Plant Ecology of Tropical Forests

Luciana F. Alves, Ph.D


Associate Researcher

Center for Tropical Research

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES)

UCLA

Los Angeles, CA, USA

E-mail: lualves@ucla.edu; lu.falves@gmail.com




Research Interests

I am a plant ecologist working on fundamental questions regarding the role of biological and environmental drivers of the ecological dynamics of tropical forests. I am interested in the structure and carbon dynamics of tropical forests, plant population ecology, and the effects of habitat fragmentation on tree species richness and abundance, emphasizing forest regeneration. My research is conducted primarily in Amazon and Atlantic forest sites in Brazil.


Publications

Restrepo-Coupe et al. Contrasting carbon cycle responses to dry (2015 El Niño) and wet (2008 2 La Niña) extreme events at an Amazonian tropical forest. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, accepted

Saleska, S., Restrepo-Coupe, N., Silva Campos, K., Alves, L., Ivanov, V., Longo, M., de Oliveira Jr., R., Silva, R., Smith, M., Tapajos, R., and Taylor, T. 2024 Do local-scale climate tipping points exist in Amazon forests, and can they warn of impending basin-scale tipping point vulnerability? EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-14707, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-14707 

Grombone Guaratini, M.T., Gomes, E.P.C. & Alves, L.F. 2024. Impacts of bamboo dominance and die-off on seedling dynamics in a tropical secondary forest (Brazil). Austral Ecology 49, e13479, https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13479

Bouchard, E., Searle, E. B., Drapeau, P., Liang, J., Gamarra, J. G. P., Abegg, M., Alberti, G., Zambrano, A. A., Alvarez-Davila, E., Alves, L. F., Avitabile, V., Aymard, G., Bastin, J.-F., Birnbaum, P., Bongers, F., Bouriaud, O., Brancalion, P., Broadbent, E., Bussotti, F., … Paquette, A. 2024. Global patterns and environmental drivers of forest functional composition. Global Ecology and Biogeography 33:303–324, https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13790

Mo, L., Zohner, C.M., Reich, P.B. et al. 2023. Integrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential. Nature 624: 92–101, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06723-z

Brum, M., Alves, L.F., de Oliveira-Junior, R.C., Moutinho, V.H.P., Restrepo-Coupe, N., Chaves, K., Penha, D., Prohaska, N., Camargo, P.B., Teodoro, G.S., Xavier Júnior, S. R., Stark, S.C., Moura, J.M.S., Silva, R., Oliveira, R.S. & Saleska, S.R. 2023. Tree hydrological niche acclimation through ontogeny in a seasonal Amazon forest. Plant Ecology  224:1059–1073, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-023-01361-x

Ma, H., Crowther, T.W., Mo, L. et al. 2023. The global biogeography of tree leaf form and habit. Nature Plants 9:1795–1809, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01543-5

Restrepo-Coupe, N., O’Donnell Christoffersen, B., Longo, M., Alves, L. F., Campos, K. S., da Araujo, A. C., de Oliveira, R. C., Prohaska, N., da Silva, R., Tapajos, R., Wiedemann, K. T., Wofsy, S. C., & Saleska, S. R.  2023. Asymmetric response of Amazon forest water and energy fluxes to hydrological extremes:  Small changes from excess La Niña rains, but threshold-crossing in vegetation dynamics during El Niño drought. Global Change Biology 29:6077–6092. http://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16933

Bennett, A.C., Rodrigues de Sousa, T., Monteagudo-Mendoza, A. et al. 2023. Sensitivity of South American tropical forests to an extreme climate anomaly. Nature Climate Change 13:967-974. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01776-4

Delavaux, C.S., Crowther, T.W., Zohner, C.M. et al. 2023. Native diversity buffers against severity of non-native tree invasions. Nature, 621:773-781.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06440-7

Hordijk, I Nabuurs, G.-J., Reich, P.B., Abegg, M., Adou Yao, C.Y., Alberti, G., Almeyda Zambrano, A.M., Alvarado, B.V., Esteban, A.-D., Alvarez-Loayza, P., Alves, L.F., Ammer, C., …+ 203 authors. 2023. Evenness mediates the global relationship between forest productivity and richness. Journal of Ecology 111:1308–1326. doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14098 

Kamimura, VA, Loiola, PP,  Carmona, CP,  Assis, MA, Joly, CA, Santos, FAM, Vieira, SA, Alves, LF, Martins, VF, Ramos, E, Ramos, RF, de Bello, F.  2023. Trait interactions effects on tropical tree demography depend on the environmental context. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 125732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2023.125732.

Liang, J., Gamarra, J.G.P., Picard, N. et al. 2022. Co-limitation towards lower latitudes shapes global forest diversity gradients. Nature Ecology & Evolution 6:1423–1437.  doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01831-x 

Jucker, T., Fischer, F. J., Chave, J., Coomes, D. A., Caspersen, J., Ali, A., Loubota Panzou, G. J., Feldpausch, T. R., Falster, D., Usoltsev, V. A., Adu-Bredu, S., Alves, L. F., Aminpour, M., Angoboy, I. B., Anten, N. P. R., Antin, C., Askari, Y., Muñoz, R., Ayyappan, N. … Zavala, M. A. 2022. Tallo: A global tree allometry and crown architecture database. Global Change Biology 28:2254-5268. doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16302 . 

ForestPlots.net, Blundo, et al. 2021. Taking the pulse of Earth’s tropical forests using networks of highly distributed plots. Biological Conservation, 260, 108849  doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108849 

Padgurschi, MCG, Reis, TS, Alves, LF, Vieira, SA, Joly, CA. 2021. Outcomes of a native bamboo on biomass and carbon stocks of a neotropical biodiversity hotspot. Acta Oecologica 111, 103734  doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2021.103734 

Moreira, JCF, Brum, M, Almeida, LC, Barrera-Berdugo, S, Souza, AA, Camargo, PB, Oliveira, RS, Alves, LF, Rosado, BHP, Lambais, MR. 2021. Asymbiotic nitrogen fixation in the phyllosphere of the Amazon forest: Changing nitrogen cycle paradigms. Science of The Total Environment 773, 145066. doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145066 

Loubota Panzou, GJ,  Fayolle, A,  Jucker, T, Phillips, OL, Bohlman, S, Banin, LF, Lewis, SL, Affum-Bafoe, K, Alves, LF, et al.  2021. Pantropical variability in tree crown allometry. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 30:459-475, doi: 10.1111/geb.13231 [doi.org/10.1111/geb.13231 ]

Muscarella, et al. 2020. The global abundance of tree palms. Global Ecology and Biogeography 29:1495–1514, doi:10.1111/geb.13123

Steidinger et al. 2019. Climatic controls of decomposition drive the global biogeography of forest tree symbioses. Nature 569:404-408,  doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1128-0 

Barros, Fernanda V.; Bittencourt, Paulo; Monteiro-Junior, Mauro; Restrepo-Coupe, Natalia; Pereira, Luciano; Teodoro, Grazielle; Saleska, Scott; Borma, Laura; Christoffersen, Bradley; Penha, Deliane; Alves, Luciana; Lima, Adriano; Carneiro, Vilany; Gentine, Pierre ; Lee, Jung-Eun; Cruz de Aragão, Luiz Eduardo; Ivanov, Valeriy; Leal, Leila; Araujo, Alessandro ; Oliveira, Rafael. 2019. Hydraulic traits explain differential responses of Amazonian forests to the 2015 El Nino-induced drought. New Phytologist 223:1253–1266

Vitoria, AP, Alves, LF, Santiago, L. 2019. Atlantic forest and leaf traits: an overview. TREES 33:1535-1547, doi: 10.1007/s00468-019-01864-z

Smith, M, Stark, S, Taylor, T, Ferreira, M, de Oliveira, E, Restrepo-Coupe, N, Chen, S, Woodcock, T, dos Santos, D, Alves, LF, Figueira, M, de Camargo, P, Oliveira, R, Aragão, LEOC, Falk, D, McMahon, S, Huxman, T, Saleska, S. 2019. Seasonal and drought related changes in leaf area profiles depend on height and light environment in an Amazon forest. New Phytologist 222:1284-1297, doi: 10.1111/nph.15726

Brum, M, Vadeboncoeur, MA, Ivanov, V, Asbjornsen, H, Saleska, S, Alves, LF, Penha, D, Dias, JD, Aragão, LEOC, Barros, D, Bittencourt, P, Pereira, L, Oliveira, RS. 2019. Hydrological niche segregation defines forest structure and drought tolerance strategies in a seasonal Amazon forest. Journal of Ecology, 107: 318-333, doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.13022

Hayek, MH, Longo, M, Wu, J, Smith, MN, Restrepo-Coupe, N, Tapajós, R, Silva, R, Fitzjarrald, DR, Camargo, PB, Hutyra, LR, Alves, LF, Daube, B, Munger, JW, Wiedemann, KT, Saleska, SR, Wofsy, SC. 2018. Carbon Exchange in an Amazon Forest: from Hours to Years. Biogeosciences 15:4833-4848, https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/15/4833/2018/bg-15-4833-2018.pdf

Rosado, BHP, Almeida, LC, Alves, LF, Lambais, MR, Oliveira, RS. 2018. The importance of phyllosphere on plant functional ecology: a phyllo trait manifesto, New Phytologist 219:1145-1149, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15235

Longo, M, Knox, R, Levine, N, Alves, L, Bonal, D, Camargo, P, Fitzjarrald, D, Hayek, M, Restrepo-Coupe, N, Saleska, S, da Silva, R, Stark, S, Tapajós, R, Wiedemann, K, Zhang, K, Wofsy, S, Moorcroft, P. 2018. Ecosystem Heterogeneity and Diversity Mitigate Amazon Forest Resilience to Frequent Extreme Droughts. New Phytologist 219:914-931, doi: 10.1111/nph.15185

Slik, JWF, Franklin, J, Arroyo-Rodríguez, V, Field, R, Aguilare, S, Aguirre, N, Ahumadag, J, Aiba, S, Alves, LF, et al. 2018. Phylogenetic classification of the world’s tropical forests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science  115 (8) 1837-1842, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1714977115

Scaranello, MAS, Castro, BS, Farias, RA, Vieira, SA, Alves, LF, Robortella HS & Aragão, LEOC. 2016. The role of stand structure and palm abundance in predicting aboveground biomass at local scale in southern Amazonia. Plant Ecology & Diversity 9:409-420,  doi:10.1080/17550874.2016.1264015

Slik, JWF, Arroyo-Rodrigues, V, Aiba, S, Alvarez-Loayza, P, Alves, LF, Ashton, P, et al. 2015. An estimate of the number of tropical tree species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 112: 7472-7477, doi/10.1073/pnas.1423147112

Stark, SC, Enquist, BJ, Saleska, SR. Leitold, V, Schietti, J, Longo, M, Alves, LF, Camargo, PB, Oliveira Jr, RC. 2015. Linking canopy leaf area and light environments with tree size distributions to explain Amazon forest demography. Ecology Letters 18:636-645, DOI: 10.1111/ele.12440

DeWalt, SA, Schnitzer, S, Alves, LF, Bongers, F, Burnham, RJ, et al. 2015. Biogeographical patterns of liana abundance and diversity. In: Stefan Schnitzer (ed.), Ecology of lianas, pp. 131-146. Wiley-Blackwell, DOI: 10.1002/9781118392409.ch1

Grombone-Guaratini, MA, Alves, LF, Vinha, D, Franco, GADC. 2014. Seed rain in areas with and without bamboo dominance within an urban fragment of the Atlantic Forest. Acta Botanica Brasilica 28:76-85

Eisenlohr, PV, Alves, LF, Bernacci, LC, Padgurschi, MCG, Torres, RB,. Prata, EMB, Santos, FAM, Assis, MA, Ramos, E, Rochelle, ALC, Martins, FR, Campos, MCR, Pedroni, F, Sanchez, M, Pereira, LS, Vieira, SA, Gomes, JAMA, Tamashiro, JY, Scaranello, MAS, Caron, CJ, Joly, CA. 2013. Disturbances, elevation, topography and spatial proximity drive vegetation patterns along an altitudinal gradient of a top biodiversity hotspot. Biodiversity and Conservation 22:2767- 2783, doi: 10.1007/s10531-013-0553-x

Stark, SC, Leitold, V, Wu, JL, Hunter, MO, Castilho, CV, Costa, FRC, McMahon, SM, Parker, GG, . Shimabukuro, MT, Lefsky, MA, Keller, M, Alves, LF, Schietti, J, Shimabukuro, YE, Brandao, DO, Woodcock, TW, Higuchi, N, Camargo, PBm Oliveira, RC, Saleska, SR. 2012. Amazon forest carbon dynamics predicted by profiles of canopy leaf area and light environment. Ecology Letters 15:1406-1414, doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01864.x

Kao, RH, Gibson, CM, Gallery, RE, Meier, CL, Barnett, DT, Docherty, KM, Blevins, KK, Travers, PD, Azuaje, E, Springer, YP, Thibault, KM, McKenzie, VJ, Keller, M, Alves, LF, Hinckley, ES, Parnell, J, & Schimel, D. 2012. NEON terrestrial field observations: designing continental-scale, standardized sampling.Ecosphere 3:art115 http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00196.1

Alves, LF, Assis, MA, van Melis, J, Barros, ALS, Vieira, SA, Martins, FR, Martinelli LA, Joly, CA. 2012. Variation in liana abundance and biomass along an elevational gradient in the tropical Atlantic Forest (Brazil). Ecological Research 27: 323-332, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-011-0902-8

Scaranello, MAS, Alves, LF, Vieira, SA, Camargo, PB, Joly, CA, Martinelli, LA. 2012. Height-diameter relationships of tropical Atlantic moist forest trees in southeastern Brazil. Scientia Agricola 69:26-37

Vieira, SA, Alves LF, Duarte-Neto, PJ, Martins, SC, Veiga, LG, Scaranello, MA, Picollo, MC, Camargo, PB, Carmo, JB, Sousa-Neto, E, Santos, FAM, Joly, CA and Martinelli, LA. 2011. Stocks of carbon and nitrogen and partitioning between above- and belowground pools in the Brazilian coastal Atlantic Forest elevation range. Ecology & Evolution 1:421-434, doi: 10.1002/ece3.41

Pütz, S, Groeneveld, J, Alves LF, Metzger, JP, Huth, A. 2011. Fragmentation drives tropical forest fragments to early successional states: A modelling study for Brazilian Atlantic forests. Ecological Modelling 222:1986-1997, doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2011.03.038

Sousa Neto, E, Carmo, JB, Keller, M, Martins, SC, Alves LF, Vieira, SA, Piccolo, MC, Camargo, P, Couto, HTZ, Joly, CA and Martinelli. LA. 2011. Soil- atmosphere exchange of nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide in a gradient of elevation in the coastal Brazilian Atlantic forest. Biogeosciences8:733–742, doi:10.5194/bg-8-733-2011

Vinha, D, Alves, LF, Zaidan, LBP, Grombone-Guaratini, MT. 2011. The potential of the soil seed bank for the regeneration of a tropical urban forest dominated by bamboo. Landscape and Urban Planning 99:178-185, doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2010.11.003

Andrade, TMB, Camargo, PB, Silva, DML, Piccolo, MC, Alves, LF, Vieira, SA, Joly, CA, Martinelli, LA. 2011. Dynamics of dissolved forms of carbon and inorganic nitrogen in small watersheds of the coastal Atlantic forest in Southeast Brazil. Water, Soil, and Air Pollution 214:393-408, doi: 10.1007/s11270-010- 0431-z.

Alves, LF, Vieira, SA, Scaranello, MA, Camargo, PB, Santos, FAM, Joly, CA, Martinelli, LA. 2010. Forest structure and live aboveground biomass along an elevational gradient of tropical moist forest (Brazil). Forest Ecology and Management 260:679–691, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2010.05.023

Groeneveld, J, Alves, LF, Bernacci, LC, Catharino ELM, Knogge C, Metzger, JP, Pütz, S & Huth, A. 2009. The impact of fragmentation and density regulation on forest succession in the Atlantic rain forest. Ecological Modelling 220: 2450–2459, doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.06.015

Vieira, AS, Alves, LF, (and 20 co-autors). 2008. Estimation of biomass and carbon stocks: the case of the Atlantic Forest. Biota Neotropica 8 (2): https://www.scielo.br/j/bn/a/ZSkFp4sxCYJLTft5GrPmqVr/?lang=en

Silva-Matos, DM & Alves, LF. 2008. Palm species distribution and soil moisture in a swampy area of the Atlantic Forest, South-Eastern Brazil. Ecotropica 14: 69-74

Alves, LF & Metzger, JP. 2007. Landscape structure and tropical tree seedling diversity in Atlantic rain forest, Brazil. In: Bunce, RGH, Jongman, RHG, Hojas, L & Well, S. (eds). Proceedings of the 7th IALE World Congress, Part 2, Pp. 1085. Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Alves, LF & Metzger, JP. 2006. Forest regeneration in areas of secondary forest in the Morro Grande Forest Reserve, Cotia, SP Biota Neotropica 6 (2):  https://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/BN/article/view/185 (In Portuguese)

Alves, LF, Martins, FR & Santos, FAM. 2004. Allometry of a Neotropical palm, Euterpe edulis Mart. Acta Botanica Brasilica 18:369-374, doi: 10.1590/S0102- 33062004000200016

Alves, LF & Santos, FAM. 2002. Tree allometry and crown shape of four tree species in Atlantic rain forest, SE Brazil. Journal of Tropical Ecology 18:245- 260, doi: 10.1017/S026646740200216X

Santos, FAM, Pedroni, F, Alves, LF, Sanchez, M, 1998. Structure and dynamics of tree species of the Atlantic Forest. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 70:873-880


Technical Reports

Keller, M, Alves, LF, Aulenbach, S, Johnson, B, Kampe, T, Kao, R, Kuester, M, Loescher, H, Mckenzie, V, Powell, H, Schimel, D. 2010. NEON Scientific Data Products Catalog. Boulder, Colorado, USA: National Ecological Observatory Network (Technical Report)

Schimel, D, Keller, M, Duffy, P, Alves, LF, Aulenbach, S, Johnson, B, Hehn, T, Kampe, T, Kao, R, Kuester, M, Loescher, H, Mckenzie, V, Powell, H. 2009. The NEON Strategy: Enabling Continental Scale Ecological Forecasting. Boulder, Colorado, USA: National Ecological Observatory Network (Technical Report)


Last Funded Projects

2023-2025, "A Service to Quantify Forest Carbon Stock Changes in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazi". Co-PI in collaboration with MIchael Keller (US-Forest Service & JPL). Funded by NASA SERVIR Program, NASA, USA

2022-2024, "Intrinsic dimensionality and data fusion to monitor Cape biodiversity". Co-PI in collaboration with Kerry Cawse-Nicholson (JPL). Funded by NASA Biodiversity Program, NASA, USA

2020, "Aboveground Forest Biomass Estimation in the United States using NEON Database, SAR, and Optical Satellite Data". Scholarship to Corisa A. Wong (mentee)​ ​, L. Xu (mentor)​ ​, L. F. Alves (mentor)​. Funded by Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering (JIFRESSE), Summer Internship Program (UCLA & JPL), USA 

2018-2023, "Collaborative Research: Are Amazon forest trees source or sink limited? Mapping hydraulic traits to carbon allocation strategies to decipher forest function during drought". PI in collaboration with Scott Saleska (UofA), Scott Stark (MSU), and Valeriy Ivanov (UofM). Funded by National Science Foundation (NSF), USA

2015-2017, “Spatially-structured ecological processes in a megadiverse tropical forest”. Co-I with PI Dr. Flavio A M Santos (UNICAMP, Brazil). Funded by Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil

2014-2017, “Understanding the Response of Photosynthetic Metabolism in Tropical Forests to Seasonal Climate Variations”. Collaborator with PI Dr.Luiz Aragão (INPE, Brazil). Funded by FAPESP/DOE

2013-2016, “Epiphyllic communities on leaves at tropical forests: causes and consequences for leaf functioning at different scales”. Collaborator with PI Dr. Bruno Rosado (UERJ, Brazil). Funded by USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), USA

Professional Experience


Education