Long-term carbon loss in fragmented Neotropical forests

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

Using ecological thresholds to evaluate the costs and benefits of set-asides in a biodiversity hotspot

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The Second Known Species of the Recently Described Genus Keraunea (Convolvulaceae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Taxonomic studies on the Neotropical Landrevinae with description of new taxa (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Gryllidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Recuperação de áreas degradadas por erosão hídrica em propriedades produtoras de café nos municípios de Getulina e Vera Cruz - SP

The Paulista West region has suffered through the decades an intense process of deforestation when substituting native areas of Atlantic rainforest and Cerrado by agricultural cultivation, mainly coffee in the 20th century. This occupation process without planning and management of the soil resulted in serious erosion problems. Besides, the soil erosion promoted the reduction of agricultural production and the silting of rivers. This paper aims identify the factors of natural scope (geological, geomorphologic and pedologic characteristics) which participate in unleash of erosion process in two agricultural properties producers of coffee in order to apply mechanical techniques of recovery in erosive focuses of furrow and ravine kinds. One of the properties is at the city council of Getulina, located on the sandstones of Adamantina Formation; the other is at the city council of Vera Cruz, located on the sandstones of Marília Formation. However, taking into consideration the analysis of the natural dynamics, they are not enough to explain the complexity of the phenomena which are processed in the geographic space. It made indispensable the incorporation of socio-economic factors, such as the use and occupation process of the soil considering the society as landscape transformers. In order to better understand the importance of each one of the elements that contributes to the unleash of the studied erosions, it was collected soil samples in the areas, general descriptions and texture and morphologic analysis. Finally, it was elaborated the maps of the use and occupation of the soil and the vegetal coverage surrounding the properties studied. It was observed in the rural property of Getulina the substitution of the coffee by pasture that finds degraded. It, in addition to the cattle stomp, which changed the texture and density characteristics among the soil horizons, and the concentration of superficial water flow intensified the occurrence of ...

Estimativa dos impactos das mudanças climáticas na distribuição das espécies montanas do gênero Brachycephalus (Amphibia: anura) através da modelagem de nicho ecológico

The genus Brachycephalus is endemic to the Atlantic rainforest and is distributed mainly in the southeastern and southern Brazil. Currently, it has 17 recognized species, most of them, associated with mountainous habitats along the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira ridges. Here we use an ecological niche modelling approach based on climatic variables, to assess the potential niche of the mountainous species of this genus. The model generated was then projected to future scenarios considering the last IPCC report, in order to estimate the impacts of climate changes on these species distribution. Results show a decrease in the total suitable area for the mountainous Brachycephalus species, as well as tendencies already observed for other organisms, such as, pole and upward migrations. A southern area on Planalto de Paranapiacaba increases in suitability for these species. We suggest special efforts on new surveys and conservation on the northern part of their distribution, once this seems to be the region more affected by climate changes on the projected scenarios

Efeito da matriz na capacidade de aves flrestais moverem-se na paisagem

Matrix can be defined as a portion of the landscape, that somewhere in time suffered intense human disturbance, such as decreasing of native vegetation. The matrix surrounding the forest fragments may create a certain resistance to the movements of individuals (RICKETTS, 2001). The Atlantic rainforest present in the Corumbataí river basin lost about 89% of its original vegetation, leading to a highly fragmented landscape (VALENTE e VETTORAZZI, 2005). In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the matrix and the characteristic capacity of two forest birds, Dysithamnus mentalis and Basileuterus flaveolus, moving around the landscape. With this aim, six fragments were selected, three with sugar cane matrix, three with Eucalyptus sp. matrix. The methodology utilized to evaluate the response of the birds was playback technique. First the vocalizations were carried out at the forest matrix boundary, in the edge, attracting individuals to the matrix. As the responses were generated, the playback was moved increasingly inside the matrix, observing the distances traveled by the species. The control trials were conducted inside the fragments, the playback was played at the edge and as the responses were observed, the vocalizations were carried out inside the fragment until the moment that individuals ceased answers. It could be observed that for individuals of D. mentalis the matrix generated a high resistance, because no individual entered the matrix. For B. flaveolus the average distance traveled in both matrices was 70 meters, indicating statistically high resistance of the sugar cane matrix and Eucalyptus sp. Considering the characteristics of different matrices, it was found that both matrices generate similar resistance in the movement of these species

Helmintofauna de duas espécies de anfíbios, Haddadus binotatus (Anura: Craugastoridae) e Ischnocnema guentheri (Anura: Brachycephalidae), da Mata Atlântica, no município de São Luiz do Paraitinga, São Paulo, Brasil

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest harbors a rich biodiversity with more than four hundred of amphibian species and many of these are endemic in this environment. This high rate of restricted endemism associated with global decline of amphibian diversity and density make it an important priority for the conservation of this ecosystem and to warrant intensive monitoring amphibian populations. Considering the importance that the parasites have on the ecology of their hosts, parasitic infections become a considerable factor in conservation biology. To expand the knowledge of this area, 23 specimens of Haddadus binotatus (Anura: Craugastoridae) and 36 Ischnocnema guentheri (Anura: Brachycephalidae) were collected from Santa Virginia, São Luiz do Paraitinga, São Paulo, between January and February 2010, to study their helminth parasites. Twelve helminth taxa were diagnosed and six of them were common to both hosts. The higher prevalence (P = 96%), mean abundance (MA = 11.7 ± 1.6) and mean intensity of infection (MII = 12.3 ± 1.6) were presented by H. binotatus compared to I. guentheri (P = 67%, MA = 2.4 ± 0.5, MII = 3.6 ± 0.6). Nematode species were found in different stages (cysts, larvae and adults) and acanthocephalans were found in both anurans. However, cestode species was found only in I. guentheri. Differences in parasitism of two species of frogs have been attributed to different sizes and micro-habitats of animals that allow different diets and contact with different helminth species. All helminths found have not been reported H. binotatus and also three new species records were noticed for I. guentheri

O estado da arte das vocalizações de anfíbios anuros da Mata Atlântica

The vocals are the most conspicuous means of communication between frogs and can express evolutionary relationships among species. Call descriptions of frogs, in general, not standard acoustic parameters which are greatly diversified and usually restricted to comparisons between closely related taxa. The Atlantic Forest is considered one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world, however, it appears that the number of species to be known is still very large. To anurans from this Brazilian Domain, vocalizations are complex and can vary intra and interpopulations. Thus, we presented a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the work descriptions of anuran advertisement call from the Atlantic Forest, available in the literature so far. The frog species from this Domain and their descriptions of the advertisement call have been raised in the literature, organized into families and threat category IUCN Red List Threatened Species. The analysis of the descriptions were made based on the presence of preset parameters. It was observed that the species which the advertisement call is described within the standard are expected within the Brazilian Atlantic Domain, but efforts to describe the advertisement call of frogs of the Atlantic are concentrated in non-threatened species. Among the descriptions works, there is a large discrepancy between the information presented, giving preference to the use of abiotic data in this kind of work, to the detriment of biotic data about choir where the songs were recorded. The results point to the need for advancements in the descriptions of the advertisement of endangered species or to those with deficient information on their conservation status in the Atlantic Forest, and also for greater communication between works that describe vocalizations of frogs. It will be important to know about the state of the art of descriptions works of frogs in other Brazilian Domains, and relate this information with knowledge...

Regeneração natural em ecounidades maduras e em reorganização de fragmentos de Floresta Estacional Semidecídua

The Atlantic Rainforest biome has been going through fragmentation processes caused by agriculture and urbanization in green areas. Structural studies associated with the silvigenetic approach allow the understanding of what the past has caused in the present structure and predict future conditions of disturbed fragments. The objective of this study was to compare the composition and diversity of arboreous natural regeneration of steady-state and reorganization ecounits in two Seasonal Semideciduous Forest fragments. The hypothesis was that specific composition varies in these two different ecounits due to differential adaptation of species in canopy gaps and closed canopy. The survey was made in three areas with different perturbation backgrounds of 0,5 ha each. 60 permanent plots of 4m² each (2m x 2m) were stablished along the studied fragments following the proportion of ecounits presented in a previous mapping. Each plot was divided in 4 sub-plots of 1m² and arboreous individuals between 0,20m and 1,30m height were sampled and posteriorly separated in two height classes: I) individuals between 0,20m and 0,50m height (2m² sampling) and II) individuals between 0,51m and 1,30m height (4m² sampling). It was sampled 338 individuals from 53 families and 23 species. The Shannon index was 3,26 (Area A), 2,27 (Area B) and 2,42 (Area C) whereas Areas B and C values are considered low in our state Semidecidous Forests. Steady-state ecounits presented the highest values for abundance and species richness. Chi-square test pointed out species’ selection for determined ecounits in the studied community. Rarefaction method analysis showed diversity increase in steady-state ecounits and a stablishment in species richness curves for reorganization ecounits

Revisão taxonômica do gênero Fritziana Mello-Leitão, 1937 (Anura; Hemiphractidae)

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

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

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Taxonomic studies on the Neotropical Landrevinae with description of new taxa (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Gryllidae)

The understanding of the subfamily Landrevinae has been modified by different authors since its creation. In the neotropics three genera are known to the present: Odontogryllus Saussure, 1877 (one from México, the others amazonian), Brasilodontus de Mello, 1992 with two species (from Brazilian Atlantic Forest), e Valchica de Mello, 1992 with one species (from Costa Rica). De Mello (1992) erroneously created the tribe Odontogryllini for this cluster of neotropical genera, here suppressed. In the present paper we revise and add new species to Brasilodontus and describe two monotypic genera, Xulavuna n. gen. and Yarrubura, n. gen. An identification key to the genera of neotropical Landrevinae is presented as well as one for the species of Brasilodontus. The male fore wings of Xulavuna adenoptera n. sp. is remarkable regarding its shape and its glandular condition

Chromosomal evolution in Pleurothallidinae (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae) with an emphasis on the genus Acianthera: chromosome numbers and heterochromatin

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparative floral micromorphology and anatomy of species of Bulbophyllum section Napelli (Orchidaceae), a Neotropical section widely distributed in forest habitats

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