Bulletin 2016 / 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 A Message from the President 4 Updates from IAVS 2016 6 Alexander von Humboldt Medal 9 Honorary Membership 12 Young Scientists Awards 20 News from the Working Groups 21 Report from the EVS Workshop 26 Obituary of Rolando J. C. León 28 Calendar of Events Date of Publication: March 2016 © Internationalwww.iavs.org Association for Bulletin 2016/1 Mangrove close to Ubatuba,Page São1 of Paulo29 - Vegetation Science © A. Fidelis Southeastern Brazil. A Message from the President Members of the IAVS are active in several working groups of the association, but are also engaged in other initiatives concerned with specific aspects of vegetation science. One of these initiatives is the “German Working Group on Vegetation Databases”. Having become more and more international over the past years, the group has recently conducted its 15th meeting in the wonderful setting of the Botanical Garden in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sanssouci in Potsdam near Berlin (http://www.uni- potsdam.de/de/vegetationdatabases2016/index.html). More than 50 participants from several countries met to discuss the topic “Vegetation Databases and Resurveys” - a highly important field of our science that is also picked out as a theme in one of the special sessions of the IAVS Symposium 2016 in Brazil (Historical human legacy in vegetation: towards better theoretical concepts and applied approaches). If we want to document and understand the various effects of global change such as land use change, climate change, atmospheric deposition or invasive species, historical vegetation data are an invaluable source of information. They allow us to compare old records with recent re-surveys and to describe changes in species richness and composition in response to environmental drivers. Permanent or quasi-permanent plots based on an exact or at least relatively precise re-location of the former study sites are especially meaningful. Recent years have seen an increasing number of publications on vegetation re-surveys, sometimes spanning 60 to 70 years - such long-term data are an important baseline also for shorter-term experiments aiming to search for the mechanistic explanations for the observed changes of the vegetation. For understanding long-term vegetation changes and processes and the consequences of global change, we urgently need blueprints for natural vegetation that is largely unaffected by man. Therefore it is alarming to read that one of the last (almost) primeval lowland forests in Europe, Białowieża Forest (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site!), is under threat from logging: as reported in Nature (Vol. 530, pages 393 and 419, 25 February 2016), the Polish Ministry of the Environment plans to increase logging in sections outside the area that is protected as a national park, allegedly in response to an outbreak of the European spruce bark beetle. Białowieża Forest is unique in hosting viable populations of European bison, wolf and lynx, and of a large variety of bird species (among them many woodpeckers and the lesser-spotted eagle). It also is a famous site for research on vegetation succession and disturbance dynamics, and increased logging would not only have negative effects on the mentioned animal species, but also destroy a reference site for how ancient forests may have looked before they were transformed by modern forestry. Long-term studies have shown that the bark beetles decisively contribute to the high biodiversity of pristine forests. I sincerely hope that the scientific arguments of ecologists and nature conservationists can persuade the Polish government to reconsider their plans. Martin Diekmann Primeval forests in the Białowieża National Park IAVS President © A. Pępkowska-Król & W. Król www.iavs.org Bulletin 2016/1 Page 2 of 29 © J. Brunet © J. Brunet Decaying log in Białowieża National Park (above left). Forest in Białowieża National Park with decaying logs (above right) © J. Brunet Mixed deciduous-coniferous forest in Białowieża National Park (above). Small natural creek in the forest of Białowieża National Park (below). © J. Brunet www.iavs.org Bulletin 2016/1 Page 3 of 29 Updates from IAVS 2016 Pre- and Post-Excursions Update I would like to inform all that there has been an • Pre-Symposium Excursion 3 – Coastal and important modification of one of the Excursions Atlantic Forest: 6 confirmed; 14 spots available planned for the upcoming IAVS Symposium. Due to logistic concerns Post-Symposium Excursion 2: • Short Pre-Symposium Excursion – Cerrado: 13 Coastal Forests and Dunes has been cancelled. confirmed; 7 spots available However, an excursion with the same itinerary has • Short Pre-Symposium Excursion – Architecture of been included as Pre-Symposium Excursion 3. The Brasilia: Cancelled dates for the new Pre-Symposium Excursion are from 07 to 10/06. Please look at the web page for • Post-Symposium Excursion 1 – Cerrado: 27 more information. confirmed; 9 spots available To date (29/02/16), the situation with all excursion is If you have any questions or comments, please get in as follows: touch with me at the following address: iavs2016@ gmail.com. • Pre-Symposium Excursion 1 – Caatinga: 4 confirmed; 2 possible; 2 spots available Thank you again for your attention and hope to see you here in Brazil. • Pre-Symposium Excursion 2 – Atlantic Forest: Complete; 6 on waiting list Campos rupestres vegetation in the Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais - Southeastern Brazil © A. Fidelis www.iavs.org Bulletin 2016/1 Page 4 of 29 Zika Virus Update Over the last few months there have been a lot of Based on available evidence, WHO is not reports on several major news channels about recommending any travel or trade restrictions problems associated with Zika vírus in Brazil and related to Zika virus disease. As a precautionary several members of IAVS have expressed concerns measure, some national governments have made about this problem also. In no way should the public health and travel recommendations to their question be minimized, but in regard to where the own populations, based on their assessments of the Annual Symposium will be held, I would like to make available evidence and local risk factors. the following comments: Pan American Health Organization 1. As was recently noticed by the press, the http://www.paho.org/ Director-General of the WHO commended Brazil for efforts in combatting the transmissor of Zika virus; 2. Local government officials in Pirenópolis are aware of the problem and have been taking measures to try to reduce breeding sites for the mosquito, both through education of the local population about the means of propagation and chemical control; 3. The time of year when the meeting will be held, in June, is the end of the fall season and almost the start of winter when temperatures are lower. This time of year is also the beginning of the dry season in the central part of the country. Both of these factors by themselves usually result in a large diminution of mosquito density. 4. As with any other trip to places where mosquitos or other biting insects are a problem, please use appropriate clothing and use repellent to diminish the probability of being bitten. The following two sites contain more detailed information about Zika virus. World Health Organization Information on the Zika virus and fact sheets, updated February 2016 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/zika/en/ Zika virus disease: questions and answers http://www.who.int/features/qa/zika/en/ © J. Hay Should I avoid travelling to areas where Zika virus is occurring? Corumba waterfall near Pirenópolis in Central Brazil Travellers should stay informed about Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases and consult their The Local Organizing Committee hopes that you local health or travel authorities if they are concerned. will consider this information and make plans to participate in this year´s Symposium. We look To protect against Zika virus and other mosquito- forward to seeing you here in Brazil. borne diseases, everyone should avoid being bitten by mosquitoes by taking the measures described Sincerely, above. Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should follow this advice, and may John Du Vall Hay also consult their local health authorities if travelling Chair, Local Organizing Committee, IAVS2016 to an area with an ongoing Zika virus outbreak. www.iavs.org Bulletin 2016/1 Page 5 of 29 A lexander von Humboldt Medal Awarded to Sandra Lavorel, 2014 The Alexander von Humboldt Medal for Excellence in Vegetation Science is awarded by the International Association for Vegetation Science to scientists who have contributed greatly to the intellectual development of the field. It is my great pleasure to summarize the background and academic achievements of the recipient of the award for 2014, Sandra Lavorel. Sandra Lavorel received her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in 1991 in Montpellier, France, under the supervision of Francesco Di Castri. The subject was the mechanisms of species coexistence in Mediterranean grasslands, with emphasis on seed regeneration traits, although these were not called ‘traits’ yet at the time. She then moved to a postdoc in the Australian National University (Canberra), where she further explored coexistence mechanisms and started to think about plant functional types, under the influence of the pioneering work by vegetation modellers, and especially Prof. Ian Noble. These years in Australia were to have a deep, long-lasting impact on her life. In 1994 she returned to France and joined the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). After a highly successful career at CNRS, she became a First Class Senior Research © K. Grigulis Scientist at the Laboratory of Alpine Ecology at the University of Grenoble. The career and life of Sandra Lavorel are inextricably linked to France. This is not the links between agriculture and biodiversity, and on only because France is the country in which she ecosystems and ecosystem services.