ORCID Profile
0000-0001-6561-4546
Current Organisations
CIPAV, Centre for Research on Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems
,
Global Network of Silvopastoral Systems
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-05-2012
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1051/LIMN/2012013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-09-2017
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-017-10640-3
Abstract: Plant litter represents a major basal resource in streams, where its decomposition is partly regulated by litter traits. Litter-trait variation may determine the latitudinal gradient in decomposition in streams, which is mainly microbial in the tropics and detritivore-mediated at high latitudes. However, this hypothesis remains untested, as we lack information on large-scale trait variation for riparian litter. Variation cannot easily be inferred from existing leaf-trait databases, since nutrient resorption can cause traits of litter and green leaves to erge. Here we present the first global-scale assessment of riparian litter quality by determining latitudinal variation (spanning 107°) in litter traits (nutrient concentrations physical and chemical defences) of 151 species from 24 regions and their relationships with environmental factors and phylogeny. We hypothesized that litter quality would increase with latitude (despite variation within regions) and traits would be correlated to produce ‘syndromes’ resulting from phylogeny and environmental variation. We found lower litter quality and higher nitrogen:phosphorus ratios in the tropics. Traits were linked but showed no phylogenetic signal, suggesting that syndromes were environmentally determined. Poorer litter quality and greater phosphorus limitation towards the equator may restrict detritivore-mediated decomposition, contributing to the predominance of microbial decomposers in tropical streams.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-06-2017
DOI: 10.1007/S00267-017-0902-8
Abstract: A growing population with increasing consumption of milk and dairy require more agricultural output in the coming years, which potentially competes with forests and other natural habitats. This issue is particularly salient in the tropics, where deforestation has traditionally generated cattle pastures and other commodity crops such as corn and soy. The purpose of this article is to review the concepts and discussion associated with reconciling food production and conservation, and in particular with regards to cattle production, including the concepts of land-sparing and land-sharing. We then present these concepts in the specific context of Colombia, where there are efforts to increase both cattle production and protect tropical forests, in order to discuss the potential for landscape planning for sustainable cattle production. We outline a national planning approach, which includes disaggregating the erse cattle sector and production types, identifying biophysical, and economic opportunities and barriers for sustainable intensification in cattle ranching, and analyzing areas suitable for habitat restoration and conservation, in order to plan for both land-sparing and land-sharing strategies. This approach can be used in other contexts across the world where there is a need to incorporate cattle production into national goals for carbon sequestration and habitat restoration and conservation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2011
DOI: 10.1890/10-2244.1
Abstract: Most hypotheses explaining the general gradient of higher ersity toward the equator are implicit or explicit about greater species packing in the tropics. However, global patterns of ersity within guilds, including trophic guilds (i.e., groups of organisms that use similar food resources), are poorly known. We explored global ersity patterns of a key trophic guild in stream ecosystems, the detritivore shredders. This was motivated by the fundamental ecological role of shredders as decomposers of leaf litter and by some records pointing to low shredder ersity and abundance in the tropics, which contrasts with ersity patterns of most major taxa for which broad-scale latitudinal patterns haven been examined. Given this evidence, we hypothesized that shredders are more abundant and erse in temperate than in tropical streams, and that this pattern is related to the higher temperatures and lower availability of high-quality leaf litter in the tropics. Our comprehensive global survey (129 stream sites from 14 regions on six continents) corroborated the expected latitudinal pattern and showed that shredder distribution (abundance, ersity and assemblage composition) was explained by a combination of factors, including water temperature (some taxa were restricted to cool waters) and biogeography (some taxa were more erse in particular biogeographic realms). In contrast to our hypothesis, shredder ersity was unrelated to leaf toughness, but it was inversely related to litter ersity. Our findings markedly contrast with global trends of ersity for most taxa, and with the general rule of higher consumer ersity at higher levels of resource ersity. Moreover, they highlight the emerging role of temperature in understanding global patterns of ersity, which is of great relevance in the face of projected global warming.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-05-2015
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.00982
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-09-2018
Location: Colombia
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Julián Chará.