Rosalina Gabriel

University of the Azores - Angra do Heroísmo · DCEA/FCAA - Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e do Ambiente

Due to ongoing global changes, it is essential to establish a baseline record from which to determine future shifts in species distributions and community assembly patterns. In this context, we used digitised historical bryophyte distribution data along a 1021 m elevational gradient in Terceira Island (Azores) to determine how bryophyte species dis...

Trait databases are invaluable sources of information in ecological studies exploring the links between species traits and their surrounding environment. While digital vascular plant trait databases are already numerous, sets of bryophyte trait data are not equally available online. To help fill in this gap, we present the BRYOTRAIT-AZO database, a...

Ecological systems are the quintessential complex systems, involving numerous high-order interactions and non-linear relationships. The most commonly used statistical modelling techniques can hardly reflect the complexity of ecological patterns and processes. Finding hidden relationships in complex data is now possible through the use of massive co...

The negative impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning and services, and ultimately on human well-being, has been unequivocally established; however, despite all efforts, biodiversity is still declining worldwide. It is widely accepted that biodiversity awareness is crucial for its conservation. Nevertheless, after many initiatives to al...

The data we present are part of the long-term project SLAM (Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores) aiming to assess the impact of biodiversity erosion drivers on Azorean native biota, using long-term ecological data. Additionally to SLAM (Sea, Land and Air Malaise) traps, nocturnal Active Aerial...

A long-term study monitoring arthropods (Arthropoda) is being conducted since 2012 in the forests of Azorean Islands. Named "SLAM - Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores", this project aims to understand the impact of biodiversity erosion drivers in the distribution, abundance and diversity of A...

Long-term studies are key to understand the drivers of biodiversity erosion, such as land-use change and habitat degradation, climate change, invasive species or pollution. The long-term project SLAM (Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores) started in 2012 and focuses on arthropod monitoring, usi...

Citation: Borges, P.A.V., Lamelas-López, L., Ferrante, M., Monjardino, P., Lopes, D.H., Soares, A.O., Gil, A., Nunes, R., Gabriel, R., Arroz, A.M., Rigal, F., Bacher, S. & Lövei, G.L. (2022) Guia Prático da Fauna de Artrópodes Predadores dos Ecossistemas Agrícolas dos Açores. Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo. 95 pp. ISBN:978-989-8870-40-7...

Introduction Recent bryological research in Portugal has revealed the occurrence of a little-known segregate of the Riccia sorocarpa group, representing the first record for mainland Portugal and the Azores of Riccia sorocarpa Bisch. subsp. erythrophora R.M.Schust. ex Konstant. & L.Söderstr. New data are presented on the taxonomy and phytogeography...

The data we present are part of the long-term project “SLAM Project - Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the Natural Forest of Azores” that started in 2012, aiming to understand the impact of biodiversity erosion drivers on Azorean native forests (Azores, Macaronesia, Portugal). The data for the current study consist in...

This study explores the composition and structure of species communities associated with the native Azorean tree species Laurus azorica (Seub) Franco (Magnoliophyta, Magnoliopsida, Laurales, Lauraceae). Communities were sampled in six Islands covering the occidental (Flores), central (Faial, Pico, Terceira) and eastern (São Miguel, Santa Maria) gro...

Island biota are in imminent threat from anthropogenic impacts. Of these impacts the negative effects of exotic species on the taxonomic and functional diversity of the local fauna are of particularly major concern. Aside from their impact on the diversity of native fauna, exotics may also have a detrimental effect on native interactions which, in...

The data we present consist of an inventory of exotic arthropods, potentially invasive, collected in exotic and mixed forests and disturbed native forest patches of the Azores Archipelago. The study was carried out between 2019 and 2020 in four islands: Corvo, Flores, Terceira and Santa Maria, where a total of 45 passive flight interception SLAM tr...

Direct contact with nature is paramount in deepening children’s and teenagers’ interest in biodiversity. Learning materials chosen to convey information and engage participants during outings in nature-rich environments are varied and can support rich learning experiences. For this purpose, learning materials can be acquired "off-the-shelf" or deve...

We analyzed the evidence interpreted as profound changes of human origin, prior to Portuguese colonization and call into question the conclusions presented by Raposeiro et al. 2021. This analysis and reinterpretation is supported by multiple data sources, including data presented by Raposeiro et al. 2021; similar studies previously carried out on...

Understanding pupils' biodiversity perspectives is essential to developing educators' sensitivity to students' multi-faceted views of the world, thus increasing teaching effectiveness. In this study, we asked 1528 school pupils in the Azores to choose between alternative schemes in three ecological scenarios and to justify their decisions. The stud...

Sustainable development (SD) is one of the goals of contemporary society, underlining the need of its collective redefinition and social and personal appropriation. For this, it is relevant to analyze how individuals understand the process of building sustainability. The social representation of the SD of an intentional sample of 64 stakeholders fr...

Aim Habitat diversity has been linked to the diversity and structure of island communities, however, little is known about patterns and processes within habitats. Here we aim to determine the contributions of habitat type and inferred dispersal frequency to the differences in taxonomic structure between assemblages in the same island habitat. Loca...

Aim Environmental niche tracking is linked to the species ability to disperse. While well investigated on large spatial scales, dispersal constraints also influence small-scale processes and may explain the difference between the potential and the realized niche of species at small scales. Here we test whether niche size and niche fill differ syste...

The study of elevational patterns is a valuable method for inferring the influence of the climate and other variables in the regional distributions of species. Bryophytes are ideal for revealing different environmental patterns in elevational studies, since they occur from sea level to above the tree line. Taking advantage of the long elevational t...

Ecology, biogeography and conservation biology, among other disciplines, often rely on species identity, distribution and abundance to perceive and explain patterns in space and time. Yet, species are not independent units in the way they interact with their environment. Species often perform similar roles in networks and their ecosystems, and at l...

Are perspectives on urban sustainability forged by global context or influenced by local contexts or by personal features? To respond to this question the Q method approach is used to identify the main perspectives of urban sustainability in five Azorean cities and compare them with the local context. Results show that: a) urban contexts, rather th...

Are perspectives on urban sustainability forged by global context or influenced by local contexts or by personal features? To respond to this question the Q method approach is used to identify the main perspectives of urban sustaina-bility in five Azorean cities and compare them with the local context. Results show that: a) ur-ban contexts, rather...

Biodiversity loss is a complex issue and a risk that education cannot overlook. Teachers play a crucial role in how biodiversity, and in particular local biodiversity, is understood. To provide insight into how to improve communication on the subject, we investigate teachers’ perspectives and social representations regarding biodiversity, their flu...

outreach journal: Açoriano Oriental, Açores Magazine, UAciência

The aim of our study was to characterise and compare the richness and composition of endemic, native (non-endemic) and introduced arthropod assemblages of two Azorean Historic Gardens with contrasting plant species composition. We hypothesised that Faial Botanic Garden would hold higher arthropod diversity and abundance of native and endemic arthro...

The 'Rand flora' is a biogeographical disjunction which refers to plant lineages occurring at the margins of the African continent and neighbouring oceanic archipelagos. Here, we tested whether the phylogeographical pattern of Exormotheca pustulosa Mitt. was the result of vicariance induced by past climatic changes or the outcome of a series of rec...

Islands contribute enormously to global biodiversity, but their species and ecosystems are highly threatened and often confined to small patches of remaining native vegetation. Islands are thus ideal microcosms to study the local dimensions of global change. While human activities have drastically transformed most islands, the extent to which socie...

Here we present the data obtained from the samples collected as part of a large research project (MACDIV) which aims at understanding the drivers of spider (Araneae) community assembly in Macaronesian islands. To obtain the data, we applied the sampling protocol COBRA (Conservation Oriented Biodiversity Rapid Assessment), in twelve 50 m x 50 m nati...

outreach paper - magazine Pingo de Lava

This Red List is a summary of the conservation status of the European species of mosses, liverworts and hornworts, collectively known as bryophytes, evaluated according to IUCN’s Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Level. It provides the first comprehensive, region-wide assessment of bryophytes and it identifies those s...

The European Red List is a review of the status of European species according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level – in order that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This publication is a summary of the conservation status of...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218168.].

Background: During the LIFE-CWR project "Ecological Restoration and Conservation of Praia da Vitória Coastal Wet Green Infrastructures", there was the opportunity to undertake a systematic record of bryophytes at Paul da Praia da Vitória (PPV), Paul do Belo Jardim (PBJ) and Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia (PPCP), three coastal wetland areas of P...

Climate change is causing shifts in species distributions worldwide. Understanding how species distributions will change with future climate change is thus critical for conservation planning. Impacts on oceanic islands are potentially major given the disproportionate number of endemic species and the consequent risk that local extinctions might bec...

Background The data presented here come from samples collected as part of two recent research projects (NETBIOME - ISLANDBIODIV and FCT - MACDIV) which aimed at understanding the drivers of community assembly in Macaronesian islands. We applied the sampling protocol COBRA (Conservation Oriented Biodiversity Rapid Assessment, Cardoso 2009) in sixtee...

MACDIV_ISLANDBIOD_Spiders_Azores_Base_GBIF

Os jardins são espaços de beleza e diversidade de cores e formas, incluindo frequentemente espécies de plantas exóticas. Apesar de a maioria destas espécies se manter circunscrita aos espaços ajardinados, algumas conseguem escapar para ecossistemas naturais e semi-naturais, provocando graves problemas de conservação, nomeadamente a homogeneização d...

Bryophytes, including mosses, liverworts and hornworts, are terrestrial plants, with a particular life cycle where the gametophyte is dominant over the sporophyte; many species are pokilohydric, meaning that they achieve a quick equilibrium between the cell water content and that of the environment, suspending their life, but not dying, in the abse...

Islands harbour evolutionary and ecologically unique biota, which are currently disproportionately threatened by a multitude of anthropogenic factors, including habitat loss, invasive species and climate change. Native forests on oceanic islands are important refugia for endemic species, many of which are rare and highly threatened. Long-term monit...

Background During a LIFE research project aiming at the implementation of the conservation of the habitats and restoration of coastal wetland areas of Praia da Vitória (Terceira, Azores, Portugal), there was the opportunity undertake a systematic record of several groups of arthropods in three wetland areas: Paul da Praia da Vitória (PPV), Paul do...

Which distribution commonly used to fit a species abundance distribution gives the best fit across several area sizes? We approach this problem by looking at the moments of the distribution and compare these with those the distribution based on empirical data on tree species collected in Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We conclude that no single dis...

The urban Duque da Terceira Garden, in the main town of Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira, Azores), was investigated to describe the species composition of moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera). Moths were sampled with two methods: SLAM traps (between April and September 2017) and light trapping (two sessions in the summer of 2017). A total of 42 taxa were sample...

We addressed three questions: (1) what is the variation of α- and β-diversity of bryophyte communities across spatial scales in an elevational gradient; (2) is spatial variation characteristic of different phylogenetic (mosses/liverworts) and/or ecological groups (terrestrials/epiphytes); and (3) what is the contribution of species richness and spe...

The coastal wet areas of Praia da Vitória (Terceira, Azores) were investigated to describe the ground and aerial (herbaceous and canopy) arthropod communities by comparing patterns of species composition, abundance and diversity. Three wet areas were studied: Paul da Praia da Vitória (PPV), Paul do Belo Jardim (PBJ) and Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da...

How are bryophyte alpha and beta diversities distributed across spatial scales along an elevational gradient in an oceanic island? Which mechanisms and drivers operate to shape them? Starting from a multiscale hierarchical sampling approach along an 1000 m elevational transect, we used additive diversity partitioning and null modeling to evaluate t...

Background: Functional trait-based approaches link species diversity patterns to ecosystem functioning. In the context of global change, understanding these links is vital for developing holistic biodiversity management strategies. Bryophytes, important ecosystem components owing to their biogeochemical functions, have not been the focus of many fu...

Anthropogenic disturbance often drives habitat loss, ecological fragmentation and a decrease in biodiversity. This is especially problematic in islands, which are bounded and isolated systems. In the Azores, human settlement led to a significant contraction of the archipelago’s original native forested areas, which nowadays occupy only small patche...

outreach paper - magazine Pingo de Lava

Oceanic islands host a high proportion of the world’s endemic species. Many such species are at risk of extinction owing to habitat degradation and loss, biological invasions and other threats, but little is known about the effects of climate change on island native biodiversity. The Azorean archipelago provides a unique opportunity to study specie...

Paper presents couple of new national and regional bryophyte records accross the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Antarctica. In Europe there are interesting findings from Poland (Sphagnum molle, Pseudocalliergon lycopodioides), Hungary (Seligeria acutifolia), Bulgaria and Macedonia (Didymodon icmadophilus), etc. A...

Oceanic islands are at the core of research on biogeography and many other biological issues. Roughly halfway between Europe and North America, lies the archipelago of the Azores, the most remote archipelago of the North Atlantic Ocean. Composed of nine islands, divided into eastern, central and western groups, it is home to approximately 250.000 i...