SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS

Related with on-going Doctoral thesis:

Historical Ecology; Landscape Rephotography; Vegetation Dynamics; Phytossociology; Dendrocronology

Evolution of Vegetation and Natural Landscape of Madeira Island

Landscape change can be very dramatic in regions under intense anthropological activity but also where human influence diminished due to rural depopulation, and the relationship between vegetation cover and human activity is not easy to analyse, especially in situations where documented records are scarce. Historical landscape photographs, taken in the late 1800's and until the mid-20th century, are being replicated using Repeat Landscape Photography Technique (RLPT) to evaluate change and vegetation dynamics. The first analysis performed with one hundred years old images clearly showed that pristine vegetation was almost destroyed at the late 19th and early 20th century. The measures to prevent deforestation during five centuries of human occupancy were unsuccessful, and the reforestation led to a massive cover with exotic plants. Although first results revealed recovery according to the successional model proposed by Capelo et al., (2004), attesting also the model itself, it also have shown that the actual native vegetation occurs where it already existed or in areas without intense human pressure, showing a very low regeneration in humanised or invaded areas. The evidence of the ecosystem fragility and the exotic species invasion of recent and moderately disturbed gaps forecast that resilience might not be enough to avoid invasion success, pointing to the need for additional careful management. More data are being collected from rephotography of 75 and 50 years old photos, with releves based on Phytosociological methodology, and tree growth rings analysis to confirm successional patterns, to reconstruct the history of disturbance and to make inferences to guide Conservation decisions and Restoration plans.

Other interests

Plant ecology; Ecological Restoration; Urban spaces renaturalisation; Scientific illustration.


Contact

Grupo de Botânica da Madeira


News

27/08/2019 12:08

New paper: The loss of a unique palaeobotanical site in Terceira Island within the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark (Portugal)

Available here: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12371-019-00401-1 or rdcu.be/bPbkl Reference: Góis-Marques, C.A., Elias, R.B., Steinbauer, M.J., de Nascimento, L., Fernández-Palacios, J.M., Menezes de Sequeira, M. & Madeira, J. 2019. The loss of a unique...

Read more

—————

21/02/2019 12:51

New Paper published: Eurya stigmosa (Theaceae), a new and extinct record for the Calabrian stage of Madeira Island (Portugal): 40Ar/39Ar dating, palaeoecological and oceanic island palaeobiogeographical implications.

A new paper describing a new and extinct Theaceae for Madeira Island was recently published in the journal Quaternary Science Review. You can check it out in: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379118309284 This discovery was also reported portuguese...

Read more

—————

18/08/2018 09:22

FloraMac2018 congress, Funchal, Madeira Island (Portugal)

Please visit us at: www.uma.pt/floramac2018  Late Registrations still available. See you soon in Funchal!  

Read more

—————

02/01/2018 21:55

Congress FloraMac 2018 | Funchal | September 12-15

Official website comming soon! First circular: https://www.facebook.com/FloraMac2018/ or twitter.com/FloraMac2018

Read more

—————

15/01/2016 11:42

New Doctors in Biological Sciences

We are proud to announce that we have two new doctors in our Group: Zita Ferreira defended successfully her PhD. thesis entitled: “Biosystematics of the genus Andryala L. (Asteraceae)”.   Zita Ferreira thesis committee, from left to right: Miguel Sequeira, Carlos Neto, Jorge Capelo, Enrique...

Read more

—————

02/10/2014 11:42

XVII Congress of European Mycologists

Our Group is co-organizing the XVII Congress of European Mycologists, that will be held in Madeira Island in September 2015. Registration opening soon at www.xviicem.org. 

Read more

—————

29/07/2014 13:36

New Paper: Andryala perezii (Asteraceae), a New Species from the Canary Islands

Recently a new species of Andryala was described by our group. The study was published in the journal Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature, entitled "Andryala perezii (Asteraceae), a New Species from the Canary Islands". The comparison of Madeira and Canaries Island plants allowed...

Read more

—————

16/07/2013 14:13

Visitors notice

Let your visitors know about news and events on your website as often as possible. You need to keep your website up-to-date so that your visitors will get used to visiting your pages regularly. You can use RSS feeds to deliver new articles directly to your readers.

Read more

—————

16/07/2013 14:12

Website launched

Our new website has been launched today. Tell your visitors why you have started a new presentation and how it benefits them. Mention your goals and project advantages. Try to briefly give your visitors reasons why they should return to your pages.

Read more

—————