Biology subjects

Gonzalez, E. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Gonzalez, E. J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

An integrative review of the impact of ungulates on wetland carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions

Wetlands, spanning freshwater to saline ecosystems, are seasonally or permanently inundated and store over 30% of the worlds carbon within their soils. Ungulates can remove vegetation, disturb soils, and degrade habitats. Although site-level studies exist, broad evaluations of ungulate impacts on carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions remain scarce. We assessed how ungulate presence influences aboveground and soil carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions in wetlands. Aboveground carbon stocks declined from 36.9 to 3.70 Mg C per ha in the presence of ungulates. Soil carbon stocks were higher in the absence of ungulates (257 Mg C per ha) than in their presence (112 Mg C per ha). CO2 equivalent emissions were higher in the presence of non-native ungulates (38.4 Mg CO2 eq per ha per yr) than in the presence of native ungulates (27.2 Mg CO2 per ha per yr), and higher in freshwater wetlands of warm temperate dry regions when ungulates were present (27.2 Mg CO2 eq per ha per yr) compared to when ungulates were absent (13.2 Mg CO2 eq per ha per yr). Our findings emphasize the importance of expanding research across different climate regions and soil types to support the development of ungulate management strategies that maintain wetland carbon stocks and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Integrated integral population models

O_LIData integration allows obtaining better descriptions and forecasting of a populations behaviour by incorporating data at both the individual and population levels. Structured population models include the matrix population models (MPMs), which structure a population through a discrete state variable, and the integral population models (IPMs), which use a continuous variable. Two decades ago, the integrated version of MPMs appeared, but their corresponding version for IPMs is still missing. C_LIO_LIHere, we propose the integrated integral population model (IIPM). This model takes up the ideas behind existing models used to describe and forecast the dynamics of continuously structured populations: IPMs, which use individual data, and inverse IPMs, which use population data. Particularly, we emphasise the construction and fitting of the IIPM under a Bayesian framework and use the Soay sheep database to compare the population dynamics generated by the IIPM and these existing models. C_LIO_LIThe IIPM constructed with the Soay sheep data had a good performance both at the individual (vital rates) and population (size and structure) levels, because, as they are constrained to fit both sets of data, they produce a balanced population dynamics. In turn, the IPM produced the best individual estimates and the worst population estimates, whilst the inverse IPM produced the worst individual estimates and the best population estimates. C_LIO_LIThe objective of a structured population model should be to correctly describe population patterns. IPMs, by not using population data, fail in this objective. An IIPM solves this problem. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Capturing temporal heterogeneity of communities: a temporal β-diversity based on Hill numbers and time series analysis

Beta-diversity is a term used to refer to the heterogeneity in the composition of species through space or time. Despite a consensus on the advantages of measuring {beta}-diversity using data on species abundances through Hill numbers, we still lack a measure of temporal {beta}-diversity based on this framework. In this paper, we present the mathematical basis for a temporal {beta}-diversity measure, based on both signal processing and Hill numbers theory through the partition of temporal -diversity. The proposed measure was tested in four hypothetical simulated communities with species varying in temporal concurrence and abundance and two empirical data sets. The values of each simulation reflected community heterogeneity and changes in abundance over time. In terms of -diversity, q-values are closely related to total richness (S) and show a negative exponential pattern when they increase. For -diversity, q-value profiles were more variable than -diversity, and different decaying patterns in -diversity can be observed among simulations. Temporal {beta}-diversity shows different patterns, which are principally related to the rate of change between - and -diversity. Our framework provides a direct and objective approach for comparing the heterogeneity of temporal community patterns; this measure can be interpreted as the effective number of completely different unique communities over the sampling period indicating either a larger variety of community structures or higher species heterogeneity through time. This method can be applied to any ecological community that has been monitored over time.

ecology↗