Biology subjects

Regos, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Regos, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Combined impacts of invasive alien species and fire on ecosystems are complex, mostly negative, and understudied: a global review

Invasion-fire interactions can negatively impact ecosystems by driving biodiversity loss, altering ecological processes, modifying habitat structure, and compromising ecosystem functioning. Understanding how this interaction operates is essential to design effective management strategies that are successful in controlling both invasive alien species (IAS) and fire. Therefore, the present literature review aims to synthesize the current knowledge on invasion-fire interaction and its impacts on ecosystems, as well as identify knowledge gaps in the field. The review included 464 studies, from which information on context, species and fire characteristics, interaction outcomes, and research approaches was extracted. Fire generally promotes IAS, although studies on invasive animals are limited and no research has examined the effects of fire on fungi. Management through prescribed fire showed significantly better outcomes than wildfires in suppressing IAS, yet positive impacts still outnumbered the negative ones. In turn, IAS can change fire regimes causing regime shifts, but this direction of interaction is much less studied. Combined impacts of fire and IAS on ecosystems are predominantly negative, although interactions are complex and not always synergistic. Key knowledge gaps include geographic regions with known Invasion-fire interactions that remain underreported, a lack of broad-scale studies, limited management interventions, understudied taxa, and limited understanding of the combined effects on ecosystems. Remote sensing and laboratory experiments, which have been rarely used, could address some of these gaps.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Eucalyptus cover as the primary driver of native forest bird reductions: evidence from a stand-scale analysis in NW Iberia

The rapid expansion of exotic eucalyptus plantations across the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in northwest Spain, where they now cover 30% of the regions forested area, has profoundly transformed rural landscapes, raising serious concerns about its impact on native biodiversity. This study investigates the influence of structural and floristic attributes of eucalyptus plantations and native forests on forest bird communities, focusing on species abundance and occurrence at the stand level. We conducted point count surveys and vegetation assessments across 240 plots, applying Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) and multimodel inference (MMI) to identify key drivers of avian diversity. Vegetation structure and composition differed substantially between native forests and eucalyptus plantations. Bird species richness and abundance were significantly lower in eucalyptus plantations. The proportion of eucalyptus emerged as the strongest predictor of these reductions, likely due to the limited availability of key resources such as natural cavities and arthropods. Mature native trees were pivotal in supporting forest bird species, particularly those associated with mature forest ecosystems. In contrast, mature eucalyptus trees failed to serve as adequate surrogates for mature native trees, benefiting only a small subset of forest specialists. Similarly, the well-developed shrub layer in eucalyptus plantations provided limited support for generalist bird species. To mitigate biodiversity loss, we recommend integrating unmanaged retention strips within eucalyptus plantations to enhance habitat heterogeneity and structural diversity, ensuring critical resources for birds and other forest wildlife while balancing forestry productivity with conservation goals.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Incorporating fire-smartness into agricultural policies minimises suppression costs and ecosystem services damages from wildfires

Global climate warming is expected to increase wildfire hazard in many regions of the world. In southern Europe, land abandonment and an unbalanced investment toward fire suppression instead of prevention has gradually increased wildfire risk, which calls for a paradigm change in fire management policies. Here we combined scenario analysis, fire landscape modelling, and economic tools to identify which land-use policies would minimise the expected wildfire-related losses in a representative mountainous area of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula (the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve Geres-Xures, between Spain and Portugal). To do so, we applied the least-cost-plus-net-value-change approach and estimated net changes in wildfire damages based on their implications for the ecosystem services that affect financial returns to landowners in the study area (i.e. agriculture, pasture, and timber) and the wider economic benefits (i.e. recreation and climate regulation) for the 2010-2050 period. Four land-use scenarios were considered: (1) Business as Usual (BAU); (2) fire-smart, fostering more fire-resistant (less flammable) and/or fire-resilient landscapes (fire-smart); (3) High Nature Value farmlands (HNVf), wherein the abandonment of extensive agriculture is reversed; and (4) a combination of HNVf and fire-smart. We found the highest net value change (i.e. the difference between damages and avoided damages) in BAU for timber and pasture provision, and in fire-smart for recreation and climate regulation. HNVf was the best for suppression cost savings, but it generated the lowest expected present value for climate regulation. In fact, the best scenarios related to fire suppression are HNVf and HNVf combined with fire-smart, which also generate the lowest net value change plus net suppression costs in the entire study area (i.e. considering all ecosystem services damages and suppression costs). Therefore, reverting land abandonment through recultivation and promoting fire-resistant tree species is the most efficient way to reduce wildfire hazard. In this sense, payments for ecosystem services should reward farmers for their role in wildfire prevention. This study improves the understanding of the financial and societal benefits derived from reducing fire suppression spending and ecosystem services damage by undertaking fire-smart land-use strategies, which can be essential to enhance local stakeholders support for wildfire prevention policies. HighlightsO_LILand-use changes impact wildfire ecosystem services (ES) damages and suppression costs C_LIO_LIPromoting agriculture generates significant suppression cost savings C_LIO_LIAgriculture + fire-resistant forests is the best to reduce wildfire ES damages C_LIO_LILand-use policies should balance trade-offs between climate and wildfire regulation C_LIO_LIPayments for ES should reward farmers for their role in wildfire prevention C_LI

ecology↗