
Rafael Barbizan SühsUniversidade Federal de Santa Catarina | UFSC · Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia
Rafael Barbizan Sühs
PhD
Postdoc position at Ecology Postgraduation Program - UFSC Brazil
About
56
Publications
13,084
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
579
Citations
Introduction
I'm interested in processes and patterns of vegetation structure and dynamics. I answer my research questions by both empirical data collection and experimentation.
Currently, I'm exploring the role of biotic interactions and disturbances (fire and grazing) involved in forest / grasslands dynamics;
Additional affiliations
Education
March 2015 - May 2019
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Field of study
- Ecology
March 2011 - March 2013
March 2006 - August 2020
Publications
Publications (56)
In the southern Brazilian highlands, pre-Columbian societies created domesticated landscapes through the use and management of forests, including nurse Araucaria angustifolia trees, a common conifer in these regions. Nowadays, local smallholders still use traditional practices, such as burning, to promote vegetation for cattle grazing in highland g...
Woody encroachment threatens several ecosystems around the world. In general, management of grasslands includes regulation of fire and grazing regimes. Changes in these two types of disturbances are potential drivers of woody encroachment. Here we assessed how the traditional management carried out by local landholders affects a highland grassland...
Human activities have been increasing pressure on riparian zones, affecting social benefits these ecosystems provide. Invasive species use river corridors as pathways to spread and consequently impact these ecosystems. Willows (Salix spp.) are important tree invaders worldwide. The invasiveness of Salix × rubens and its possible detrimental effects...
Understanding the geographic distribution of invasive species in ecoregions and protected areas (PA) is important to develop and improve management programs. Ecoregions are biogeographic
units defined as relatively large units of land or water containing a distinct assemblage of natural communities that share a large majority of species, dynamics,...
Disturbances caused by land management via fire and cattle grazing can alter the population structure of keystone species that change the output of vegetation dynamics. Adult araucaria trees (Araucaria angustifolia) can facilitate the establishment of other woody plants and, thus, influence the expansion of forests over grasslands in the highlands...
Can differences in biological attributes related to seed germination and seedling development between phylogenetically close native species and invasive non-native species help explain biological invasion potential in subtropical forests? Can the expression of these attributes vary according to different conditions of light when assessed experiment...
In subtropical coastal dune ecosystems, biotic interactions can play a pivotal role in shaping species distribution patterns and community dynamics. We evaluated the influence of three dominant shrub species on plant species richness, plant abundance, and community composition, assessing their interaction roles (facilitation, neutrality, interferen...
The seed rain determines seed bank structure and composition, ultimately replacing canopy trees through seedling recruitment in tropical forests. Therefore, seed rain affects forest regeneration, driving community assembly at different levels. The present study investigated how landscape metrics affect seed rain patterns across remnants of the Braz...
Montane ecosystems in South America harbor high levels of endemism typically with species that are often threatened. Here we investigated fruit and seed morphology, germination, and early growth parameters of Crinodendron brasiliense, an endangered and narrow endemic tree species of subtropical montane cloud forests in Southern Brazil. We obtained...
The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large‐scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial m...
Invasive alien flora and fauna species
Invasive non-native species (invasive species, henceforth) across all taxonomic groups are spreading globally, with numbers projected to continue growing in the future. It is difficult for governments and managers to handle this issue when the identity of invasive species or the areas of occurrence of biological invasions are not known. Here, we pr...
Mosaics of forest and grassland are frequent in South Brazilian landscapes, both in the highlands of the Atlantic Forest and southward into the Pampa regions. The grasslands are relicts of a previous drier and colder climate and are currently subject to woody encroachment and forest expansion. These processes are dynamic and observed mosaic pattern...
The dramatic loss of natural grasslands in the Campos Sulinos, and the threats to the remaining areas due to biological invasions, makes it essential to compile information on which are the most frequent invasive alien species (IAS) and their distribution throughout the region. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the main aspects of biologic...
Willows invade many riparian environments around the world. Understanding the environmental factors that affect the establishment of non-native invasive plants, as well as characterizing population structure and stages of invasion, are crucial steps to define priority areas for monitoring and management. In this study, we characterized the populati...
The detection of invasive species is a crucial step for environmental management. However, traditional methods often require intensive labor in the field, which tends to be time-consuming and costly. In contrast, drones can cover large areas quickly and efficiently, creating a cost effective alternative. However, the use of drones to detect or moni...
Um regime de distúrbios com fogo e pastejo pode favorecer a ocorrência de campos, e ao mesmo tempo manter sua diversidade. Além do distúrbio, a biomassa, necromassa, afloramentos rochosos, atributos do terreno e do solo também influenciam a diversidade de espécies. Um manejo antidistúrbio pode levar 1) à dominância dos campos por poucas espécies, 2...
O objetivo deste projeto foi de avaliar o efeito do contexto ambiental sobre a diversidade alfa e beta da comunidade arbórea em Floresta com Araucária (FA)
no Parque Nacional de São Joaquim, Santa Catarina, Brasil.
Resultados e Discussão:
• Diversidade alfa: a quantidade de espécies dominantes foi explicada pela
exposição solar interagindo com a i...
Seeds and seedlings represent the earliest and most critical stages of plant life cycle, driving plant recruitment and forest regeneration patterns. Recruitment limitation occurs when seeds do not reach the available places in the forest (i.e., seed limitation, which includes source and dispersal limitations), or do not find adequate conditions for...
Questions
Escobedia grandiflora is a root hemiparasite from Central and South America, and its orange roots are used as a phytomedicine and food coloring. Since root hemiparasites from South America have not been extensively investigated, we asked how E. grandiflora would affect the structure and diversity of plant communities in four locations in...
Pines invading a municipal protected area in southern Brazil were eliminated over 17 days at a cost of US $ 10,000. The number of pines eliminated per day varied with: (1) slope; (2) vegetation; and (3) pine density. Yield was assessed based on the combination of these three factors. Seven yield classes were defined to estimate the number of pines...
Basic research assessing environmental effects on entire pollinator communities
are still uncommon, particularly for rare and commercially unattractive plant-pollinator
partners. We investigated the community of flower visitors of
Erythroxylum myrsinites to check for potential pollinators and to check the extent
of weather influence of visitor beha...
Background:
Mining activities have environmental impacts due to sediment movement and contamination of areas and may also pose risks to people's food security. In Brazil, the majority of coal mining activities are in the south, in the Santa Catarina carboniferous region. In this region, previously mined areas contaminated with heavy metals frequen...
Background Mining activities have environmental impacts due to sediment movement and contamination of areas, and may also pose risks to people's food security. In Brazil, the majority of coal mining activities are in the south, in the Santa Catarina Carboniferous region. In this region, previously mined areas contaminated with heavy metals, frequen...
Background: Mining activities have environmental impacts due to sediment movement and contamination of areas, and may also pose risks to people's food security. In Brazil, the majority of coal mining activities are in the south, in the Santa Catarina Carboniferous region. In this region, previously mined areas contaminated with heavy metals, freque...
Background Mining activities have environmental impacts due to sediment movement and contamination of areas, and also pose risks to people's food security. In Brazil, the major part of coal mining activities is done in the southern region, in the Santa Catarina Carboniferous region. In this region, former mined areas contaminated with heavy metals...
Many ecological phenomena are impossible to be fully understood when decades or centuries-long processes are ignored. Human activities have shaped the appearance and function of regions, landscapes and ecosystems for millennia. Historical ecology can be used as a tool to understand patterns generated by complex processes in which humans are inserte...
Upper montane ecosystems in Brazil are little known, and their structural and functional aspects poorly understood. Our goals were to describe tree species diversity and community structure, and to characterize tree species in relation to their ecological traits, phytogeographic history and conservation status in an upper montane araucaria forest r...
Civil society can play a relevant role in supporting local environmental management, as volunteer efforts can be carried out at low cost and therefore be sustained over time. We present in this paper the assessment of the effectiveness of a volunteer program for the control of invasive pines in a protected area (PA) in a coastal zone of southern Br...
Complete GLMMs for evaluating species richness and abundance of saplings in relation to land management, araucaria crown influence and covariates (grass volume, rock and shrub cover) in an upper-montane Araucaria forest, southern Brazil.
Significant P-values are in bold. Unman = unmanaged sites; Man = managed sites; Crowns = beneath araucaria crown...
Summary of main variables measured under distinct land management and araucaria crown influence and covariates (grass volume, rock and shrub cover) in an upper-montane Araucaria forest, southern Brazil.
Except for sampling area, richness and abundance, other variables were mean ± standard deviation.
(PDF)
Univariate results of multivariate tests.
This table shows how species abundances were affected by the interaction between land management and araucaria crown influence as well as the direction of the effect. Overall Test Stats = overall effect for each species. LR = likelihood ratio test, Unman = Unmanaged conditions, Man = Managed conditions, Can...
Differences among measured variables for unmanaged and managed locations in an upper-montane Araucaria forest, southern Brazil.
A = terrain inclination (°); B = rock cover (m2); C = elevation (m); D = Circumference at Breast Height (CBH) of sampled araucaria trees (cm). Circles represent samples (average of the sampled pair–except for CBH).
(PDF)
Data set used for analyses.
(PDF)
IUCN red list classification of Crinodendron brasiliense, an endemic tree species found in the highlands of Southern Brazil.
Positive interactions in plant communities are underreported in subtropical systems most likely because they are not identified as stressful environments. However, environmental factors or disturbance can limit plant growth in any system and lead to stressful conditions. For instance, salinity and low nutrient and water availability generate a grad...
Controlling non-native invasive species is time- and resource-consuming. The engagement of citizens has been shown to increase the success of invasive species control programs. Here, we assess the effectiveness of a volunteering program in controlling pine invasions in a coastal protected area (PA) in southern Brazil. We divided the PA in three lar...
Chemical communication is intensely used by deer, especially scent-marking behaviors, with territory marking mainly made by males. This work presents several video recordings of at least two gray brockets (male and female) chemically communicating via scent marks. Video recordings demonstrate multiple depositions of feces and urine by the animals,...
Title: The role of Araucaria trees in plant community assemblage in Brazilian highlands
In this talk I presented the role of araucaria trees and other variables such as rock and shrub cover and grass volume have in plant community assemblage in Brazilian highlands. These results are part of my PhD thesis and have been recently published here:
http...
Microglia cells are essential for brain homeostasis and have essential roles in neurodegenerative diseases. Aging is the main risk factor for most neurodegenerative diseases and age-related changes in microglia may contribute to the susceptibility of the aging brain to dysfunction and neurodegeneration. We have analyzed morphology and dynamic behav...
This study aimed to determine the spatial distribution of the most abundant tree species, to look for relationships that may be responsible for their distribution and to compare the expected richness along the Serra Geral formation in the state of Rio Grande do Sul , Brazil. An one-hectare plot was divided in 100 contiguous 10 x 10 m sampling units...
Considering the importance of Schinus terebinthifolius in Brazilian ecosystems, this study aimed to investigate the floral visiting insects, and verify their efficiency in pollen transport. Were collected 1.624 insects belonging to eight orders and 64 families on the flowers of one individual of S. terebinthifolius. Diptera showed higher family ric...
O presente estudo verificou a influência dos contingentes florísticos sobre a composição e estrutura de uma sinúsia florestal na região central do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O estudo foi realizado no município de Sinimbu, em uma floresta decidual, onde foram demarcadas 100 unidades amostrais contíguas, totalizando 1 ha. Todos os indivíduos com diâm...
This note reports the occurrence of a population of Trithrinax brasiliensis in the municipality of Boqueirão do Leão, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is an endangered species in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, being this the first record for this region, increasing its known occurrence area.
Objetivou-se com este estudo verificar quais vespas atuam no transporte de pólen, bem como verificar as espécies que podem exercer a polinização potencial de Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, em Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. Coletou-se nas flores de um indivíduo, 1.619 insetos, sendo 616 vespídeos. 55,7% destes apresentaram grãos de pólen ade...
Questions
Question (1)
Hi all, I have the following problem:
I've built a GLMM and it showed that one of the three levels of a factor differed from the intercept. So I've used the multcomp package in order to perform a multiple comparison and find out if the other two levels differed between each other. The results now are showing that none of the three levels actually differed. So something must be wrong....
I'm using the glmm.ADMB package.
the script line was
mc_pano <- glht(pano3, linfct = mcp(period = "Tukey"))