O efeito da heterogeneidade de habitats sobre as interações planta-polinizador em uma região da bacia do Rio Corumbataí - SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

New features of Cuban endemic Pinguicula filifolia (Lentibulariaceae) and considerations on its habitat and ecology

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Interaction between breeding habitat and elevation affects prevalence but not infection intensity of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Brazilian anuran assemblages

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Activity and habitat use of two species of stingrays (Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygonidae) in the upper Paraná River basin, Southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Spatial variation in post-dispersal seed removal in an Atlantic forest: Effects of habitat, location and guilds of seed predators

Studies of post-dispersal seed removal in the Neotropics have rarely examined the magnitude of seed removal by different types of granivores. The relative impact of invertebrates, small rodents, and birds on seed removal was investigated in a 2,178 ha Atlantic forest fragment in southeastern Brazil. We used popcorn kernels (Zea mays-Poaceae) to investigate seed removal in a series of selective exclosure treatments in a replicated, paired design experiment that included forest understory, gaps, and forest edge sites. We recorded the vegetation around the experimental seed stations in detail in order to evaluate the influence of microhabitat traits on seed removal. Vertebrate granivores (rodents and birds) were surveyed to determine whether granivore abundance was correlated with seed removal levels. Seed removal varied spatially and in unpredictable ways at the study site. Seed encounter and seed use varied with treatments, but not with habitat type. However, seed removal by invertebrates was negatively correlated with gap-related traits, which suggested an avoidance of large gaps by granivorous ants. The abundance of small mammals was remarkably low, but granivorous birds (tinamous and doves) were abundant at the study site. Birds were the main seed consumers in open treatments, but there was no correlation between local granivorous bird abundance and seed removal. These results emphasize the stochastic spatial pattern of seed removal, and, contrary to previous studies, highlight the importance of birds as seed predators in forest habitats. (c) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Natural and artificially-induced habitat complexity and freshwater fish species composition

The effects of habitat complexity, induced by construction of artificial reefs, on the fish assemblages in the Barra Bonita reservoir, Brazil, and in the lotic zone immediately below the dam were studied. Four artificial reefs were constructed in each habitat at variable distances from the shore. Multiple correspondence analysis showed that the factors distance from the shore and type of habitat were determinants for the group formation, and artificial reefs had a lesser effect. Fish species composition was about the same at locations with and without reefs.

Ecology and reproductive biology of two species of Aplastodiscus (Anura : Hylidae) in the Atlantic forest, Brazil

The present study was conducted in the Serra do Japi in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. From March 2004 to January 2006 we studied the ecology and reproductive biology of two sympatric species of Aplastodiscus in three different habitats: lake, stream, and swamp. The majority of A. leucopygius males in calling activity were recorded during the rainy season and during sporadic rains in the dry season (April to September). The same was observed for A. arildae. Most courtship displays of A. leucopygius were observed mainly during the rainy period and only one courtship behaviour was observed for A. arildae during a rainy night, in December 2005. Aplastodiscus leucopygius males were found in activity in the three habitats surveyed. In contrast, males of A. arildae were found in only one habitat (stream). Spatial distribution seems to be the main mechanism of reproductive segregation between the studied species.

Phylogeny, Ecology, and Heart Position in Snakes

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

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)

A study of habitat fragmentation in Southeastern Brazil using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS)

The purpose of this work was to study fragmentation of forest formations (mesophytic forest, riparian woodland and savannah vegetation (cerrado)) in a 15,774-ha study area located in the Municipal District of Botucatu in Southeastern Brazil (São Paulo State). A land use and land cover map was made from a color composition of a Landsat-5 thematic mapper (TM) image. The edge effect caused by habitat fragmentation was assessed by overlaying, on a geographic information system (GIS), the land use and land cover data with the spectral ratio. The degree of habitat fragmentation was analyzed by deriving: 1. mean patch area and perimeter; 2. patch number and density; 3. perimeter-area ratio, fractal dimension (D), and shape diversity index (SI); and 4. distance between patches and dispersion index (R). In addition, the following relationships were modeled: 1. distribution of natural vegetation patch sizes; 2. perimeter-area relationship and the number and area of natural vegetation patches; 3. edge effect caused by habitat fragmentation, the values of R indicated that savannah patches (R = 0.86) were aggregated while patches of natural vegetation as a whole (R = 1.02) were randomly dispersed in the landscape. There was a high frequency of small patches in the landscape whereas large patches were rare. In the perimeter-area relationship, there was no sign of scale distinction in the patch shapes, In the patch number-landscape area relationship, D, though apparently scale-dependent, tends to be constant as area increases. This phenomenon was correlated with the tendency to reach a constant density as the working scale was increased, on the edge effect analysis, the edge-center distance was properly estimated by a model in which the edge-center distance was considered a function of the to;al patch area and the SI. (C) 1997 Elsevier B.V. B.V.

Influence of terrestrial habitat isolation on the diversity and temporal distribution of anurans in an agricultural landscape

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

Ecology and conservation of the jacutinga Pipile jacutinga in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

The jacutinga Pipile jacutinga was formerly one of the most abundant game bird cracids in the Atlantic forest of Brazil. Nowadays this species is vulnerable to extinction due to hunting and habitat loss. The ecology of the jacutinga was studied at Parque Estadual Intervales, Sao Paulo, Brazil from October 1993 to December 1995 and in adjacent areas. Jacutingas were observed to feed mainly on the sugar-rich fruit of 41 species. We recorded a low index of abundance for the jacutinga (0.018) or c.1.7 birds/km2 at Intervales, one of the best protected areas within their range. Surveys carried out in the Atlantic forest of Sao Paulo found jacutinga populations in 14 localities. Probably < 1500 birds survive in the best protected areas. The species' stronghold in southeastern Brazil is in the mountains of Serra de Paranapiacaba, an area protected by several parks suffering from hunting and palm heart harvesting and threatened by a hydroelectric project.

Habitat, distribuição e aspectos adaptativos de peixes da microbacia do ribeirão Grande, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

The ichthyofauna of ribeirão Grande microbasin that runs through one of the few remaining fragments of Atlantic Forest (in Mantiqueira mountain range, Valley of Paraíba) was studied. Fish samples were obtained with an electric fishing powered by a maximum capacity generator of 155 V and 60-Hz alterning current, gill-nets and traps. In three collecting days, during July/2001, October/2001, January/2002 and April/2002, 2865 fishes were sampled. These fishes belonged to 12 families, 23 genera and 37 species. The species were more abundant between the piedmont and the plain of the Valley of Paraíba. The Characidium, Trichomycterus genera and the Imparfinis minutus species presented only one ovary or testis and no swim bladder. The ecological significance of morphological features in stream mountain fishes was used to predict the niche adaptation for those conditions, towards K-strategy.

Feeding habits and habitat use in Bothrops pubescens (Viperidae, Crotalinae) from southern Brazil

Bothrops pubescens is a member of the neuwiedi complex that occurs in southern Brazil and Uruguay. We studied the ecology of B. pubescens from a field site (at Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil) and based on preserved specimens from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. In Santa Maria, individuals were collected during visual encounter surveys (VES), in pitfall traps with drift fences and during incidental encounters. Most snakes found in the field were on the ground, mainly on leaf litter, in mosaics of light and shadow or in completely shaded areas. In disturbed areas, snakes were usually associated with country houses and agricultural fields. Snakes were found much more frequently in forests and forest edges than in open habitats. The diet of B. pubescens comprised small mammals (56.2% of individual prey found), anurans (21.2%), lizards (7.5%), snakes (7.5%), birds (5.0%), and centipedes (2.5%). Prey predator mass ratios ranged from 0.002-0.627, and larger snakes tended to consume larger prey. Bothrops pubescens seems to be able to survive in disturbed areas, mainly those close to forests, and this ability may be facilitated by its generalized feeding habits. Copyright 2005 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

First telemetry study of bush dogs: Home range, activity and habitat selection

Context The bush dog (Speothos venaticus) is difficult to observe, capture, and study. To date, indirect evidence and opportunistic field observations have been the primary sources of information about the species' ecology. Field data are urgently needed to clarify the species' ecological requirements, behaviour and movement patterns. Aims The present study uses 13 months of telemetry data from a group of bush dogs to begin to address questions about area requirements, habitat preferences and movement patterns of this difficult-to-study species. Methods We tracked a group of bush dogs (two adults, one juvenile, four young) in an area of intact and altered Cerrado (woodlandsavanna biome) in eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil (Nova Xavantina District). Key results The group had a total home range of 140km2 (fixed kernel 95%), with smaller seasonal 'subareas' (areas used for 12 months before moving to another area, with repetition of some areas over time) and demonstrated a preference for native habitats. Conclusions The bush dog's home range is greater than that of other canids of the same size, even correcting for group size. Patterns of seasonal movement are also different from what has been observed in other South American canids. Implications From our observations in the Brazilian savanna, bush dogs need large tracks of native habitat for their long-term persistence. Although the present study is based on a single pack, it is highly relevant for bush dog conservation because it provides novel information on the species' spatial requirements and habitat preferences. © 2012 CSIRO.