Frugivory in cotingas of the Atlantic Forest of southeast Brazil

In this paper we present a list of plant species whose fruits are eaten by eight cotinga species (Carpornis cucullatus, C. melanocephalus, Laniisoma elegans, Lipaugus lanioides, Oxyruncus cristatus, Phibalura flavirostris, Procnias nudicollis, and Pyroderus scutatus) at Parque Estadual Intervales (PEI), an Atlantic Forest reserve in southeast Brazil. Besides providing a list of fruits eaten by cotingas, our goal is to allow insights into fruit use by these birds whose ecology is poorly known. From 1990 to 2001 four sites located within PEI were regularly visited. These sites form an altitudinal gradient (70-800 m a.s.l.) and also a gradient of forest disturbance (second-growth to old-growth vegetation). Feeding records were made along several trails and dirt roads that crossed the study sites. Cotingas ate a variety of fruits (99 species in 34 families) that ranged from small (< 5 mm diameter) to large (up to 37 mm) and included some non-ornithochorous ones. With the exception of P. nudicollis, cotingas exploited not only fruits typical of the forest interior but also fruits of secondary vegetation, suggesting that concerning fruit exploitation early successional vegetation does not represent a barrier for the survival of these cotingas.

Inter and intraspecific variation on reproductive phenology of the Brazilian Atlantic forest Rubiaceae: Ecology and phylogenetic constraints

The reproductive phenology of seven species of Rubiaceae from the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest was compared to evaluate the occurrence of phylogenetic constraints on flowering and fruiting phenologies. Since phenological patterns can be affected by phylogenetic constraints, we expected that reproductive phenology would be similar among plants within a family or genus, occurring during the same time (or season) of the year. Observations on flowering and fruiting phenology were carried out monthly, from December 1996 to January 1998, at Núcleo Picinguaba, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Ubatuba, São Paulo State, Brazil. Nine phenological variables were calculated to characterize, quantify and compare the reproductive phenology of the Rubiaceae species. The flowering patterns were different among the seven species studied, and the Kruskal-Wallis test indicated significant differences in flowering duration, first flowering, peak flowering and flowering synchrony. The peaks and patterns of fruiting intensity were different among the Rubiaceae species studied and they differed significantly from conspecifics in the phenological variables fruiting duration, fruiting peak date, and fruiting synchrony (Kruskal-Wallis test). Therefore, we found no evidence supporting the phylogenetic hypotheses, and climate does not seem to constrain flowering and fruiting patterns of the Rubiaceae species in the understory of the Atlantic forest.

Fruit and seed exploitation by small rodents of the Brazilian Atlantic forest

In the Brazilian Atlantic forest (BAF) there are at least 57 rodent species and most of them are considered omnivorous. These species feed, more or less frequently, on fruits and seeds. Nevertheless the potential role of each species as frugivorous, seed predator or seed disperser is still unclear. In the present study we analyzed patterns of fruit and seed exploitation by eight small rodent species from an Atlantic Forest site. We offered to captive animals fruits of 30 plant species (23 genera, 15 families). After 48 h we recorded consumption patterns of pulp/aril and seed. Rodent species differed in their patterns of fruit and seed exploitation. The smallest species, Akodon serrensis, Oligoryzomys nigripes, and Wilfredomys pictipes (body size range : 26-45 g), and also the medium-sized Oecomys aff. concolor (84 g) fed mainly on pulp and also on small to medium-sized seeds (< 10 mm diameter). The medium-sized rodent, Oryzomys russatus (91 g) fed on pulp and also on seeds with diameter ≤ 15 mm. Thus larger seeds remain intact after being manipulated by such species. The medium-sized Delomys dorsalis (72 g) and the larger Trinomys iheringi (274 g) and Nectomys squamipes (253 g) form a third group, which consumed both fruit and seed of most species independent of their size. These later two species and also O. russatus are probably the main seed predators in the rodent community of the BAF.

Non-Specific Interaction between Ants (Hymenoptera; Formicidae) and Fruits of Syagrus romanzoffiana (Arecaceae) in an Area of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

On the forest floor of a fragment of the Atlantic Forest which is considered to be in a stage of recuperation, located in southeastern Brazil, we recorded 54 species of ants interacting with the fruits of Syagrus romanzoffiana (Arecaceae). Myrmicinae was the subfamily which was the richest in species, followed by Ponerinae, Formicinae, Ecitoninae, Dolichoderinae, Pseudomyrmecinae and Cerapachyinae. The fruits of S. romanzoffiana can be classified according to whether or not they are preyed by the squirrel Sciurus ingrami, and the ant fauna that visits the fruits has an average similarity. Regarding diversity, the data suggest that there is no significant difference between ant assemblages at preyed and non-preyed-upon fruit falls. The results also indicate that there is no specific interaction between the ant fauna that visits the fruits of S. romanzoffiana, as it consists largely of species with omnivorous feeding habits.

The ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) community in two species of the Euphorbiaceae, Alchornea sidifolia and Croton floribundus, in an area of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

The number of individuals and species richness of ants were investigated in two species of Euphorbiaceae found in three areas of differentiated flora. These areas form part of a fragment of the Atlantic Forest located in the Serra do Itapety, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Fifty eight ant species were sampled, belonging to 23 genera and 6 sub-families; 40% of the species are arboreal. The sub-family Myrmicinae was the richest in species, with Pheidole being the most diverse genus and Crematogaster the most commonly-occurring. In the three study areas, no significant differences were found between the number of individuals and the species richness of ants collected on the trunks of Euphorbiaceae. C. floribundus Spreng and A. sidifolia Muell. Arg. are similar with respect to the number of ant species sampled; the number collected being 40 and 47, respectively.

Reproductive modes in frogs and their unexpected diversity in the Atlantic forest of Brazil

Amphibians, and especially the anurans (frogs and toads), exhibit a greater diversity of reproductive modes than other tetrapod vertebrates. Twenty-nine reproductive modes have been recognized for the anurans; we propose 10 more, elevating by more than 34% the number of reproductive modes known for anurans worldwide. These newly recognized reproductive modes for the frogs elevate by almost 48% the number of anuran reproductive modes known for the Neotropics. The highly complex topography of the Atlantic forest, breaking up the biome into many small microhabitats, and the high humidity, which reduces desiccation risks, have enabled the evolution of reproductive specializations such as eggs or tadpoles that develop out of water. Nearly 90% of the Atlantic forest has been cleared, and because several anurans are endemic to this region or have specialized reproductive modes dependent on the forest, this partly explains the generalized population declines and large numbers of species that have disappeared in the last few decades. © 2005 American Institute of Biological Sciences.

Reproductive phenology of Atlantic forest tree species in Brazil: An eleven year study

This paper describes the reproductive phenorhythms of tree species in a tropical seasonal lowland forest in Southeastern Brazil. Every two weeks, five individuals of 41 species were observed for the occurrence of flowering and fruiting, from May 1982 to December 1992. All phenophases showed high seasonality, when considering the whole set of species, but the amplitude of the cycles was much more variable between years; only 13 species had regular flowering. Infra-annual flowering and fruiting were found in 11 and four species, respectively, while only one species flowered and fruited continually. Supra-annual cycles were observed in four (flowering) and seven (fruiting) species. An increase was observed in number of species and individuals flowering and fruiting from 1990 to 1992, following mainly an elevation in the absolute minimum air temperature. These data suggest a relationship between reproductive phenology and major climatic phenomena like El Niño events and solar activity cycles. © International Society for Tropical Ecology.

Atlantic forest fragmentation and genetic diversity of an isolated population of the Blue-manakin, Chiroxiphia caudata (Pipridae), assessed by microsatellite analyses

Habitat fragmentation is predicted to restrict gene flow, which can result in the loss of genetic variation and inbreeding depression. The Brazilian Atlantic forest has experienced extensive loss of habitats since European settlement five centuries ago, and many bird populations and species are vanishing. Genetic variability analysis in fragmented populations could be important in determining their long-term viability and for guiding management plans. Here we analyzed genetic diversity of a small understory bird, the Blue-manakins Chiroxiphia caudata (Pipridae), from an Atlantic forest fragment (112 ha) isolated 73 years ago, and from a 10,000 ha continuous forest tract (control), using orthologous microsatellite loci. Three of the nine loci tested were polymorphic. No statistically significant heterozygote loss was detected for the fragment population. Although genetic diversity, which was estimated by expected heterozygosity and allelic richness, has been lower in the fragment population in relation to the control, it was not statistically significant, suggesting that this 112 ha fragment can be sufficient to maintain a blue-manakin population large enough to avoid stochastic effects, such as inbreeding and/or genetic drift. Alternatively, it is possible that 73 years of isolation did not accumulate sufficient generations for these effects to be detected. However, some alleles have been likely lost, specially the rare ones, what is expected from genetic drift for such a small and isolated population. A high genetic differentiation was detected between populations by comparing both allelic and genotypic distributions. Only future studies in continuous areas are likely to answer if such a structure was caused by the isolation resulted from the forest fragmentation or by natural population structure.

Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Magnoliophyta native to the Atlantic forest

The aim of the study was to analyze the preferences of ant species visiting the trunks of eight species of Magnoliophyta, belonging to the families Fabaceae, Arecaceae, Myrtaceae, Melastomataceae and Euphorbiaceae, located in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. A total of 101 ant species, belonging to eight subfamilies and 32 genera, were sampled during the 12-month collection period. Close to 30% of the ant species can be considered arboreal, and the others are species that nest in the ground and use trees only for foraging, which can be occasional, as in the case of the Ecitoninae sampled in Arecaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Pachycondyla mesonotalis was the only species collected on all the Magnoliophyta, whereas Camponotus rufipes, Acromyrmex niger and Crematogaster spp., were found on 87.5% of the trees analyzed. No strong similarities were found, using the Jaccard Index, among plant species in the same family of Magnoliophyta based on the visiting ants, except for the Euphorbiaceae species. This result is probably related to the presence of extra-floral nectar, which is very attractive to ants and characteristic of this family.

Relief influence on the spatial distribution of the Atlantic Forest cover on the Ibiúna Plateau, SP

Several studies suggest that, on a large scale, relief conditions influence the Atlantic Forest cover. The aim of this work was to explore these relationships on a local scale, in Caucaia do Alto, on the Ibiúna Plateau. Within an area of about 78 km2, the distribution of forest cover, divided into two successional stages, was associated with relief attribute data (slope, slope orientation and altitude). The mapping of the vegetation was based on the interpretation of stereoscopic pairs of aerial photographs, from April 2000, on a scale of 1:10,000, while the relief attributes were obtained by geoprocessing from digitalized topographic maps on a scale of 1:10,000. Statistical analyses, based on qui-square tests, revealed that there was a more extensive forest cover, irrespective of the successional stage, in steeper areas (>10 degrees) located at higher altitudes (>923 m), but no influence of the slope orientation. There was no sign of direct influence of relief on the forest cover through environmental gradients that might have contributed to the forest regeneration. Likewise, there was no evidence that these results could have been influenced by the distance from roads or urban areas or with respect to permanent preservation areas. Relief seems to influence the forest cover indirectly, since agricultural land use is preferably made in flatter and lower areas. These results suggest a general distribution pattern of the forest remnants, independent of the scale of study, on which relief indirectly has a strong influence, since it determines human occupation.

Reproductive biology of an endemic Physalaemus of the Brazilian Atlantic forest, and the trade-of between clutch and egg size in terrestrial breeders of the P. signifer group

Physalaemus crombiei is a small foam-nesting frog endemic to the Atlantic forest. It is a member of the P. signifer group known only from its type locality in Santa Teresa, State of Espírito Santo, and from another locality in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Most Physalaemus species are aquatic breeders, and species in the P. signifer group are the only ones exhibiting a tendency toward terrestrial reproduction in the genus. Here we describe the reproductive period, breeding site and reproductive modes of P. crombiei from a third population in the Atlantic forest, southeastern Brazil. We also investigated reproductive effort and size-fecundity relationships in females. Reproductive traits were compared to other species in the genus Physalaemus, especially those included in the P. signifer group. Physalaemus crombiei is a prolonged breeder, reproducing throughout the year with a peak of activity during the most rainy months (October-March). Males called from the humid forest foor and eggs embedded in foam nests were deposited in the water as well as on the humid foor amidst the leaf litter, or inside fallen leaves or tree holes containing rainwater on the forest foor. As expected, P. crombiei exhibited three alternative reproductive modes, as described for other species of the P. signifer group. The number of eggs produced per female varied from 91 to 250. Female body size is positively correlated both with ovary mass and clutch size (number of eggs per clutch). Variation in the number and size of eggs observed in Physalaemus species may be explained not only by female size, but also by the terrestrial reproductive mode exhibited by the species in the P. signifer group.

Helminth parasites of hypsiboas prasinus (Anura: Hylidae) from two atlantic forest fragments, São Paulo State, Brazil

Seventy-seven males of Hypsiboas prasinus from 2 Atlantic forest fragments in the municipalities of Botucatu and Jundiaí, São Paulo State, Brazil, were examined for endoparasites. The frogs were captured in summer (January until March) and winter (July/August) of 2008 and 2009. Thirty-three males (75) from Botucatu were infected with Rhabdias cf. fuelleborni, cosmocerciid nematodes, and Cylindrotaenia americana. Twenty-five tree frogs (78.5) from Jundiaí were infected by Rhabdias cf. fuelleborni, Physaloptera sp., and cosmocerciid nematodes. Only cosmocerciid nematodes presented a statistically significance difference in prevalence (z 4.345; P < 0.001) and mean abundance (t 562.0; P < 0.001) between Botucatu and Jundiaí during the winter. Also, the cosmocerciids exhibited higher mean abundance (t 196.0; P 0.034) in winter when compared with summer at the Jundiaí site. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the first report of C. americana in the Brazilian Hylidae. This study presents 4 new records of nematodes in H. prasinus. © 2012 American Society of Parasitologists.

Fish fauna of headwater streams that cross the Atlantic forest of South São Paulo state

The fishes of the present study were collected in the headwater streams of the Sorocaba, Paranapanema and Ribeira de Iguape river basins during the dry period in 2010. A total of 2892 fishes, grouped in 53 species, were captured. The composition of the ichthyofauna captured in the streams of Sorocaba and Paranapanema river basin was greatly similar. On the other hand, the fish fauna of the streams of Ribeira de Iguape river basin were quite different from the ones captured in the others basins, with the occurrence of endangered species (Isbrueckerichthys epakmos and I. duseni) and exotic species (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). The previous list of fish for the Sorocaba river basin increased with the addition of seven species of Characiformes, one Gymnotiformes and four Siluriformes. © 2012 Check List and Authors.

A new species of miniaturized toadlet, genus Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae), from the atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil

A new species of miniaturized froglet (genus Brachycephalus) is described from Morro Prumirim in the municipality of Ubatuba, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected from the leaf litter at approximately 800 m above sea level. The new species is distinguished from all its congeners by the combination of the following characters: snout-vent length 8.7-13.4 mm; skin on head and dorsum with dermal ossification; general color orange, with a narrow brownish vertebral stripe and belly without spots; and skull, spinal processes of sacral and pre-sacral vertebrae, and process of the fourth vertebra hyperossified. Canonical variates analysis of linear body measurement demonstrates that the new species is easily discriminated from other Brachycephalus species with which it shares an intermediate condition of hyperossification. © 2012 by The Herpetologists League, Inc.

Phenotypic changes and small mammal impoverishment on a Brazilian Atlantic Forest Island

Faunal impoverishment and distorted species compositions are common phenomena in oceanic islands; however, many land-bridge islands are poorly inventoried, especially in the Neotropics. We sampled a small mammal community on a land-bridge island (Anchieta Island) along the Brazilian coast. We found only one marsupial Didelphis aurita (Wied-Neuwied, 1826) and two rodent species Oligoryzomys nigripes (Olfers, 1818) and Trinomys iheringi (Thomas, 1911) during 12 months of live trapping and 9195 trap-nights. The diversity of rodents and marsupials was not explained by species-area relations, indicating possible past extinctions. The abundance of D. aurita and O. nigripes was approximately three times higher, while the abundance of T. iheringi was approximately four times lower than abundances reported from other Brazilian Atlantic Forest sites. The population of D. aurita exhibited many phenotypic changes; males were on average 8 % smaller and females produced 30 % less litters than those from the mainland and other land-bridge islands. The long history of forest disturbance, habitat loss, reduction in forest productivity, and the recent introduction of mesopredators may be the major drivers that explain the small mammal community composition on this island. © 2013 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.