Diversity of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) in the Atlantic Forest of São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Species Diversity of Myrmecofauna and Araneofauna Associated with Agroecosystem and Forest Fragments and their Interaction with Carabidae and Staphylinidae (Coleoptera)

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

Mite diversity on plants of different families found in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

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

Ovarian remnant syndrome in small animals

The ovarian remnant syndrome (ORS) is an iatrogenic disorder in bitches and queens, which is characterized by recurrence of estrus following surgical spay, due to the presence of a piece of ovarian tissue within the abdominal cavity. In most cases, the remnant ovary is found in the right ovarian pedicle, due to its topographic position, deeper and more cranial than the left ovary. The main clinical signs of ORS in small animals are the heat behavior and the presence of vaginal swelling/secretion, especially in canines. The diagnosis should be performed by means of vaginal cytology when attraction of males is detected, serum estrogen and progesterone levels and/or by challenging test with GnRH or hCG administration. However, vaginal citology is the most suitable and less expensive diagnostic tool. Nowadays the treatment of choice is a new laparotomy or laparoscopy, followed by removal of the remnant ovarian tissue. The surgical treatment has more chances of success if it is performed in the diestrus (i.e., between 15 and 60 days after the detection of attraction of males). Furthermore, a careful and accurate surgical procedure aided by advanced visualization techniques during ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy is the best way to prevent ORS in companion animals.

Bacterial diversity of terra preta and pristine forest soil from the Western Amazon

The survey presented here describes the bacterial diversity and community structures of a pristine forest soil and an anthropogenic, terra preta from the Western Amazon forest using molecular methods to identify the predominant phylogenetic groups. Bacterial community similarities and species diversity in the two soils were compared using oligonucleotide fingerprint grouping of 16S rRNA gene sequences for 1500 clones (OFRG) and by DNA sequencing. The results showed that both soils had similar bacterial community compositions over a range of phylogenetic distances, among which Acidobacteria were predominant, but that terra preta supported approximately 25% greater species richness. The survey provides the first detailed analysis of the composition and structure of bacterial communities from terra preta anthrosols using noncultured-based molecular methods. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Activity, movement and secretive behavior of a threatened arboreal folivore, the thin-spined porcupine, in the Atlantic forest of southern Bahia, Brazil

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

Can Eucalyptus invade native forest fragments close to commercial stands?

Some Eucalyptus species are widely used as a plantation crop in tropical and subtropical regions. One reason for this is the diversity of end uses, but the main reason is the high level of wood production obtained from commercial plantings. With the advancement of biotechnology it will be possible to expand the geographical area in which eucalypts can be used as commercial plantation crops, especially in regions with current climatic restrictions. Despite the popularity of eucalypts and their increasing range, questions still exist, in both traditional planting areas and in the new regions: Can eucalypts invade areas of native vegetation, causing damage to natural ecosystems biodiversity?The objective of this study it was to assess whether eucalypts can invade native vegetation fragments in proximity to commercial stands, and what factors promote this invasive growth. Thus, three experiments were established in forest fragments located in three different regions of Brazil. Each experiment was composed of 40 plots (1 m(2) each one), 20 plots located at the border between the forest fragment and eucalypts plantation, and 20 plots in the interior of the forest fragments. In each experimental site, the plots were paired by two soil exposure conditions, 10 plots in natural conditions and 10 plots with soil exposure (no plant and no litter). During the rainy season, 2 g of eucalypts seeds were sown in each plot, including Eucalyptus grandis or a hybrid of E. urophylla x E. grandis, the most common commercial eucalypt species planted in the three region. At 15, 30, 45, 90, 180, 270 and 360 days after sowing, we assessed the number of seedlings of eucalypts and the number of seedlings of native species resulting from natural regeneration. Fifteen days after sowing, the greatest number of eucalypts seedlings (37 m(-2)) was observed in the plots with lower luminosity and exposed soil. Also, for native species, it was observed that exposed soil improved natural germination reaching the highest number of 163 seedlings per square meter. Site and soil exposure were the factors that have the greatest influence on seed germination of both eucalypt and native species. However, 270 days after sowing, eucalypt seedlings were not observed at any of the three experimental sites. The result shows the inability of eucalypts to adapt to condition outside of their natural range. However, native species demonstrated their strong capacity for natural regeneration in forest fragments under the same conditions where eucalypts were seeded. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) young nests in a fragment of the Neotropical Forest

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

An evaluation of direct seeding for reforestation of degraded lands in central São Paulo state, Brazil

As part of a larger study evaluating several silvicultural techniques for restoring tropical moist forests on abandoned agricultural lands in southeastern Brazil, direct seeding with five early-successional Atlantic forest species was tested at three degraded sites, characterized by different soil types and land-use histories, within the Environmental Protection Area at Botucatu, SP. The species used in this study were Chorisia speciosa, Croton floribundus, Enterolobium contorstisiliquum, Mimosa scabrella, and Schizolobium parahyba. Scarified seeds of each of these species were sown in prepared seed spots in replicated, 0.25 ha mixed-species plots at an initial espacement of 1 m x 1 m at each site. of the five species planted, only two, Enterolobium and Schizolobium, showed good seed germination, seedling survival, and early growth rates, averaging 4.1-4.6 cm stem diameter and 1.5-1.7 m height growth during the first 2 years after sowing. These two species constituted 88-100% of the total stand density, which ranged from 1050 to 1790 stems ha(-1) at 2 years. Despite the poor performance of the other species tested, we observed that the natural regeneration of native forest species originating from remnant forests in the general vicinity of our study sites was significantly greater within the direct-seeded plots than in unplanted control plots that were protected from fire and other disturbances. Published by Elsevier B.V. B.V.

A comparison of the wood anatomy of 11 species from two cerrado habitats (cerrado s.s. and adjacent gallery forest)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Dominance of legume trees alters nutrient relations in mixed species forest restoration plantings within seven years

Failures in reforestation are often attributed to nutrient limitation for tree growth. We compared tree performance and nitrogen and phosphorus relations in adjacent mixed-species plantings of contrasting composition, established for forest restoration on Ultisol soil, originally covered by tropical semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest in Southeast Brazil. Nutrient relations of four tree species occurring in both planting mixtures were compared between a legume-dominated, species-poor direct seeding mixture of early-successional species ("legume mixture"), and a species-diverse, legume-poor mixture of all successional groups ("diverse mixture"). After 7 years, the legume mixture had 6-fold higher abundance of N(2)-fixing trees, 177% higher total tree basal area, 22% lower litter C/N, six-fold higher in situ soil resin-nitrate, and 40% lower in situ soil resin-P, compared to the diverse mixture. In the legume mixture, non-N(2)-fixing legume Schizolobium parahyba (Fabaceae-Caesalpinioideae) had significantly lower proportional N resorption, and both naturally regenerating non-legume trees had significantly higher leaf N concentrations, and higher proportional P resorption, than in the diverse mixture. This demonstrate forms of plastic adjustment in all three non-N(2)-fixing species to diverged nutrient relations between mixtures. By contrast, leaf nutrient relations in N(2)-fixing Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Fabaceae-Mimosoideae) did not respond to planting mixtures. Rapid N accumulation in the legume mixture caused excess soil nitrification over nitrate immobilization and tighter P recycling compared with the diverse mixture. The legume mixture succeeded in accelerating tree growth and canopy closure, but may imply periods of N losses and possibly P limitation. Incorporation of species with efficient nitrate uptake and P mobilization from resistant soil pools offers potential to optimize these tradeoffs.

Structural and functional leaf traits of two Gochnatia species from distinct growth forms in a sclerophyll forest site in Southeastern Brazil

O gênero Gochnatia é comumente encontrado em diferentes fitofisionomias do Cerrado do Estado de São Paulo, crescendo desde ambientes mais abertos até áreas florestais mais fechadas. Aqui foram comparadas a anatomia foliar e alguns parâmetros ecofisiológicos de duas espécies do gênero Gochnatia, uma arbustiva (Gochnatia barrosii Cabrera) e a outra arbórea (Gochnatia polymorpha (Less.) Cabrera), ambas ocorrendo em área de cerradão na Estação Ecológica de Assis, SP. Encontraram-se diferenças estruturais qualitativas entre as espécies, com G. barrosii apresentando folhas anfiestomáticas, com epiderme unisseriada e G. polymorpha apresentando folhas hipoestomáticas, com epiderme múltipla ou hipoderme, na face adaxial. Além disso, as folhas de G. barrosii apresentaram menores valores para a espessura dos tecidos (com exceção da epiderme na face abaxial) e da folha em relação a G. polymorpha. Foram observadas diferenças na assimilação de CO2 tanto em base de área quanto de massa seca foliar, além de diferenças na área foliar específica, sendo esta maior em G. barrosii. Apesar das folhas de G. barrosii possuírem estrutura bem menos escleromorfa do que as folhas de G. polymorpha, não foram encontradas diferenças na eficiência do uso de água. Os resultados sugerem que espécies de formas distintas de crescimento de um mesmo gênero possuem características foliares diferenciadas para lidar com as variações ambientais a que são submetidas.

Impact of Road Clearings on the Movements of Three Understory Insectivorous Bird Species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

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

Use of Poisson spatiotemporal regression models for the Brazilian Amazon Forest: malaria count data

INTRODUÇÃO: A malaria é uma doença endêmica na região da Amazônia Brasileira, e a detecção de possíveis fatores de risco pode ser de grande interesse às autoridades em saúde pública. O objetivo deste artigo é investigar a associação entre variáveis ambientais e os registros anuais de malária na região amazônica usando métodos bayesianos espaço-temporais. MÉTODOS: Utilizaram-se modelos de regressão espaço-temporais de Poisson para analisar os dados anuais de contagem de casos de malária entre os anos de 1999 a 2008, considerando a presença de alguns fatores como a taxa de desflorestamento. em uma abordagem bayesiana, as inferências foram obtidas por métodos Monte Carlo em cadeias de Markov (MCMC) que simularam amostras para a distribuição conjunta a posteriori de interesse. A discriminação de diferentes modelos também foi discutida. RESULTADOS: O modelo aqui proposto sugeriu que a taxa de desflorestamento, o número de habitants por km² e o índice de desenvolvimento humano (IDH) são importantes para a predição de casos de malária. CONCLUSÕES: É possível concluir que o desenvolvimento humano, o crescimento populacional, o desflorestamento e as alterações ecológicas associadas a estes fatores estão associados ao aumento do risco de malária. Pode-se ainda concluir que o uso de modelos de regressão de Poisson que capturam o efeito temporal e espacial em um enfoque bayesiano é uma boa estratégia para modelar dados de contagem de malária.

Comparação quantitativa da comunidade de aves de um fragmento de floresta semidecidual do interior do Estado de São Paulo em intervalo de 30 anos

Poucos estudos avaliaram em longo prazo a variação no tamanho populacional das espécies de aves em fragmentos florestais. Para avaliar a riqueza e a abundância específica da comunidade de aves de um remanescente de mata semidecidual do interior do Estado de São Paulo, sudeste do Brasil, foi conduzido o censo da avifauna florestal utilizando-se a metodologia de contagem em transecção. Estes resultados foram comparados com levantamento realizado na mesma localidade 30 anos antes, e as aves foram classificadas de acordo com suas categorias alimentares com a finalidade de associá-las à tendência ao aumento/diminuição de suas abundâncias após este intervalo de tempo. Embora tenha havido predominância de espécies com diminuição populacional, todas as categorias tróficas analisadas apresentaram também espécies com aumento em suas abundâncias. A maioria das espécies com propensão a deslocarem-se entre fragmentos apresentou diminuição em suas abundâncias. Sugerimos que, em relação a suas abundâncias específicas, as categorias tróficas são igualmente afetadas pelos processos da fragmentação, e que a regeneração florestal sofrida pelo remanescente pode ter resultado na perda de espécies de bordas. Espécies cujas abundâncias tenham reduzido neste intervalo de tempo podem sofrer extinção local futuramente.