Effects of palm heart harvesting on avian frugivores in the Atlantic rain forest of Brazil

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

Rapid Assessment of Seed Removal and Frugivore Activity as a Tool for Monitoring the Health Status of Tropical Forests

Ecological processes in tropical forests are being affected at unprecedented rates by human activities. Yet, the continuity of ecological functions like seed dispersal is crucial for forest regeneration. It thus becomes increasingly urgent to be able to rapidly assess the health status of these processes in order to take appropriate management measures. We tested a method to rapidly evaluate seed removal rates on two animal-dispersed tree species, Virola kwatae and V.michelii (Myristicaceae), at three sites in French Guiana with increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbance. We counted fallen fruits, fruit valves, and seeds of each focal fruiting tree in a single 1m2 quadrat, and calculated two indices: the proportion of seeds removed and the proportion of fruits opened by mammals. They both provide an indirect and rapid assessment of frugivore activity. Our results showed a significant decrease in the proportion of removed seeds (16%) and fruits opened (19%) at the most impacted site in comparison with the other two sites (79% for seeds, 60% and 35% for fruits). This testifies to an increased impoverishment of the primate and toucan communities at the disturbed sites. This standardized protocol provides fast information about the health status of the community of seed dispersers and predators and of their seed removal services. It is time- and cost-effective and is not species-specific, allowing comparisons among sites or over time. We suggest using it with the pantropical Myristicaceae and any other capsule-producing family to rapidly assess the health status of seed removal processes across the tropics.

Microsatellite markers for Bokermannohyla species (Anura, Hylidae) from the Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest domains

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

Patch size, shape and edge distance influences seed predation in a keystone palm in tropical rainforests

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Structure, diversity, and spatial patterns in a permanent plot of a high Restinga forest in Southeastern Brazil

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

Geographic note on species of the genus Upa Kimsey, 1991 (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae, Thynninae) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Upa Kimsey is a poorly known genus of Tiphiidae with seven species. This genus has records in forest areas and in this paper we present new records to four species. All specimens were collected by malaise traps in four areas of Atlantic Rain Forest and three of Atlantic Semi-deciduous forest, mainly from high and mid-elevations. The new records indicate that species of Upa are not as rare as others genera of Tiphiidae, which are virtually unknown in many Neotropical regions.

Tropical Africa as a cradle for horizontal transfers of transposable elements between species of the genus Drosophila and Zaprionus

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Preferential consumption of larger fruits of Piper arboreum (Piperaceae) by Carollia perspicillata (Phyllostomidae) in the Brazilian tropical dry forest

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Comparative floral micromorphology and anatomy of species of Bulbophyllum section Napelli (Orchidaceae), a Neotropical section widely distributed in forest habitats

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

Tmesiphantes mirim sp nov (Araneae: Theraphosidae) from the Atlantic Forest of Bahia, Brazil, biogeographical notes and identification keys for species of the genus

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Chartergellus jeannei, a New Species of the Swarming Social Wasps from the Amazon Forest ( Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Epiponini)

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

Community-wide spatial and temporal discordances of seed-seedling shadows in a tropical rainforest

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

Importance of anatomical leaf features for characterization of three species of Mapania (Mapanioideae, Cyperaceae) from the Amazon Forest, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Allometric equations for estimating tree biomass in restored mixed-species Atlantic Forest stands

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

A new species of Pachycerianthus (cnidaria, Anthozoa, Ceriantharia) from Tropical Southwestern Atlantic

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)