Diversity of functional traits of fleshy fruits in a species-rich Atlantic rain forest

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Gap disturbance regime and composition in the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest: the influence of topography

In the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest of south-eastern Brazil, a field study was carried out to describe the forest disturbance regime, analyse canopy gap composition and evaluate the influence of habitat parameters on gap tree species composition. We characterized canopy gaps considering the group of variables as follows: area, type and number of tree/branch falls, topographic position, soil coverage and surrounding canopy trees. Gap composition was assessed at species level by measuring all individuals inside gaps higher than one meter. Mean gap area of the 42 canopy gaps analysed was 71.9 +/- 9.0 m(2) (mean +/- SE). Out of the studied gaps, 35.7% were created by uprooted and by snapped trees, 16.7% by dead-standing trees and 11.9% by the fall of large branches. The disturbance regime was characterized by gap openings predominantly smaller than 150 m(2) and by spatial patterning related to topography. Ridges had smaller gaps and higher proportions of gaps created by branch falls; slopes had bigger gaps generally created by uprooting events. The more abundant and frequent species were shade tolerant and the more species-rich families found inside gaps did not differ from the forest as a whole. Pioneer species were rare and restricted to medium and large size classes. The Indicator Species Analysis and the Canonical Correspondence Analysis indicated gap area, topography and the percentage of soil cover by the genera Calathea and Ctenanthe were the predominant variables correlated with woody species distribution. So, topography emerged as an important issue not only to the gap disturbance regime, but also to gap colonization. In respect to the influence of gap processes on the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest regeneration, our results support the view that canopy gap events may not be working as promoters of community wide floristic shifts.

Geographical variation in genetic structure of an Atlantic Coastal Forest frog reveals regional differences in habitat stability

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Essential oils from leaves of cryptocarya spp from the atlantic rain forest

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Protease inhibition activity of extracts from Salicaceae species from Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Rain Forest and of an enriched fraction of clerodane diterpenes (casearins)

Considerando o uso popular de Casearia sylvestris Sw., Salicaceae, para o tratamento de problemas gástricos e resultados pré-clínicos que mostraram potencial atividade anti-ulcerogênica, foi realizado um screening farmacológico para avaliar a atividade biológica de outras espécies de Salicaceae. Para isso, foi utilizado um ensaio de inibição de proteases como um modelo farmacológico molecular para screening de extratos com atividade anti-ulcerogênica. Os extratos etanólico e aquoso dos galhos e folhas de C. gossypiosperma, C. decandra e C. rupestris mostraram inibição da atividade da pepsina em aproximadamente 50% com a concentração de 1 μg/mL. Curiosamente, C. obliquoa e Flacourtia ramontchi não apresentaram atividade sobre a pepsina, mas seus extratos mais apolares mostraram atividade inibitória sobre a subtilisina. A fração enriquecida de diterpenos clerodânicos mostrou atividade inibitória (42,75%) sobre a pepsina com a concentração de 1 μg/mL, mas não sobre a subtilisina (23,76%). Os resultados obtidos com os extratos e folhas das espécies testadas mostraram um padrão de atividade diferente sobre os dois tipos de proteases, a pepsina e a subtilisina, as quais estão relacionadas com diferentes tipos de atividades biológicas. Ainda mais, os resultados com a fração enriquecida de diterpenos clerodânicos sugerem que estas substâncias podem estar relacionadas com a atividade do extrato bruto de C. sylvestris.

Canopy gap colonization in the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest

Na Floresta Pluvial Atlântica Montana do Sudeste Brasileiro, foi realizado um estudo para descrever e avaliar a colonização de clareiras. A composição de clareiras foi levantada através da cobertura do solo para as espécies herbáceas enquanto que todos os indivíduos lenhosos maiores que um metro de altura foram mensurados e identificados. Também foram coletadas informações sobre a estrutura das clareiras (área da clareira, número e diâmetro das quedas), posição topográfica e vegetação circundante. Dois gêneros de Marantaceae apresentaram considerável freqüência e abundância nas clareiras. As espécies lenhosas mais freqüentes e abundantes pertenceram ao grupo não-pioneiro e as famílias mais ricas encontradas nas clareiras não diferiram quando comparado à floresta como um todo. Como para as variáveis do estrato herbáceo e da vegetação circundante, os resultados revelaram que efeitos diretos e indiretos da topografia são importantes na determinação da composição interna de clareiras por espécies lenhosas. Estes resultados sugerem que a colonização de clareiras é influenciada não apenas pelas variáveis de estrutura, mas também pela posição topográfica e pelos indivíduos pré-estabelecidos.

NEW SPECIES OF CROSSODACTYLUS (ANURA, LEPTODACTYLIDAE) FROM THE ATLANTIC RAIN-FOREST OF SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

A new species of leptodactylid frog, Crossodactylus caramaschii, is described from the southern part of the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. The new species, a member of the Crossodactylus gaudichaudii group, is characterized by having a short snout, a distinct and straight canthus rostralis, and reticulated belly.

New Species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from the Atlantic Rain Forest in São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Hypogaeic anti epigaeic ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) assemblages of atlantic costal rainforest and dry mature and secondary amazon forest in Brazil: Continuums or communities

Meat, flour and sugar baits were used on the soil surface and buried to examine species composition of the ant fauna in three separate tropical forests in Brazil, and to control for the effect of the regional faunal pool. Compositional mosaic diversities were comparable among areas, bait types and foraging strata. Mosaic diversity was independent of mean assemblage size. The number of unique species per sampling unit was correlated with mean assemblage size. Canonical correspondence analysis ordered species first by foraging substrate, second by geographic location, and third by diet. The first axis was significantly correlated with mean similarity and affinity. Mean Mahanalobis distances between centroids of groups based upon foraging strata were significantly larger than between localities, indicating local ecological pressures stronger than regional species pool constraints. As most. species foraged in only one stratum in one geographical position and were not omnivorous, the response of species to environmental gradients (continuums) showed a lower coherency with these patterns than did communities, structured around guilds based upon foraging strata and diet.

New species of Phrynohyas from Atlantic rain forest of southeastern Brazil (Anura, Hylidae)

A new species of hylid frog is described from south of the State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil in Atlantic rain forest. The new species is a member of the genus Phrynohyas and is characterized by snout rounded in dorsal view and nearly truncate in lateral view, small adhesive disks, fingers slightly webbed, nasal bones widely separated, and frontoparietals without medial articulation.

New record for the army ant Labidus mars (Formicidae: Ecitoninae) in the Atlantic Rain Forest of São Paulo State, Brazil

The occurrence of the army ant Labidus mars in Mogi das Cruzes (SP, Brazil) is recorded and includes additional information about the area, diet and foraging schedule of this rare army ant. This species of Ecitoninae was collected from two mature fruits of the Syagrus romanzoffiana (Arecaceae) and were probably in the foraging phase.

Nest site selection and flying capacity of neotropical wasp Angiopolybia pallens (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in the Atlantic Rain Forest, Bahia State, Brazil

In order to evaluate the flying capacity and nest site selection of Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier, 1836), we made 17 incursions (136 hours of sample efforts) in Atlantic Rain Forest environments in Bahia state. Our data show this wasp prefers to nest on wide leaves of bushes and short trees (nests between 0.30 and 3m from the ground) placed in half-shady environments (clearings and shadowed cultivations). The logistic regression model using Quasi-Newton method provided a good description of the flying capacity observed in A. pallens (x 2 = 91.52; p≪0.001). According to the logistic regression model, the A. pallens flight autonomy is low, flying for short distances and with an effective radius of action of about 24m measured from their nests, which means a foraging area of nearly 1,800 m 2.

Burrow morphology of Uca uruguayensis and Uca leptodactylus (Decapoda: Ocypodidae) from a subtropical mangrove forest in the western Atlantic

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A new species of allophryne (anura: allophrynidae) from the atlantic rain forest biome of eastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Low abundance of long-tongued pollinators leads to pollen limitation in four specialized hawkmoth-pollinated plants in the Atlantic Rain forest, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)