A5073273319- Agriculture and Rural Development Research
- Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Plant and animal studies
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Data Visualization and Analytics
- Agricultural risk and resilience
- Social and Demographic Issues in Germany
- Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems
- Global trade, sustainability, and social impact
- Sustainable Agricultural Systems Analysis
- International Development and Aid
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Forest ecology and management
- Scientific Computing and Data Management
- Oil Palm Production and Sustainability
- Consumer behavior in food and health
- Agricultural Innovations and Practices
- Economic Growth and Development
- Plant and soil sciences
- Global trade and economics
- Coffee research and impacts
- Banana Cultivation and Research
Universidad de Las Américas
2019-2025
Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja
2018-2020
International Medical Research (Germany)
2015-2019
World Agroforestry Centre
2016-2018
Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza Catie
2013-2017
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2011-2017
Center for International Forestry Research
2017
Wageningen University & Research
2011-2017
Circulation Foundation
2017
Netherlands Institute of Ecology
2008-2010
Abstract Plant traits – the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants their organs determine how primary producers respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, influence ecosystem processes services provide a link from species richness functional diversity. Trait data thus represent raw material for wide range research evolutionary biology, community ecology biogeography. Here we present global database initiative named...
ABSTRACT Aim This first global quantification of the relationship between leaf traits and soil nutrient fertility reflects trade‐off growth conservation. The power soils versus climate in predicting trait values is assessed bivariate multivariate analyses compared with distribution forms (as a discrete classification vegetation) across gradients climate. Location All continents except for Antarctica. Methods Data on specific area (SLA), N concentration (LNC), P (LPC) N:P were collected 474...
ABSTRACT Aim Despite their importance for predicting fluxes to and from terrestrial ecosystems, dynamic global vegetation models have insufficient realism because of use plant functional types (PFTs) with constant attributes. Based on recent advances in community ecology, we explore the merits a traits‐based model deal current shortcomings. Location Global. Methods A research review concepts information, providing new perspective, supported by quantitative analysis traits database. Results...
ABSTRACT Aim Species with deciduous and evergreen leaf habits typically differ in life span (LLS). Yet quantification of the response LLS, within each habit, to key environmental conditions is surprisingly lacking. The aim this study quantify LLS strategies two under varying temperature, moisture nutrient conditions, using a global database. We hypothesize that reflects length growing season, avoiding unfavourable regardless cause. Evergreen species adjust periods amortize lower net carbon...
Aim The drivers of species assembly, by limiting the possible range functional trait values, can lead to either convergent or divergent distributions traits in realized assemblages. Here, evaluate strengths these assembly drivers, we partition variance across global, regional and community scales. We then test hypothesis that, from global scales, outcome co-occurring convergence divergence is highly variable biomes communities. Location Global: nine ranging subarctic highland tropical rain...
Climate change threatens coffee production and the livelihoods of thousands families in Mesoamerica that depend on it. Replacing with cocoa integrating trees combined agroforestry systems to ameliorate abiotic stress are among proposed alternatives overcome this challenge. These two do not consider vulnerability tree species commonly used plantations future climate conditions. We assessed suitability these by identifying potential changes distribution coffee, 100 most common found...
Non-technical abstract Decisions on the use of nature reflect values and rights individuals, communities society at large. The are expressed through cultural norms, rules legislation, they can be elicited using a wide range tools, including those economics. None approaches to elicit peoples’ neutral. Unequal power relations influence valuation decision-making core most environmental conflicts. As actors in sustainability thinking, scientists practitioners becoming more aware their own...
In ecology, strategy schemes based on propositions about the selection of plant attributes are common, but quantification such in relation to nutrient and water supply is lacking. Through structural equation modeling, we tested whether strategies related water/oxygen reflected a coordination traits natural communities. Structural models, accepted ecological concepts, were with measured 105 different species across 50 sites mesic wet communities Netherlands. For each site, modeled....
Food production is key to achieving food security in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa. Since agricultural productivity limited, however, due inherent agro-ecological constraints and land degradation, sustainable intensification has been widely discussed as an opportunity for improving reducing vulnerability. Yet vulnerability determinants are distributed heterogeneously Africa cannot be achieved everywhere cost-effective efficient ways. To better understand heterogeneity farming systems'...
On-farm tree diversity patterns result from a social-ecological process shaped by different actors. Farmer preferences, tree-site matching, seed dispersal, domestication and delivery via nurseries all play important roles in forming these patterns. As part of wider interest cover transition curves that link agroforestation stages landscapes to preceding deforestation process, we here focus on ‘tree curves’ i. as conceptual framework understand current processes how shifts drivers affect ii....
The large variation in the relationships between environmental factors and plant traits observed natural communities exemplifies alternative solutions that plants have developed response to same limitations. Qualitative attributes, such as growth form, woodiness, leaf habit can be used approximate these solutions. Here, we quantified extent which attributes affect trait values at a given resource supply level, using measured from 105 different species (254 observations) distributed across 50...
Abstract Aim Leaf traits strongly impact biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding leaf trait variation along environmental gradients is thus essential to improve the representation of vegetation Earth system models. Our aims were quantify relationships between and climate permanent grasslands at a biogeographical scale test whether these sensitive (a) level nitrogen inputs (b) inclusion information pertaining plant community organization. Location Permanent throughout...
The flowering phenology of many tropical mountain forest tree species remains poorly understood, including synchrony and its drivers across neotropical ecosystems. We obtained herbarium records for 427 from a long-term monitoring transect on the northwestern Ecuadorian Andes, sourced Global Biodiversity Information Facility Herbario Nacional del Ecuador. Using machine learning algorithms, we identified phenophases digitized specimen labels applied circular statistics to build phenological...
Reliably predicting vegetation distribution requires habitat models (HDMs) that are ecologically sound. Current correlative HDMs increasingly criticized because they lack sufficient functional basis. To include information into these models, we integrated two concepts from community ecology a new type of HDM. We incorporated: 1) species selection by their traits in which only those pass the environmental filter can be part (assembly theory); 2) occurrence probability is determined extent to...
The gross domestic product is usually the indicator used to measure economic progress worldwide. However, GDP growth does not necessarily reflect well-being of a nation, since there are cases countries where measured by GDP; But, poverty, unemployment and inequality. For this reason, we Calculated Index Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) using information Ecuador Latin American developing country for period 2001–2015. Additionally, compared with as indicators, emphasizing difference between...
Background: Leaf functional traits (LFT) influence resource acquisition and are important for understanding ecosystem processes. Climate land use key filters of community composition LFT, however, how the relative importance these filter changes with elevation has been little studied in Andes.Aims: To gain insight into response Andean forests to climate disturbance naturally regenerated forest stands.Methods: We measured leaf blade thickness (LBT), area (LA), specific (SLA), dry matter...
The purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between economic growth (measured by economic, social, and financial variables) agricultural productive structure, as well its possibilities for diversification, in Ecuador’s 23 provinces year 2014. First, we constructed Shannon-Weaver index. We then used graphic cartograms method select relationships variables. Next, calculated Pearson coefficient covariance, which revealed linear association among study’s This methodology led us...