Effects of deforestation on multitaxa community similarity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Habitat loss can lead to biotic homogenization (decrease in β diversity) or differentiation (increase in β diversity) of biological communities. However, it is unclear which of these ecological processes predominates in human-modified landscapes. We used data on vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants to quantify β diversity based on species occurrence and abundance among communities in 1367 landscapes with varying amounts of habitat (<30%, 30-60%, or >60% of forest cover) throughout the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Phylogenetic diversity and the structure of host-epiphyte interactions across the Neotropics.

Understanding the mechanisms driving community assembly has been a major focus of ecological research for nearly a century, yet little is known about these mechanisms in commensal communities, particularly with respect to their historical/evolutionary components. Here, we use a large-scale dataset of 4,440 vascular plant species to explore the relationship between the evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) (as measured by the 'species evolutionary history' (SEH)) of host species and the phylogenetic diversity (PD) of their associated epiphyte species. Although there was considerable variation across hosts and their associated epiphyte species, they were largely unrelated to host SEH.

Atlantic flower-invertebrate interactions: A data set of occurrence and frequency of floral visits.

Encounters between flowers and invertebrates are key events for the functioning of tropical forests. Assessing the structure of networks composed of the interactions between those partners leads to a better understanding of ecosystem functioning and the effects of environmental factors on ecological processes. Gathering such data is, however, costly and time-consuming, especially in the highly diverse tropics.

ATLANTIC ANTS: a data set of ants in Atlantic Forests of South America.

Ants, an ecologically successful and numerically dominant group of animals, play key ecological roles as soil engineers, predators, nutrient recyclers, and regulators of plant growth and reproduction in most terrestrial ecosystems. Further, ants are widely used as bioindicators of the ecological impact of land use. We gathered information of ant species in the Atlantic Forest of South America.

Host tree traits in pasture areas affect forest and pasture specialist epiphyte species differently.

Premise: Epiphytes have commensal relationships with their host trees. Besides the influence of tree traits, little has been discussed concerning the ecology of epiphytes in disturbed habitats (e.g.

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest.

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts.

Agricultural matrices affect ground ant assemblage composition inside forest fragments.

The establishment of agricultural matrices generally involves deforestation, which leads to fragmentation of the remaining forest. This fragmentation can affect forest dynamics both positively and negatively. Since most animal species are affected, certain groups can be used to measure the impact of such fragmentation.

Anthropogenic Matrices Favor Homogenization of Tree Reproductive Functions in a Highly Fragmented Landscape.

Species homogenization or floristic differentiation are two possible consequences of the fragmentation process in plant communities. Despite the few studies, it seems clear that fragments with low forest cover inserted in anthropogenic matrices are more likely to experience floristic homogenization. However, the homogenization process has two other components, genetic and functional, which have not been investigated.

Genetic structure of tree and shrubby species among anthropogenic edges, natural edges, and interior of an atlantic forest fragment.

Two species, Psychotria tenuinervis (shrub, Rubiaceae) and Guarea guidonia (tree, Meliaceae), were used as models to compare the genetic structure of tree and shrubby species among natural edges, anthropogenic edges, and a fragment interior. There were significant differences between two genetic markers. For isozymes, P.

Mating systems of Psychotria tenuinervis (Rubiaceae): distance from anthropogenic and natural edges of Atlantic forest fragment.

The aim of this study was to determine and compare the mating systems among Psychotria tenuinervis populations at anthropogenic edges, natural edges, and the forest interior using allozyme electrophoresis of naturally pollinated progeny arrays. P. tenuinervis showed low outcrossing rates, varying from 37% to 50% of the mating attributable to outcrossing and 50% to 63% attributable to self-fertilization, in the three habitats.

Quality of seeds produced by Psychotria tenuinervis (Rubiaceae): distance from anthropogenic and natural edges of Atlantic forest fragment.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there were differences in the genetic variability and rate and velocity of the seed germination produced by Psychotria tenuinervis located at anthropogenic edges, natural edges, and in the forest interior. The populations of P. tenuinervis showed no differences in genetic variability or structure among the three habitats.