Assessment of agroeconomic indices in polycultures of lettuce, rocket and carrot through uni- and multivariate approaches in semi-arid Brazil

The polyculture among vegetables is an activity that to have good results, needs a proper planning. Although it often requires more labor, has several advantages over monoculture, among them is that polycultures are generally are more productive, provide with productivity of various plant constituents and a more balanced human diet, contribute to economic return, economic and yield stability, social benefits and farmer's direct participation in decision-making. The objective of this study was to evaluate agroeconomic indices of polycultures derived from the combination of two cultivars of lettuce with two cultivars of rocket in two cultures strip-intercropped with carrot cultivar 'Brasilia' through uni-multivariate approaches in semi-arid Brazil. The experimental design used was of randomized complete blocks with five replications and the treatments arranged in a factorial scheme of 2 x 2. The treatments consisted of the combination of two lettuce cultivars (Baba de Verao and Taina) with two rocket cultivars (Cultivada and Folha Larga) in two cultures associated with carrot cv. Brasilia. hi each block were grown plots with two lettuce cultivars and two rocket cultivars, and carrot in sole crop. In each system was determined the lettuce leaf yield, rocket green mass yield and carrot commercial yield. Agrieconomic indices such as operational cost, gross and net income, monetary advantage, rate of return, profit margin, land equivalent ratio and yield efficiency for DEA were used to measure the efficiency of intercropping systems. In the bicropping of lettuce and rocket associated with carrot cv. 'Brasilia', suggests the use of lettuce cultivar 'Taina' combined with rocket cultivars 'Cultivada' or 'Folha Larga'. It was observed significant effect of lettuce cultivars in the evaluation of polycultures of lettuce, carrot and rocket, with strong expression for the lettuce cultivar 'Taina'. Both uni- and multivariate approaches were effective in the discrimination of the best polycultures. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water quality index as a simple indicator of aquaculture effects on aquatic bodies

This paper proposes a water quality index (WQI) to subsidize management actions in the Medio Paranapanema Watershed in São Paulo State, Brazil, as a simple pollution indicator for aquaculture activity. Water quality of the Macuco and Queixada rivers was investigated for 2 years (from May 2003 to May 2005). The index proposed in this work is composed of three measurable environmental parameters-turbidity, total phosphorus and dissolved oxygen. Concentrations of these three variables were normalized on a scale from 0 to 100 and translated into statements of water quality (excellent, good, regular, fair and poor). The index was applied to seventeen monitoring points in the aquatic bodies described above and compared to others, one being that used by the Environmental Protection Agency of United States and proposed for the National Sanitation Foundation, other employing minimal index and the last one considering the minimum operator concept. The results show that the degradation in this watershed from aquaculture activity can be easily inferred with this index, which is more restricted than the others routinely used to infer water quality. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do diagnóstico à conservação da biodiversidade: o estado da arte do programa BIOTA/FAPESP

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

Uso do território, experiências inovadoras e sustentabilidade: um estudo em unidades de produção familiares de agricultores/as na área de abrangência do Programa PROAMBIENTE, Nordeste Paraense

Este estudo avaliou a sustentabilidade das experiências inovadoras baseadas em indicadores e critérios fundamentados em teorias científicas pela percepção de agricultores/as dos municípios de Irituia, São Domingos do Capim, Concórdia do Pará e Mãe do Rio na área de abrangência do Pólo Rio Capim do programa PROAMBIENTE. Objetivou-se compreender o cotidiano desses atores sociais no uso do território por meio de práticas de mínimo impacto ambiental e os motivos que os levaram a estender os tradicionais sitos ou quintais para outras parcelas das Unidades de Produção Familiares (UPFs), transformando-as em Sistemas Agroflorestais (SAFs). A metodologia adotada compreendeu na construção de um formulário, a coleta de dados empíricos e convívio direto em 78 UPFs o que permitiu a identificação de constructo de variabilidade pela Análise Fatorial, estabelecendo quatro fatores: produção e comercialização; prática de produção; intervenção e questão de gênero. O primeiro fator foi utilizado como critério para a seleção e retorno em 18 UPFs definidas para aplicar o questionário e o formulário de notas avaliativas referentes aos indicadores econômicos, social, cultural e ecológico-ambiental. A avaliação da sustentabilidade foi feita por meio da consolidação destes indicadores utilizando o método agroecológico da “Ameba” e o mapeamento da mesma pelo método de interpolação do “vizinho mais próximo” na área de estudo. Como resultados aos indicadores cultural e ecológico/ambiental, apresentaram-se em melhores condições em termos de sustentabilidade com a conceituação de bom para excelente, enquanto que Inversamente foi a situação demonstrada pelos indicadores social e econômico, dos quais os resultados avaliados estão no limiar do que se pode deduzir como sustentável com desempenho de fraco para suficiente.

Composição da fauna de Hymenoptera associada a área agrícola de manejo tradicional: abelhas nativas e parasitóides

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Epifitismo vascular em três formações vegetais distintas: mata do brejo, floresta estacional semidecidual e cerradão, pertencentes ao município de Bauru, estado de São Paulo

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica) - IBB

Computer intensive methods for controlling bias in a generalized species diversity index

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Forest destructuring as revealed by the temporal dynamics of fundamental species - Case study of Santa Genebra Forest in Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

High abundance of an exotic amphipod indicates disturbance in tropical rainforests

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

Análise comparativa de técnicas de recuperação ambiental em áreas degradadas no município de Bofete/SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Organic farm does not improve neither soil, or water quality in rural watersheds from southeastern Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Using landscape metrics to analyze micro-scale soil erosion processes

Methods of recording soil erosion using photographs exist but they are not commonly considered in scientific studies. Digital images may hold an expressive amount of information that can be extracted quickly in different manners. The investigation of several metrics that were initially developed for landscape ecology analysis constitutes one method. In this study we applied a method of landscape metrics to quantify the spatial configuration of surface micro-topography and erosion-related features, in order to generate a possible complementary tool for environmental management. In a 3.7 m wide and 9.7 m long soil box used during a rainfall simulation study, digital images were systematically acquired in four instances: (a) when the soil was dry; (b) after a short duration rain for initial wetting; (c) after the first erosive rain; and (d) after the 2nd erosive rain. Thirteen locations were established in the box and digital photos were taken at these locations with the camera positioned at the same orthogonal distance from the soil surface under the same ambient light intensity. Digital photos were converted into bimodal images and seven landscape metrics were analyzed: percentage of land, number of patches, density of patches, largest patch index, edge density, shape index, and fractal dimension. Digital images were an appropriate tool because they can generate data very quickly. The landscape metrics were sensitive to changes in soil surface micro-morphology especially after the 1st erosive rain event, indicating significant erosional feature development between the initial wetting and first erosive rainfall. The method is considered suitable for spatial patterns of soil micro-topography evolution from rainfall events that bear similarity to landscape scale pattern evolution from eco-hydrological processes. Although much more study is needed for calibrating the landscape metrics at the micro-scale, this study is a step forward in demonstrating the advantages of the method.

SPATIO-TEMPORAL AND FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE AMPHIPOD COMMUNITIES OFF SANTOS, SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC

The amphipod fauna was employed to investigate a bottom environmental gradient in the continental shelf adjacent to Santos Bay. The constant flow of less saline water from the estuarine complex of the Santos and Sao Vicente rivers besides the seasonal intrusion of the cold saline South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) bring a highly dynamic water regime to the area. Density, distribution, diversity and functional structure of the communities were studied on a depth gradient from 10 to 100 m on two cruises in contrasting seasons, winter 2005 and summer 2006. Twenty-one sediment samples were taken with a 0.09m(2) box corer. Temperature and salinity were measured at each station and an additional surface sediment sample was obtained with the box corer for granulometric and chemical analyses. Sixty species were collected on each survey and higher density values were found in summer. A priori one-way Analysis of Similarities (ANOSIM) indicated the existence of three different groups of amphipods related to the depth gradient: the Coastal group, the Mixed Zone group and the Deep Zone group. The Coastal Zone in both cruises was inhabited by a community presenting low diversity and density, besides high dominance of the infaunal tube-dweller Ampelisca paria; the area around 30 m presented the highest values of all the ecological indicators and the species showed several life styles; the outer area, situated between 50 and 100 m depth in the SACW domain, presented a community characterized by lower diversity and high biomass and density values. A season-depth ANOSIM showed the influence of depth and season for the Coastal and Mixed Zone groups whereas no seasonal difference was obtained for the Deep Zone group. The synergistic effect of the SACW and depth in the first place, followed by physical changes in substrate, seem to be the main factors controlling the fauna's distribution. In addition, the estuarine waters from Santos Bay apparently had no effect on the establishment of the environmental gradient observed on the adjacent shelf. Diversity, distribution, functional groups and trophic conditions of superficial sediments are discussed in the light of the main oceanographic processes present on the southern Brazilian shelf.

Hermit crabs as bioindicators of recent tributyltin (TBT) contamination

Evaluation of the assimilation pathway and depuration time of a given pollutant by aquatic species is important to understand the dynamics of this substance in the biota, and to search for potential ecological indicators. In the present study, the uptake pathway and depuration time and rate of the pollutant tributyltin (TBT) were investigated in the omnivorous hermit crab (Clibanarius vittatus). The assimilation and uptake pathway were investigated using hermit crabs collected in an area free of TBT. The crabs were held in the laboratory for 45 days, under one of four treatments: procedural control (PC) - water and food without TBT; T1 - water with and food without TBT; 12 - water without and food with Tiff; and 13 water and food with TBT. To determine the depuration time, the crabs were collected in a contaminated area, maintained in the laboratory with clean water, and removed every 15 days for 120 days. The concentrations of TBT and DBT (dibutyltin) were determined by chromatographic analysis. The TBT was taken up by the crabs mainly via food, and the presence of DBT in crab tissues was hypothesized to result from internal TBT degradation. TBT (as well as DBT) was depurated rapidly by C. vittatus. After approximately 30 days, the initial concentration of 111 +/- 36 ng Sn g(-1) w. w. decreased to 3 +/- 3 ng Sn g(-1) w. w., and after 75 days the TBT concentration was below the detection limit. The same pattern was recorded for DBT, which showed a higher deputation rate than TBT. The rapid TBT and DBT deputation is useful information, since C. vittatus and possibly other hermit crabs may be used as indicators of recent or recycled environmental contamination.

How far can we go in simplifying biomonitoring assessments? An integrated analysis of taxonomic surrogacy, taxonomic sufficiency and numerical resolution in a megadiverse region

The need for biodiversity conservation is increasing at a rate much faster than the acquisition of knowledge of biodiversity, such as descriptions of new species and mapping species distributions. As global changes are winning the race against the acquisition of knowledge, many researchers resort to the use of surrogate groups to aid in conservation decisions. Reductions in taxonomic and numerical resolution are also desirable, because they could allow more rapid the acquisition of knowledge while requiring less effort, if little important information is lost. In this study, we evaluated the congruence among 22 taxonomic groups sampled in a tropical forest in the Amazon basin. Our aim was to evaluate if any of these groups could be used as surrogates for the others in monitoring programs. We also evaluated if the taxonomic or numerical resolution of possible surrogates could be reduced without greatly reducing the overall congruence. Congruence among plant groups was high, whereas the congruence among most animal groups was very low, except for anurans in which congruence values were only slightly lower than for plants. Liana (Bignoniaceae) was the group with highest congruence, even using genera presence-absence data. The congruence among groups was related to environmental factors, specifically the clay and phosphorous contents of soil. Several groups showed strong spatial clumping, but this was unrelated to the congruence among groups. The high degree of congruence of lianas with the other groups suggests that it may be a reasonable surrogate group, mainly for the other plant groups analyzed, if soil data are not available. Although lianas are difficult to count and identify, the number of studies on the ecology of lianas is increasing. Most of these studies have concluded that lianas are increasing in abundance in tropical forests. In addition to the high congruence, lianas are worth monitoring in their own right because they are sensitive to global warming and the increasing frequency and severity of droughts in tropical regions. Our findings suggest that the use of data on surrogate groups with relatively low taxonomic and numerical resolutions can be a reliable shortcut for biodiversity assessments, especially in megadiverse areas with high rates of habitat conversion, where the lack of biodiversity knowledge is pervasive. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.