On the effects of each term of the geopotential perturbation along the time I: Quasi-circular orbits

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Rarity as an indicator of endangerment in neotropical frogs

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

Reproductive biology and pollination mechanisms of Epidendrum secundum (Orchidaceae). Floral variation: a consequence of natural hybridization?

The phenology, flower morphology, pollination mechanism and reproductive biology of Epidendrum secundum were studied in a semi-deciduous forest at the Serra do Japi (SJ), and in the Atlantic rain forest of Picinguaba, both natural reserves in the State of Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil. E. secundum flowers all year round, with a flowering peak between September and January. This species is either a lithophytic or terrestrial herb in the SJ, whereas, in Picinguaba, it grows mainly in disturbed areas along roadsides. E. secundum is pollinated by several species of diurnal Lepidoptera at both study sites. In Picinguaba, where E. secundum is sympatric with E. fulgens and both share the same pollinators, pollen transference between these two species was recorded. E. secundum is self-compatible but pollinator-dependent. It is inter-compatible with E. fulgens, producing fertile seeds. In contrast to the population of the SJ, in the Picinguaba region, floral morphology is quite variable among plants and some individuals present flowers with characteristics in-between both sympatric species, suggesting that natural hybridization occasionally occurs. The anthropogenic perturbation is probably the cause of the occurrence of E. secundum in the Picinguaba region, enabling its contact with E. fulgens.

Diversidade, distribuição e diversificação do gênero Brachycephalus Fitzinger, 1826 (Anura: Brachycephalidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A new species of hylodes (Anura, Hylodidae) and its secretive underwater breeding behavior

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

Diet Seasonality and Feeding Preferences of Brachycephalus pitanga (Anura: Brachycephalidae)

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

Differentiation and species status of the Neotropical yellow-eared bats Vampyressa pusilla and V. thyone (Phyllostomidae) with a molecular phylogeny and review of the genus

A systematic re-evaluation of Vampyressa pusilla warrants the elevation of V. p. thyone from subspecies to species rank based on its distinction from the allopatric V. p. pusilla. Morphological, mensural, chromosomal, and mitochondrial differences define each of these two taxa as divergent lineages. Vampyressa pusilla is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern South America and V. thyone is found allopatrically in northwestern South America, Central America, and southern Mexico. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the mtDNA ND3-4 gene region using restriction endonuclease cut sites resulted in a monophyletic, although weakly supported Vampyressa ingroup with Chiroderma, and a clade of Mesophylla and Ectophylla as successive basal outgroup lineages. The phylogeny within Vampyressa, with the exception of V. melissa which is most similar to V. thyone based on karyotypes and morphology, had a topology of ((pusilla + thyone) + ((brocki + nymphaea) + bidens))).

Variação bioacústica das vocalizações do complexo Taraba major (Vieillot, 1816) (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Filogeografia do complexo Ischnocnema lactea e Ischnocnema holti (Anura, Brachycephalidae), sudeste do Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Book Review of Birds of the Great Plains by Bob Jennings, Ted T. Cable, and Roger Burrows

Though intended as a field guide to the birds of the Great Plains, this book seems to serve best as a general introduction to Great Plains birds and will mostly benefit those casually interested in birds. The definition of Great Plains the book uses is rather broad, and some species are included that, in my opinion, aren't really birds of the Great Plains. For example, several warblers are included as breeding species although they nest within the book's definition of the region only in the conifer or mixed forest of north-central to northwestern Minnesota, which isn't really a part of the Great Plains proper.

Eight anonymous nuclear loci for the squamate antbird (Myrmeciza squamosa), cross-amplifiable in other species of typical antbirds (Aves, Thamnophilidae)

Typical antbirds (similar to 209 species) represent a diverse radiation of Neotropical birds that includes many species of conservation concern. Here we present eight anonymous nuclear loci designed for the squamate antbird Myrmeciza squamosa, a species endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. We also show that those anonymous nuclear loci are amplifiable in a number of other typical antbird species from related genera (Myrmeciza, Percnostola, Gymnocichla, Myrmoborus, Pyriglena and Formicivora), including three threatened species (Myrmeciza ruficauda, Formicivora littoralis, and Pyriglena atra). Those markers will be useful not only to help management of threatened species of typical antbirds, but also to explore their evolutionary histories, both at intra and interspecific levels.

Matayba obovata, a new species of Matayba sect. Matayba (Sapindaceae) from Brazil

The new species, Matayba obovata (Sapindaceae), from southern and southeastern Brazil is described, illustrated, and contrasted to its putatively closest relatives. Palynological characters are also described. The new species belongs to sect. Matayba. A key to identify M. obovata and related species in the Atlantic Forest is included.

Unraveling the drivers of community dissimilarity and species extinction in fragmented landscapes

Communities in fragmented landscapes are often assumed to be structured by species extinction due to habitat loss, which has led to extensive use of the species-area relationship (SAR) in fragmentation studies. However, the use of the SAR presupposes that habitat loss leads species to extinction but does not allow for extinction to be offset by colonization of disturbed-habitat specialists. Moreover, the use of SAR assumes that species richness is a good proxy of community changes in fragmented landscapes. Here, we assessed how communities dwelling in fragmented landscapes are influenced by habitat loss at multiple scales; then we estimated the ability of models ruled by SAR and by species turnover in successfully predicting changes in community composition, and asked whether species richness is indeed an informative community metric. To address these issues, we used a data set consisting of 140 bird species sampled in 65 patches, from six landscapes with different proportions of forest cover in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. We compared empirical patterns against simulations of over 8 million communities structured by different magnitudes of the power-law SAR and with species-specific rules to assign species to sites. Empirical results showed that, while bird community composition was strongly influenced by habitat loss at the patch and landscape scale, species richness remained largely unaffected. Modeling results revealed that the compositional changes observed in the Atlantic Forest bird metacommunity were only matched by models with either unrealistic magnitudes of the SAR or by models ruled by species turnover, akin to what would be observed along natural gradients. We show that, in the presence of such compositional turnover, species richness is poorly correlated with species extinction, and z values of the SAR strongly underestimate the effects of habitat loss. We suggest that the observed compositional changes are driven by each species reaching its individual extinction threshold: either a threshold of forest cover for species that disappear with habitat loss, or of matrix cover for species that benefit from habitat loss.

Diversity of harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones) in Parque da Onca Parda, southeastern Brazil

The environment most diverse in harvestmen species is the Atlantic Forest of Sao Paulo. However, there remains a lack of studies regarding their communities in certain regions. Among these regions is one south of the Paranapiacaba mountain range in the state of Sao Paulo, the Parque da Onca Parda (POP). Through nocturnal collections and pitfall traps, the region's harvestmen community has been studied. The observed richness of this site included 27 species, with dominance of three species: Holcobunus nigripalpis Roewer, 1910, Neosadocus maximus (Giltay, 1928) and Munequita sp., accounting for 68.4% of harvestmen abundance. This makes the diversity of POP more similar to the semideciduous Atlantic Forest communities of the interior than to those of the Coastal Atlantic Forest that contains the park. Its geographic location places it within the Southern Sao Paulo State (SSP) area of endemism, along with the Parque Turistico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), with which it shares up to 12% similarity regarding harvestmen fauna. Richness and abundance of harvestmen were positively related to temperature and humidity. The period of animal activity (as measured by abundance and richness) varied throughout the night, being highest in the early hours during both studied seasons (summer and winter).

Diversity of harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones) in Parque da Onça Parda, southeastern Brazil

The environment most diverse in harvestmen species is the Atlantic Forest of São Paulo. However, there remains a lack of studies regarding their communities in certain regions. Among these regions is one south of the Paranapiacaba mountain range in the state of São Paulo, the Parque da Onça Parda (POP). Through nocturnal collections and pitfall traps, the region's harvestmen community has been studied. The observed richness of this site included 27 species, with dominance of three species: Holcobunus nigripalpis Roewer, 1910, Neosadocus maximus (Giltay, 1928) and Munequita sp., accounting for 68.4% of harvestmen abundance. This makes the diversity of POP more similar to the semideciduous Atlantic Forest communities of the interior than to those of the Coastal Atlantic Forest that contains the park. Its geographic location places it within the Southern São Paulo State (SSP) area of endemism, along with the Parque Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), with which it shares up to 12% similarity regarding harvestmen fauna. Richness and abundance of harvestmen were positively related to temperature and humidity. The period of animal activity (as measured by abundance and richness) varied throughout the night, being highest in the early hours during both studied seasons (summer and winter).