Unknowns

Revealing the unknowns: epiphytes, insects, and fungi associated with lowland arboreal flora in the eastern Amazon

Description

In the floodplain forests of the Amazon River estuary and the Guiana Shield (eastern Amazon), ecosystems and nature-society interactions are shaped by daily tidal floods, making the region highly sensitive to Atlantic sea level rise and oil spills. This project will investigate forest structure and little-explored biotic elements, such as epiphytes, insects, and fungi, within estuarine floodplain forests, particularly those linked to the value chains of “açaí”, “andiroba”, “pracaxi”, “murumuru”, and “ucuúba”. These species co-occur and are harvested by traditional riverine communities, who play a central role in these socio-biodiversity networks and will actively participate in scientific expeditions and socio-technical networks as co-producers of the research. The project will take a multidisciplinary approach, involving teams from Amapá, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, and Rio Grande do Norte, integrating methods such as (1) tree inventory and surveys of epiphytes and hemiepiphytes; (2) detailed studies on insects, including (a) pollinators, (b) seed borers, (c) fruit flies, and (d) fruit- and cluster-feeding assassin bugs; (3) investigations of fungi in propagules. This initiative will also contribute to graduate training by engaging institutional and local PIQCT researchers and students—particularly women and young scientists—through specimen collection and monitoring workshops. Beyond identifying species, the project seeks to understand how they influence socio-ecological systems. The overarching goal is to foster the multi-institutional and transdisciplinary collaboration necessary to study these little-known organisms in floodplain forests and to support the sustainable management of açaí groves and oilseed species in traditional communities and protected areas of the eastern Amazon. Key project outcomes will include reference publications, identification guides, and the cataloging of specimens in biological collections and local herbaria (UEAP and IEPA). Additionally, the project aims to provide insights for inclusive bioeconomy initiatives, meliponiculture, and the production and self-consumption of açaí and oils, while also contributing to territorial governance and conservation policies for Amazonian socio-biodiversity.

Funding/ Partners

• Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

• Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Amapá (FAPEAP)

• Fundação Amazônia de Amparo a Estudos e Pesquisas (FAPESPA)

• Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)

• Centro de Pesquisa Agroflorestal do Amapá (Embrapa/CPAF)

• Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá (IEPA)

• Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Agrobiologia (Embrapa/CNPAB)

• Centro de Pesquisa Agroflorestal da Amazônia Oriental (Embrapa/CPAT)

• Instituto de Pesquisa Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (IP/JBRJ)

• Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP)

• Universidade do Estado do Amapá (UEAP)

• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN)

• Associação dos Agroextrativistas da Ilha das Cinzas (ATAIC)

• Inova Manejo (IM)

Coordinators

• Marcelino Carneiro Guedes (Coordenador)

• Janaina Barbosa Pedrosa Costa (Vice-coordenadora)

Collaborators

• Adelson Rocha Dantas

• Adriano Castro de Brito

• Alexandre Fadigas de Souza

• Alexandre Luis Jordão

• Ana Claudia Lira Guedes

• Ana Cristina Siewert Garofolo

• Anamaria Dal Molin

• Anderson Schwamke

• Camila Brandão da Silva

• Caroline C. Vasconcelos

• Daniel Santiago Pereira

• Eniel David Cruz

• Irlon Maciel Ferreira

• Josiane Nogueira Muller

• Juliano Sarmento Cabral

• Luciano Araujo Pereira

• Marcia Reed Rodrigues Coelho

• Marinez Ferreira de Siqueira

• Márcia Soares Vidal

• Adriana Bariani

• Allan Kardec Ribeiro Galardo

• Antonio Barbosa de Oliveira

• Antônio Benedito da Costa

• Carliane Gadelha Miranda

• Dulcivânia Gomes de Freitas

• Ediglei Gomes Rodrigues

• Jandira Rodrigues da Silva

• Josineide Barbosa Malheiros

• Maria Assunção Carvalho da Costa

• Marta da Silva Cardoso

• Anderson Vasconcelos Firmino

• Isabelly Ribeiro Guabiraba

• Patrícia de Almeida Nóbrega

• Renata do Socorro Barbosa Chaves

• Richardson Ferreira Frazão

• Rosangela Dias Cortes