Circulação atmosférica e precipitação pluviométrica na Bacia do Itajaí - SC: um estudo climatológico aplicado

The work is guided by the detailing of the Itajaí river basin, SC, rainfall dynamics at the annual, seasonal and monthly levels, allowing us to identify different responses that each location gives to the regional atmospheric circulation, particularly the rainfall. In this sense, we are aiming at approaching the concept of rhythm, which must be obtained at the daily level. The analysis at different climate scales was possible through isohyetal maps, trend lines, and Schroeder pluviographs. Moreover, we established the flow rate of the air masses by means of the Venn diagram. This data made it possible to assess the behavior of rains on that site and the reason why it is the stage of major flooding, as occurred in November 2008. The relatively mountainous topography combined with the frequent invasions of the Atlantic Polar Front, which often stop over the region, generate events of that magnitude, with high volumes accumulated in short periods of time. Such extreme events reinforce the idea of the search for the succession of types of weather to the detriment of averages that tend to abstract the reality

Ecologia de estradas em regiões neotropicais: revisão

The human development requires that urban and industrial centers to be interconnected, with different modes of transport, among which the land transport is the most important. The roads may cross sections of remnant forests, which contain considerable diversity of species. Besides habitat fragmentation, the roads can also hinder connectivity between different patches. This kind of impact is not very well known. We reviewed the literature on Road Ecology in the Neotropics, and its relation to conservation of the biodiversity. We considered 32 papers on this issue. We compiled what is known and what the direction to take, as well as failures to be avoid in the samples, for future studies involving Road Ecology. Despite the growing trend of this subject, flaws in the methods for this type of studies show that there is no standardization of sampling effort or of experimental design for these studies. We also found that there is a lack of study of some taxonomic classes. The simple animal roadkills records do not make clear the impacts of the roads. The necessity of different designs for specific taxonomic classes must be considered, in order to produce better quality data and reliable results. Animals can avoid roads, getting isolated and limited to smaller areas of life. The dispersal and colonization of exotic flora species are facilitated by roads. Nevertheless, it is not known how or at which scale, these invasions impact the local communities. Finally, we proposed a flowchart as a conceptual model illustrating the potential impacts of roads on biodiversity and ecology interactions

Efeito da infestação de macrófitas aquáticas na comunidade planctônica em um viveiro de piscicultura

Pós-graduação em Microbiologia Agropecuária - FCAV

Anatomia e morfologia do sistema nervoso do diplópodo Gymnostreptus olivaceus (Spirostreptida, Spirostreptidae) e avaliação dos efeitos do inseticida deltametrina neste sistema

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

Avaliação de diferentes técnicas de manejo para o controle de gramíneas invasoras em unidade de conservação de cerrado

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Report of 15 injuries caused by lionfish (pterois volitans) in aquarists in Brazil: a critical assessment of the severity of envenomations

Lionfish are venomous fish that belong to the Scorpaenidae family. Individuals of this family and those of the Synanceiidae family comprise most of the existing venomous fish in the world. Lionfish are originally found in the Indo-Pacific, but they have received special attention in the last years for their dissemination in the Atlantic Ocean, with the emergence of large populations in the USA, Caribbean and South America. Because of its beauty, this fish has always been present in private and commercial aquariums around the world. Herein, we describe 15 envenomations in aquarists registered in a period of eighteen years (1997-2014). The stings caused excruciating pain and marked inflammation, with local erythema, edema, heat, paleness and cyanosis. In one case, it was possible to observe vesicles and blisters. There were no skin necroses or marked systemic manifestations. We discuss the possible coming of the fish to South America and the circumstances and clinical impact of the envenomations.

How can an invasive grass affect fire behavior in a tropical savanna? A community and individual plant level approach

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Allee effects and population spread in patchy landscapes

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

Potencial de Invasão de eucalipto pelas sementes produzidas nos plantios comerciais

Over the past few years, the area of planted forests has expanded considerably in Brazil, reaching a level of 6.3 million hectares, which represents approximately 0.7% of the country, mainly with some species of the Eucalyptus genus. However, due to the global concern with biological invasions by exotic species, risk assessment is necessary to evaluate the potential of Eucalyptus species escaping cultivated stands and invading surrounding native ecosystems. Seedlings by natural regeneration from Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla, pure and hybrids between the two species were evaluated, by assessing natural regeneration of Eucalyptus in 18 sites located in Brazilian states with plantation forest tradition (Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul and Espírito Santo). Sample plots were installed in the planted stands, along forest roads and in a nearby pasture or native vegetation.,at different distances from the Eucalyptus stands. Regeneration of Eucalyptus was not recorded in 90% of the plots installed outside the eucalipt stands. However, seedlings of eucalypts were observed in 29% of the plots within the commercial stands (mean density of 37 seedlings per hectare) and 40% of the plots located along forest roads (157 seedlings per hectare on average), but no adult plants by natural regeneration were found. The seedlings of eucalypt species studied rarely were found beyond the limits of the cultivated areas. In the planted stands or along forest roads, eucalypts can germinate, but the seedlings apparently do not establish. So the potential for invasion by seeds produced in commercial plantations of Eucalyptus is low.

A relação entre fogo e uma gramínea invasora no Cerrado: o fogo pode ser utilizado como uma estratégia de controle?

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Acetaminophen as an Oral Toxicant for Nile Monitor Lizards (Varanus niloticus) and Burmese Pythons (Python molurus bivittatus)

Context. Invasive species are a growing global problem. Biological invasions can result in numerous harmful impacts on local ecologies, and non-native herpetofauna are frequently ignored. Nile monitor lizards (Varanus niloticus) and Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus, recently reassessed as Python bivittatus bivittatus), have become established in southern Florida. Both are large, semi-aquatic predators that pose serious threats to a variety of threatened and endangered species, as well as to the unique ecology of the area. Aims. Acetaminophen (CAS#103-90-2), a lethal oral toxicant for the invasive brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam, was investigated as a possible toxicant in juvenile Burmese pythons and Nile monitors. Methods. Dead neonatal mouse (DNM) baits containing 0, 10, 20, or 40 mg acetaminophen were force-fed to Nile monitors, whereas DNM containing doses of 0, 20, 40, or 80 mg were freely consumed by Burmese pythons. Subjects were frequently observed post-treatment for general condition and position, with special attention paid to activity (if any), behaviour, respiration, bleeding, emesis, ataxia, and mortality. Key results. In Nile monitors, acetaminophen doses of 10, 20, or 40 mg resulted in 0, 50 and 100% mortality, respectively. In Burmese pythons, doses of 20, 40, or 80 mg resulted in 14.3, 85.7 and 100% mortality, respectively. No mortality was observed in control individuals of either species. A negative correlation between dosage (mg kg–1) and time-to-death was observed in both species. Dosages ranging from 522 to 2438 mg kg–1 and 263 to 703 mg kg–1 were uniformly lethal to monitors and pythons, respectively. Neither species exhibited signs of pain or discomfort following acetaminophen treatment. Conclusions. Acetaminophen is an effective toxicant in juvenile Nile monitors and Burmese pythons. Further investigation into acetaminophen toxicity in adults of these species is merited. Implications. Although further investigation into adult lethal dosages and strategies to optimize bait deployment while minimizing secondary hazards is required, acetaminophen may have a role to play in the control of these invasive species in Florida.

Contributions of demography and dispersal parameters to the spatial spread of a stage-structured insect invasion

Stage-structured models that integrate demography and dispersal can be used to identify points in the life cycle with large effects on rates of population spatial spread, information that is vital in the development of containment strategies for invasive species. Current challenges in the application of these tools include: (1) accounting for large uncertainty in model parameters, which may violate assumptions of ‘‘local’’ perturbation metrics such as sensitivities and elasticities, and (2) forecasting not only asymptotic rates of spatial spread, as is usually done, but also transient spatial dynamics in the early stages of invasion. We developed an invasion model for the Diaprepes root weevil (DRW; Diaprepes abbreviatus [Coleoptera: Curculionidae]), a generalist herbivore that has invaded citrus-growing regions of the United States. We synthesized data on DRW demography and dispersal and generated predictions for asymptotic and transient peak invasion speeds, accounting for parameter uncertainty. We quantified the contributions of each parameter toward invasion speed using a ‘‘global’’ perturbation analysis, and we contrasted parameter contributions during the transient and asymptotic phases. We found that the asymptotic invasion speed was 0.02–0.028 km/week, although the transient peak invasion speed (0.03– 0.045 km/week) was significantly greater. Both asymptotic and transient invasions speeds were most responsive to weevil dispersal distances. However, demographic parameters that had large effects on asymptotic speed (e.g., survival of early-instar larvae) had little effect on transient speed. Comparison of the global analysis with lower-level elasticities indicated that local perturbation analysis would have generated unreliable predictions for the responsiveness of invasion speed to underlying parameters. Observed range expansion in southern Florida (1992–2006) was significantly lower than the invasion speed predicted by the model. Possible causes of this mismatch include overestimation of dispersal distances, demographic rates, and spatiotemporal variation in parameter values. This study demonstrates that, when parameter uncertainty is large, as is often the case, global perturbation analyses are needed to identify which points in the life cycle should be targets of management. Our results also suggest that effective strategies for reducing spread during the asymptotic phase may have little effect during the transient phase. Includes Appendix.

Presença e distribuição de espécies exóticas na zona de influência de duas trilhas no Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó - MG

The presence of visitors in national parks is desirable and agrees with their management objectives. However, areas and paths under the influence of visitors are sites with a great possibility of change in the composition of vegetation due to the effects caused by the influence of walking, bicycles and horseback riding. In this work, two trails of the Serra do Cipo National Park were evaluated with the aim of studying and knowing the distribution of native and exotic species in their areas of influence. The theme of biological invasions in protected areas has been an important focus of studies since they represent a threat to biodiversity. The results show differences in the presence of exotic plants and conservation conditions between the two tracks studied.

Relative abundance and population biology of the non-indigenous crab Charybdis hellerii (Crustacea: Brachyura: Portunidae) in a southwestern Atlantic estuary-bay complex

Invasive species are potential threats to biodiversity, especially if they become established and outnumber native species. In this study, a population of the non-indigenous crab Charybdis hellerii was analyzed in an estuary-bay complex on the southeastern Brazilian coast, with respect to its abundance relative to sympatric native brachyuran species, as well as the size structure, sexual maturity, sex ratio, frequency of mutilation, reproductive period, and development of the reproductive system. Crabs were sampled monthly both in the intertidal zone of rocky shores and on sublittoral soft-bottom. Nine species were recorded on the rocky shores, where C. hellerii was the second most abundant species; only three individuals of C. hellerii were collected in the sublittoral samples. This population of C. hellerii showed a unimodal size structure composed mainly of mature individuals; males were larger than females, and the sex ratio was skewed toward males (3.1:1). About 46.9% of the individuals (75 of 160 crabs) had mutilated or regenerating appendages, more frequent in males (56.8%) than in females (28.2%), which may reflect both inter- and intraspecific agonistic interactions. A continuous reproductive pattern is suggested for this population, although ovigerous females occurred unevenly during the year, with 58.82% of them being collected in winter. There was evidence of multiple spawning, since the ovigerous females with an initial egg mass showed mature ovaries as well as seminal receptacles filled with sperm. C. hellerii is well established in the estuary-bay complex, but is concentrated in intertidal and shallow subtidal rocky shores, where it may compete with and replace other species such as the portunid Cronius ruber. This study also highlights the importance of systematic monitoring studies to evaluate the effects of the introduction of non-indigenous species on ecologically similar natives.

Bamboo overabundance alters forest structure and dynamics in the Atlantic Forest hotspot

With fast growth rates and clonal reproduction, bamboos can rapidly invade forest areas, drastically changing their original structure. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, where recent mapping efforts have shown that woody bamboos dominate large areas, the present study assessed the differences in soil and vegetation between plots dominated (>90% of bamboo coverage) and not dominated (<10% of coverage) by the native Guadua tagoara. Surface soil was physically and chemically analyzed, and trees at three size classes (seedling, sapling, and adult) were counted, identified and measured. New inventories were conducted to assess recruitment, mortality, and damage rates. Bamboo plots had more fertile soils (higher bases saturation and lower potential acidity) due to the preferential occurrence of G. tagoara on more clayey soils. Bamboo-dominated plots had lower density of adult trees (diameter >5 cm) and lower species density. In addition, overall tree diameter distribution was very different between environments, with bamboo plots having greater concentration of small-sized trees. Such differences are probably related to the general tendency of higher mortality, recruitment, and damage rates in bamboo plots. Greater physical (wind and bamboo-induced damages) and physiological stress (heat and light) in bamboo plots are probable causes of bamboo-dominated plots being more dynamic. Finally, we discuss the differences between Atlantic and Amazonian Guadua-dominated forests, causes, and possible consequences of bamboo overabundance to the Atlantic Forest conservation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.