Ligia Silveira Funch

Plant-pollinator interactions can shape species distributions and are vital for ecosystem functioning. However, their vulnerability to climate change remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the mutualistic relationship between the bromeliad Sincoraea albopicta and its hummingbird pollinator Augastes lumachella , both narrowly endemic in Campos Rupestres , Brazil. Using ecological niche modeling (ENM), we assessed the current and future distributions under climate change scenarios and compared the performance of climatic, topographic, and combined environmental datasets. Field observations confirmed that A. lumachella is the exclusive pollinator of S. albopicta . ENMs showed strong model performance for climatic and combined datasets, whereas topographic variables alone yielded unreliable predictions. Projections indicated severe range contractions for S. albopicta , with extinction predicted under high emission scenarios by 2100, whereas A. lumachella exhibited greater resilience. Only 16.9%–21.9% of the hummingbird range overlapped with the bromeliad habitat, whereas almost 100% of the suitability areas of S. albopicta overlapped with A. lumachella , emphasizing asymmetric dependence. Currently, only 8%–20% of suitable areas fall within protected zones, with anticipated future declines. We identified 20,550 km ² priority conservation areas to safeguard this interaction. Our findings underscore the fragility of specialized plant-pollinator networks and the urgent need for conservation strategies that account for mutualistic dependencies in the face of climate change.

It is imperative to comprehend the mechanisms that regulate aboveground carbon stock (AGC) in tropical forests, as this knowledge is fundamental for predicting ecosystem responses to environmental change. Two non-mutually exclusive mechanisms have been proposed to explain how community functional composition influences carbon storage: the niche complementarity hypothesis (NCH) emphasizes functional diversity, and the mass-ratio hypothesis (MRH) highlights the role of dominant trait values. However, the simultaneous testing of these mechanisms under integrated climatic–edaphic gradients across contrasting tropical forests has rarely been undertaken. Using piecewise structural equation modeling with bootstrap confidence intervals for indirect effects, we disentangled the direct and indirect pathways linking an integrated environmental gradient, functional diversity, functional dominance, and AGC across dry and wet tropical forests in northeastern Brazil. We quantified community-weighted mean (CWM) traits and multiple functional diversity (FD) metrics from field-measured leaf area, leaf dry mass, specific leaf area, wood density, and tree height and evaluated competing causal models representing the NCH, MRH, and a joint framework. We found strong support for the MRH. The environmental gradient exerted an indirect influence on AGC through community-weighted mean tree height, thereby fully mediating the relationship between environmental conditions and AGC. Conversely, FD metrics exhibited no significant effects on AGC in either the independent or joint models. The results obtained demonstrate the importance of integrated climatic-edaphic gradients and suggest that environmental filtering exerts a primary influence on AGC by favoring communities dominated by tall-statured species, thus providing a trait-based framework for understanding and managing carbon dynamics in tropical forests.

Brazilian campos rupestres are a global center of plant endemism, but they are increasingly threatened by climate change and human activities. In this context, Sincoraea, an endemic genus of the Espinhaço Mountain Range, provides an important model for understanding how reproductive traits influence species persistence. This study investigated the floral biology, reproductive systems, nectar dynamics, and floral visitors’ interactions of several Sincoraea species through fieldwork conducted from 2023 to 2025. Floral biology and pollination were analyzed in four species, while pollen and stigma traits were examined in eight species using light and scanning electron microscopy. The flowers had white tubular corollas, diurnal anthesis, and high pollen viability during anthesis. Nectar production peaked in the morning. All recorded pollinators were hummingbirds and all species were self-incompatible, except S. burle-marxii, which was partially self-compatible. The reproductive effectiveness index was 1.00 for all species, suggesting that natural pollination provided effective conspecific pollen transfer without evidence of pollen limitation. These findings highlight the strong dependence of Sincoraea on floral visitors and emphasize the importance of conserving plant–floral visitor networks in campos rupestres. These interactions are essential for maintaining genetic diversity and the long-term stability of ecosystems.

Ethnobotany of quilombola homegardens: resistance and cultural preservation in the Matinha dos Pretos and Paus Altos communities in Bahia State, Brazil. Quilombola backyard homegardens are spaces of resistance to the oppression of previously enslaved people who, even though “free,” are unable to expand their territorial boundaries. We examined the backyards of two quilombola communities in the Caatinga region of Bahia State in order to identify the food and medicinal plants they cultivated or preserved as well as their uses. We used qualitative and quantitative approaches, with guided tours, semi-structured interviews, and conversations with participants caring for five backyards in each community. We conducted discursive and descriptive analyses of the data. These spaces are managed mainly by women. Of the 148 plant species cited, 115 are medicinal and 66 are food species, of which 30 are PANC, with most being native. The communities were similar in terms of the nomenclature of ethnospecies, biodiversity, plant uses, and plant sharing. Backyard homegardens constitute a biocultural heritage, with exchanges of intergenerational knowledge and inter-family relationships, and moments of leisure. They contribute to family income, food and health security and the conservation of biodiversity.

A família Arecaceae Bercht. & J.Presl. apresenta cerca de 2.000 espécies reunidas em 200 gêneros. São plantas consideradas espécies-chave e/ou facilitadoras por sustentar a fauna com seus frutos e dar suporte para a sucessão vegetal, possuindo também importância sociobiocultural para diversas comunidades tradicionais. O estado de Alagoas, região Nordeste do Brasil, apresenta um histórico de degradação ambiental, refletindo na carência de dados sobre sua biodiversidade florística. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi listar as palmeiras nativas e indicar sua distribuição no estado. As informações foram obtidas a partir de bibliografia especializada e de visitas aos Herbários MUFAL e ARA da Universidade Federal de Alagoas e acesso ao site SpeciesLink, nos quais foram catalogadas as espécies e os locais de coleta. Há divergência nas informações sobre as palmeiras em Alagoas, sendo registradas entre 14 e 22 espécies com maior distribuição em áreas de Mata Atlântica, onde os gêneros Bactris e Syagrus detêm o maior número de espécies (5), seguidos por Geonoma (4) e Attalea (3). À exceção de Bactris acanthocarpa, B. acanthocarpa var. exscapa, Desmoncus polyacanthos e Euterpe edulis, as demais são endêmicas do Brasil. Attalea funifera, A. oleifera, B. ferruginea, B. pickelli, E. edulis, Syagrus botryophora e S. schizophylla constam na lista vermelha da flora ameaçada, tornando Alagoas uma área prioritária à conservação. É necessário realizar mais estudos, principalmente no Sertão alagoano, para entender melhor quais espécies de palmeiras nativas estão distribuídas no estado.