International Workshop

“Long-Term Studies

on Biodiversity”

November, 23rd - 24th 2010

The CNPq-PELD/Brazil LTER experience

Francisco Barbosa & Diego Pujoni

ICB – UFMG

The MCT-CNPq/PELD initiative

• Originally proposed as a subprogram of the IntegratedEcology Program (PIE) by CNPq, 1996

• PIE: approved by the Forum of the Graduate Programs in Ecology and presented to CNPq/CAPES in May 5th 1996

subprograms: building capacity in Ecology

LTER (PELD) program

• Goals

define/implement policies for development of ecology in Brazil

develop research and information network

reinforce internacional cooperation

reinforce capacity building and institutional development

N

Forests

Cerrado (Savannas)

Caatinga (Dry Forest)

Pantanal (Wetlands)

Sandplains and Mangroves

Source: IBGE - Brasil

1

2

3

4

569

7 8

Brasil LTER research sites

1- Tropical Rain Forest - Manaus

2- South Pantanal Wetland System

3- Central Plateau Cerrado

4- Atlantic Forest and middle Rio Doce lake System

5- Coastal Sandplain System of Rio de Janeiro

6- High Paraná River Floodplain System

7- Taim Wetland System

8- Patos Lagoon Estuary and Adjacent Coast

9- Araucária Forest System

Research Themes

• Patterns and control of primary productivity

• Dynamic (fluxes) of nutrients

• Conservation of biological diversity

• Population dynamics and organization of

communities and ecosystems

• Patterns and frequency of natural

disturbances and human impacts

ILTER

network

46

countries

North America: 3 Europe: 25 Africa: 5

Central/South America: 5 South-East Asia: 8

The middle Rio Doce basin LTER program

working hypothesis

• i) the present biodiversity experiences a

process of loss and/or alteration at an

unknown level although perceptible

• ii) the remaining areas contribute for the

maintenance of significant portion of this

diversity

• iii) the present biodiversity still encounters

conditions of persistence at a long run

• Iv) exotic species (bio-invasions)!

Main Threats

Deforestation

Mining

Siderurgy

Pollution

(untreated sewage)

Exotic species

The Middle Rio Doce Lake System

State Park of Rio Doce

Doce River

The middle Rio Doce Climate

Studied Lakes Carioca

Águas Claras

Amarela

Dom Helvécio

Palmeirinha

Jacaré

Gambazinho

Temperatura (ºC) - DH

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

J FMAMJ J ASOND J FMAMJ J ASOND J FMAMJ J ASOND J FMAMJ J A SOND J FMAMJ J ASOND J FMAMJ J ASOND J FMAMJ J ASOND J FMAM

Pro

fund

ida

de (m

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

22

24

26

28

30

32

Temperatura no lago Dom Helvécio, durante o período de janeiro de 2002 a

maio de 2009

Oxigênio Dissolvido (mgl-1

) - DH

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

J F M A M J J A S ON D J F MA M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S ON D J F M A M J J A S ON D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M

Pro

fun

did

ad

e (m

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

0

5

10

15

Concentrações de oxigênio dissolvido no lago Dom Helvécio durante o período de

janeiro de 2002 a maio de 2009.

Water temperature and disolved

oxygen patterns

New insigths (e.g.) resistence eggs

(an Atlas is in preparation)

Some possibilities with - PELD

Identification of processes and patterns

The fish fauna of Lake CariocaNATIVES INTRODUCED

jeju Traíra

Tuvira Piabanha

Bagre Cumbaca

Piau Lambarí

Tucunaré Piranha

Peixe pedra Tamboatá

Apaiarí

Local extinctions at Lake Carioca - 2010

Fonte

Sunaga & Verani,

1991 Godinho et al., 1994 Latini et al., 2004 Vasconcellos et al., 2005 Presente estudo

Ano de amostragem 1983 1985 1987 1992 2002 2002-2003 2006-2010

Espécies Nativas

1 Hoplias gr. malabaricus -

2 Brycon sp. -

3 Leporinus cf. steindachneri -

4 Rhamdia quelen -

5

Hoplerythrinus

unitaeniatus -

6 Gymnotus sp. -

7 Trachelyopterus striatulus -

8 Astyanax aff. bimaculatus -

9 Steindachnerina elegans -

10 Astyanax fasciatus -

11 Moenkhausia doceana -

12 Oligosarcus solitarius -

13 Geophagus brasiliensis -

14 Cichlasoma sp. -

15 Loricariidae gen. sp. -

16 Astyanax sp. -

Espécies Introduzidas

17 Cichla kelberi

18 Pygocentrus nattereri

19 Hoplosternum littorale

20 Clarias gariepinus

21 Astronotus sp.

22 Callichthys callichthys

TOTAL GERAL 11 11 7 10 - 14 15

TOTAL NATIVAS 11 10 6 8 - 8 9

TOTAL

INTRODUZIDAS 0 1 1 2 4 6 6

Legend: shadow = presence; open areas = absence; - = no information.

• Principal Components: Relationship between variables

Statistical Methods

• Regressions

• Linear Discriminant Analysis: Best discriminant

variables

• Species Accumulation Curves (Ugland et al.,2003; Kindt & Coe, 2005):

Average and SD of richness for k samples. Standardize

different sampling frequencies

• Mantel Correlation: Spatial statistics

• Time Series Analysis: Seazonal Auto-Regressive

Integrated Moving Average Models (SARIMA)

Modeling the richness and diversity in time

Dynamic Regression.

Challenges• How to handle missing values?

• How to handle non-normal distributions?

Estimation by:

-Multiple imputation (Rubin, 1987; Van Buuren & Groothuis-Oudshoorn, 2009)

-Maximum likelihood (Rubin, 1976)

-Non parametric bootstrap confidence intervals (Efron & Tibshirani, 1993)

-Other robust estimators (i.e. Lognormal) (Pennington, 1983; Myers &

Pepin, 1990; Fletcher, 2005)

Diurnal sampling (sporadic)

Low costs, but Insufficient data to represent plankton diversity

Likely to render underestimates due to the concentration of

samplings under specific environmental conditions of a

particular chosen day.

Weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly sampling

More realistic analysis of plankton diversity since include wider

range of environmental conditions and responses of this

community to these changes.

Costs of sampling are much higher, time and staff

consuming.

Remarks

Seasonal sampling (dry/rainy periods)

Allow for a realistic plankton diversity since cover the two most

tropical representative environmental conditions -

stratification and mixing periods.

Allow for detection of the extreme conditions and

comparatively at lower costs.

Annuall sampling

Time between samplings too long to assess diversity

To allow for comparisons samplings would represent the

same phase of the hydrological cycles (subjectivity?)

Remarks

Some results:

Richness paterns

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

-3-2

-10

12

3

PC1 (22%)

PC

2 (

11%

)

Prof

pH

Cond

Turb

OD

Temp

Redox

Alca

Cloro

PTOT

PO4

NTOTNH4

NO3

NO2

SiO4

RiqFito

RiqZoo

Carioca

Dom Helvécio

GambazinhoJacaré

PCA of environmental variables sampling monthly at four

lakes in the middle Rio Doce basin between 2001 and 2006

-4 -2 0 2 4

-4-2

02

4

LDA1

LD

A2 Cond

TurbTempAlca

Cloro

NO2

SiO4

Carioca

Dom Helvécio

GambazinhoJacaré

Linear discriminant analysis of environmental variables

01

02

03

04

05

0

Phytoplankton Sample Richness

Time

Phyto

pla

nto

n R

ichness

Carioca

Dom Helvécio

Gambazinho

Jacaré

Jan/01 Jul/01 Jan/02 Jul/02 Jan/03 Jul/03 Jan/04 Jul/04 Jan/05 Jul/05 Jan/06 Jul/06 Jan/07 Jul/07 Jan/08 Jul/08

05

10

15

20

25

30

Zooplankton Sample Richness

Time

Zoopla

nkto

n R

ichness

Carioca

Dom Helvécio

Gambazinho

Jacaré

Jan/01 Jul/01 Jan/02 Jul/02 Jan/03 Jul/03 Jan/04 Jul/04 Jan/05 Jul/05 Jan/06 Jul/06 Jan/07 Jul/07 Jan/08 Jul/08

Species accumulation curves

0 20 40 60 80

02

04

06

08

01

00

12

0

Dom Helvécio

0 20 40 60 80

02

04

06

08

01

00

12

0

Ric

hn

ess

Águas Claras

0 20 40 60 80

02

04

06

08

01

00

12

0

Dom Helvécio

0 20 40 60 80

02

04

06

08

01

00

12

0

Ric

hn

ess

Águas Claras

0 20 40 60 80

05

01

00

15

02

00

25

0

Samples

Ric

hn

ess

Phytoplankton-18 lakes

A space/temporal comparison of phytoplankton

richness at the middle Rio Doce basin

0 20 40 60 80

02

04

06

08

01

00

12

0

Samples

Ric

hn

ess

Zooplankton-18 lakes

A space/temporal comparison of zooplankton

richness at the middle Rio Doce basin

Comparison of Carlson’s trophic state index

between PERD and surrounding lakes

In Out

43

44

45

46

Ca

rlso

n T

SI M

ed

ian

Oligotrophic

Mesotrophic

10000 bootstrap

samples

Comparison of phytoplankton and zooplankton

richness between PERD and surrounding lakes

Final remarks

• Plankton community richness is not negatively

affected by land-use changes in the lakes

surroundings (Intermediate disturbance

hypothesis – Conan, 1983 and Plankton paradox,

Hutchinson, 1961)

• Investment in new statistical approaches in order

to understand local and regional patterns of

specie´s richness and diversity distribution

• Investment in mathematical modelling in order to

test new hypothesis

Conclusions

LTER data provide the possibility of comparisons

between distinct time scales

These findings are particularly important for tropical

developing countries considering the possibility of

reducing time/costs necessary to guaranteeing

samplings, identification, counting, and interpretation of

the recorded results.

Short/intermediate time scales studies must consider an

intensification of sampling!