A new study published in Communications Biology (Nature Portfolio) found a surprising pattern in the world’s largest and most floristically tree diverse tropical savanna, the Cerrado. The research shows that despite hosting approximately 1,605 tree species, a mere 30 species ā less than 2% ā account for nearly half of all trees. This phenomenon of […]
A new study shows the significant impact of recurring fires and agricultural conversion on soil carbon storage in the Amazon rainforest. The research, a collaboration between the University of Exeter (UoE) and Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA) at the University of SĆ£o Paulo (USP), demonstrates substantial carbon loss and degradation of soil properties […]
The Amazon rainforest, an important carbon sink, faces increasing threats from deforestation and wildfires. But what happens to the soil carbon after these disturbances? MSc student, Lorena Fleury, in the Tropical Forest Science Postgraduate Programme at the National Institute for Research in Amazonia (INPA), supervised by Prof. Ted Feldpausch, has been sampling soil in secondary […]
Our new study published in the journal Science reveals a concerning trend, that tropical forests across the Americas are changing their composition and function too slowly to keep up with the pace of climate change. This mismatch puts these important ecosystems, biodiversity hotspots, and carbon sinks at significant risk.
We recently published a paper led by PhD student Maurivan Barros Pereira (State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT)), supervised by Prof. Ted Feldpausch and co-supervised by Drs Ben Hur Marimon Junior and Fernando Elias da Silva. The findings were published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, āPost-fire changes in tree diversity, composition and carbon […]
Funding is available for Brazilian students with the Feldpausch Research Group at the University of Exeter through the CAPES and CPNq Doctoral Programme for study abroad (PDSE). Options include a “sandwich” PhD for study at Exeter from 6-10 months or a “full” PhD scholarship to undertake the full PhD programme of study at the University […]
Applications open for fully-funded PhDs starting in 2024 The University of Exeter is offering up to 15 fully funded doctoral studentships for September 2024 entry as part of our Doctoral Training Partnership with the EPSRC (Engineering, Physical Sciences Research Council). The PhD projects focus on a range of themes related to fire, land-use change, lightning […]
FAPESP Opportunity Postdoctoral Opportunity to Quantifying Soil Organic Carbon Responses to Landscape-Scale Fire in the Amazon This research aims to map and quantify the environmental factors, especially āfireā, that drive the spatial variation of soil organic carbon (SOC) and its āpyrogenicā fraction (CPi) in the Amazon. It is based on 2 objectives: O1. Modeling baseline […]
We are recruiting for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to model soil carbon and fire in tropical forests. Summary of the Role We wish to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the work of Profs Richard Betts, Ted Feldpausch, and Kees van Groenigen at the University of Exeter and in collaboration Dr Eleanor Burke and Dr […]
Expert talk – āThe history of people and fire in the Amazon rainforestā Where: The Core Film Room (1st floor), The Eden Project, Cornwall, UK When: 2pm, 11-Sept-2023 People have been living in the Amazon rainforest for 13,000 years. Their use of fire and plants has had long-term impacts on forest structure, composition, and soils. Join Professor Ted Feldpausch and Professor JosĆ© […]
Phytolith analysis is a well-established archaeobotanical tool, having provided important insights into pre-Columbian crop cultivation and domestication across Amazonia through the Holocene. Yet, its use as a palaeoecological tool is in its infancy in Amazonia and its effectiveness for reconstructing pre-Columbian land-use beyond archaeological sites (i.e., āoff-siteā) has so far received little critical attention. In […]