WP 1: Data compilation and standardization via data input into ForestPlots
The Fellow carried out multiple virtual meetings with local and international researchers to explain the advantages of adding their data to ForesPlots.net database. She kept in contact with them to ask specific questions during data preparation. She arranged the datasets to the necessary format, found inconsistencies and problematic records, standardize units and formats and plant species names, and carried out multiple quality control procedures to verify the quality of the final dataset that then she uploaded into ForestPlots.net. In total, the Fellow curated and uploadeed ~90 Andean forest plots accounting for over 180 census.
In addition, the Fellow worked with local researchers to: a) establish a new monitoring plot in the wettest point of the Peruvian Andes; this was done in collaboration with local undergraduate students who have collected data for their thesis. And b) establish a large (9ha) plot in one of the most diverse areas of the Amazon to support long-term carbon and diversity monitoring and particularly to be used for ground-truthing in remote sensing research.
WP 2: Drivers of species abundance change across the Andes-Amazon region
The Fellow compiled a data set of 406 forest plots from intact forests across the Amazon and the tropical Andes spanning over 40 years of data. She used this dataset to examine changes in tree alpha-diversity, assessing the influence of climate, environmental, and structural variables. The hypothesis was that species diversity changes vary across regions, with diversity in the Andes and western regions potentially increasing due to thermophilization while declining in the Central-Eastern forests due to biotic attrition. She used regression analyses and multigroup structural equation modelling to explore predictors of richness change across six predefined regions.
The results showed overall stability in species richness but with significant regional variation. Species richness increased in the Northern Andes and Western Amazon, while the Central Andes, Guyana Shield, and Central-Eastern Amazon experienced declines. Warmer, drier, and more seasonal forests showed reduced richness, while forests with greater stem change rates and higher elevations experienced increases. Region-specific drivers, particularly temperature and demographic factors, modulated these trends.
These findings highlight the Northern Andes as a diversity refuge and emphasise the need to preserve tree abundance and landscape integrity to maintain local and regional diversity. Long-term monitoring and detailed botanical identifications are crucial for tracking diversity changes in the face of climate change.
This manuscript involved a collaboration with more than 200 researchers. To engage collaborators on the project, the Fellow shared multiple versions of the manuscript at different stages, organized 2 webinars (one in Spanish and one in English) and had individual meetings to engage directly with her collaborators. This work is presented in a manuscript which is currently in the second round of reviews at Nature Ecology and Evolution. The Fellow presented this manuscript at the British Ecological Society 2024 annual meeting.
