Caracterização e composição florística de uma comunidade savânica no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil : subsídios para a conservação

Studies on Brazilian biodiversity are still very few and can observe the difference of knowledge between the different regions of the country. This affirmation can be verified in the investigation to identify the rare species in Brazil and the key biodiversity areas (ACBs). In that study were identified for Brasil 2.256 rare species and 752 ACBs. The Rio Grande do Norte (RN) was the only Brazilian state that has not been identified any rare species and no ACBs, possibly due to the lack of floristic studies in this state. A particular area was selected for this study: an area of ecological tension with savanna physiognomy in Rio do Fogo, RN. This savanna community is represented in RN in a fragment and immersed in restinga and caatinga and was identified and described only through of radar imagens there are no studies to date in loco . We have prepared the following questions about this community savanna: 1) The region delimited and described by through of radar images by the RADAMBRASIL, 1976, can be associated of the Cerrado, in terms of floristic ?; 2) What is the floristic composition of this area? This area includes rare species, endemic or endangered? 3) What is the geographical and phytogeographical distribution of plant species registered in this area? 4) Those plant species registered are endemic or have affinity with other areas phytoecological Brazilian? To answer these questions we performed a floristic inventory of the August 2007 to September/2009. The results are presented in two chapters (manuscripts). The first chapter, titled "The Savannah Rio Grande do Norte: floristic links with other plant formations in the Northeast and Center-West Brazil" was submitted to the Revista Brasileira de Botância. Chapter 1 discusses the phytogeographical distribution of the species, by comparing floristic studies conducted in the Cerrado, Caatinga and Restinga in the Northeast and Cerrado of the Central Brazil. The analysis of data of this study and compilation with other studies indicated that: i) the record of 94 plant species; ii) of total species, about 64% are associated with the Cerrado, the second specialized bibliography, and about 78% as the List of Species of Flora of Brazil. However, about 73% of total species (94) are also distributed in the Caatinga, the Atlantic forest 64%, the Amazon forest 64%, the Pantanal 15% and the Pampa 12%. Floristically the data show that the community studied is influenced by other floras, has a structure where grasses dominate and also because of his appearance the same savanna then be classified as a Savana gramíneo-lenhosa do tabuleiro . Chapter 2, titled "Considerations on the flora of a savanna community in Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil: Subsidy key area for conservation" was submitted to the Revista Natureza e Conservação. This has the objective of improve the knowledge of flora of Rio Grande do Norte and to identify possible rare species and consequently increase the key areas of biodiversity in Brazil. The data indicated that: i) of 94 species registered in the study area, 40 were new records for the Rio Grande do Norte state; ii) These citations to unpublished state, Stylosanthes montevidensis Vogel (Fabaceae) and Aristida laevis (Nees) Kunth (Poaceae) are indicated for the first time to the Northeast of Brazil; iii) are registered in the area 24 species endemic to Brazil and 63 non-endemic; iv) Aspilia procumbens Baker (Asteraceae) registered in the area is considered a restricted species and micro endemic Rio Grande do Norte, ie rare species; v) Aspilia procumbens is also cited in the category of critically endangered species and Stilpnopappus cearensis Hubber (Asteraceae) a species vulnerable to extinction. This study shows a new area phytoecological in Rio Grande do Norte and indicates the area's potential to contribute with the sites of global significance for biodiversity conservation, either locally, regionally and nationally. This will certainly contribute to respond some targets set by the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and the Convention on Biological Diversity such as the inventory of vegetal diversity in a region with little collection, which will provide data that contributes to questions and themes related to biodiversity.

Compartimentação política do território: uma análise do processo no Curimataú oriental Paraibano

During the 1980‟s, the Brazilian State has undergone a process of redemocratization, causing a profund change in the political and institutional organization of the country. That reorientation of the Brazilian federative structure had as normative framework the enactment of the federal Constitution of 1988, occuring after its enactment a considerable political opening under the cloak of new democratic arrangements of tax and fiscal decentralization, which generated a new federative order, especially with regard to municipalities. Such institutions contributed to the creation of several new municipalities, involving, directly, changes in the structure of national territory, driven by the political context. This case was notoriouns in the 1990s, increased in the country's municipal mesh and spread all over the states of the federation. The Paraíba State was integrated in this context, creating in this period, 52 new municipalities. In the perspective, it will seek to understand the purpose that sustained this process of fragmentation of Paraíba state territory. For this purpose was made use of several bibliographies, secondary data, documentary sources and research in locus of the municipalities of Casserengue and Riachão, located in the Paraíba‟s Curimataú Oriental microregion, which were selected as a focus for specific analysis of the event. It is understood, however, that the production of municipalities, includes several intentions through political appropriation of the territory, although, being permeated by the Institutional

Reserva extrativista do Rio Cajari: verso e reverso da territorialização no sul do Amapá

The creation of Extractive Reserves (RESEX s) emerges from the resistence movement of the forest people and represents an alternative administration of the naturel resources in the from of Conservation Units (UC). From the institutional point of view the RESEX s are UC s of direct use belong of the Brazilian State, which concedes the right of use to resident families through a legal concession, uhich in based an the principle of coadministration between state and community. The use of these areas is based on the paradigm of sustainable development. In the Extractive Reserve of Rio Cajari over time there has been an experience of confliting interests between the big capital and the local population, which led to noticiable changes of lifestyle of the rural extrativist. In this sense the essay Extractive Reserve of Rio Cajari: various aspects of land use and awnership in southem Amapa , wants to analyse the nuances in which the land grabbing happened and how it affected the day to day of life its in habitants

Contribuição ao Conhecimento da Distribuição Geográfica do Tatu-de-Rabo-Mole-Grande Cabassous tatouay no Brasil: Revisão, Status e Comentários sobre a Espécie

The greater naked-tailed armadillo Cabassous tatouay is one of the least-known armadillo species. Field records are rare, if not controversial, and only few specimens exist in scientific collections in Brazil. This species is listed in the Brazilian Red List of Threatened Species as well as in six official Brazilian state Red Lists. Fieldwork was performed between 2005 and 2008 to monitor wildlife in the central-western region of São Paulo State. Cabassous tatouay was registered in three opportunities, in the municipalities of Agudos, Borebi and Avare, and ecological and morphometrical data were registered. Although this species tolerates altered habitats, the scarce field records may be related to its habits and have led to the lack of basic information on greater naked-tailed armadillos. This communication provides important ecological and biogeographical information about C. tatouay.

Development of 22 Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci for the Critically Endangered Morato's Digger Toad, Proceratophrys moratoi

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

Zoogeography of Chiropotes albinasus (Platyrrhini, Atelidae) in southwestern Amazonia

White-nosed bearded sakis (Chiropotes albinasus) are endemic to the Madeira-Xingu interfluvium in southern Amazonia, though recent fieldwork has produced conflicting data on the southwestern limits of the species's geographic range. We reevaluated the distribution of bearded sakis on the basis of surveys from 34 sites throughout the Brazilian state of Rondonia. Chiropotes albinasus occurred at seven sites in the eastern part of the state, including two west of the Jiparana-Pimenta Bueno river system in the extreme south, but there is no record of their presence further north and west in the Jiparana-Guapore interfluvium and they were absent from the Jiparana-Mamore interfluvium. The data suggest that ecological, rather than geographic barriers restrict the distribution of Chiropotes albinasus in southern Rondonia, but are contradictory with regard to the possible determining factors. Chiropotes albinasus appears able to thrive in transitional, savanna-like ecosystems in southern Rondonia, but is unexpectedly absent from adjacent areas of terra firme forest. Syntopy with the only other pitheciine found in the state (Pithecia irrorata) appears to have a negative effect on the abundance of Chiropotes albinasus which implies that interspecific competition may reinforce a complex of limiting factors, such as the availability of key plant species. Despite showing that Chiropotes albinasus is widespread in southern Rondonia, we also confirm its absence from the western two thirds of the state, a significant reduction in the known range of the species.

Contemporary gene flow and weak genetic structuring in Rococo toad (Rhinella schneideri) populations in habitats fragmented by agricultural activities

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

Alfabetização no Brasil: conjecturas sobre as relações entre políticas públicas e seus sujeitos privados

As complexas e polêmicas questões relativas a formulação, implementação e avaliação de políticas públicas para a educação no Brasil, nas últimas décadas, vêm sendo objeto de importantes estudos e pesquisas. Como resultado, tem-se acumulado significativo corpo de conhecimentos a esse respeito, o que propicia avanços no debate e possibilita novos estudos e pesquisas a respeito de aspectos cada vez mais específicos da temática. Com o objetivo de contribuir para esse debate, apresentam-se neste artigo conjecturas a respeito da relação entre setores públicos estatais decorrente especificamente do novo tipo de parceria entre órgãos públicos do Estado e docentes pesquisadores das universidades públicas para formulação, implementação e avaliação de políticas públicas para a alfabetização, iniciada na década de 1980 e enfatizada a partir da década de 1990, com a reforma do Estado brasileiro.

Genotoxicity and mutagenicity of water contaminated with tannery effluents, as evaluated by the micronucleus test and comet assay using the fish Oreochromis niloticus and chromosome aberrations in onion root-tips

Cytotoxicity of metals is important because some metals are potential mutagens able to induce tumors in humans and experimental animals. Chromium can damage DNA in several ways, including DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) which generate chromosomal aberrations, micronucleus formation, sister chromatid exchange, formation of DNA adducts and alterations in DNA replication and transcription. In our study, water samples from three sites in the Córrego dos Bagres stream in the Franca municipality of the Brazilian state of São Paulo were subjected to the comet assay and micronucleus test using erythrocytes from the fish Oreochromis niloticus. Nuclear abnormalities of the erythrocytes included blebbed, notched and lobed nuclei, probably due to genotoxic chromium compounds. The greatest comet assay damage occurred with water from a chromium-containing tannery effluent discharge site, supporting the hypothesis that chromium residues can be genotoxic. The mutagenicity of the water samples was assessed using the onion root-tip cell assay, the most frequent chromosomal abnormalities observed being: c-metaphases, stick chromosome, chromosome breaks and losses, bridged anaphases, multipolar anaphases, and micronucleated and binucleated cells. Onion root-tip cell mutagenicity was highest for water samples containing the highest levels of chromium.

Influence of genotype on the quality of sheep leather

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of crossings between sheep breeds on the intrinsic quality of leather. It was used the skins of 36 lambs (18 females and 18 males), resulting from crosses between ewes of a native breed from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul and rams of the same native breed as well as the Texel and Santa Inês genetic groups. The animals were raised in confinement until slaughter weight, from 28 to 32 kg. After slaughter, samples were taken from the skins for histological analysis. The skins were tanned with chromium, retanned and greased. It was taken from the leather samples for electromicrographs and for tests for tensile and tear strength (intrinsic quality). Morphological aspects from the skin as well as from the leather help to understand the results found and they evidence that breeds or crossings among breeds interfere in the intrinsic quality of leather and skin of sheep.

Paulista registry of glomerulonephritis: 5-year data report

Background. The Paulista Registry of Glomerulopathies was created in May 1999 and comprises several centres of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian State, that concentrates people from all regions of the country who look for health care.Methods. This report includes data from 2086 patients from Brazil submitted to renal biopsy due to the presumed diagnosis of glomerular diseases, registered prospectively since May 1999 until January 2005. Data were collected by the integrants of the 11 centres involved, utilizing a standardized questionnaire.Results. The mean age of the patients was 34.5 +/- 14.6 years. Primary glomerular diseases were more frequent in males (55.1%) than in females; on the other hand, secondary glomerular diseases were more frequent in females (71.8%). The most common clinical presentation was nephrotic syndrome and the frequency of hypertension, at this time, was 55.5%. There was a predominance of indication of biopsies in the third, fourth and fifth decades of life. The most common primary glomerular diseases were focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (29.7%), followed by membranous nephropathy (20.7%), IgA nephropathy (17.8%), minimal change disease (9.1%), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (7%), crescentic glomerulonephritis (4.1%), advanced chronic glomerulopathy (4%), non-IgA mesangial glomerulonephritis (3.8%), diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (2.5%), focal segmental proliferative glomerulonephritis (1%) and others (0.3%). The most frequent secondary glomerular disease was lupus nephritis, corresponding to 66.2% of the cases, followed by post-infectious glomerulonephritis (12.5%), diabetic nephropathy (6.2%), diseases associated to paraproteinaemia (4.9%), hereditary diseases (4.6%), vasculitis (3.2%), malignancies (0.9.%), secondary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (0.6%) and others (0.9%).Conclusion. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis was the most frequent primary glomerular disease, followed by membranous nephropathy and IgA nephropathy. Lupus nephritis predominated over all the other secondary glomerular diseases.

Comparação de métodos para determinar biomassa na região amazônica

The aboveground biomass content of a region can be estimated by either direct or indirect methods. Direct methods correspond to the biomass content determination with scales and extrapolation of results to larger areas. It is a destructive and very laborious procedure. Indirect methods utilize formulas whose entrance parameters are obtained from forest inventories. Forest inventories are made with the purpose to plan exploration and land use and the inventory data are frequently not suitable for biomass estimation. Problems with both methods increase in the Amazon region, where little information is available on forest biomass. The objective of this paper is to establish, by comparing the application of the indirect and direct methods in the determination of the biomass, the more appropriate indirect formulation to represent the characteristic vegetation of a region in the amazonian forest. A 0.2 hectare area was chosen, which was part of a major forest clearing experiment conducted in Tomé Açu, a town located 250 km south of Belém, the capital of the Brazilian state of Pará. The entire biomass in the area was weighted with scales during the three weeks that followed the cut of the forest in July 1994. A detailed inventory was carried out in the area and then the indirect method was applied in the data. Seven different formulas for determining biomass were used. Comparison of the data of real mass and the mass obtained through the application of the seven formulas indicated that the more suitable for the region is given by FW = α · φβ · Hγ, where FW is total fresh weight (kg), φ is the diameter at breast height (cm), H is the total height of the tree and α, β and γ are regression coefficients (equal to 0.026, 1.529 and 1.747, respectively).

Redescription and reevaluation of the generic status of Leptodactylus dantasi (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae) and description of its unusual advertisement call

Leptodactylus dantasi Bokermann is redescribed from adult specimens collected in Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, State of Acre, Brazil, near the border between the Brazilian state of Acre and Peru. We propose the inclusion of this species in the genus Hydrolaetare. A new diagnostic character observed for the genus is the presence of fringes of fingers, and fringes and webbing of toes, finely serrate; the serrate edge of the fringe and webbing can be keratinized in males, females, and subadults. Hydrolaetare dantasi (Bokermann) is characterized by robust body and limbs, a broad and depressed head, slightly shorter than wide, and long, pointed and basally webbed toes. Hydrolaetare dantasi differs from the only other species in this genus, Hydrolaetare schmidti (Cochran and Goin), mainly by having toes webbed basally (fully webbed in H. schmidti). The advertisement call of H. dantasi is composed of two components; an initial note produced by the impact of the vocal sac against the ground and a second note corresponding to a long whistle of ascending frequency. The initial note is a percussive sound and represents an unusual form of sound emission in anurans; the second note is a vocalization.

Anti-poverty policies in Brazil: Reviewing the past ten years

This article reviews the main anti-poverty policies implemented in Brazil from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. These include focused and universal policies - such as education and health care - as well as the rural development, a 'middle ground' policy. Though the inter-municipal consortium, a new institutional arrangement gathering municipalities together, has emerged as a promising policy implementation tool, anti-poverty policies have faced implementation difficulties. Lack of coordination between different programs, even within the same policy area, has impaired their effectiveness. As a consequence, compensatory programs, based on monetary transfers to poor families, which face fewer implementation problems, have become the dominant type of anti-poverty policies in Brazil. Despite these shortcomings, a small Brazilian state, Santa Catarina, was able to reduce by 46 percent the number of individuals living in poverty in just ten years. This is a sign that fighting poverty can, after all, be a feasible endeavor. © 2004 IIAS, SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi).

Primeiro registro de Molossus coibensis (Chiroptera: Molossidae) na Amazônia Brasileira

This study reports on the occurrence of Molossus coibensis J. A. Allen, 1904, in the Brazilian Amazon and the second record of this species from Brazil. It also presents a comparative analysis with other two small-bodied Molossus species that occur in Brazil: M. molossus (Pallas, 1766) and M. aztecus Saussure, 1860. The report is based on 8 females captured in urban areas of the city of Bragança, in the northern Brazilian state of Pará. Morphometric data and the qualitative comparison of morphological features permitted the identification of the specimens as M. coibensis, hitherto known only in Tapirapoan, in the southwestern state of Mato Grosso, west-central Brazil. © SAREM, 2013.