Showing papers by "Fernando P. Lima published in 2015"

Understanding complex biogeographic responses to climate change.

Abstract: Predicting the extent and direction of species’ range shifts is a major priority for scientists and resource managers. Seminal studies have fostered the notion that biological systems responding to climate change-impacted variables (e.g., temperature, precipitation) should exhibit poleward range shifts but shifts contrary to that expectation have been frequently reported. Understanding whether those shifts are indeed contrary to climate change predictions involves understanding the most basic mechanisms determining the distribution of species. We assessed the patterns of ecologically relevant temperature metrics (e.g., daily range, min, max) along the European Atlantic coast. Temperature metrics have contrasting geographical patterns and latitude or the grand mean are poor predictors for many of them. Our data suggest that unless the appropriate metrics are analysed, the impact of climate change in even a single metric of a single stressor may lead to range shifts in directions that would otherwise be classified as “contrary to prediction”.

A low-cost, versatile data logging system for ecological applications

Abstract: This work introduces a new lightweight, small, and modular data logger that can be used to record a vast array of environmental and physiological parameters in the field or in the laboratory, together with the corresponding software. The device, named NanoLogger, is based on the open-source platform Arduino, featuring a custom-made circuit board with easily serviceable connectors, a real-time clock and a MicroSD memory card. The assemblage of the entire system does not require extensive electronics knowledge and can be done spending under $150 in parts, contrasting with most commercially available scientific loggers, which are at least one or two orders of magnitude more expensive. To demonstrate the system's capabilities and limitations, we connected the NanoLogger with (i) a triple-axis accelerometer to log the effect of wave action on Fucus spiralis, (ii) a thermocouple to register the body temperature of intertidal gastropods (Patella depressa and P. vulgata) during a low tide, and (iii) an infrared sensor to record the heartbeat of a mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in the laboratory. NanoLogger's relative low price and versatility can contribute to build networks of environmental loggers to monitor multiple environmental parameters across large geographical scales.