Carlos Ivan Espinosa
Verified @utpl.edu.ec
Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Global and Planetary Change
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Nicolas Gross, Fernando T. Maestre, Pierre Liancourt, Miguel Berdugo, Raphaël Martin, Beatriz Gozalo, Victoria Ochoa, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Vincent Maire, Hugo Saiz,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Omar S. Landázuri, Boris A. Tinoco, Carlos Iván Espinosa, María V. Jiménez-Franco, and Francisco Robledano
Elsevier BV
Guillermo Bañares-de-Dios, Manuel J. Macía, Gabriel Arellano, Íñigo Granzow-de la Cerda, Julia Vega-Álvarez, Itziar Arnelas, Carlos I. Espinosa, Norma Salinas, and Luis Cayuela
Elsevier BV
David J. Eldridge, Jingyi Ding, Josh Dorrough, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Osvaldo Sala, Nicolas Gross, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Max Mallen-Cooper, Hugo Saiz, Sergio Asensio,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
David J. Eldridge, Jingyi Ding, Josh Dorrough, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Osvaldo Sala, Nicolas Gross, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Max Mallen-Cooper, Hugo Saiz, Sergio Asensio,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Laura L. de Sosa, Inmaculada Carmona, Marco Panettieri, Daniel M. Griffith, Carlos I. Espinosa, Andrea Jara‐Guerrero, César Plaza, and Engracia Madejón
Wiley
AbstractForest degradation is increasingly recognized as a major threat to global biodiversity and the multiple ecosystem services forests provide. This study examined the impacts of forest degradation on soil quality and function in a seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) of Ecuador. Previous studies of SDTFs have focused on the impacts of land‐use conversion on soils, while this study assessed the less visible but pervasive effects of degradation. We compared soil physical–chemical properties, enzymatic activity, particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC) along a gradient of SDTF degradation in both the dry and rainy season. Our findings showed a consistent and steady reduction in soil quality (total C and N) and function (dehydrogenase and β‐glucosidase activity) that paralleled the loss of vegetative structure and diversity along the degradation gradient. Soil physical–chemical properties were less variable and enzymatic activity was generally higher in the dry season compared to the rainy season. We also showed for the first time a significant and uniform decrease in POC and MAOC with degradation in SDTF. The relative proportion of these two components was constant along the gradient except in the most degraded state (arid land), where POC was higher in proportion to MAOC, suggesting that extreme forest degradation may cause this ecosystem to cross a functional tipping point. These findings address an important knowledge gap for SDTFs by showing a consistent loss of soil quality and functionality with degradation, and suggest that extreme degradation can result in an alternate state with compromised resilience.
Diana Carolina Acosta‐Rojas, Maciej K. Barczyk, Carlos Iván Espinosa, Boris A. Tinoco, Eike Lena Neuschulz, and Matthias Schleuning
Wiley
AbstractQuestionsHow do seed rain biomass and richness change from old‐growth tropical forests to pastures at different elevations? How do seed mass and seed dispersal mode change from forests to pastures across these elevations? What implications do these changes have for the recovery of deforested areas in tropical mountains?LocationOld‐growth montane forests and livestock pastures along an elevational gradient (1,000–3,000 m a.s.l.), located at Podocarpus National Park, San Francisco Reserve and surrounding agricultural lands, Andes of southern Ecuador.MethodsWe collected seed rain for a 3‐month period using 324 traps installed at eighteen 1‐ha plots across elevations. Half of the traps were installed in nine 1‐ha forest plots, and the other half in nine 1‐ha pasture plots. For each trap, we identified the seeds and measured seed rain biomass and richness. We also recorded seed traits and calculated community‐weighted means of seed mass and seed dispersal mode (proportion of endozoochory).ResultsForests received a higher seed rain biomass than pastures, but only at the lowest elevation. Seed rain richness did not differ between habitat types at all elevations. Community‐weighted means of seed mass and the proportion of endozoochorous species declined from forests to pastures, especially at the lower elevations.ConclusionsAlthough seed rain biomass and richness were overall similar between forests and pastures, large‐seeded and endozoochorous species were generally poorly represented in the seed rain of pastures compared with that of forests. These findings show that biomass and richness of seed rain may be insufficient to quantify the restoration potential of natural seed rain in deforested areas. Information on seed traits, such as seed mass and seed dispersal mode, is important to optimize restoration efforts towards the regeneration of diverse old‐growth forests along elevational gradients in tropical mountains.
Maciej K. Barczyk, Diana Carolina Acosta-Rojas, Carlos Iván Espinosa, Matthias Schleuning, and Eike Lena Neuschulz
Elsevier BV
James W. Dalling, Evidelio Garcia, Carlos Espinosa, Camila Pizano, Astrid Ferrer, and Jéssica Lira Viana
Wiley
Lara S. Corral-García, María Carmen Molina, Luis Fernando Bautista, Raquel Simarro, Carlos Iván Espinosa, Guillermo Gorines-Cordero, and Natalia González-Benítez
MDPI AG
The Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest stands out as one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, yet faces significant threats due to oil extraction activities dating back to the 1970s in the northeastern provinces. This research investigates the environmental and societal consequences of prolonged petroleum exploitation and oil spills in Ecuador’s Amazon. Conducted in June 2015, the study involved a comprehensive analysis of freshwater sediment samples from 24 locations in the Rio Aguarico and Napo basins. Parameters such as water and air temperature, conductivity, soil pH, and hydrocarbon concentrations were examined. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations ranged from 9.4 to 847.4 mg kg−1, with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels varying from 10.15 to 711.1 mg kg−1. The pristane/phytane ratio indicated historic hydrocarbon pollution in 8 of the 15 chemically analyzed sediments. Using non-culturable techniques (Illumina), bacterial analyses identified over 350 ASV, with prominent families including Comamonadaceae, Chitinophagaceae, Anaeromyxobacteraceae, Sphingomonadaceae, and Xanthobacteraceae. Bacterial diversity, assessed in eight samples, exhibited a positive correlation with PAH concentrations. The study provides insights into how microbial communities respond to varying levels of hydrocarbon pollution, shedding light on the enduring impact of oil exploitation in the Amazonian region. Its objective is to deepen our understanding of the environmental and human well-being in the affected area, underscoring the pressing need for remedial actions in the face of ongoing ecological challenges.
Paloma Díaz-Martínez, Fernando T. Maestre, Eduardo Moreno-Jiménez, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, David J. Eldridge, Hugo Saiz, Nicolas Gross, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Beatriz Gozalo, Victoria Ochoa,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Katherine Sinacore, Edwin H. García, Alex Finkral, Michiel van Breugel, Omar R. Lopez, Carlos Espinosa, Andrea Miller, Theodore Howard, and Jefferson S. Hall
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractRestoration of forests in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has the potential to contribute to international carbon mitigation targets. However, high upfront costs and variable cashflows are obstacles for many landholders. Carbon payments have been promoted as a mechanism to incentivize restoration and economists have suggested cost-sharing by third parties to reduce financial burdens of restoration. Yet empirical evidence to support this theory, based on robust, dynamic field sampling is lacking. Here we use large, long-term datasets from Panama to evaluate the financial prospects of three forest restoration methods under different cost-sharing and carbon payment designs where income is generated through timber harvests. We show some, but not all options are economically viable. Further work combining growth and survival data from field trials with more sophisticated financial analyses is essential to understanding barriers and realizing the potential of forest restoration in LMICs to help meet global carbon mitigation commitments.
Jaime Madrigal-González, Joaquín Calatayud, Juan A. Ballesteros-Cánovas, Adrián Escudero, Luis Cayuela, Laura Marqués, Marta Rueda, Paloma Ruiz-Benito, Asier Herrero, Cristina Aponte,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractPrevious attempts to quantify tree abundance at global scale have largely neglected the role of local competition in modulating the influence of climate and soils on tree density. Here, we evaluated whether mean tree size in the world’s natural forests alters the effect of global productivity on tree density. In doing so, we gathered a vast set of forest inventories including >3000 sampling plots from 23 well-conserved areas worldwide to encompass (as much as possible) the main forest biomes on Earth. We evidence that latitudinal productivity patterns of tree density become evident as large trees become dominant. Global estimates of tree abundance should, therefore, consider dependencies of latitudinal sources of variability on local biotic influences to avoid underestimating the number of trees on Earth and to properly evaluate the functional and social consequences.
Diana Carolina Acosta-Rojas, Maciej K. Barczyk, Carlos Iván Espinosa, Nina Farwig, Jürgen Homeier, Yvonne Tiede, Boris A. Tinoco, Andre Velescu, Wolfgang Wilcke, Eike Lena Neuschulz,et al.
Elsevier BV
G. Cevallos‐Solorzano, N. Bailon‐Moscoso, L. Ordóñez‐Delgado, P. Jara, G. Tomás, and C. I. Espinosa
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
AbstractMultiple studies have shown that exposure to pollutants can increase genotoxic damage in different taxa. However, to our knowledge, the effects of environmental stress have been explored little. In certain stressful ecosystems, such as seasonally dry tropical forests, the combined effects of anthropogenic activities and ongoing global changes can cause an increase in environmental stresses, in turn, may trigger physiological and genetic effects on biodiversity. The present aims to assess changes in the prevalence of genotoxic damage in birds within three states of forest degradation in the Tumbesian Region of Western Ecuador. We used blood samples from 50 bird species to determine the frequency of micronucleus and nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes. Our results revealed a significant impact of forest degradation on the occurrence probability of micronucleus and nuclear abnormalities at the community level. Localities with higher levels of degradation exhibited higher levels of abnormalities. However, when analyzing the dominant species, we found contrasting responses. While Lepidocolaptes souleyetii showed a reduction in the proportion of nuclear abnormalities from the natural to shrub‐dominated localities Troglodytes aedon and Polioptila plumbea showed an increase for semi‐natural and shrub‐dominated respectively. We concluded that the degradation process of these tropical forests increases the stress of bird community generating genotoxic damage. Bird responses seem to be species‐specific, which could explain the differences in changes in bird composition reported in other studies.
Maciej K. Barczyk, Diana C. Acosta‐Rojas, Carlos I. Espinosa, Matthias Schleuning, and Eike L. Neuschulz
Wiley
Many theories have been proposed to explain the high diversity of plants in the tropics. However, we lack an understanding of the processes that drive plant diversity and community assembly at different spatial scales. Here, we applied beta‐diversity partitioning to test how biotic and abiotic factors are associated with seedling beta‐diversity in a tropical montane forest in southern Ecuador. We recorded seedling communities on 81 subplots in nine plots located at three elevations along a 2000 m elevational gradient. We measured biotic pressures (i.e. herbivory and fungal pathogen attacks) and environmental conditions (i.e. soil moisture and canopy closure) in all subplots and related them to species turnover and richness differences in seedling communities within and between elevations. We found that species turnover increased with differences in biotic dissimilarity within elevations, while differences in species richness within elevations increased with increasing environmental dissimilarity. Between elevations, species turnover increased with increasing environmental dissimilarity. Our findings show that species turnover and changes in species richness are related differently to abiotic and biotic factors, and that the importance of these factors for shaping seedling diversity is scale‐dependent. Our study contributes to better understand the processes driving seedling beta‐diversity and the assembly of plant communities in highly diverse tropical montane forests.
Diana C. Acosta‐Rojas, Maciej Barczyk, Carlos I. Espinosa, Boris A. Tinoco, Eike L. Neuschulz, and Matthias Schleuning
Wiley
AbstractEndozoochory, the dispersal of seeds by animal ingestion, is the most dominant mode of seed dispersal in tropical forests and is a key process shaping current and future forest dynamics. However, it remains largely unknown how endozoochory is associated with environmental conditions at regional and local scales. Here, we investigated the effects of elevation, climate, and microhabitat conditions on the proportion of endozoochorous plant species in the seed rain of the tropical Andes of southern Ecuador. Over 1 year, we measured seed rain in 162 seed traps on nine 1‐ha forest plots located at 1000, 2000, and 3000 m a.s.l. We recorded climatic conditions (mean annual temperature and rainfall) in each plot and microhabitat conditions (leaf area index and soil moisture) adjacent to each seed trap. In total, we recorded 331,838 seeds belonging to 323 morphospecies. Overall, the proportion of endozoochorous species in the seed rain decreased with elevation. The relative biomass of endozoochorous species decreased with increasing rainfall, whereas the relative seed richness of endozoochorous species increased with increasing temperature and leaf area index. These findings suggest an interplay between climate factors and microhabitat conditions in shaping the importance of endozoochorous plant species in the seed rain of tropical montane forests. We conclude that changing climatic and microhabitat conditions are likely to cause changes in the dominant dispersal modes of plant communities which may trigger changes in the current and future dynamics of tropical forests.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Steven Sesnie, Carlos Espinosa, Andrea Jara-Guerrero, and María Tapia-Armijos
MDPI AG
The increased variety of satellite remote sensing platforms creates opportunities for estimating tropical forest diversity needed for environmental decision-making. As little as 10% of the original seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) remains for Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Remnant forests show high rates of species endemism, but experience degradation from climate change, wood-cutting, and livestock-grazing. Forest census data provide a vital resource for examining remote sensing methods to estimate diversity levels. We used spatially referenced trees ≥5 cm in diameter and simulated 0.10 ha plots measured from a 9 ha SDTF in southwestern Ecuador to compare machine learning (ML) models for six α-diversity indices. We developed 1 m tree canopy height and elevation models from stem mapped trees, at a scale conventionally derived from light detection and ranging (LiDAR). We then used an ensemble ML approach comparing single- and combined-sensor models from RapidEye, Sentinel-2 and interpolated canopy height and topography surfaces. Validation data showed that combined models often outperformed single-sensor approaches. Combined sensor and model ensembles for tree species richness, Shannon’s H, inverse Simpson’s, unbiased Simpson’s, and Fisher’s alpha indices typically showed lower root mean squared error (RMSE) and increased goodness of fit (R2). Piélou’s J, a measure of evenness, was poorly predicted. Mapped tree species richness (R2 = 0.54, F = 27.3, p = <0.001) and Shannon’s H′ (R2 = 0.54, F = 26.9, p = <0.001) showed the most favorable agreement with field validation observations (n = 25). Small-scale model experiments revealed essential relationships between dry forest tree diversity and data from multiple satellite sensors with repeated global coverage that can help guide larger-scale biodiversity mapping efforts.
Ibeth P. Alarcón, Paul Molina Abril, María Cristina Ríos, Adrian Orihuela-Torres, Agustín Carrasco, Daniel Pacheco, Edison Juca, Ruth Arias, Carlos I. Espinosa, Leonardo Ordóñez-Delgado,et al.
Informa UK Limited
ABSTRACT Understanding the reproductive biology of birds is crucial for comprehending their natural history and implementing effective conservation practices. However, there is limited information available on the reproductive behavior of many bird species in Southern Ecuador. This manuscript contributes to the knowledge of the reproductive biology of 127 bird species from the region, providing detailed information on five species whose reproductive traits were previously undocumented (Urochroa leucura, Agriornis albicauda, Turdus maranonicus, Spinus olivaceus, and Stilpnia viridicollis), as well as reproductive data on 12 species for which information was scarce (Heliangelus viola, Chalcostigma stanleyi, Eriocnemis luciani, Coeligena iris, Megascops koepckeae, Conopophaga castaneiceps, Sclerurus obscurior, Leptasthenura andicola, Ochthoeca fumicolor, Geospizopsis unicolor, Catamenia inornata, and Sporophila castaneiventris). Furthermore, we include additional information on the reproductive biology of 110 species that have already been documented. This manuscript provides the most up-to-date inventory of the reproductive behavior of bird species in Southern Ecuador, which can aid in the development of better conservation strategies in the region.
Melissa Jernakoff, Jessie Knowlton, Bernarda Vásquez-Ávila, Carlos Espinosa, and Boris Tinoco
Resilience Alliance, Inc.
Selene Báez, Luis Cayuela, Manuel J. Macía, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Amira Apaza-Quevedo, Itziar Arnelas, Natalia Baca-Cortes, Guillermo Bañares de Dios, Marijn Bauters, Celina Ben Saadi,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractWe introduce the FunAndes database, a compilation of functional trait data for the Andean flora spanning six countries. FunAndes contains data on 24 traits across 2,694 taxa, for a total of 105,466 entries. The database features plant-morphological attributes including growth form, and leaf, stem, and wood traits measured at the species or individual level, together with geographic metadata (i.e., coordinates and elevation). FunAndes follows the field names, trait descriptions and units of measurement of the TRY database. It is currently available in open access in the FIGSHARE data repository, and will be part of TRY’s next release. Open access trait data from Andean plants will contribute to ecological research in the region, the most species rich terrestrial biodiversity hotspot.
Fernando T. Maestre, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, David J. Eldridge, Hugo Saiz, Miguel Berdugo, Beatriz Gozalo, Victoria Ochoa, Emilio Guirado, Miguel García-Gómez,et al.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and biodiversity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil, and biodiversity are critical to explain the delivery of fundamental ecosystem services across drylands worldwide. Increasing grazing pressure reduced ecosystem service delivery in warmer and species-poor drylands, whereas positive effects of grazing were observed in colder and species-rich areas. Considering interactions between grazing and local abiotic and biotic factors is key for understanding the fate of dryland ecosystems under climate change and increasing human pressure.
Leonardo Ordóñez-Delgado, Carlos Iñiguez-Armijos, Mario Díaz, Adrián Escudero, Elyce Gosselin, Lisette P. Waits, and Carlos Iván Espinosa
Frontiers Media SA
Urbanization constitutes one of the most aggressive drivers of habitat and biodiversity loss worldwide. However, studies focused on determining the response of local biodiversity to urbanization are still scarce, especially in tropical ecosystems. Urban ecosystems are characterized by low biological productivity which in turn leads to a reduction in biodiversity. However, the responses to urbanization should be species dependent. For instance, changes in the availability of resources can favor certain species with specific characteristics. We assessed the effects of the urbanization process on a bird community in a city located in the Tropical Andes of southern Ecuador, a region widely recognized for its diversity and endemism of birds. We selected three independent localities in each of the four levels of the urbanization gradient in the study area (forest, forest-pasture, pasture, and urban). In each locality, we sampled the bird community by visual and auditory surveys along 1 km transects between 2016 and 2017. We recorded a total of 1,257 individuals belonging to 74 bird species. We evaluated if the responses of richness and abundance of birds are dependent on trophic guild and foraging strata. We found a significant decrease in bird species richness and abundance from forest to urban sites. However, the response of birds was dependent on the trophic guild and foraging strata. Granivorous birds showed a positive response associated with the urbanization gradient while insectivorous birds showed a negative response. Insectivorous birds were more abundant in forest sites and decreased in abundance across the urbanization gradient. We found that the proportion of birds using different foraging strata drastically changed along urban gradient. Forest sites exhibited a bird community using a variety of habitats, but the bird community became simpler toward the most urbanized sites. Our findings showed different effects of urbanization on bird communities. The ugly: urbanization leads to a dramatic reduction in the diversity of birds, which is consistent in cities with different characteristics and ecological contexts. On the other hand, the responses of bird guilds to urbanization are species dependent. Some guilds are positively impacted by urbanization and show increases in species richness and abundance while other guilds are negatively impacted.
James S. Santangelo, Rob W. Ness, Beata Cohan, Connor R. Fitzpatrick, Simon G. Innes, Sophie Koch, Lindsay S. Miles, Samreen Munim, Pedro R. Peres-Neto, Cindy Prashad,et al.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale.
Diego P. Vélez-Mora, Elizabeth Gusmán, Carlos Iván Espinosa, and Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio
Informa UK Limited
ABSTRACT Background Changes in climate and the intensity of agriculture expansion can alter plant population dynamics and community composition and structure of dry shrublands. Aims We tested how temperature and moisture along an elevation gradient, grazing, and nutrient addition in soil affected demographic attributes of Croton shrubs and the composition and structure of plant species in an inter-Andean dry shrubland. Methods At three elevations, we installed grazing and exclusion plots, combined with four nutrient treatments: control, and addition of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) alone and in combination. We measured recruitment and survival of Croton seedlings, as well as survival, growth, fruiting of adult Croton and the composition and structure of neighbouring plants. Results Grazing exclusion improved adult survival of Croton at all three elevations. Grazing exclusion and addition of N and P increased adult growth of Croton at low and medium elevations. Croton seedling recruitment and survival decreased with distance to adult plants. The cover of Croton had a positive relationship with plant abundance and diversity. Conclusions Temperature, moisture, grazing and nutrient addition can alter the demography and cover of Croton, as well as the composition and structure of its neighbouring plants threatening the functioning of the inter-Andean dry shrubland.