Bauru: terra de cerrado ou floresta?

Bauru: region of cerrado ou forest? The city of Bauru is located in São Paulo State, where the maps showing native vegetation distribution does not clearly defi ne its nature. In order to clarify which types of native vegetation was found in this region, a bibliographic survey was performed, ranging from ancient documents prepared by naturalists describing this region and recent research results of floristic and phytosociological character. It is concluded that in Bauru, semideciduous seasonal forests overlays the northwestern and that cerrado comes over the southeast region. In riparian areas where the cerrado prevailed, there are still traces of swamp forests and swamp grasslands. In the border areas between forests and cerrado, the occurrence of vegetation transition is common, with two distinct types of it and other typical of these ecotone zones.

Aplicação de análise multicriterial para determinação de áreas prioritárias à recomposição florestal

Using the Geographic Information System (GIS) and taking into account its capability to analyze spatial data, a database of updated spatial data from the sub-basin of the Descalvado stream, Botucatu, SP, was developed to provide an evaluation and diagnosis of the area concerning land use and the degradation processes therein. Through GIS, priority areas for forest recovery were defined by Multicriteria Evaluation and using the Ordered Weighted Average method. The latter allows the decision maker to define the area to be recovered, facing limitation of resources, among one of the proposed scenarios, or do it in stages. The study showed that there are accelerated erosion processes in the headwaters of the springs of water bodies; there is also fragmentation of native vegetation, especially in hillside areas, and little presence of native vegetation in riparian areas. The application of the multicriteria analysis using the Ordered Weighted Average was important as it systematized and discriminated scenarios of priority for forest recovery.

Long-term recovery patterns of arctic tundra after winter seismic exploration

In response to the increasing global demand for energy, oil exploration and development are expanding into frontier areas of the Arctic, where slow-growing tundra vegetation and the underlying permafrost soils are very sensitive to disturbance. The creation of vehicle trails on the tundra from seismic exploration for oil has accelerated in the past decade, and the cumulative impact represents a geographic footprint that covers a greater extent of Alaska’s North Slope tundra than all other direct human impacts combined. Seismic exploration for oil and gas was conducted on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA, in the winters of 1984 and 1985. This study documents recovery of vegetation and permafrost soils over a two-decade period after vehicle traffic on snow-covered tundra. Paired permanent vegetation plots (disturbed vs. reference) were monitored six times from 1984 to 2002. Data were collected on percent vegetative cover by plant species and on soil and ground ice characteristics. We developed Bayesian hierarchical models, with temporally and spatially autocorrelated errors, to analyze the effects of vegetation type and initial disturbance levels on recovery patterns of the different plant growth forms as well as soil thaw depth. Plant community composition was altered on the trails by species-specific responses to initial disturbance and subsequent changes in substrate. Long-term changes included increased cover of graminoids and decreased cover of evergreen shrubs and mosses. Trails with low levels of initial disturbance usually improved well over time, whereas those with medium to high levels of initial disturbance recovered slowly. Trails on ice-poor, gravel substrates of riparian areas recovered better than those on ice-rich loamy soils of the uplands, even after severe initial damage. Recovery to pre-disturbance communities was not possible where trail subsidence occurred due to thawing of ground ice. Previous studies of disturbance from winter seismic vehicles in the Arctic predicted short-term and mostly aesthetic impacts, but we found that severe impacts to tundra vegetation persisted for two decades after disturbance under some conditions. We recommend management approaches that should be used to prevent persistent tundra damage.

A importância das áreas ripárias para a sustentabilidade hidrológica do uso da terra em microbacias hidrográficas

Zonas ripárias são áreas de saturação hídrica, permanente ou temporária, cuja principal função é a proteção dos recursos hídricos de uma microbacia. Essa pesquisa comparou a adequação do uso do solo de dois cenários de planejamento agrícola de uma microbacia: o cenário convencional, representando o método usualmente empregado, que apenas considera as classes de capacidade de uso da terra, e o cenário hidrológico, que inclui a delimitação e avaliação das zonas ripárias. Um estudo de caso foi realizado na Microbacia do Ribeirão São João (3.656 ha), no município de Mineiros do Tietê (São Paulo, Brasil). Mapas de Classe de Capacidade de Uso da Terra e de Adequação do Uso do Solo foram elaborados, utilizando o Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG), para a construção dos cenários convencional e do proposto. Excluindo a Área de Preservação Permanente (APP), o cenário convencional indicou que 59,0% da área destinada à agricultura está adequadamente utilizada, 28,2% está subutilizada e 2,6% está sobreutilizada. O cenário proposto ou hidrológico, com inclusão da identificação da zona ripária (24,9% da microbacia) mostrou que muitas áreas que, no cenário convencional, possuem pouca restrição para o cultivo intensivo, como as classes II e III, são zonas ripárias, de sensibilidade hidrológica. Existem dentro dos limites da zona ripária 38,9% de classe de capacidade de uso III e 49,5% de classe IV. O planejador, desconsiderando a zona ripária, pode colocar em risco áreas vitais que, se degradadas, representam danos para a saúde e resiliência da microbacia.

Pond-Breeding Amphibian Species Distributions in a Beaver-Modified Landscape, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine

In order to maintain pond-breeding amphibian species richness, it is important to understand how both natural and anthropogenic disturbances affect species assemblages and individual species distributions both at the scale of individual ponds and at a larger landscape scale. The goal of this project was to investigate what characteristics of ponds and the surrounding wetland landscape were most effective in predicting pond-breeding species richness and the individual occurrence of wood frog (Rana sylvatica), bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) and pickerel frog (Rana palustris) breeding sites in a beaver-modified landscape and how this landscape has changed over time. The wetland landscape of Acadia National Park was historically modified by the natural disturbance cycles of beaver (Castor cazadensis), and since their reintroduction to the island in 1921, beaver have played a large role in creating and maintaining palustrine wetlands. In 2000 and 2001, I studied pond-breeding amphibian assemblages at 71 palustrine wetlands in Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine. I determined breeding presence of 7 amphibian species and quantified 15 variables describing local pond conditions and characteristics of the wetland landscape. I developed a priori models to predict sites with high amphibian species and used model selection with Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) to identify important variables. Single species models were also developed to predict wood frog, bullfrog and pickerel frogs breeding presence. The variables for wetland connectivity by stream corridors and the presence of beaver disturbance were the most effective variables to predict sites with high amphibian richness. Wood frog breeding was best predicted by local scale variables describing temporary, fishless wetlands and the absence of active beaver disturbance. Abandoned beaver sites provided wood frog breeding habitat (70%) in a similar proportion to that found in non beaver-influenced sites (79%). In contrast, bullfrog breeding presence was limited to active beaver wetlands with fish and permanent water, and 80% of breeding sites were large (≥2ha in size). Pickerel frog breeding site selection was predicted best by the connectivity of sites in the landscape by stream corridors. Models including the presence of beaver disturbance, greater wetland perimeter and greater depth were included in the confidence set of pickerel frog models but showed considerably less support. Analysis of historic aerial photographs showed an 89% increase in the total number of ponded wetlands available in the landscape between the years of 1944 and 1997. Beaver colonization generally converted forested wetlands and riparian areas to open water and emergent wetlands. Temporal colonization of beaver wetlands favored large sites low in the watersheds and sites that were impounded later were generally smaller, higher in the watershed, and more likely to be abandoned. These results suggest that beaver have not only increased the number of available breeding sites in the landscape for pond-breeding amphibians, but the resulting mosaic of active and abandoned beaver wetlands also provides suitable breeding habitat for species with differing habitat requirements.

Drivers of multi-scale plant community structure in agricultural field margins of South Korea

This data set describes the distribution of a total of 90 plant species growing on field margins of an agricultural landscape in the Haean-myun catchment in South Korea. We conducted our survey between July and August 2011 in 100 sampling plots, covering the whole catchment. In each plot we measured three environmental variables: slope, width of the field margin, and management type (i.e. "managed" for field margins that had signs of management activities from the ongoing season such as cutting or spraying herbicides and "unmanaged" for field margins that had been left untouched in the season). For the botanical survey each plot was sampled using three subplots of one square meter per subplot; subplots were 4 m apart from each other. In each subplot, we estimated three different vegetation characteristics: vegetation cover (i.e. the percentage of ground covered by vegetation), species richness (i.e. the number of observed species) and species abundance (i.e. the number of observed individuals / species). We calculated the percentage of the non-farmed habitats by creating buffer zones of 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 m radii around each plot using data provided by (Seo et al. 2014). Non-farmed habitats included field margins, fallows, forest, riparian areas, pasture and grassland.

Del riparo de' pennelli alle rive del Po di Cremona : a sua eccellenza il signor marchese don Angiolo Luigi Maraviglia Mantegazza, consigliere intimo attuale di stato delle Ll. maestáa imperiali, e presidente della regia camera ec.

Acquisition made accessible thanks to a 2015-2017 grant from the Council on Libraries and Information Resources.

The impact of solid and liquid wastes from a rural town on the Chorobamba River Oxapampa, Peruvian Amazon

The goal of this study was to determine the instantaneous vs. integrated effects of waste on the water quality of the Chorobamba River. I sampled 9 stations upstream and downstream of the Town of Oxapampa, Peru during the dry season (June-August) of 2004. I measured in-situ parameters such as pH, DO, temperature, etc. as well as vegetation, riverbank erosion, nutrients (N03, NH4, P04), coliform bacteria and macroinvertebrate communities to determine the current conditions of the river, as well as the integrated effects of pollution. Although water quality conditions remained stable, high fecal coliform concentrations and macroinvertebrate communities indicate deterioration in river health over a longer period of time. If riparian areas along the Chorobamba continue to decrease and if inputs of sewage into the rivers continue to increase, as a function of population, then, conditions will continue to deteriorate in the coming years.

Assessing landscape functional connectivity in a forest carnivore using path selection functions

Context Understanding connectivity patterns in relation to habitat fragmentation is essential to landscape management. However, connectivity is often judged from expert opinion or species occurrence patterns, with very few studies considering the actual movements of individuals. Path selection functions provide a promising tool to infer functional connectivity from animal movement data, but its practical application remains scanty. Objectives We aimed to describe functional connectivity patterns in a forest carnivore using path-level analysis, and to explore how connectivity is affected by land cover patterns and road networks. Methods We radiotracked 22 common genets in a mixed forest-agricultural landscape of southern Portugal. We developed path selection functions discriminating between observed and random paths in relation to landscape variables. These functions were used together with land cover information to map conductance surfaces. Results Genets moved preferentially within forest patches and close to riparian habitats. Functional connectivity declined with increasing road density, but increased with the proximity of culverts, viaducts and bridges. Functional connectivity was favoured by large forest patches, and by the presence of riparian areas providing corridors within open agricultural land. Roads reduced connectivity by dissecting forest patches, but had less effect on riparian corridors due to the presence of crossing structures. Conclusions Genet movements were jointly affected by the spatial distribution of suitable habitats, and the presence of a road network dissecting such habitats and creating obstacles in areas otherwise permeable to animal movement. Overall, the study showed the value of path-level analysis to assess functional connectivity patterns in human-modified landscapes.

Seroprevalence and sociocultural conditionants of Chagas disease in school aged children of marginal zones of Asunción

Chagas disease is becoming a public health problem in Latin America due to the wide distribution, the high prevalence, the magnitude of the damage caused and the difficulties to control it. In Paraguay, the disease is mainly distributed in the departments of Paraguari, Cordillera and Central. Prevalence in marginal zones, where migrations from rural populations and endemic areas make possible the urbanization of the disease, has no been studied yet. This is a descriptive study with a cross-sectional sampling and a probabilistic system recruitment carried out in school aged children from marginal zones of Asuncion to determine the prevalence of Chagas' disease. Serological methods, parasite isolation and questionnaires were used to achieve the goals. Nine hundred and fifty three children were studied to determine the prevalence of Chagas' disease in marginal zones which was 1.4%.

Isoenzyme profiles of Trypanosoma cruzi stocks from different areas of Paraguay

Twenty one Trypanosoma cruzi stocks from humans, domiciliary triatomines and one sylvatic animal of different areas of Paraguay were subjected to isoenzyme analysis. Thirteen enzyme systems (15 loci in total) were studied. MN cl2 (clonets 39) and SO34 cl4 (clonets 20) were used as references. Relationships between stocks were depicted by an UPGMA dendrogram constructed using the Jaccard´s distances matrix. Among the Paraguayan stocks 14 zymodemes were identified (Par1 to Par14), Par 5 being the most frequent. Polymorphism rate and clonal diversity were 0.73 and 0.93, respectively. Average number of alleles per polymorphic locus was 2.5 (range 2-4). These measurements show a high diversity, which is confirmed by the dendrogram topology. All stocks belong to the same lineage, as MN cl2 reference strain (T. cruzi II). Moreover three distinct subgroups were identified and two of them correspond to Brazilian and Bolivian zymodemes, respectively. The third subgroup, the most common in Paraguay, is related to Tulahuen stock. The large geographical distribution of some zymodemes agrees with the hypothesis of clonality for T. cruzi populations. However sample size was not adequate to detect genetic recombination in any single locality.

Visceral leishmaniasis in border areas: clustered distribution of phlebotomine sand flies in Clorinda, Argentina

Three years after the first report of Lutzomyia longipalpis in Clorinda, Argentina, a border city near Asunción, Paraguay, the city was surveyed again. Lu. longipalpis was found clustered in the same neighbourhoods in 2007 as in 2004, even though the scattered distribution of canine visceral leishmaniasis was more related to the traffic of dogs through the border.

Social interactions and resource ownership in two private protected areas of Paraguay

This paper describes the results of field research to dissect how social interactions differ between two reserves in Paraguay having very different styles of governance. The two reserves were Mbaracayu Natural Forest Reserve (Reserva Natural del Bosque de Mbaracayti, RNBM) and San Rafael Managed Resource Reserve (Reserva de Recursos Manejados San Rafael, RRMSR). RNBM is a private reserve owned by a non-governmental organisation. while RRNISR is a publicly-managed reserve, albeit with a substantial degree of private land ownership. Both reserves are intended to protect Atlantic Forest, one of the five world biodiversity 'hotspots', and also one of the most highly threatened. Each reserve and its buffer zone comprises a set of stakeholders, including indigenous communities and farmers, and the paper explores the interactions between these and the management regime. Indeed, while the management regimes of the two reserves are different, one being highly top-down (RNBM) and the other more socially inclusive (RRMSR), the issues that they have to deal with are much the same. However, while both management regimes will readily acknowledge the need to address poverty, inequality appears to be a far more sensitive issue. Whereas this may be expected for the privately-owned RNBM it is perhaps more surprising in RRNISR even when allowing for the fact that much of the land in the latter is in private hands. It is argued that the origins of this sensitivity rest within the broader features of Paraguayan society, and the prevalence of private land ownership. Yet ironically, it is the inequality in land ownership that is perhaps the most significant threat to conservation in both reserves. Therefore, while reserve-level analyses can provide some insight into the driving forces at play in the interaction between conservation and sustainable management, larger scales may be necessary to gain a fuller appreciation of the dynamics operating at site level. Even in a society with a history of centralised control these dynamics may be surprising. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Priority areas for riparian forest restoration in southeastern Brazil

Riparian forest restoration projects in the Tropics are complex, demanding longterm research, continuous human efforts and correct use of financial resources. This paper presents an approach to rank priority areas for riparian forest restoration on the upper section of the Pardo River watershed, in São Paulo, Brazil, using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Pardo River watershed is specially important, since it is the major source of drinking water supply for the region and water for domestic and industrial use within Botucatu and surrounding. Results indicated that riparian restoration should involve 81,27% of the protected area and could be made in three phases, allocating resources according to a priority scale.