Can native vegetation recover after slash pine cultivation in the Brazilian Savanna?

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Produção de serapilheira e ciclagem de nutrientes de uma floresta estacional semidecidual em zona ripária

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

Nested liana-tree network in three distinct neotropical vegetation formations

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

Atividade de morcegos insetívoros (mammalia, chiroptera) no pampa brasileiro: uso de hábitat e sazonalidade

Bats correspond to 20% of the extant mammal species and, with a few exceptions, use echolocation, a spacial orientation system based on emission and analysis of echoes from sound waves, generally ultrasounds. Echolocation was discovered in the 1940 s and since the 1970 s ultrasound detectors have been commercially available, allowing the investigation of several aspects of the natural history and ecology of bats. Passive acoustic monitoring has been frequently used in habitat use studies, predominantly in North America and Europe, by comparing the number of bat passes between different habitat types. This dissertation presents the first evaluation of the spacial and seasonal variation patterns in the activity of insectivorous bats in the Brazilian biome Pampa, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Since bat activity can vary according to habitat type, time of year and climatic conditions, the following hypotheses were tested: 1. bat activity varies between different types of habitat; 2. bat activity varies seasonally; 3. bat activity is influenced by temperature, humidity and wind speed. The acoustic samples were taken along fixed transects of 1500 meters, which were monitored monthly from April 2009 to March 2010. Five habitat types were sampled: eucalypts, stream, riparian forest, wetland and grassland. In each sample, the number of bat passes was obtained by using an ultrasound detector Pettersson D230. A total of 1183 bat passes were registered. Greater bat activity levels was observed along large eucalypts (1.93 bat passes/3min) and along a stream (1.61 bat passes/3 min). A riparian forest (0.94 bat passes/3 min) and a wetland area (0.61 bat passes/3 min) exhibited statistically equal levels of activity. Bat passes were fewer in grassland areas (0,16 bat passes/3 min). Bat activity was not correlated with abiotic factors. However, bat activity was significantly low in the colder season, winter, and was similar in autumn, spring and summer. The observed preference for vegetation borders and water courses agrees with reports from other countries and is attributed predominantly to the high prey abundance in these types of environments. Additionally, low activity in the winter is probably a response to the reduced availability of insects, and to lower temperatures. Our results indicate which areas of arboreal vegetation and water courses should be priorities for the conservation of bats and that alterations of these habitat types might negatively influence bat activity in the region

High frequency of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection in armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus): an ecological study

The fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis has been isolated from nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in different regions where paracoccidiodomycosis (PCM) is endemic. The link between PCM and these animals has provided the first valuable clue in the effort to elucidate the ecological niche of P. brasiliensis. The present study was aimed at correlating P. brasiliensis infection in armadillos with local ecological features and, if possible, the presence of the fungus in the soil in the Botucatu hyperendemic area of PCM. In this region the mean temperature ranges from 14.8 to 25.8degreesC and the annual average precipitation is 1520 mm. The sites where 10 infected animals (positive group) were collected were studied and compared with the sites where five uninfected animals were found. The occurrence of the fungus in soil samples collected from the positive armadillos' burrows and foraging sites was investigated by the indirect method of animal inoculation. Environmental data from the sites of animal capture, such as temperature, rainfall, altitude, vegetation, soil composition, presence of water and proximity of urban areas, were recorded. All 37 soil samples collected from the sites had negative fungal cultures. Positive animals were found much more frequently in sites with disturbed vegetation, such as riparian forests and artificial Eucalyptus Or Pinus forests, in altitudes below 800 m, near water sources. The soil type of the sites of positive animals was mainly sandy, with medium to low concentrations of organic matter. The pH was mainly acidic at all the sites, although the concentrations of aluminum cations (H+Al) were lower at the sites where positive animals were found. Positive armadillos were also captured in sites very close to urban areas. Our data and previous studies indicate that P. brasiliensis occurs preferentially in humid and shady disturbed forests in a strong association with armadillos.

Diversidade de morcegos (Mammalia, Chiroptera) em remanescentes florestais do município de Fênix, noroeste do Paraná, Brasil

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

Diet of the ichthyofauna associated with marginal vegetation of a mangrove forest in southeastern Brazil

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

Composition of the aquatic invertebrate fauna associated to the mangrove vegetation of a coastal river, analyzed through a manipulative experiment.

The present study analyzed the composition of the aquatic fauna associated to the mangrove forest in a southeastern Brazilian river. The composition of the macrofauna in the roots of the marginal vegetation located at three different salinity stretches was analyzed by sampling pieces of the submerged branches of the vegetation (natural substrate) and pieces of sisal rope (artificial substrate), installed close to the natural vegetation and sampled after a period of 14 colonization days. In both types of substrate, twelve taxonomic groups were sampled, representing three phyla (Cnidaria, Annelida and Arthropoda). The crustaceans, corresponding to the most diversified group, were represented by Copepoda, Tanaidacea, Isopoda, Amphipoda and Decapoda. The highest salinity stretch showed the highest abundance, with a progressive decrease from high to low salinity for both substrates. Copepoda and Tanaidacea predominated on both substrates, although the artificial substrate exhibited the highest total abundance and species richness. Considering the relative abundance of the taxonomic groups on both substrates, the majority of groups predominated in the highest salinity range. Significant differences on the longitudinal distribution of abundance were associated to the variation on salinity and with the complexity of the substrate.

Reproductive phenology of coastal plain Atlantic forest vegetation: comparisons from seashore to foothills

The diversity of tropical forest plant phenology has called the attention of researchers for a long time. We continue investigating the factors that drive phenological diversity on a wide scale, but we are unaware of the variation of plant reproductive phenology at a fine spatial scale despite the high spatial variation in species composition and abundance in tropical rainforests. We addressed fine scale variability by investigating the reproductive phenology of three contiguous vegetations across the Atlantic rainforest coastal plain in Southeastern Brazil. We asked whether the vegetations differed in composition and abundance of species, the microenvironmental conditions and the reproductive phenology, and how their phenology is related to regional and local microenvironmental factors. The study was conducted from September 2007 to August 2009 at three contiguous sites: (1) seashore dominated by scrub vegetation, (2) intermediary covered by restinga forest and (3) foothills covered by restinga pre-montane transitional forest. We conducted the microenvironmental, plant and phenological survey within 30 transects of 25 mx4 m (10 per site). We detected significant differences in floristic, microenvironment and reproductive phenology among the three vegetations. The microenvironment determines the spatial diversity observed in the structure and composition of the flora, which in turn determines the distinctive flowering and fruiting peaks of each vegetation (phenological diversity). There was an exchange of species providing flowers and fruits across the vegetation complex. We conclude that plant reproductive patterns as described in most phenological studies (without concern about the microenvironmental variation) may conceal the fine scale temporal phenological diversity of highly diverse tropical vegetation. This phenological diversity should be taken into account when generating sensor-derived phenologies and when trying to understand tropical vegetation responses to environmental changes.

Vegetation and environmental heterogeneity relationships in a Neotropical swamp forest in southeastern Brazil (Itirapina, SP)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Germination performance of congeneric Styrax species from the Cerrado sensu lato areas and their distribution pattern in different physiognomies

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Anurans of a riparian forest in São Carlos, state of São Paulo, Brazil

No presente estudo foi realizado um inventário das espécies de anfíbios anuros que ocorrem em um fragmento de mata ciliar do Córrego do Espraiado, localizado na Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Município de São Carlos, estado de São Paulo, sudeste do Brasil. Durante os meses de março de 2009 a fevereiro de 2010 foram realizadas saídas de campo semanais nas quais foram registradas 13 espécies de anuros. A atividade reprodutiva das espécies de anuros componentes da comunidade estudada mostrou-se sazonal, sendo que houve correlação positiva e significativa entre o número de espécies em atividade reprodutiva e o fotoperíodo. Verificamos que a comunidade estudada mostrou-se mais semelhante a comunidades de anuros de florestas de transição entre Mata Atlântica e Cerrado do que a fragmentos de Cerrado próximos da região.

Similarity of ground-dwelling anuran (Amphibia) composition among different vegetation physiognomies in a Mesophytic Semideciduous Forest from southeastern Brazil

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

Alterações no Código Florestal Brasileiro: impactos potenciais sobre a ictiofauna

É apresentada uma análise dos possíveis impactos que a diminuição da vegetação nativa, notadamente das florestas ripárias, pode causar sobre a ictiofauna. Três conjuntos de aspectos funcionais primordiais desempenhados pelas florestas ripárias são discutidos: transferência de energia solar ao ambiente aquático, interceptação de nutrientes e sedimentos que adentram nos rios e trocas de material orgânico entre o sistema terrestre e aquático. Conclui-se que qualquer alteração que se traduza em mais perdas de vegetação nativa, seja em áreas de preservação permanente ou em reservas legais, pode gerar perdas de espécies, homogeneização faunística e diminuição de biomassa íctica.

Análise florística e estrutural do componente arbustivo-arbóreo de uma floresta de galeria no Município de Cristais Paulista, SP, Brasil

Remanescentes florestais na porção nordeste do Estado de São Paulo são ainda pouco estudados quanto à composição florística. Foi realizado o levantamento florístico e fitossociológico de uma floresta de galeria no Município de Cristais Paulista visando à caracterização da flora do remanescente e o estudo das relações florísticas com outras formações ribeirinhas. Para o levantamento fitossociológico foi utilizado o método de ponto-quadrante. em quatro transeções paralelas ao curso d'água, foram estabelecidos 90 pontos eqüidistantes em 10 metros e amostrados os indivíduos com PAP > 15 cm. Espécies em estágio reprodutivo, não amostradas no levantamento fitossociológico, foram coletadas e identificadas. Foram encontradas 68 espécies, distribuídas em 37 famílias, das quais 53 espécies e 34 famílias foram amostradas no levantamento fitossociológico. O índice de diversidade (H') para as espécies foi de 3,17 nats indivíduo-1 e as espécies mais importantes (em VI) foram Virola sebifera, Protium heptaphyllum, Tapirira guianensis e Copaifera langsdorffii. A comparação com outras florestas ribeirinhas evidenciou uma maior semelhança florística com as florestas situadas principalmente na bacia do Rio Grande, possivelmente devido às condições semelhantes de clima, e no Brasil Central, devido à rede de drenagem que atua como rota migratória das espécies. Foram encontradas também muitas espécies compartilhadas com os cerrados, evidenciando a contribuição da flora desse domínio para a floresta de galeria estudada.