Leonardo Galetto

National University of Cordoba, Argentina | UNC · Dept Div Biol & Ecol

In a recent speech to the UN General Assembly, Argentine President Javier Milei rejected the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda, a comprehensive global framework for sustainable development encompassing ‘people, planet, and prosperity.’ This position undermines Argentina’s capacity to tackle urgent socio-environmental challenges like poverty,...

Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa) has become an important horticultural crop worldwide. Its dioecious nature challenges its commercial production, involving strategies for enhancing cross-pollination to reach a better fruit quality. The explanatory variables that can be linked to improving fruit quality analyzed in this work were polli...

Plant growth and reproduction patterns may be closely associated with environmental seasonality, but the high diversity of plant strategies has revealed complex phenological patterns. Here, we evaluate the occurrence, duration, and seasonality of vegetative and reproductive phenophases of the Brazilian Chaco vegetation. In addition, we summarize th...

Assessing and selecting plant species for mixed planting on vegetated roofs is essential for integrating nature-based solutions into urban environments. This study evaluated the growth performance of multi-species mixtures on an extensive vegetated roof in a semiarid region at the campus of the Catholic University of Córdoba, Argentina over two yea...

Most plants produce floral nectar to attract pollinators that impact pollination and seed production; some of them also secrete extrafloral nectar harvested by insects that may influence the plant reproductive success. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of excluding pollinators and/or ants on the per-plant reproductive success in two...

Argentina is a leading honey producer and honey bees are also critical for pollination services and wild plants. At the same time, it is a major crop producer with significant use of insecticides, posing risks to bees. Therefore, the presence of the highly toxic insecticide chlorpyrifos, and forbidden contaminants (organochlorine pesticides (OCPs),...

Soil seed banks (SSB) are reservoirs of viable mature seeds that play a crucial role in the dynamics and recovery of vegetation following disturbances. Despite its importance, there is still limited understanding of their characteristics of SSB in semiarid subtropical ecosystems. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of wildfire and roller-chop...

Cropland intensification in tropical regions is usually associated with agricultural commodity expansion that penalizes the species diversity and environmental services of natural ecosystems. However, the extent to which cropland expansion affects the reproductive functional diversity of crop arrangements remains poorly investigated. Here we examin...

Extensive vegetated roofs (EVRs) are effective in storing carbon and suppressing carbon dioxide emissions to reduce energy consumption in buildings significantly. This study aimed to quantify the carbon sequestration capacity of EVRs and estimate their potential in reducing CO2 emission in Córdoba city in the semiarid region of central Argentina. F...

We analyze and compare plant knowledge and uses of medicinal and edible plants of two rural communities located in different phytogeographic regions. We hypothesize that there are differences in the number of edible and medicinal plants that people know and use between these communities because of environmental constraints. In addition, because of...

Zero hunger is one of the most challenging Sustainable Development Goals, one to which Latin America has demonstrated commitment through socioeconomic policies that target the most vulnerable people. However, political instability in Brazil, a major Latin American economy, has been responsible for retrogressive changes in social and environmental p...

Los bosques nativos son los ecosistemas naturales que más atención reciben de la sociedad en relación con su conservación y manejo. El alcance de la definición de bosque nativo ha cambiado con el tiempo, lo cual afecta la implementación de diversos instrumentos que usan las instituciones (e.g., cuando se identifican las coberturas de bosques alcanz...

Sobre el uso y conservación del algarrobo blanco

Identifying large-scale patterns of variation in pollinator dependence (PD) in crops is important from both basic and applied perspectives. Evidence from wild plants indicates that this variation can be structured latitudinally. Individuals from populations at high latitudes may be more selfed and less dependent on pollinators due to higher environ...

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, costl...

Unsustainable agriculture is producing a great socio-ecological transformation in Latin America because it has expanded into areas occupied by native forests. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide, with severe ecotoxicological effects on non-target organisms. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of glyphosate on seedlings of 24...

Soybean is the most important crop for Argentina in terms of cultivated area and annually exported tons. Although soybean is autogamous, crop yields can be enhanced by pollinators. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of insect pollination on soybean production. A pollination exclusion experiment (15 replications) was conducted to analyz...

Eucera and Xenoglosa are the two most frequent squash pollinators, and they both rely solely upon plants of the genus Cucurbita for pollen intake to feed their offspring. The present study reports the first case of Eucera fervens individuals infected with Nosema ceranae spores and assesses the possible impact of this microsporidian on the squash po...

Context The process of forest fragmentation determines landscapes with isolated forest patches immersed in a distinct matrix. This process may hinder pollinator movement throughout the landscape, which may negatively impact on pollen flow among native plant populations. Objectives We evaluated the effect of the loss of forest connectivity on polle...

Floral morphology can determine the type of animal that can be an effective pollinator. In flowers with nocturnal anthesis long-tubed flowers may attract long-tongued insects such as hawkmoths. However, flowers with more open morphology have nectar that can be more easily accessed by bats and short-tongued moths. These contrasting conditions may ha...

The secretion dynamics and chemical compositions of flower nectar can vary according to the plant physiology and the pollinator type. Bat-pollinated flowers are commonly associated with nocturnal nectar secretion as well as large amounts of nectar per flower, which is generally diluted and composed mostly of hexose sugars. The nectar traits in bat-...

Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) are severely changing ecosystems on earth. Studying the interactions that allow IAPS to establish and spread in the new regions is crucial. Ants can disperse exotic fleshy fruits. We asked the following questions at three different sites of Chaco Mountain Forest (Córdoba, Argentina): (1) Do ants disperse diaspore...

Honeybees settled in agricultural ecosystems may encounter glyphosate residues on flowers of cultivated and native plants growing in semi-natural habitats. This work analyzes the relationship between the presence of pesticides in honey and some features of the landscape that surrounds the apiaries. A total of 30 honey samples were analyzed, and the...

The conservation status of pollinators and pollination in Latin America (LA) is reviewed. The knowledge regarding native and managed pollinators (e.g., honeybee and stingless bees) and pollination services was synthetized, and the guidelines to improve the opportunities for conservation are provided, considering the threats to pollinators and the p...

Vegetated roofs (VRs) contribute to the resilience of cities by providing multiple ecosystem functions. A wide range of these benefits depends on the plant layer. Here, we hypothesized that increasing biodiversity attributes (i.e., composition, structural, and functional) in VRs will improve their performance under the climate conditions of semiari...

Este capítulo centra su enfoque en el Parque Chaqueño. Se presentan sus grandes unidades de paisaje y una muy breve descripción del bosque ya que en otros capítulos se aborda de manera más detallada esa descripción, incluyendo aspectos climáticos y de relieve, entre otras cosas. El mismo se orienta luego a la descripción de las prácticas de ma...

Biotic invasions constitute a threat for natural communities, affecting ecological and evolutionary integrity of natural ecosystems. Gleditsia triacanthos is an invasive species in many regions of the world. In Argentina, its populations are expanding over native vegetation of different ecoregions. The aim of this work is to study the reproductive...

Vegetated roofs reduce temperature and heat flow fluctuations on the building's surface mitigating the urban heat island effects and improving other ecosystem services. The objectives of this work were to quantify thermal reduction and to evaluate the performance of vegetated-microcosm treatments during 15 months with different species composition...

Hummingbirds in the Cerrado, the seasonal savannas in Central Brazil, visit both ornithophilous and non-ornithophilous flowers to collect nectar, which is the main source of energy and nutrients to these pollinators. The aim of the present study was to assess the volume, concentration, energy content and sugar composition of nectar collected from 3...

SOBRE EL PODER DE HACER COSAS CON PALABRAS / ¿Qué es la imposición de una retórica colonial si no la capacidad de hacer que las palabras encubran y justifiquen el despojo? ¿Cuál es el significado de “agroecología” cuando las corporaciones del agronegocio se apropian de ese bien común esencial para no ser un país cada vez más pobre y desigual que es...

Pollinator decline has attracted global attention and substantial efforts are underway to respond through national pollinator strategies and action plans. These policy responses require clarity on what is driving pollinator decline and what risks it generates for society in different parts of the world. Using a formal expert elicitation process, we...

Se presenta el estado de los bosques del Espinal, analizando la estructura y funcionamiento de los principales tipos de unidades de paisaje. Se discuten los principales cambios a nivel del paisaje relacionados con el manejo histórico del territorio y aspectos socioecológicos vinculados a los cambios en el uso de la tierra. Se presentan los tratamie...

Flower-visiting insects may be pollinators or, conversely, unrelated to the reproductive process of plants. Interactions between pollinating and non-pollinating flower visitors can negatively influence pollen transfer. Little is known about the effects of bee visits on pollination of squash (Cucurbita spp.) flowers and their interactions with the p...

The diversity and abundance of pollinators increase in cultivated areas in proximity to natural and seminatural habitats (pastures, forests, tree lines, etc.). Managing ecosystem services, such as insect pollination, is essential to increase crop yields. Although insect pollination is linked to better yields in many crops, pollinators are usually n...

BACKGROUND Kiwifruit is an important horticultural crop all over the world and its development is important in Argentina. This dioecious crop has a short blooming period with nectarless flowers, and its fruit production depends on cross‐pollination. Here, we tested whether kiwifruit quality increases by using honeybees exposed to female flowers tre...

Extensive green roofs improve the provision of ecosystem services in urban environments, particularly in semiarid regions. The aim of this paper is to compare their thermal performance during six months between two rooms, one with a green roof and the other with a conventional roof, in Córdoba (Argentina). The room with a green (planting) roof show...

In tropical dry forests, fire is a common disturbance and seed traits may drive regeneration of plant populations during these events. In this study, we aimed to (i) investigate whether the seed coat and/or fruit endocarp impose physical dormancy, (ii) check whether physical dormancy confers seed tolerance to heat shocks and (iii) verify whether he...

Pollinator decline has attracted global attention, and substantial efforts are underway to respond, through national pollinator strategies and action plans. These policy responses require clarity on what is driving pollinator decline, and what risks it generates for society, in different parts of the world. Using a formal expert elicitation process...

Habitat remnants act as a source of pollinators potentially relevant for crop pollination and yield. This work analyzes how habitat loss influences pollinators, effective pollination and yield of soybean crops. The study area comprises ten sites adjacent to forest patches surrounded by a soybean matrix in central Argentina (eight sites in the seaso...

Studies in crop plants analyzing floral biology in conjunction with effectiveness and efficiency of pollinators on pollen transfer and fruit formation are not common, although they are essential to provide better management actions. On this base, we selected a farm in Bahia, Brazil, to study pollination on coffee plants (Coffea arabica L.). Specifi...

The specialised mutualism between Tococa guianensis and ants housed in its leaf domatia is a well-known example of myrmecophily. A pollination study on this species revealed that flowers in the bud stage exude a sugary solution that is collected by ants. Given the presence of this unexpected nectar secretion, we investigated how, where, and when fl...

Endangered species in isolated habitats (e.g., inselbergs) may escape mate limitation during patch colonization through autonomous self-pollination. After colonization, the higher the number of plants breeding randomly within populations through cross-pollination, the lower is genetic erosion caused by genetic drift and inbreeding. Additionally, po...

Forest fragmentation represents a threat to several bird species worldwide. Several factors can change across seasons (e.g., bird perception of the landscape, weather conditions, biotic interactions) which can modify the response of bird populations to forest fragmentation. However, most studies have been conducted only during the breeding season....

Nectar production in flowers has been associated with pollination systems and seen as part of plant reproductive strategies. But other factors may have a role on nectar features and its efficacy as reward. We investigated pollination system of Qualea grandiflora, the most widespread woody species of Cerrado, the Neotropical savannas in Central Braz...

Full text: https://rdcu.be/bVy8H | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0412-1 | doi: 10.1038/s41893-019-0412-1 | Regional and global assessments periodically update what we know, and highlight what remains to be known, about the linkages between people and nature that both define and depend upon the state of the environment. To guide resear...

Background Conceptual clarity is important to attain precise communication of scientific knowledge and to implement appropriate technological and policy actions. Many concepts referring to forest management are widely used by decision-makers, regardless of their complexity. Although the scientific and methodological issues of forestry practices are...

La región fitogeográfica del Espinal en Argentina está críticamente amenazada, ya que gran parte de su territorio históricamente cubierto por bosque fue convertido a cultivos. Con el fin de evidenciar el valor de conservación de bosques relictuales en la región, realizamos un inventario de las especies de aves presentes en uno de los relictos de Es...

In recognition of the importance of nature, its contributions to people and role in underpinning sustainable development, governments adopted a Strategic Plan on Biodiversity 2011-2020 through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) containing 20 ‘Aichi Biodiversity Targets’ and integrated many of these into the Sustainable Development Goals (...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Pollinators underpin sustainable livelihoods that link ecosystems, spiritual and cultural values, and customary governance systems with indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) across the world. Biocultural diversity is a shorthand term for this great variety of people–nature interlinkages that have developed over time in specific ecosystem...

The Chaco is the largest dry forest biome in South America and one of the regions most threatened by agricultural intensification. As a consequence, in several areas Chaco forests persist as forest remnants of different sizes embedded in an agricultural matrix. Ants are social insects that have key roles in ecosystem functioning, and the effects of...

Chapter 2 makes the case for using systems thinking as a guiding perspective for TEEBAgriFood’s development of a comprehensive Evaluation Framework for the eco-agri-food system. Many dimensions of the eco-agri-food system create complex analytical and policy challenges. Systems thinking allows better understanding and forecasting of the outcomes of...

Background and Aims Large clades of angiosperms are often characterized by diverse interactions with pol-linators, but how these pollination systems are structured phylogenetically and biogeographically is still uncertain for most families. Apocynaceae is a clade of >5300 species with a worldwide distribution. A database representing >10 % of speci...

Plants interact with a diverse array of organisms below and above ground; some interactions with ants allow plants to be protected against herbivorous insects, influencing their growth or reproduction. In addition, indirect plant defenses—such as those mediated by extrafloral nectaries (EFNs)—could be affected by plant root symbionts. However, it i...

Extensive green roofs (EGR) spaces constitute harsh and stressful growing environments, and consequently a limited range of plants species that can be routinely used there. The habitat template hypothesis suggests that EGR can be analogous as natural environments, what makes native plants as an alternative for these conditions. This paper aimed to...

La agricultura intensiva produce grandes extensiones de un único tipo de cultivo, lo cual promueve la pérdida y fragmentación de ecosistemas, y afecta la provisión de servicios ecosistémicos como la polinización de plantas nativas y del cultivo. Cuando la floración del cultivo se produce en un corto período de tiempo representa un pulso masivo de f...