Mid-Holocene multiproxy compilation for eastern South America

The mid-Holocene (6000 calibrated years before present) is a key period in palaeoclimatology because incoming summer insolation was lower than during the late Holocene in the Southern Hemisphere, whereas the opposite happened in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the effects of the decreased austral summer insolation over South American climate have been poorly discussed by palaeodata syntheses. In addition, only a few of the regional studies have characterised the mid-Holocene climate in South America through a multiproxy approach. Here, we present a multiproxy compilation of mid-Holocene palaeoclimate data for eastern South America. We compiled 120 palaeoclimatological datasets, which were published in 84 different papers. The palaeodata analysed here suggest a water deficit scenario in the majority of eastern South America during the mid-Holocene if compared to the late Holocene, with the exception of northeastern Brazil. Low mid-Holocene austral summer insolation caused a reduced land-sea temperature contrast and hence a weakened South American monsoon system circulation. This scenario is represented by a decrease in precipitation over the South Atlantic Convergence Zone area, saltier conditions along the South American continental margin, and lower lake levels.

(Table S2) The reconstructed sea surface temperature (SST) over the eastern equatorial Pacific

Abundant hydroclimatic evidence from western Amazonia and the adjacent Andes documents wet conditions during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1, 18-15 ka), a cold period in the high latitudes of the North Atlantic. This precipitation anomaly was attributed to a strengthening of the South American summer monsoon due to a change in the Atlantic interhemispheric sea surface temperature (SST) gradient. However, the physical viability of this mechanism has never been rigorously tested. We address this issue by combining a thorough compilation of tropical South American paleorecords and a set of atmosphere model sensitivity experiments. Our results show that the Atlantic SST variations alone, although leading to dry conditions in northern South America and wet conditions in northeastern Brazil, cannot produce increased precipitation over western Amazonia and the adjacent Andes during HS1. Instead, an eastern equatorial Pacific SST increase (i.e., 0.5-1.5 ��C), in response to the slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during HS1, is crucial to generate the wet conditions in these regions. The mechanism works via anomalous low sea level pressure over the eastern equatorial Pacific, which promotes a regional easterly low-level wind anomaly and moisture recycling from central Amazonia towards the Andes.

Hist��ria das paisagens florestais m��sicas dentro da diagonal de forma����es abertas : contribui����es de paleomodelagem, filogeografia de esp��cies associadas e de conserva����o

Tese (doutorado)���Universidade de Bras��lia, Instituto de Ci��ncias Biol��gicas, Programa de P��s-Gradua����o em Ecologia, 2016.

Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Mytilidae): first record in the S��o Francisco River basin, Brazil.

Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) is a small mytilid native to Southeast Asia. It was introduced in South America in early 1990 and has dispersed from Argentina to central Brazil, and until 2014 has been restricted mainly to the Paran�� and Uruguay river basins. The present note reports the occurrence of Limnoperna fortunei for the first time in the S��o Francisco River basin in northeastern Brazil. The establishment of L. fortunei in these regions will require close attention from the government and also by society.

CORREDORES ECOL��GICOS DA MATA ATL��NTICA: VIS��O INTEGRADORA DO PLANEJAMENTO TERRITORIAL NO CONT��NUO DE PARANAPIACABA -ESTADO DE S��O PAULO - BRASIL

La visi��n bioregional de la conservaci��n es reciente en Brasil. El planeamiento de mosaicos de las ��reas protegidas con las intervenciones previstas en la zona tap��n es un alternativa para corregir los dibujos actuales de ��reas de protecci��n. Lo Continuum Ecol��gico de Paranapicaba en el estado de S��o Paulo (Brasil) se puede considerar uno de los corredores restantes m��s importantes de Mata Atl��ntica, reducidos hoy solamente a 7.3% de su extensi��n original. El Continuum Ecol��gico de Paranapiacaba tiene un alto nivel de biodiversidad. Se caracteriza por la vegetaci��n que presenta gran diversidad estructural, y por lo tanto, as�� como�� la presencia de�� las�� especie-llaves�� end��micas, que�� requieren�� los�� esfuerzos�� efcientes para su conservaci��n. Las estrategias que vienen siendo adoptados por�� los parceiros de�� la conservaci��n buscan demostrar que es posible construir las ofertas adecuadas del uso y de la exploraci��n sostenible de los recursos naturales. El empalme de algunas iniciativas socioambientales con el mosaico de las unidades de conservaci��n, busca una ���buena vecindad��� a las unidades de la conservaci��n que se hallan en el ��rea-n��cleo del Continuum. Palabras clave: Mata Atl��ntica, bosque lluvioso, buffer zone, conservaci��n, ��reas protegidas Abstract The bioregional vision of the conservation is recent in Brazil. The planning of mosaics of areas protected with interventions planned in the buffer zone is an alternative to correct the current drawings of Protecting Areas. The ecological Continuum of Paranapicaba in�� the State of S��o Paulo�� (Brazil) can be considered one of�� the most�� important�� remaining corridors of Atlantic Rainforest, today reduced only 7.3% of its original extension. High level of biodiversity�� is characterized by forest vegetation�� that presents great structural diversity, and consequently, as well as presence of endemic species-keys, that require effcient efforts for its conservation. The strategies that come being adopted for partners of the conservation search to demonstrate that it is possible to construct to adequate proposals of use and sustainable exploration of the natural resources. The joint of the some social-environmental initiatives with the mosaic of Units of Conservation, searchs to construct a ���good neighborhood��� to the Units of Conservation that if fnd in the area-nucleus of Continuum.Key words: Mata Atl��ntica, rainforest, buffer zone, conservation, ��reas protegidas

Is the maximum velocity of carboxylation (Vcmax) well adjusted for deciduous shrubs in DGVMs: a case study for the Caatinga Biome in Brazil.

Vcmax is the rate of maximum velocity of carboxylation of plants and is considered one of the most critical parameters for changes in vegetation in face of global changes and it has a direct impact on gross primary productivity. Physiological processes are considered the main sources of uncertainties in dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs). The Caatinga biome, in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil, is extremely important due to its biodiversity and endemism. In a field work realized in an area of preserved Caatinga forest, measurements of carbon assimilation (in response to light and CO2) were performed on 11 individuals of a native species. These results of Vcmax measurements in Caatinga were compared with parameterization of models, revealing that Vcmax is not well adjusted in several DGVMs. Also, the values obtained in the Caatinga field experiments were very close to empirical values obtained in the Northern hemisphere (Austria). These ecophysiological measurements can contribute in understanding of this biome

Development And Characterization Of Microsatellite Loci For Ocotea Species (lauraceae) Threatened With Extinction.

The Atlantic rainforest species Ocotea catharinensis, Ocotea odorifera, and Ocotea porosa have been extensively harvested in the past for timber and oil extraction and are currently listed as threatened due to overexploitation. To investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of these species, we developed 8 polymorphic microsatellite markers for O. odorifera from an enriched microsatellite library by using 2 dinucleotide repeats. The microsatellite markers were tested for cross-amplification in O. catharinensis and O. porosa. The average number of alleles per locus was 10.2, considering all loci over 2 populations of O. odorifera. Observed and expected heterozygosities for O. odorifera ranged from 0.39 to 0.93 and 0.41 to 0.92 across populations, respectively. Cross-amplification of all loci was successfully observed in O. catharinensis and O. porosa except 1 locus that was found to lack polymorphism in O. porosa. Combined probabilities of identity in the studied Ocotea species were very low ranging from 1.0 x 10-24 to 7.7 x 10-24. The probability of exclusion over all loci estimated for O. odorifera indicated a 99.9% chance of correctly excluding a random nonparent individual. The microsatellite markers described in this study have high information content and will be useful for further investigations on genetic diversity within these species and for subsequent conservation purposes.

The Ccr5��32 Polymorphism In Brazilian Patients With Sickle Cell Disease.

Previous studies on the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD) suggested that the CCR5��32 allele, which is responsible for the production of truncated C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5), could confer a selective advantage on patients with SCD because it leads to a less efficient Th1 response. We determined the frequency of the CCR5��32 polymorphism in 795 Afro-Brazilian SCD patients followed up at the Pernambuco Hematology and Hemotherapy Center, in Northeastern Brazil, divided into a pediatric group (3 months-17 years, n = 483) and an adult group (18-70 years, n = 312). The adult patients were also compared to a healthy control group (blood donors, 18-61 years, n = 247). The CCR5/CCR5��32 polymorphism was determined by allele-specific PCR. No homozygous patient for the CCR5��32 allele was detected. The frequency of heterozygotes in the study population (patients and controls) was 5.8%, in the total SCD patients 5.1%, in the children 5.4%, in the adults with SCD 4.8%, and in the adult controls 8.1%. These differences did not reach statistical significance. Our findings failed to demonstrate an important role of the CCR5��32 allele in the population sample studied here.

Fisionomia e organiza����o da vegeta����o do carrasco no planalto da Ibiapaba, estado do Cear��

Is the carrasco on the Ibiapaba plateau a unique plant formation? To answer this question the vertical height (except of climbers) and the stem basal diameter (from 3cm on) of woody plants were measured, and soil extracts (0-50 and 50-100cm depth) were taken from 100 random plots (10x10m) at Jaburuna (3��54'34S and 40��59'24W, altitudes near 830m), municipality of Ubajara, Cear�� State. Data on climate, soil, diameter height, density, basal area, and physiognomy were compared with those surveyed by other researchers from the carrasco, caatinga, and cerrado in Northeastern Brazil. The carrasco occurs under an annual rainfall of between 668 and 1,289mm and temperatures from 22 to 24��C, on alic Quartz Sand soils, at altitudes between 700 and 900m: it has a larger density and a smaller basal area than the caatinga and the cerrado, small and similar diameters, and an average vertical height between 3,7 and 5,4m. It differs from the caatinga, cerrado (and cerrad��o) and secondary forest in many items of lhe ecotope, organization and physiognomy, thus being a unique plain formation, which can be characterized as a deciduous, high, closed, and unistratified shrubland intermingled by lianas, with an irregular canopy and sparse, emergent trees.

Flora e aspectos auto-ecol��gicos de um encrave de cerrado na chapada do Araripe, Nordeste do Brasil

This study subject to investigate the floristic composition and richness, the reproductive phenological patterns, the dispersal syndromes and life forms of species of a disjunt cerrado in semiarid climate at Araripe plateau during a one year period. We found 107 species and 41 families. Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Malpighiaceae showed the largest number of species. For 47 of the woody species found, we studied the geographical distribution based on 27 papers of the Brazilian cerrados. Twelve species are of widespread occurence in the cerrado, and 13 are restricted to the Araripe plateau. Zoocory, autocory, and anemocory are the predominant syndromes of dispersal. The predominant life forms were phanerophytes (50.7%), hemicriptophytes (14.9%) and camephytes (13.1%). The cerrado of Araripe have lower species richness than continous cerrados, but a similar pattern of reproductive phenology, dispersal syndromes and life forms in more humid zones.

Convec����o linearmente organizada na ��rea de Petrolina, semi-��rido do Nordeste do Brasil: aspectos em meso e grande escala

�� apresentado um estudo sobre sistemas convectivos linearmente organizados e observados por um radar meteorol��gico banda-C na regi��o semi-��rida do Nordeste do Brasil. S��o analisados tr��s dias (27 a 29) de mar��o de 1985, com ��nfase na investiga����o do papel desempenhado por fatores locais e de grande escala no desenvolvimento dos sistemas. No cen��rio de grande escala, a ��rea de cobertura do radar foi influenciada por um cavado de ar superior austral no dia 27 e por um v��rtice cicl��nico de altos n��veis no dia 29. A converg��ncia de umidade pr��xima �� superf��cie favoreceu a atividade convectiva nos dias 27 e 29, enquanto que diverg��ncia de umidade pr��xima �� superf��cie inibiu a atividade convectiva no dia 28. No cen��rio de mesoescala, foi observado que o aquecimento diurno �� um fator importante para a forma����o de c��lulas convectivas, somando-se a ele o papel determinante da orografia na localiza����o dos ecos. De maneira geral, as imagens de radar mostram os sistemas convectivos linearmente organizados em ��reas elevadas e n��cleos convectivos intensos envolvidos por uma ��rea de precipita����o estratiforme. Os resultados indicam que converg��ncia do fluxo de umidade em grande escala e aquecimento radiativo, s��o fatores determinantes na evolu����o e desenvolvimento dos ecos na ��rea de estudo.

Ichthyofauna of Rio Jurubatuba, Santos, S��o Paulo: a high diversity refuge in impacted lands

Ichthyofaunistic surveys in the Atlantic Rainforest have been published in relatively few works, in spite of the major biological importance of this once vast biome which is rapidly vanishing due to disordered human population growth and natural resources overexploitation. The present study aimed to access the fish fauna of a relatively well preserved basin between the cities of Santos and Cubat��o (SP), an area highly modified by human activities where recent ichthyofaunistic surveys are still missing. Collections were made during three field trips in Rio Jurubatuba, a medium sized costal river, and Riacho Sab��o, one of its main tributaries. A total of 2773 specimens were sampled, representing 25 species from 14 families. Six species were primary marine using the upper reaches of Rio Jurubatuba. Twelve of the 19 freshwater species are endemic of the Atlantic Rainforest and four are present in regional lists of endangered species. Only five species occurred in both Rio Jurubatuba and Riacho Sab��o. The most diverse family was Characidae, followed by Poeciliidae, Rivulidae and Heptapteridae. Phalloceros caudimaculatus was the most abundant species, followed by Poecilia vivipara and Geophagus brasiliensis. The study area is considered well preserved and due to its critical location, urges for conservation policies to protect its fish diversity.

A new species of Glaphyropoma: the first subterranean copionodontine catfish and the first occurrence of opercular odontodes in the subfamily (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)

A new species of the rare copionodontine genus Glaphyropoma is described from subterranean waters in the Diamantina Plateau, Bahia State, central northeastern Brazil. This is the first troglomorphic species in the subfamily Copionodontinae. It is distinguished from all other copionodontines by the presence of opercular odontodes, and further distinguished from its only congener, G. rodriguesi, by the reduction of dark integumentary pigmentation. The new species shares the single synapomorphy previously proposed for Glaphyropoma, the marked narrowing of the first hypobranchial and indirect character evidence also supports its inclusion in the genus. The presence of opercular odontodes in the new species, in combination with a reviewed hypothesis of sister group relationship between Copionodontinae and Trichogeninae, indicate that the absence of opercular odontodes in previously-known copionodontines is secondary, rather than primitive.

Rediscovery of the putatively extinct ant species Simopelta minima (Brand��o) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with a discussion on rarity and conservation status of ant species

Simopelta minima (Brand��o, 1989) was originally described based on four workers collected in soil samples from a small cocoa plantation in Ilh��us, state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. In the subsequent years after the description, this cocoa plantation was eliminated and the species was then considered extinct by the Brazilian environmental institutions. The recent rediscovery of S. minima workers in subterranean pitfall trap samples from Vi��osa, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, over 1.000 km distant from type locality, suggests that the rarity and vulnerability status of some ant species may be explained by insufficient sampling of adequate microhabitats, in time and space.