Lab
Intervention Ecology Lab.
Institution: Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul
About the lab
>Our interests:
We are interested in applying scientific knowledge to extension activities, besides influencing the decision-makers, taking into account the biological, socioeconomic, political, and legal aspects of environmental adequacy.
>Our mission:
-To qualify future professionals to work in the field of Intervention Ecology, which covers Restoration Ecology and Conservation Biology,
-To contribute with technical and scientific information to assist in society's demands
>Our actions:
-Bioindicators monitoring (fauna and flora); Implementation of Agroforestry Systems; Fire management; Innovation in ecological restoration; Species cost-benefit analysis; Evaluation of ecological restoration techniques; scenario projections and species distribution models; Citizen science; fire ecology
We are interested in applying scientific knowledge to extension activities, besides influencing the decision-makers, taking into account the biological, socioeconomic, political, and legal aspects of environmental adequacy.
>Our mission:
-To qualify future professionals to work in the field of Intervention Ecology, which covers Restoration Ecology and Conservation Biology,
-To contribute with technical and scientific information to assist in society's demands
>Our actions:
-Bioindicators monitoring (fauna and flora); Implementation of Agroforestry Systems; Fire management; Innovation in ecological restoration; Species cost-benefit analysis; Evaluation of ecological restoration techniques; scenario projections and species distribution models; Citizen science; fire ecology
Featured research (8)
Collecting and transplanting wild seedlings and mature plants have been used in restoration projects to reduce costs and increase conservation of local genetic material. We review the published literature on restoration projects that used transplanted seedlings and mature plants for ecological restoration. Searching the Web of Science platform using five keywords for articles published in 1945-2023 resulted in 621 articles, with only 51 (9%) of them relevant to the topic. We categorized these 51 publications by ecosystem type, the number and growth forms of species, plant survival rate, as well as the time and cost of transplantation. Forests and wetlands were the most researched ecosystems, and most articles studied tropical forests and the southeastern region of Brazil. Nearly half of the studies (44%) used trees for transplantation, and 73% focused on only one species. In wetlands, mainly aquatic herbs were transplanted (38%). Survival was highest in wetlands (lakes) and lowest in temperate and tropical forests, regardless of the number of species or growth forms. Only three articles (7%) included costs or the time frame of the process of transplantation or monitoring. Despite having few published studies, this practice has high potential for the ecological restoration of tropical and temperate forests. Seedlings and adult plants from natural regeneration can be transplanted to complement or even replace conventional methods of planting nursery seedlings and direct sowing. Implications for Practice • Transplanting species eliminates the conventional steps of seed or seedling production in nurseries, saves time, and increases survival rates; therefore, it should be considered as a viable technique for ecosystem restoration. • Transplanting up to 40-cm tall seedlings and the faster transplantation during restoration improves pre-and post-rescue translocation care and results in higher transplant survival.
Extreme wildfires present an ever-increasing problem in different landscapes around the world. Here, we explore recent wildfires to prioritize recovery efforts and mitigate effects of future wildfires in the Pantanal, the largest continuous wetland in the world. Using ecological niche modeling (ENM), we categorize affected areas based on potential levels of degradation by fire and the predicted suitability for threatened and fire-sensitive plants. Based on this information, we identify key areas for fire prevention. Under land cover change scenarios predicted for 2050, approximately 25 % of the land cover under future threat will have potentially high biomass accumulation. We identified 1272 km2 in priority areas with forest formation, with restoration cost of at least US$ 576,189. This case study provides an analysis workflow that can be used to assess other wildfire-threatened parts of the world. These results can inform public policy to establish new fire brigades, conservation efforts using Integrated Fire Management, and restoration areas to mitigate biodiversity loss.
Resumo: Devido a ser uma espécie amplamente distribuída em locais propensos a fogo e alagamento, o Cedro foi objeto desse estudo visando investigar o efeito do choque térmico, simulando a passagem de fogo sobre o solo, e do alagamento em suas sementes. Testamos em condições controladas por 21 dias seis tratamentos com 25 sementes cada: choque térmico a 80 °C (CTB) e a 160 °C (CTA), sendo o choque térmico aplicado por 2,5 minutos, alagado com sementes submetidas a estes choques térmicos (A-CTB; A-CTA) previamente, apenas alagadas (Alag.) e somente mantidas úmidas (Controle). Verificamos a influência dos tratamentos sobre a germinabilidade por GLMs. As sementes submetidas ao CTB (germinabilidade=71±3,83%) apresentaram germinabilidade semelhante (p=0,25) ao controle (germinabilidade=83±2,00%), sugerindo que o cedro tolera aumento de temperatura moderado. Entretanto, quando submetidas somente ao alagamento (Alag., germinabilidade=13±8,25%), as sementes apresentaram redução significativa na germinabilidade em comparação com o controle e ao CTB (p<0,001) e não houve diferenças significativas entre A-CTB (germinabilidade=20±5,66%), A-CTA (germinabilidade=2±2,31%), CTA (germinabilidade=16±16,33%) e somente alagada. Para restauração através de semeadura direta do cedro deve-se considerar que as sementes toleram apenas baixas temperaturas (ex: Manejo Integrado do Fogo) e não altas temperaturas (Incêndios), alagamento ou uma combinação dos dois. Concluindo que para semeadura direta de cedro precisa-se fazer em áreas não alagáveis e protegidas por aceiro, porém, se forem sujeitas ao Manejo Integrado do Fogo, estarão aptas a germinar. A emergência e estabelecimento em campo sob semeadura deve ser posteriormente testada. Palavras-chave: ecologia de espécies nativas; germinação; tolerância ao estresse abiótico; inundação; Financiamento: FUNBIO/GEFTerrestre e apoio: (LabSemNa/UFMT). Link: https://youtu.be/UDKxbo3KPNI
ANAIS DA V CONFERÊNCIA BRASILEIRA DE RESTAURAÇÃO ECOLÓGICA - SOBRE2024
As áreas de reserva legal (ARLs) são parte fundamental da estratégia
brasileira de conservação, juntamente com as áreas de preservação permanente.
As ARLs são destinadas à manutenção da biodiversidade e podem ser manejadas
de forma sustentável. Quando essas áreas abrigam ecossistemas dependentes
de fogo e pastejo, como os campos nativos e as savanas, devem ser adotadas
práticas de manejo adequadas à sua conservação e ao enfrentamento dos efeitos
das mudanças climáticas globais. No entanto, esse assunto ainda é pouco
discutido no Brasil, e as políticas públicas não são claras a esse respeito. Este
artigo de revisão descreve os ecossistemas campestres e savânicos no Brasil, os
aspectos legais relacionados com o manejo das ARLs, os cenários climáticos
atuais e futuros, e a relação entre clima e risco de incêndios. Também apresenta
uma revisão sobre o uso do fogo e do pastejo em ecossistemas campestres e
savânicos, os desafios legais relativos à sua aplicação nas ARLs e o uso de
geotecnologias no monitoramento destas práticas. Conclui-se que o pastejo e
o fogo, como instrumentos de manejo, são adequados às funções das ARLs,
desde que praticados segundo normas legais e cientificamente embasadas para
evitar os efeitos negativos do seu uso equivocado.
Lab head
Department
- Institute of Biological Sciences
About Letícia Couto Garcia
- I`m Adjunct Professor of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) in the Intervention Ecology Lab (LEI) contributing to the Plant Biology and the Conservation and Ecology Postgraduate Programs. BS in Biology at UFMG in Brazil with Honours in Ecology followed by a Master in Ecology, Conservation, and Management. PhD in the Plant Biology Program at the UNICAMP in Brazil, with a PhD exchange at the UWA in Australia. Postdoctoral fellow at the CRIA, Contact: garcialcbio@yahoo.com.br
Members (15)
Evaldo Benedito de Souza
Paula Isla Martinz
Tiago Conde de Almeida
Leonardo de Oliveira Parangaba
César Claudio Cáceres Encina
Luiza Moura Peluso
Gabriel Pesqueira da Luz
Miguel Lucas Machado Silva