Bovine pericardium retail preserved in glutaraldehyde and used as a vascular patch

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

Stochastic dynamics in exotic and native blowflies: an analysis combining laboratory experiments and a two-patch metapopulation model

In this study we explored the stochastic population dynamics of three exotic blowfly species, Chrysomya albiceps, Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya putoria, and two native species, Cochliomyia macellaria and Lucilia eximia, by combining a density-dependent growth model with a two-patch metapopulation model. Stochastic fecundity, survival and migration were investigated by permitting random variations between predetermined demographic boundary values based on experimental data. Lucilia eximia and Chrysomya albiceps were the species most susceptible to the risk of local extinction. Cochliomyia macellaria, C. megacephala and C. putoria exhibited lower risks of extinction when compared to the other species. The simultaneous analysis of stochastic fecundity and survival revealed an increase in the extinction risk for all species. When stochastic fecundity, survival and migration were simulated together, the coupled populations were synchronized in the five species. These results are discussed, emphasizing biological invasion and interspecific interaction dynamics.

Patch-size and isolation effects in the Fisher-Kolmogorov equation

We examine the classical problem of the existence of a threshold size for a patch to allow for survival of a given population in the case where the patch is not completely isolated. The surrounding habitat matrix is characterized by a non-zero carrying capacity. We show that a critical patch size cannot be strictly defined in this case. We also obtain the saturation density in such a patch as a function of the size of the patch and the relative carrying capacity of the outer region. We argue that this relative carrying capacity is a measure of the isolation of the patch. Our results are then compared with conclusions drawn from observations of the population dynamics of understorey birds in fragments of the Amazonian forest and shown to qualitatively agree with them, offering an explanation for the importance of dispersal and isolation in these observations. Finally, we show that a generalized critical patch size can be introduced resorting to threshold densities for the observation of a given species.

Population variation in patch and party size in muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides)

We examined the relationship between food patch size and feeding party size with comparative data from two populations of muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides) in the 37,797-ha forest at the Parque Estadual de Carlos Botelho (PECB), São Paulo, and the 800-ha forest at the Estacao Biologica de Caratinga (EBC), Minas Gerais. Precipitation Mins more abundant and less seasonal at PECB than EBC, and the density of large trees (>25.0 cm) was higher at PECB (206 ha(-1)) than at EBC (132 ha(-1)). At both sites, the size of feeding parties is positively related to the size of food patches, As predicted, food parches at PECB are significantly larger than those at EBC for both fruit and leaf sources. Contrary to expectations, feeding parties were larger at EEC than PECB, the higher population density of muriquis and sympatric primates at EBC may make large associations more advantageous to these muriquis than to muriquis living at lower population densities in PECB.

Habitat patch size modulates terrestrial mammal activity patterns in Amazonian forest fragments

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Changes in plant species composition and functional traits along the successional trajectory of a restored patch of Atlantic Forest

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

Patch size, shape and edge distance influences seed predation in a keystone palm in tropical rainforests

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Patch size, functional isolation, visibility and matrix permeability influences neotropical primate occurrence within highly fragmented landscapes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Patch-based local histograms and contour estimation for static foreground classification

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)