Responses of aquatic insect functional diversity to landscape changes in Atlantic forest

The Atlantic Forest domain, one of the 25 world's hotspots for biodiversity, has experienced dramatic changes in its landscape. While the loss of species diversity is well documented, functional diversity has not received the same amount of attention. In this study, we evaluated functional diversity of insects in streams utilizing three indices: functional diversity (FD), functional dispersion (FDis), and functional divergence (FDiv), seeking to understand the roles of three predictor sets in explaining functional patterns: (1) bioclimatic and landscape variables; (2) spatial variables; and (3) local environmental variables. We determined the amount of variation in different measures of functional diversity that was explained by each predictor set and their interplays using variation partitioning. Our study showed that variation in functional diversity is better explained by a set of variables linked to different scales dependent on spatial structures, indicating the importance of landscape and mainly environmental variables in the functional organization of aquatic insect communities, and that the relative importance of predictor sets depends on the indices considered. Variation in FD was better explained by the interplay among the three predictor sets and by local environmental variables, whereas variation in FDis was better explained by spatial variables and by the interplay between environmental and spatial variables. Variation in FDiv was not significantly explained by any predictors. Our study adds more evidence on the harmful effects caused by landscape changes on biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest, suggesting that these effects also influence the functional organization of stream insect communities. © 2013 The Author(s) Journal compilation © 2013 by The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.

Modeling Habitat Split: Landscape and Life History Traits Determine Amphibian Extinction Thresholds

Habitat split is a major force behind the worldwide decline of amphibian populations, causing community change in richness and species composition. In fragmented landscapes, natural remnants, the terrestrial habitat of the adults, are frequently separated from streams, the aquatic habitat of the larvae. An important question is how this landscape configuration affects population levels and if it can drive species to extinction locally. Here, we put forward the first theoretical model on habitat split which is particularly concerned on how split distance - the distance between the two required habitats - affects population size and persistence in isolated fragments. Our diffusive model shows that habitat split alone is able to generate extinction thresholds. Fragments occurring between the aquatic habitat and a given critical split distance are expected to hold viable populations, while fragments located farther away are expected to be unoccupied. Species with higher reproductive success and higher diffusion rate of post-metamorphic youngs are expected to have farther critical split distances. Furthermore, the model indicates that negative effects of habitat split are poorly compensated by positive effects of fragment size. The habitat split model improves our understanding about spatially structured populations and has relevant implications for landscape design for conservation. It puts on a firm theoretical basis the relation between habitat split and the decline of amphibian populations. © 2013 Fonseca et al.

A Framework to Optimize Biodiversity Restoration Efforts Based on Habitat Amount and Landscape Connectivity

The effectiveness of ecological restoration actions toward biodiversity conservation depends on both local and landscape constraints. Extensive information on local constraints is already available, but few studies consider the landscape context when planning restoration actions. We propose a multiscale framework based on the landscape attributes of habitat amount and connectivity to infer landscape resilience and to set priority areas for restoration. Landscapes with intermediate habitat amount and where connectivity remains sufficiently high to favor recolonization were considered to be intermediately resilient, with high possibilities of restoration effectiveness and thus were designated as priority areas for restoration actions. The proposed method consists of three steps: (1) quantifying habitat amount and connectivity; (2) using landscape ecology theory to identify intermediate resilience landscapes based on habitat amount, percolation theory, and landscape connectivity; and (3) ranking landscapes according to their importance as corridors or bottlenecks for biological flows on a broader scale, based on a graph theory approach. We present a case study for the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (approximately 150 million hectares) in order to demonstrate the proposed method. For the Atlantic Forest, landscapes that present high restoration effectiveness represent only 10% of the region, but contain approximately 15 million hectares that could be targeted for restoration actions (an area similar to today's remaining forest extent). The proposed method represents a practical way to both plan restoration actions and optimize biodiversity conservation efforts by focusing on landscapes that would result in greater conservation benefits. © 2013 Society for Ecological Restoration.

Taller sobre programas para trabajadores migratorios temporales: compilación de trabajos = Workshop on temporary migrant workers programs: compilation of works

Incluye Bibliografía

A influência dos fragmentos florestais na dinâmica de populações de anuros no noroeste do Estado de São Paulo

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

Genetic structure of red-handed howler monkey populations in the fragmented landscape of Eastern Brazilian Amazonia

We genotyped 15 microsatellite loci in order to evaluate the effects of habitat fragmentation, caused by flooding of the Tucuruí reservoir, on the genetic structure of Alouatta belzebul in eastern Amazonia. The analysis included two populations sampled in 1984, representing both margins of the Tocantins river, and three populations sampled 18 years later. Minimal differences in the diversity levels between present-day (Ho = 0.62-0.69 and AR = 6.07-7.21) and pre-flooding (Ho = 0.60-0.62 and AR = 6.27-6.77) populations indicated there was no significant loss of genetic variability, possibly because of successful management strategies applied during the flooding. The changes observed were limited to shifts in the composition of alleles, which presumably reflect the admixture of subpopulations during flooding. Given this, there were significant differences in the Rst values (p = 0.05) in all but one between-site comparison. Both present-day and original populations showed a deficit of heterozygotes, which suggests that this may be typical of the species, at least at a local level, perhaps because of specific ecological characteristics. The relatively large number of private alleles recorded in all populations may be a consequence of the Wahlund effect resulting from population admixture or a process of expansion rather than the loss of rare alleles through genetic drift. Additionally, the levels of genetic variability observed in this study were higher than those reported for other species of Neotropical primates, suggesting good fitness levels in these A. belzebul populations. Regular genetic monitoring of remnant populations, especially on islands, should nevertheless be an integral component of long-term management strategies.

Trajetórias tecnológicas e sistemas agrários: qualificação territorial utilizando geoprocessamento em Paragominas e Santarém/PA

A Amazônia tem sido observada principalmente por meio do fenômeno do desmatamento, utilizando recursos tradicionais do sensoriamento remoto como a quantificação de área desflorestada e seu posterior incremento anual, que parece se constituir em uma metodologia eficaz. Ratificando este raciocínio, constatei num levantamento de 16.591 multas aplicadas pelo IBAMA/PA no período de 2000 até 2008, que mais de 85,0% das autuações estavam relacionadas apenas à componente flora;e na jurisdição da Gerência do IBAMA em Santarém, oeste do Pará, em 2008, quase 60% das multas se deu por conta de desflorestamento, identificados via sensoriamento remoto. Ressalta-se que as análises de imagens de satélites por si só não definem elementos da superfície terrestre, contribuindo pouco para o entendimento e posterior intervenção da realidade. Nesse contexto, foram investigados e vetorizados 479 estabelecimentos rurais nas regiões de Paragominas e Santarém, estado do Pará, que possuem históricos de uso e ocupação distintos, qualificando-os segundo suas trajetórias tecnológicas prevalentes, na perspectiva apresentada por Costa, concretizando um importante passo para correção das distorções no desenvolvimento econômico, agregando informação ao dado de sensoriamento remoto. Aplicaram-se recursos geotecnológicos de métricas de paisagem, construíram-se banco de dados celular integrado com estatísticas e algoritmos de otimização probabilística, associando dados de classificação não supervisionada isodata (validadas com kappa= 0,87, classificação considerada“excelente”) com os tipos de produção coletados em campo, gerando uma classificação final "integrada"(kappa= 0,78, classificação “muito boa”). Na região de Paragominas, foram qualificadas 3 tipos de trajetórias tecnológicas, a camponesa T8 (domínio de culturas temporárias), a camponesa T3 e patronal T4 (especializadas em pecuária de corte). Em Santarém, revelaram-se 2 trajetórias, a camponesa T2 (forte presença de culturas permanentes, temporárias e sistemas agro florestais) e a patronal T7 (mutação da T4, aumentando a participação das culturas temporárias). A metodologia aplicada logrou êxito, espacializando as propriedades rurais segundo seus tipos de trajetórias tecnológicas e gerando classes de uso mais representativas, como cultura temporária e pastagem, mas que na classificação via sensoriamento remoto isodata é englobada pela classe “agropecuária”, possibilitando uma visão mais realista das atividades de produção desenvolvidas na área investigada, concretizando a geração de informações espaciais integrando dados de diferentes fontes e o aumento do poder de leitura do pixel.

Long-term landscape evolution and post-rift reactivation in the southeastern Brazilian passive continental margin: Taubat, basin

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

The influence of landscape on the spatial and temporal distribution of stream macroalgal communities of two types of subtropical biomes

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

Temporary occlusion of the inferior lacrimal punctum and canaliculi of dogs with n-butyl-cyanoacrylate and 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate

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

The semisynthetic landscape of aphidicolin: inspiration towards leishmanicidal compounds

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

Landscape Diversity Influences Dispersal and Establishment of Pest with Complex Nutritional Ecology

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

Diversity of leaf-litter anurans in a fragmented landscape of the Atlantic Plateau of Sao Paulo State, southeastern Brazil

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

Site Selection for Restoration Planning: A Protocol With Landscape and Legislation Based Alternatives

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)