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Thresholds in Rainforest Organisms: a Pan-taxa and Integrated Community approach

Objective

This research proposal presents an innovative approach to assessing the impacts of land use and climate change on biodiversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one of the world's most critical biodiversity hotspots. The project integrates ecological modeling, spatial analysis, and advanced statistical techniques to understand biodiversity shifts across amphibians, birds, and mammals, focusing on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic dimensions. By identifying critical ecological thresholdspoints where small environmental changes trigger significant community shiftsthe research fills a key gap in current studies, which often focus on isolated taxa or regions. The research has three main goals: (1) Identify significant shifts in species assemblages along gradients of natural habitat and anthropogenic land use, pinpointing ecological thresholds and community shifts. (2) Analyze how interactions between climate change and land-use change will impact the distribution of biodiversity, using species distribution models to forecast future scenarios. (3) Identify and project future biodiversity shifts and overlay these onto existing conservation areas, providing actionable maps to guide conservation efforts. The use of GradientForest for threshold analysis across the entire biome is particularly innovative, offering a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity dynamics. The project emphasizes open science practices, ensuring transparency and reproducibility by using publicly available data and sharing analytical code. This interdisciplinary approach not only advances ecological theory but also provides practical tools for conservation planning, with potential applications beyond the Atlantic Forest. Overall, the project represents a significant advancement in biodiversity conservation, offering new insights into the challenges posed by land use and climate change and contributing to the development of effective conservation strategies.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER
Net EU contribution
€ 260 347,92
Address
BAILRIGG
LA1 4YW Lancaster
United Kingdom

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Region
North West (England) Lancashire Lancaster and Wyre
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data