
M. Rosario FernandesUniversity of Lisbon | UL · Centro de Estudos Florestais (CEF)
M. Rosario Fernandes
PhD. in Forestry and Natural Resources Management
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Publications (84)
Ecological Infrastructures (EIs) form a network of natural and semi-natural areas crucial to support biodiversity in human-altered landscapes. Several indices have been proposed to assess the ecological quality of EIs, but these have been seldom tested using animal biodiversity as a response variable. The Habitat Ecological Infrastructure's Diversi...
The Riparian Ecological Infrastructure (REI) is defined by the ensemble of natural and semi-natural woody and herbaceous vegetation patches located contiguously to water courses. Freshwater environments and the associated REI provide habitat for many species, acting as corridors linking landscapes at a wider scale.
Focusing on ants, a ubiquitous an...
We aimed at assessing the role of ecological infrastructures (EI) in promoting ant biodiversity in floodplain Mediterranean agricultural crops. We examined and compared ant communities at the interface between EI (remnant vegetation patches) and adjoining agricultural matrix (maize, rice, others) in irrigated farmland. The study was conducted in 20...
Ecological infrastructures (EI), defined as natural or semi-natural structural elements, are important to support biodiversity and could play a crucial role in counteracting the well-known impacts of intensive agriculture. Yet, the importance of EI remains largely unexplored in Mediterranean agricultural landscapes and for species providing essenti...
Os morcegos representam um quinto dos mamíferos terrestres e na Europa todas as espécies alimentam-se de insectos.
A comunidade de morcegos está associada à biodiversidade e a serviços importantes dos ecossistemas, como sejam a predação de insetos nocivos para as culturas, regulando as populações de presas.
The Riparian Ecological Infrastructure is a network of natural and/or semi-natural riparian patches, vital to support
biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (ES) in human-dominated landscapes. In this study, we evaluated the habitat
quality of REI patches and their potential for the provision of ES. Fieldwork was carried out in the riparian and
flood...
Riparian Ecological Infrastructures are networks of natural and semi-natural riparian areas located in human-dominated landscapes, crucial in supporting processes that directly or indirectly benefit humans or enhance social welfare. In this study, we developed a novel multimetric index, termed Habitat Ecological Infrastructure’s Diversity Index (HE...
The relevance of riparian areas to improve nature condition and human well-being is widely acknowledged. These are also important in intensive agricultural landscapes to mitigate effects caused by farming intensification, negatively affecting nature and “nature´s contributions to people” (NCP). However, current EU agricultural policies (eg, CAP) ne...
Riverine areas are considered large carbon reserves because they support long-term woody communities, which in their natural state are dense and diverse. In this study, we analysed the carbon storage alterations across 20.5 km of riverine Sampling Units (SUs) downstream Touvedo (a run-of-river dam) and Fronhas (a storage reservoir), by adopting a L...
The connectivity of riparian forests can be used as a proxy for the capacity of riparian zones to provide ecological functions, goods and services. In this study, we aim to test the potential of the freely available Copernicus “Riparian Zones” dataset to characterize the connectivity of riparian forests located in two European bioclimatic regions—t...
In this study, we assess the potential of ants as bioindicators of riparian ecological health in two river types (upland and lowland type) located in the Catalonian region. We proposed to understand to what extent do metrics based on ant responses provide useful information that cannot be presented by traditional biophysical assessments while attem...
This dataset contains the results of explanatory variables extracted from sampling points located in the Ecological Infrastructure (EI) patches and in the surrounding matrix of the areas that were established under the Optimal greening of irrigated farmland to achieve a prime environment and biodiversity project (Optimus Prime project – PTDC/ASP-AG...
This dataset contains the results of 171 explanatory variables computed for 359 sampling points located in the matrix area and the Riparian Ecological Infrastructure (EI) patches of four study areas located in three distinct landscapes of the Tagus and Sorraia rivers floodplains (Portugal). Variable types include: i) point variables, pertaining to...
1-Thaumetopoea pityocampa is the most important pine defoliator in the Mediterranean
basin. Despite being attacked by a number of natural enemies, populations occur
frequently at high density in several areas.
2- Egg parasitism was studied in 27 pine and cedar forests in Algeria, in relation to the
host density (tents per tree) and the proportion...
Fluvial riparian vegetation (RV) links fluvial and terrestrial ecosystems. It is under significant pressure from anthropogenic activities, and, therefore, the management and restoration of RV are increasingly important worldwide. RV has been investigated from different perspectives, so knowledge on its structure and function is widely distributed....
Fluvial riparian vegetation (RV) links fluvial and terrestrial ecosystems. It is under significant pressure from anthropogenic activities, and, therefore, the management and restoration of RV are increasingly important worldwide. RV has been investigated from different perspectives, so knowledge on its structure and function is widely distributed....
This study aims to estimate the total biomass aboveground and soil carbon stocks in a Mediterranean riparian forest and identify the contribution of the different species and ecosystem compartments to the overall riparian carbon reservoir. We used a combined field and object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach, based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UA...
This dataset contains the geographic location of the Ecological Infrastructure (EI) patches located in the sampling areas established under the Optimal greening of irrigated farmland to achieve a prime environment and biodiversity project (Optimus Prime project – PTDC/ASP-AGR/29771/2017). This project aims to investigate the ecological benefits sus...
Large rivers on the Iberian Peninsula reflect a long-history of human interventions and natural disturbances in the fluvial corridors and on the surrounding valleys. In this study we aim to characterize the river morphology in pre-regulation times and understand the morphological changes of the large river Tagus (Central Portugal), across space and...
This spatial dataset provides a detailed geographic delineation of the Riparian Ecological Infrastructure (REI) in the sampling areas established under the Connectivity of forest and riparian ecosystems of the SUDOE space (CERES) project (CERES Interreg IV-B SUDOE-SOE2/P5/F0551). This project aims to develop activities to improve and maintain the c...
Dammed rivers have unnatural stream flows, disrupted sediment dynamics, and rearranged geomorphologic settings. Consequently, fluvial biota experiences disturbed functioning in the novel ecosystems. The case study is the large irrigation reservoir Alqueva in Guadiana River, Southern Iberia. The study area was divided into three zones: upstream and...
Cities, due to the presence of ports and airports and the high diversity of trees in streets, parks, and gardens, may play an important role for the introduction of invasive forest pests. We hypothesize that areas of urban forest facilitate the establishment of non-native forest pests. Based on scientific literature and a pan-European database on n...
European landscapes have been shaped by past and present human activities with the consequent loss of biodiversity and fragmentation of natural ecosystems. At the SUDOE space, landscapes have become dominated by intensive forest and agricultural production systems, sparsely interconnected by residual areas of natural and semi-natural habitats, such...
Agricultural intensification is currently considered as a major driver of worldwide biodiversity loss. EU-agro-environment policies were introduced to reduce biodiversity loss by subsidizing farmers that promote agricultural practices that are beneficial for climate and environment, by committing a percentage of productive farmland to Ecological Fo...
CERES is an INTERREG-SUDOE project (2018-2021) that aims to improve networks for ecological continuity in order to maximize Biodiversity and the provision of Ecosystems Services at distinct landscape matrices.
Riparian ecosystems have a great potential for long-term carbon storage and sequestration. However, there is a growing demand on accurate estimations for the Mediterranean region and particularly using remote sensing approaches. In this study, we estimated the Above Ground Biomass (AGB) of a Mediterranean riparian forest using high-resolution multi...
Riparian vegetation drives flow regime, water quality, habitat and biota in freshwater ecosystems. In this presentation, we summarize ten years of research on image-based methods to characterize riparian ecosystems health, in Mediterranean areas, from spatial, temporal and spectral perspectives. Structural and compositional indicators of riparian v...
Macrophytes are important components of superficial water bodies and their diversity and abundance provide steady responses to abiotic factors and especially to nutrient enrichment, sedimentation and stream flow alterations. They have the capability of incorporating the effects of successive anthropic disturbances over long periods of time, which w...
The main objective of this study is to characterize the hydromorphological evolution of Tagus and Minho rivers, using a planform image analysis, and assess the contribution of human disturbance to global change. We performed a temporal analysis by choosing dates representing a pre-regulation period (19th century) and a post-regulation period (21th...
Rivers and humans compete for territory, water and ecological resources. Hydrological alterations and land-use and land cover (LULC) are known to alter riparian ecosystem functions and processes. We studied ecological and hydromorphological alterations by regulation and LULC in three hydropower rivers of north and centre Portugal and in a very larg...
Rivers are among the most sensitive of all ecosystems to the effects of global change, but options to prevent, mitigate or restore ecosystem damage are still inadequately understood. Riparian buffers are widely advocated as a cost-effective option to manage impacts, but empirical evidence is yet to identify ideal riparian features (e.g. width, leng...
Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns
In: R. Guarino, G. Bazan, G. Barbera, The 60th IAVS Annual Symposium “vegetation patterns in natural and cultural landscapes” Abstract. Palermo University Press, Palermo, Italy: 47-48.
In the previous report (D4.1, September 2016) we have developed predictive linkages between indicators of environmental quality and ecosystem services, and different types of pressures, single or multiple, across river basins from all over Europe, in a latitudinal and a west-east gradient, and having very different conditions of climate and land us...
Hydromorphological patterns changes in large rivers, result from a long history of human interventions. In this study, we evaluate the causes and effects of hydromorphological alterations in the Iberian Minho River using a planform change analysis. We performed a temporal comparison using historical maps (nineteen century) and contemporaneous maps....
Climate change will induce alterations in the hydrological and landscape patterns with effects on riparian ecotones. In this study we assess the combined effect of an extreme climate and land-use change scenario on riparian woody structure and how this will translate into a future risk of riparian functionality loss. The study was conducted in the...
As zonas ribeirinhas são responsáveis pelo fornecimento de inúmeros serviços de ecossistema cruciais na manutenção da biodiversidade e no bem-estar humano. Apesar da reconhecida importância, apresentam um histórico de perturbação humana, levando a alterações na sua funcionalidade e consequentemente na disponibilização dos diferentes bens e serviços...
Dams strongly impair the fluvial environment by altering downstream flows. We analysed riverscapes downstream of three dams and hypothesized that different dam types in rivers with diverse history of land-use and land cover (LULC) change have significant riparian cover differences at diverse biogeomorphic units (banks, riverbanks, islands). We perf...
Biogeomorphologic patterns in large rivers result from interactions between hydrogeomorphology, vegetation dynamics and a long history of human interventions. In this study we analyzed the multi-stressor effects in the biogeomorphological evolution of two distinct river zones (upland valley zone vs floodplain valley zone) in Tagus River, Portugal....
Riparian forests provide a wide range of ecological functions goods and services sustained by two main indicators: 1) high spatial structural dynamics i.e, the lateral and longitudinal continuity and the strata complexity and 2) species diversity. In this presentation we compiled the main findings obtained in recent studies at mainland Portugal, co...
Riparian areas are responsible for many ecological and ecosystems services, including the filtering function, that are considered crucial to the preservation of water quality and social benefits. The main goal of this study is to quantify and understand the riparian variability under desertification scenario(s) and identify the optimal riparian ind...
Dams are undoubtedly one of the major driving forces of change in fluvial systems. They alter the aquatic and riparian ecology by affecting river hydrology in quality, quantity and timing of downstream flows. On the other hand, riparian landscapes are usually constrained by land-use. The main goal of this study is to quantify and understand the cha...
Over the past decades, we have assisted to an increasing understanding of the effects of regulated-flow conditions on aquatic ecosystems. However, the responses to altered flows of the ecotonal ecosystems remain a long-standing chal-lenge in the Mediterranean regions. This is probably due to the multiple pressures that in-fluence directly and indir...
Giant reed is an aggressive invasive plant of riparian ecosystems in many sub-tropical and warm-temperate regions, including Mediterranean Europe. In this study we tested a set of geometric, spectral and textural attributes in an object based image analysis (OBIA) approach to map giant reed invasions in riparian habitats. Bagging Classification and...
The giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is amongst the one hundred worst invasive alien species of the world, and it is responsible for biodiversity loss and failure of ecosystem functions in riparian habitats. In this work, field spectroradiometry was used to assess the spectral separability of the giant reed from the adjacent vegetation and from the com...
Spectral discrimination between riparian forests is a challenging issue due to the inher-
ent complexity of species composition and the high spatial structural variability of these
vegetation types. This study aimed to evaluate spectral separability among riparian
forests, in small and medium-sized river catchment areas, in three bioclimatic zones...
Spectral discrimination between riparian forests is a challenging issue due to the inherent complexity of species composition and the high spatial structural variability of these vegetation types. This study aimed to evaluate spectral separability among riparian forests, in small and medium-sized river catchment areas, in three bioclimatic zones of...
Riparian woods are imperiled ecosystems due to the intensive land-use in surrounding areas and to human disturbance in fluvial corridors. Stream management and restoration programs have broadly recognized the urgent need to develop methodologies for evaluating riparian conservation status that combine cost-effective approaches over extensive areas....
The giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is amongst the one hundred worst invasive alien species of the world (Lowe et al., 2000). In Portugal the giant reed is mainly widespread in southern and western coastal rivers where it frequently forms monotypic stands responsible for biodiversity loss and failure of many riparian ecosystem functions. Usually, gian...
Riparian woods are frequently fragmented and degraded,
mainly as a consequence of land-cover related stresses, water diversion,
regulation and invasive species. The need to enhance these systems
towards their natural functioning has motivated numerous restoration
efforts. However, river managers still need guidance on how to allocate
scarce restora...
Riparian areas are among the most threatened habitats in the world, due to human activities and land use
in adjacent areas. In this study we sought to identify landscape metrics for describing the spatial patterns
of riparian vegetation affected by land use. We also hypothesize that land use in the immediate vicinity
of the riparian area (considere...
Riparian ecosystems are amongst the most altered in the world. In Iberia, these ecosystems have been severely impacted for millennia by direct human disturbances in the riparian zones. River restoration programs point to the urgent need of developing expeditious methodologies to evaluate the ecological quality of rivers and related riparian zones....
RICOVER project (River Recovery in the SUDOE Region http://4.interreg-sudoe.eu/ESP/f/138/17/RICOVER/Los-proyectos-aprobados/Recuperacion-de-rios-en-el-SUDOE-Europeo, 2009-2011)
was born from the desire to apply Ripidurable project guidelines to the recovery of natural environment to
the SUDOE region, and specifically to improve the ecological qual...
Riparian areas are dynamic and complex ecosystems, harboring a rich mosaic of aquatic, semi-
aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Their vegetation filters pollutants, stabilizes soil against erosion, and
functions as a refuge for plant communities and wildlife, thus contributing to preserve biodiversity. They
function as ecological corridors and als...
Riparian zones are responsible for many ecological functions considered crucial to the
preservation of river ecological conditions. In the Mediterranean landscape, riparian corridors emerge
from surrounding landscapes as “linear oasis” with particular structural and compositional features. They
are, however, severely altered by adjacent human ac...
It is widely recognized that optical remote sensing imagery has high potential for acquiring information, for monitoring and for management of vegetated areas. Recent advances on the availability of very high resolution images in Portugal and the need to develop supporting tools for the management of riparian landscapes drive us to study the potent...
Rivers and riparian areas of Iberia, Southwestern Europe, have been subjected to huge human disturbances for millennia, such as water diversion, regulation, land-use, afforestation, grazing, physical interventions on riverbanks, amongst others (Ferreira et al., 2005; Hooke, 2006, von Schiller et al., 2008). These manifold types of pressures often r...
Nos próximos anos será realizado um esforço importante de conservação e de restauro de troços fluviais, exigidos pela Directiva Quadro da Água. É importante que esse esforço assente numa classificação adequada do estado de conservação dos corredores fluviais. O Aproveitamento Hidráulico de Odelouca e a consequente necessidade de adopção de medidas...