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Effective long-term management of invasive non-native species (INNS) in South America is a pressing yet complex task. Critically, the environmental, historical, cultural, and economic idiosyncrasies of the region call for the inclusion of a plurality of views from those sectors of society receiving the negative and positive impacts of INNS. This is a multifaceted, and often daunting, task that can be aided by an early identification of stakeholders – those affected by or with an interest in INNS and their management – accompanied by targeted stakeholder engagement. Here, we report the procedures and results of a stakeholder mapping activity aimed at identifying stakeholders and designing engagement strategies. Using expert knowledge procedures, we compiled comprehensive lists of stakeholders for six case-studies in South America: (i) invasive grasses (Urochloa spp.) in Brazil; (ii) glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum) in Argentina; (iii) lodgepole and Monterey pines (Pinus contorta and P. radiata) in Argentina; (iv) American mink (Neogale vison) in Argentina and Chile; (v) lodgepole and Monterey pines in Chile; and (vi) German yellow-jacket (Vespula germanica) in Chile. Overall, we identified 250 stakeholders, which, based on their interest and influence, were classified into "context settlers" (2%), "key players" (47%), "crowd" (5%), and "subjects" (49%). We outlined strategies to engage with each of these four groups and for each of our six case-studies. Across case studies, communication with stakeholders was the most common engagement strategy proposed (27%; 19 of 70 strategies), followed by active involvement of stakeholders in INNS research and management (23%). Our results highlight the importance of considering power imbalances, as those stakeholders more likely to benefit from INNS were assessed to have more influence over INNS management relative to local and indigenous communities. Our work illustrates how to identify stakeholders in a rigorous and rapid manner, which should be complemented with the involvement of the stakeholders themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Insect pollination is essential for the maintenance of ecosystems and for agricultural productivity. Bees are the main pollinator group and their assemblages are threatened by agricultural intensification. This study aimed to compare the diversity and structuring of bee assemblages between organic and conventional agroecosystems and to evaluate the influence of landscape composition on bee abundance in the Pampa biome. The study was carried out on three organic and three conventional family farms. Sampling was performed during the summer using pan traps. Four sampling units were placed on each farm, of which three were placed in crop field areas and one in native forest remnants. The diversity profile showed no significant difference between agroecosystems. Species abundance distribution indicates fewer dominant species in the organic system, suggesting the positive influence of polyculture on assemblage structure. Bee composition was different between agroecosystems. Notably, the species composition of bees in the forest edge of conventional farms was quite similar to that found in the organic habitats, indicating the importance of forested environments as a refuge for bees in conventional systems. The landscape analysis showed that the increase in the proportion of crop field areas negatively influenced the abundance of bees. We suggest that the maintenance of a heterogeneous agricultural landscape and smallholdings, composed of native and semi-natural habitats and organic practices on family farms can help to provide diverse niches for wild bees in the Pampa, contributing to biodiversity conservation and supporting ecosystem processes, like pollination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amazon region is made up of a mosaic of important habitats scattered throughout the rainforests, which differ in vegetation structure, basal area, primary productivity, biomass and production of flowers and fruits. Consequently, species richness and abundance also vary between these habitat types, in part explaining the high levels of richness found in the Amazon region. Here, we sampled bats using mist nets in three Amazonian habitats to explore variation in richness, abundance and community composition between habitats and seasons, and test for variation in the number and composition of bats captured in different mist net shelves. Overall abundance was highest in Amazonian savannahs, which is probably due to these habitats being more complex at the landscape scale — being composed of areas of savannah interspersed with forest fragments, gallery forests and palm stands. Abundance was also higher in the rainy season in savannahs and terra firme forest, and in the dry season in campinarana. In all habitats, bats were most frequently captured between 0.7 and 2.4 m from the ground. These results have important implications for our understanding of the ecology of, and habitat use by bats in the Amazon, particularly in the less well-studied habitat types of Amazonian savannah and campinarana. In addition, knowledge of the distribution of bat captures between mist net shelves serves to highlight that nets need not be set so close to the ground to maintain sampling efficiency, which is important as it may help to reduce opportunistic predation events of individuals caught in the lowest mist net shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amazon region is made up of a mosaic of important habitats scattered throughout the rainforests, which differ in vegetation structure, basal area, primary productivity, biomass and production of flowers and fruits. Consequently, species richness and abundance also vary between these habitat types, in part explaining the high levels of richness found in the Amazon region. Here, we sampled bats using mist nets in three Amazonian habitats to explore variation in richness, abundance and community composition between habitats and seasons, and test for variation in the number and composition of bats captured in different mist net shelves. Overall abundance was highest in Amazonian savannahs, which is probably due to these habitats being more complex at the landscape scale — being composed of areas of savannah interspersed with forest fragments, gallery forests and palm stands. Abundance was also higher in the rainy season in savannahs and terra firme forest, and in the dry season in campinarana. In all habitats, bats were most frequently captured between 0.7 and 2.4 m from the ground. These results have important implications for our understanding of the ecology of, and habitat use by bats in the Amazon, particularly in the less well-studied habitat types of Amazonian savannah and campinarana. In addition, knowledge of the distribution of bat captures between mist net shelves serves to highlight that nets need not be set so close to the ground to maintain sampling efficiency, which is important as it may help to reduce opportunistic predation events of individuals caught in the lowest mist net shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport of seeds by water, i.e. hydrochory, is a key mechanism of long-distance dispersal constrained by the attributes of the seed and hydrodynamics. In the freshwater Amazon estuary, river hydrodynamics are influenced by seasonal changes in precipitation and tidal cycles. It is not known to what extent a hydrodynamic model may be able to predict seed dispersal., Here we parameterised a simulation model (SisBaHia) to estimate maximum seed dispersal distances per tidal cycle, which were then compared with data from in situ seed dispersal experiments. The study was conducted along a 27-km stretch of a tributary of the Amazon estuary, using the seeds of a widely distributed riparian tree- Carapa guianensis (Meliaceae)., Based on the simulation model, maximum potential seed dispersal distance was higher in the rainy season ( c. 8.7 km) when compared with the dry season (5.6 km), for one tidal cycle (12 hr). The seeds of C. guianensis were dispersed further during the ebb than flood tide during the rainy season, the period of seed dispersal. Average dispersal distances observed in seed dispersal experiments conducted during the rainy season, and those predicted by SisBaHia for the same period were within the same order of magnitude., The results of this study confirm that the period of higher precipitation provides favourable hydrological conditions for hydrochory in the Amazon river-estuary complex. The fact that the time taken for the tide to fall is longer in relation to the time taken for it to rise also favours the arrival of the seeds in the main channel of the Amazon, thereby increasing the probability of long-distance dispersal events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]