Economic spp. (a few hundreds)

• Control: Damaging spp. (a few tens)

• Monitoring: All the others (a few millions...)

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Monitoring: What really matters...

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Diversity of patterns Complexity of processes

←

Gheler-Costa, C., L.M. Verdade & A.F. Almeida. 2002. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 19(2):203-214.

Monitoring: What really matters...

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Diversity of patterns

- Momentary structure of a ‘community’

- Express the effects of ecological and

evolutionary processes

- No biological relationships

- Temporal variation does not mean much

for the decision making process

Complexity of processes

Monitoring: What really matters...

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Diversity of patterns

- Momentary structure of a ‘community’

- Express the effects of ecological and

evolutionary processes

- No biological relationships

- Temporal variation does not mean much

for the decision making process

Complexity of processes

- Momentary trophic process

- Biological and evolutionary

relationships

- Temporal variation causes

variation in patterns of abundance

and distribution

Monitoring: What really matters...

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BIODIVERSITY BIOCOMPLEXITY

- Other examples:

- Spatial ecology

- Rapid evolution

- Diseases

- Ecotoxicology

Governance & Public policy:

Multifunctional agricultural landscapes

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Management

Agriculture Widlife

Biocomplexity BiodiversitySustainabilityAgriculturalvalues(e.g., socio-economic, cultural,Historic etc)

Monitoring

Aknowledgements

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