The role of soil in vegetated gravelly river braid plains: more than just a passive response?

This paper reviews the role of alluvial soils in vegetated gravelly river braid plains. When considering decadal time scales of river evolution, we argue that it becomes vital to consider soil development as an emergent property of the developing ecosystem. Soil processes have been relatively overlooked in accounts of the interactions between braided river processes and vegetation, although soils have been observed on vegetated fluvial landforms. We hypothesise that soil development plays a major role in the transition (speed and pathway) from a fresh sediment deposit to a vegetated soil-covered landform. Disturbance (erosion and/or deposition), vertical sediment structure (process history), vegetation succession, biological activity and water table fluctuation are seen as the main controls on early alluvial soil evolution. Erosion and deposition processes may not only act as soil disturbing agents, but also as suppliers of ecosystem resources, because of their role in delivering and changing access (e.g. through avulsion) to fluxes of water, fine sediments and organic matter. In turn, the associated initial ecosystem may influence further fluvial landform development, such as through the trapping of fine-grained sediments (e.g. sand) by the engineering action of vegetation and the deposit stabilisation by the developing above and belowground biomass. This may create a strong feedback between geomorphological processes, vegetation succession and soil evolution which we summarise in a conceptual model. We illustrate this model by an example from the Allondon River (CH) and identify the research questions that follow.

Splitting rivers at their seams: bifurcations and avulsion

River bifurcations are critical but poorly understood elements of many geomorphological systems. They are integral elements of alluvial fans, braided rivers, fluvial lowland plains, and deltas and control the partitioning of water and sediment through these systems. Bifurcations are commonly unstable but their lifespan varies greatly. In braided rivers bars and channels migrate, split and merge at annual or shorter timescales, thereby creating and abandoning bifurcations. This behaviour has been studied mainly by geomorphologists and fluid dynamicists. Bifurcations also exist during avulsion, the process of a river changing course on a floodplain or in a delta, which may take 102103 years and has been studied mainly by sedimentologists. This review synthesizes our current understanding of bifurcations and brings together insights from different research communities and different environmental settings. We consider the causes and initiation of bifurcations and avulsion, the physical mechanisms controlling bifurcation and avulsion evolution, mathematical and numerical modelling of these processes, and the possibility of stable bifurcations. We end the review with some open questions. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

« Recueil de diverses genealogies ».

Contient : « Genealogie des comtes de Lyon et de Forests par Mr le chevalier GUICHENON, avec l'epitaphe d'Artaud, evesque de Belley » ; « Memoires touchant les comtes de Bar sur Seyne », dressés dans une lettre de M. « De VILLEPROUVEE », écrite « à Troyes, ce 4 febvrier 1653 » et adressée au P. J. Vignier ; « Contrele testament de Gerard de Roussillon » ; « Genealogies des maisons de Soissons, de Neelle et autres, par le R. Père JACQUES VIGNIER, de la Compagnie de Jésus » ; « Genealogie de la maison de Grandprey, avec des memoires la concernants » ; Genealogie de la maison de Choiseul par M. le marquis « DE LANQUES » : Notes adressées au R. P. Jacques Vignier, par lettres datées du 4 et du 9 février 1661. Epitaphes de différents membres de la famille de Choiseul, la première relevée à Metz par M. le marquis de Lanques, et les autres par le Père Vignier en l'eglise d'Aigremont et en l'abbaye de Morimond ; Lettre du comte D'HAUSSONVILLE au P. Vignier, concernant les sépultures de la maison de Choiseul à Morimond. « A Choiseul, ce 16 aoust 1658 » ; « Memoires de monseigneur DU CANGE, concernant la maison de Beaujeu » ; « Origine de la maison de Pontaillier ou Pontaillé », par le Père J. Vignier. A la suite : « genealogie de la maison de Pontaillier, suivant les lettres de madame la marquise de Rinel, en 1658 » et « Esclaircissements envoyés au P. J. Vignier de la Cie de Jésus, sur la genealogie de la maison de Pontaillier, descendue des comtes de Champagne » ; « Genealogie de la maison Dessalles de Rorté » adressée dans une lettre datée de Toul, 16 mars 1660, au P. J. Vignier par un descendant de cette famille « LOUYS DESSALLES DE RORTE » ; « Genealogie de la maison de Bourlemont », accompagnee d'une lettre au P. Vignier du Sr DE THUMERY, lettre datée de Bourlemont, le 23 octobre, sans désignation d'année ; « Memoires des seigneurs de Plancy » en Champagne, accompagnés d'une lettre de M. « DE VILLEPROUVEE » au P. J. Vignier ; « Memoires de la maison de Montbel » ; Lettre du Sr « DE VILLEPROUVEE » au P. J. Vignier sur les comtes de Champagne, la maison de Ravenel, les seigneurs de Sablonnière. « Troyes, ce premier de febvrier 1659 » ; Lettre du sieur « DE BEURVILLE » sur le même sujet. Cette lettre, adressée au P. J. Vignier, porte au dos 2 cachets de cire rouge aux armes des Srs de Beurville ; « Lettre de Mr DU LION, Sgr DE POINSSON » au P. J. Vignier, concernant la « genealogie de la maison du Lion ou de Lyon », dont l'auteur de la lettre était issu. Poinsson, 2 janvier 1664 ; Lettre du Sr « DE GAND » concernant sa famille, audit Père. « Dijon, 12 avril 1662 » ; « Genealogie de la maison de Fontetes... prez de St-Seine » ; « Mémoires de la maison de messieurs le Grand » ; « Eloge et genealogie de Jean Mercier, professeur royal en l'Université de Paris » ; Notes, qui semblent autographes, concernant le mariage et la naissance des enfants de JOSIAS MERCIER, seigneur DE GRIGNY etc ; Nouveau tableau généalogique avec blasons relatifs à cette famille ; Lettre autographe signée de PIERRE, « NEVELET DE DOSCHE », audit Père. Chaumont, 11 juin 1662 ; « Genealogie de messieurs de Beze » depuis Guyot de Beze, bourgeois de Cosne, vers le milieu du XVe siècle, jusqu'à Theodore de Beze, qui résigna le prieuré de Villeselve en 1548

Insect feeding preferences on Piperaceae species observed in São Paulo city, Brazil

Piperaceae species have been placed among the basal angiosperm and are adapted to a variety of habitats including moist forests, secondary vegetation and dry high lands. The major anatomical/morphology features are of small trees, vines, and shrubs for Piper species, while the epiphytic and succulent characteristics are predominant forms among Peperomia species. Their secondary chemistry can be mostly represented by amides, phenylpropanoids/lignoids, and chromenes in addition to a phletoria of biosynthetically mixed-origin secondary compounds. Although several amides and lignans are known as insecticides, several phytophagous insects, among which some considered pests of economic importance, have been observed feeding vigorously on Piperaceae species. Herein we describe the feeding preferences of fourteen phytophagous species of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Hemiptera over approximately fifty Piperaceae species observed in São Paulo, SP, Brazil, in a long-term basis.

A 15-year post evaluation of the fire effects on ant community in an area of Amazonian forest

Fire represents an important disturbance to ant communities in areas of fire regime. Otherwise, little is known about the effects of fire on ant communities in areas of non-fire regimes, such as in the Amazonian region. We evaluated the long-term effect of fire on ant species richness in a rain forest (Bacaba Plateau) burned 15-years ago and compare our data with the data of primary unburned forest. A total of 85 ant species distributed in 21 genera and 14 tribes were collected; among them, 72 and 44 species were found on the litter and vegetation, respectively. The fire damaged forest studied supports an intermediate richness of ants when compared to a primary unburned rain forest in the same region. A comparative analysis of ant species richness showed that the Bacaba Plateau presented a different ant fauna when compared with the primary unburned forests, suggesting that fire can alter ant species composition. Although, our results cannot be conclusive on the effects of fire on ant community, they represent a pioneer data on human induced fire in tropical rain forests.

Epiphytic lichens as surrogates for biodiversity and ecosystem resilience in native oakwoods of the Baixo Tamega region (Northern Portugal)

In the last 50 years, concern about the loss of lichen diversity associated with forest management and forest fragmentation has led to many studies designed to assess patterns and monitor trends of lichen biodiversity in forests worldwide. However there are surprisingly few studies focusing on the effect of natural disturbance for epiphytic lichens in forest ecosystems and, especially, on how these changes affect the relationships between epiphytic lichens and other organisms. The major goal of this thesis was to characterize and valuate the epiphytic lichens in the Baixo Tamega region (northern Portugal) and to assess its vulnerability to several drivers of change, particularly fire. The study area is located in Aboboreira and Castelo, a mountain area with 105 km2 and a top altitude of approximately 1000 m.a.s.l. In this region, fire is one of the worst natural catastrophes not only because of its high frequency and wide extension but also because of their enormous destructive effects. This thesis has included three case studies that proved the need to develop management and conservation actions for the area. In the first study we assessed the epiphytic lichen diversity in the oak woods of the Aboboreira and Castelo mountains. Results have revealed high diversity value and presence of a lichen community that has suffered general decline throughout Europe. The second study has addressed the impact of fire over epiphytic lichens and community recovering patterns. Results observed along the fire gradient showed that the most common and abundant lichen species establish themselves early in post-fire gradient while “old-growth” associated lichens tend to recover slowly along the same gradient. The third study intended to evaluate the potential use of selected lichen species or groups as biodiversity surrogates, in a scenario of fire-controlled ecological changes. Results showed that the use of epiphytic lichens as surrogates of bryophyte and vascular plant diversity should consider not only species richeness and composition, but also occurrence of disturbing factors, such fire. among the studied groups, lichen genera is the only group that can be used as surrogate of total epiphytic lichen diversity, independently of fire induced changes

A new cluster-brood building species of Plebeia (Hymenoptera, Apidae) from eastern Brazil

A new species of Plebeia, the second largest genus of stingless bees in the Neotropical region, is described from eastern Brazil. Plebeia grapiuna sp. nov., known only from the lowland forests of southern Bahia, is most similar to P. lucii Moure, a species recently described from Minas Gerais. The lack of yellow marks and the smoother integument of the frons and mesoscutum in P. grapiuna sp. nov. distinguish them. Main features of the nesting habits of the new species are described and illustrated.

Phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in the Ribeira Valley Speleological Province - 1. Parque Estadual Intervales, state of São Paulo, Brazil

The identification of the sandfly fauna and investigation of some ecological aspects of its populations in areas frequented by tourists of the PEI, an Atlantic forest reserve with many caves, were the objective of this study. Captures were undertaken monthly from January 2001 to December 2002, with automatic light traps installed in 13 ecotopes, including caves, forests, domiciliary and peridomiciliary environments, and by aspiration in armadillo burrows. Additionally, although not at regular intervals, Shannon traps were installed in forests and anthropic environments, aspirations were made on cave walls, among roots and fallen leaves, and some insects were captured while biting researchers. A total of 891 sandflies belonging to 21 species were captured. Six hundred specimens representing 19 species were captured with light traps, 215 in anthropic (2.24 insects/trap) and 385 in extra-domiciliary (1.46 insects/trap) environments. Brumptomyia troglodytes was the most abundant species (the Standardised Index of Species Abundance = 0.705). Pintomyia monticola predominated in the Shannon traps and showed anthropophilic and diurnal activity. Psathyromyia pascalei predominated in the aspirations; the largest number being in armadillo burrows. Eleven species were captured in caves; although some might be troglophiles, the majority used these ecotopes as resting places. Nyssomyia intermedia, Nyssomyia neivai and Migonemyia migonei, implicated in the transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Southeastern Brazilian region, were all found, though in such low densities as to suggest minimal risk of the disease in the PEI.

Synanthropy and ecological aspects of Muscidae (Diptera) in a tropical dry forest ecosystem in Colombia

The synanthropic index and other ecological aspects of the Muscidae family were evaluated through simultaneous monthly sampling in three different environments (urban, rural and forest) using van Someren-Rydon traps baited with human faeces, chicken viscera and decomposing fish and onion. Four traps were set up in each environment (one per bait item) for 48 hours per month, with samples taken every 12 hours. A total of 5726 specimens were collected, belonging to 19 species and 13 genera. Brontaea normata (+99,9), Brontaea quadristigma (+96,9), Synthesiomyia nudiseta (+96,5), Ophyra aenescens (+96,2), Musca domestica (+95,7) and Atherigona orientalis (+93,8) had the highest synanthropic indices, showing a marked preference for human environments. The most abundant species were B. normata (24,31%), Biopyrellia bipuncta (20,60%) and Pseudoptilolepis nigripoda (15,82%), the latter two showed a preference for uninhabited areas. A total of 11 new records for Colombia were found: Ophyra aenescens, Cyrtoneuropsis pararescita, Morellia basalis, Neomuscina dorsipuncta, Biopyrellia bipuncta, Pseudoptilolepis nigripoda, Neomuscina instabilis, Neomuscina currani, Polietina orbitalis, Neomuscina pictipennis and Cyrtoneuropsis maculipennis. Except for the first four species, the remainder presented negative synantrophy indexes (from minor to major), which would allow to use them as ecological indicators of the disturbance degree of dry forests in Colombia.

Phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in the Speleological Province of the Ribeira Valley: 2. Parque Estadual do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), São Paulo State, Brazil

The Parque Estadual do Alto Ribeira (PETAR) with about 250 caves, in an Atlantic forest reserve, is an important ecotourist attraction in the Ribeira Valley, an endemic area of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). With the purpose of investigating Leishmania vector species bothersome to humans the sandfly fauna was identified and some of its ecological aspects in the Santana nucleus, captures were undertaken monthly with automatic light traps in 11 ecotopes, including caves, forests, a camping site and domiciliary environments, and on black and white Shannon traps, from January/2001 to December/2002. A total of 2,449 sandflies representing 21 species were captured. The highest values of abundance obtained in the captures with automatic light traps were for Psathyromyia pascalei and Psychodopygus ayrozai. A total of 107 specimens representing 13 species were captured on black (12 species) and white (6 species) Shannon traps set simultaneously. Psychodopygus geniculatus females predominated on the black (43.75%), and Psathyromyia lanei and Ps. ayrozai equally (32.4%) on the white. Nyssomyia intermedia and Nyssomyia neivai, both implicated in the transmission of ACL in the Brazilian Southeastern region, were also captured. Ny. intermedia predominated in the open camping area. Low frequencies of phlebotomines were observed in the caves, where Evandromyia edwardsi predominated Lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of the American visceral leishmaniasis, was aslo present. This is its most southernly reported occurrence in the Atlantic forest.

The fauna of phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in different phytogeographic regions of the state of Maranhão, Brazil

Phlebotomine specimens were captured in domiciliary and forest environments in 47 municipalities between 1982 and 2005 with the aid of CDC light traps. A total of 91 species were found, of which four belonged to genus Brumptomyia and 87 to genus Lutzomyia, distributed among the following subgenera: Evandromyia (6), Lutzomyia (5), Micropygomyia (2), Nyssomyia (9), Pintomyia (2), Pressatia (3), Psathyromyia (6), Psychodopygus (14), Sciopemyia (4), Trichophoromyia (2), Viannamyia (2); species groups: Aragaoi (2), Baityi (1), Dreisbachi (1), Migonei (12), Oswaldoi (8), Pilosa (1), Saulensis (2), Verrucarum (4) and ungrouped (1). Species diversity was greatest in areas where there was dense evergreen seasonal forest (52 species), ombrophilous forest (31) and meridional cerrados (23) and lowest in areas with mixed forest (forest with babassu palms, cerrado and caatinga). The greatest similarity index was observed for restinga and open evergreen seasonal forest (J=0.48). Dense evergreen seasonal forest had greatest similarity with ombrophilous forest (J=0.38). The phlebotomine fauna was species rich and unevenly distributed in Maranhão, reflecting the phytogeographical complexity of the state, which is a result of the great variety of ecosystems and climate zones.

Diversity of Odonata (Insecta) in lotic systems from Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

Diversity of Odonata (Insecta) in lotic systems from Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. A systematic survey was carried out in four lotic systems from Serra da Bodoquena, the largest natural forests of the State, from August 2007 to November 2008. 548 specimens belonging to 33 species, distributed in 5 families were sampled. Libellulidae was dominant, with 13 species, followed by Gomphidae, Coenagrionidae, Protoneuridae and Calopterygidae.

Evaluating leaf litter beetle data sampled by Winkler extraction from Atlantic forest sites in southern Brazil

Evaluating leaf litter beetle data sampled by Winkler extraction from Atlantic forest sites in southern Brazil. To evaluate the reliability of data obtained by Winkler extraction in Atlantic forest sites in southern Brazil, we studied litter beetle assemblages in secondary forests (5 to 55 years after abandonment) and old-growth forests at two seasonally different points in time. For all regeneration stages, species density and abundance were lower in April compared to August; but, assemblage composition of the corresponding forest stages was similar in both months. We suggest that sampling of small litter inhabiting beetles at different points in time using the Winkler technique reveals identical ecological patterns, which are more likely to be influenced by sample incompleteness than by differences in their assemblage composition. A strong relationship between litter quantity and beetle occurrences indicates the importance of this variable for the temporal species density pattern. Additionally, the sampled beetle material was compared with beetle data obtained with pitfall traps in one old-growth forest. Over 60% of the focal species captured with pitfall traps were also sampled by Winkler extraction in different forest stages. Few beetles with a body size too large to be sampled by Winkler extraction were only sampled with pitfall traps. This indicates that the local litter beetle fauna is dominated by small species. Hence, being aware of the exclusion of large beetles and beetle species occurring during the wet season, the Winkler method reveals a reliable picture of the local leaf litter beetle community.

Diversity of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae (Diptera, Oestroidea) in continuous forest and gaps at different stages of regeneration in the Urucu oilfield in western Brazilian Amazonia

Diversity of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae (Diptera, Oestroidea) in continuous forest and gaps at different stages of regeneration in the Urucu oilfield in western Brazilian Amazonia. The diversity of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae in continuous forest and gaps at different stages of regeneration was studied in the Urucu river basin, in Coari, state of Amazonas, Brazil. The flies were collected at 16 sampling points, 12 in gaps at different stages of regeneration (early _ C1, mid- C2 and late successional _ C3) and four in continuous forest _ MT. The diversity of blowflies was similar in the two less regenerated habitats (C1 and C2), and lower than that in the late successional (C3) and continuous forests (MT). By contrast, the diversity of flesh flies was much higher in all three types of gaps (C1, C2 and C3) in comparison with continuous forest (MT). Ordination (NMDS) and similarity (ANOSIM) analyses revealed that the blowflies communities were grouped by habitat type, which affected species composition more than diversity. Analysis of the flesh flies revealed two main groupings, gaps (C1, C2 and C3) and continuous forest (MT), with no evidence of any influence of successional stage on the diversity of the community.

Leaf-litter amount as a factor in the structure of a ponerine ants community (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ponerinae) in an eastern Amazonian rainforest, Brazil

Leaf-litter amount as a factor in the structure of a ponerine ants community (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ponerinae) in an eastern Amazonian rainforest, Brazil. Leaf-litter may be an important factor in structuring ponerine ant communities (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Ponerinae) in tropical rainforests. We specifically examined how leaf-litter affects the structure of a ponerine ant community in primary Amazonian rainforest sites at the Ferreira Penna Scientific Station, Pará, Brazil. A total of 53 species belonging to eight genera of three ponerine tribes were collected with mini-Winkler extractors. The amount of leaf-litter positively affected the abundance and richness of the ponerine ant community, and also influenced species composition. Nearby samples often had low species similarity, especially when adjacent samples differed in the amount of leaf-litter. Leaf-litter availability in Amazonian primary forests is a key factor for distribution of ground-dwelling ponerine species, even at small scales.