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This article discusses Conservation Units in the conservationist perspective, as instruments to protect nature, assuring the maintenance of Brazilian biodiversity and biomes, in order to build an ecologically balanced environment under the terms of the Federal Constitution of 1988. Through deductive method, exploratory, documental, and bibliographic research, and indirect analysis of Environmental Ministry and Environmental, Sustainable Development State Office data, it makes a legal-theoretical appreciation of the issue in Brazil. By looking at the Brazilian scenario, it notices that most part of the Conservation Units were created by the States and were focused, respectively, on Mata Atlântica, Cerrado, and the Amazon, and had sustainability as a legal-political fundament. The conjuncture of Goiás indicates that stating the Conservation Units existence is not enough, since more than half of Conservation Units lack landing regularization. Also, six out of twenty-five Conservation Units still do not have an Administrative Counsel. Twenty Conservation Units do not have a working plan, which, added to financial and staff difficulties may compromise the expected protection of nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaria is the most important vector-borne disease in the world and a challenge for control programs. In Brazil, 99% of cases occur in the Amazon region. In the extra-Amazonian region, a non-endemic area, epidemiological surveillance focuses on imported malaria and on autochthonous outbreaks, including cases with mild symptoms and low parasitemia acquired in the Atlantic Forest biome. In this scenario, cases are likely to be underreported, since submicroscopic parasitemias are not detected by thick blood smear, considered the reference test. Molecular tests are more sensitive, detecting asymptomatic individuals and mixed infections. The aim of this study was to propose a more efficient alternative to detect asymptomatic individuals living in areas of low malaria endemicity, as they are reservoirs of Plasmodium that maintain transmission locally. In total, 955 blood samples from residents of 16 municipalities with autochthonous malaria outbreaks in the Sao Paulo State were analyzed; 371 samples were collected in EDTA tubes and 584 in filter paper. All samples were initially screened by a genus-specific qPCR targeting ssrRNA genes (limit of detection of 1 parasite/µL). Then, positive samples were subjected to a nested PCR targeting ssrRNA and dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase genes (limit of detection of 10 parasites/µL) to determine Plasmodium species. The results showed a statistically significant difference (K = 0.049; p < 0.0001) between microscopy positivity (6.9%) and qPCR (22.9%) for EDTA-blood samples. Conversely, for samples collected in filter paper, no statistical difference was observed, with 2.6% positivity by thick blood smear and 3.1% for qPCR (K = 0.036; p = 0.7). Samples positive by qPCR were assayed by a species-specific nested PCR that was in turn positive in 26% of samples (16 P. vivax and 4 P. malariae). The results showed that molecular protocols applied to blood samples from residents in areas with autochthonous transmission of malaria were useful to detect asymptomatic patients who act as a source of transmission. The results showed that the genus-specific qPCR was useful for screening positives, with the subsequent identification of species by nested PCR. Additional improvements, such as standardization of blood plotting on filter paper and a more sensitive protocol for species determination, are essential. The qPCR-based algorithm for screening positives followed by nested PCR will contribute to more efficient control of malaria transmission, offering faster and more sensitive tools to detect asymptomatic Plasmodium reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1990s and 2000s, soybean farming grew sharply, particularly in states located in Brazil's mid-west region. To curb deforestation, the Federal Government implemented command and control policies and, at the same time, soy-buying companies and Civil Society Organizations implemented the Soy Moratorium. This paper focused on the major role of these initiatives in decreasing soybean farming in areas deforested after 2006 and their importance in achieving this result. We considered rich database deforestation, and soybean planted area based on highly detailed remote sensing images, combined with explanatory variables of different sources, forming a panel data of 287 municipalities over 8 years. Spatial panel data models are implemented to avoid any spatial correlation problems and to analyze relationships through regional units and time. The results confirm that lower deforestation rates in the biome laid the foundation for reducing soybean farming in the Amazon biome. However, since 2008, when the Soy Moratorium was launched, there was a structural decline in this relationship that was decisive for a decoupling of soybean farming from deforestation. Therefore, government programs to reduce deforestation made room for a new environment for agricultural expansion in line with Brazilian law and environmental commitments. The Soy Moratorium reinforced this new order, and this production chain became a case study on public and private governance, given its importance in reducing soybean farming in deforested areas after the cut-off date. These public and private effects stress the importance of coordinated actions to achieve efficient results, especially in a large social and environmentally complex region as the Brazilian Amazon, to halt biodiversity degradation and increase participation in value added markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to find probabilities of extreme values of the air temperature for the Cerrado, Pantanal and Atlantic Forest biomes in Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. In this case a maximum likelihood estimation was employed for the probability distributions fitting the extreme monthly air temperatures for 2007–2018. Using the Extreme Value Theory approach this work estimates three probability distributions: the Generalized Distribution of Extreme Values (GEV), the Gumbel (GUM) and the Log-Normal (LN). The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, the corrected Akaike criterion AICc, the Bayesian information criterion BIC, the root of the mean square error RMSE and the determination coefficient R2 were applied to measure the goodness-of-fit. The estimated distributions were used to calculate the probabilities of occurrence of maximum monthly air temperatures over 28–32 °C. Temperature predictions were done for the 2-, 5-, 10-, 30-, 50- and 100-year return periods. The GEV and GUM distributions are recommended to be used in the warmer months. In the coldest months, the LN distribution gave a better fit to a series of extreme air temperatures. Deforestation, combustion and extensive fires, and the related aerosol emissions contribute, alongside climate change, to the generation of extreme air temperatures in the studied biomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-horned caddisfly genus Notalina Mosely, 1936 contains 27 species divided into two subgenera. The Neotropical N. (Neonotalina) Holzenthal, 1986 occurs exclusively in South America. Its species are organized into two species groups, brasiliana and roraima. Nine species have been recorded so far in Brazil, mainly distributed in the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes of Southeast Region, and only one species has been recorded from the Central-West and Northeast Regions. In this paper a new species of N. (Neonotalina) is described and illustrated based on adult males from two protected and preserved areas in the Cerrado biome of Brazil. Notalina (Neonotalina) ralphi sp. nov. belongs to the brasiliana species group and can be recognized mainly by the morphology of the preanal appendages and segment X. New distributional records are provided for N. (Neonotalina) brasiliana Holzenthal, 1986. Additionally, a key to identify males of the ten species in the brasiliana species group is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trichomycterid catfish Listrura menezesi, new species, is described from a flooded area adjacent to Rio das Panelas, Rio São João basin, Cachoeiras de Macacu municipality, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. It represents a most valuable remnant of Atlantic Forest biome that still resists the devastation of Brazilian coastlands. Listrura menezesi can be distinguished from its congeners, except L. boticario and L. depinnai, by the absence of a dorsal fin. It mainly differs from L. boticario and L. depinnai by a continuous midlateral dark stripe along the entire body (vs. discontinuous) and a longitudinal row of irregular dots along the dorsal limit of the abdomen extending for nearly the entire body (vs. only on the posterior half of the body in L. boticario and not forming a distinct row in L. depinnai). Although the new species shares with L. boticario and L. depinnai the absence of dorsal fin, recent phylogenetic analyses show a close relationship between L. menezesi and L. macaensis, the latter having a dorsal fin. A putative apomorphic condition for this clade is presented: the abrupt widening on the mesethmoid axis starting posteriorly on the horizontal through the middle region of the autopalatine (vs. anteriorly, on the horizontal through the anterior region of the autopalatine). Listrura menezesi comes as an addition to the ichthyofauna of the Rio São João drainage, a region extensively sampled for the past 20 years and supposedly well known. This paper also highlights the vulnerability of this species and the possibility of its disappearance in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change threats agriculture, mainly in developing countries. Understanding the vulnerability of farmers is very important to counteract the negative impacts. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the degree of vulnerability to climate change of farmers of the Rio das Contas Basin, Brazil, based on their degree of sensibility, exposure, and adaptive capacity. Variations in exposure and vulnerability indexes between regional biomes were calculated. The sensibility index was higher than 50% in all municipalities. The exposure index was over 60% in most municipalities. A value of the adaptive capacity index, sufficient to reduce vulnerability, was not observed in any municipality. The vulnerability index was higher than 66% in more than half of the municipalities. Exposure and vulnerability indexes varied with the biome. The vulnerability is the result of high exposure and sensibility combined with low adaptive capacity. This suggests the need for investment to minimize these effects and mitigation activities to counter the negative impacts of future climate variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few ecologists and evolutionary biologists are familiar with the ecology and evolution of the campo rupestre , an ancient azonal peinobiome characterized by a fire-prone, nutrient-impoverished, montane vegetation mosaic, home to thousands of endemics and climate refugia. With the goal of providing a synthetic view of the campo rupestre , we provide a brief historical account of the biological research, revisit its geographical distribution and identify knowledge gaps. The azonal campo rupestre is distributed as isolated and naturally fragmented sky islands, mostly in Central and Eastern Brazil and in the Guyana Shield, with significant areas across the Amazon, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and Pantanal. Our proposal to elevate campo rupestre to the level of biome is expected to improve communication among scientists and consolidate the use of the term campo rupestre in the ecological and evolutionary literature, as is the case for analogous ecosystems, such as kwongan , fynbos , páramos and tepuis. Based on the identification of knowledge gaps, we propose a research programme comprising ten key topics that can foster our understanding of the ecology and evolution of campo rupestre and, potentially, support conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazilian Cerrado biome is the largest and richest tropical savanna in the world. In order to understand the effects of climate changes on the hydrology of the Cerrado basins, this paper investigates the hydrological impacts of climate change throughout the 21st century under different emissions scenarios on the streamflow and on the droughts in the Sono, Manuel Alves da Natividade and Palma basins, located in the Brazilian Cerrado. For this purpose, the SWAT hydrological model driven by the downscaling of the HadGEM2‐ES and MIROC5 global climate models associated with RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios were used in three time slices (2011–2040, 2041–2070 and 2071–2099). The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Streamflow Index (SSFI) were used to characterize droughts. In general, the results showed that the duration, intensity and frequency of the meteorological and hydrological droughts are expected to increase during the future periods. However, the hydrological droughts are projected to be larger than the meteorological droughts. Reductions in the streamflow are indicated in all future time slices and under both RCPs, especially, during dry periods, which may cause negative impacts in the ecological functions of the Cerrado biome, risk for reduction of the recharge of aquifers and risk for the electric energy production in northern Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosols and primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) play an important role in regulating the global climate, but information summarizing the available knowledge is limited. Here, we present a systematic review of in situ studies performed in the last 35 years on aerosols–PBAPs in Brazil, with 212 studies encompassing 474 cases. The Amazon rainforest was the most studied biome, represented by 72% of cases, followed by the Atlantic Forest with 18%. Studies focusing the Amazon mostly investigated climate-related issues and aerosol physics, with less than 5% examining the biological identity of aerosols, whereas outside the Amazon, this number reached 16%. Whilst more than half of the cases within Amazon (55%) were held at seven sampling sites only, conclusions were mainly extrapolated to the entire biome. Contrarily, research beyond the Amazon has mostly addressed the temporal and biological characterisation of PBAPs, and not only is it scattered, but also scarce. Regarding sampling efforts, most cases (72%) had fewer than 100 days of sampling, and 60% of them spanned less than half a year of study. We argue that scientists should produce more detailed/complete assessments of aerosols–PBAPs in Brazil as a whole, particularly considering their biological identity, given their importance to global climate regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to utilize data of recent studies of bats surveying in the Atlantic Rainforest to evaluate the degree of knowledge of bat distribution in this biome. Data of new records or range extension of species published between 2010 and 2013 were compared among Brazilian biomes. We also utilized a case study in the Paraná State coastal area, southern Brazil, which was considered of low priority for bat inventories but had new records reported recently. The Atlantic Rainforest showed the highest number of papers with new information about bat distribution in Brazil. The number of bat species for this biome reaches 117. In the past 10 years, 11 new records have been reported for the Paraná State coastal area, increasing the bat richness by 33%. Our findings suggest that we do not know sufficiently the bat distribution across the Atlantic Rainforest. In such a hotspot for biodiversity conservation, it may be dangerous to establish low-priority areas for inventories, especially when an almost unique and biased survey method has been used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immediate effects of asymmetric warming (i.e., day- and night-time warming) on terrestrial ecosystems have been well documented, but the time-lag effects remain poorly understood. In this paper, we investigated the global inter-annual hysteretic responses of vegetation to asymmetric warming over the period of 1982–2013. The net primary production (NPP) was employed as the indicator of vegetation growth, and accumulated monthly average daily maximum temperature and minimum temperature (ATmax and ATmin) were used to reflect the asymmetric warming condition. Additionally, partial correlation analyses were conducted to examine the correlations between NPP and ATmax/ATmin on a monthly scale. Furthermore, the best time lags that ATmax/ATmin had on NPP and the optimal correlations between ATmax/ATmin and NPP were analyzed by time-lag analyses. The results showed that (i) vegetation responded to the asymmetric warming with near 12-month delays at a global scale, and vegetation exhibited larger lags in responding to recent warming over temperature-limited areas or semiarid and subhumid regions compared to other places; (ii) compared with ATmin, ATmax had longer time-lag effects on biomes over mid-high latitudes (45 °N–90 °N, 23 °S–60 °S) and high altitudes (i.e., the Tibetan Plateau and the Brazil Plateau) and smaller delay impacts on biomes in other regions; (iii) with hysteretic impacts considered, ATmax correlated positively with vegetation in temperature-limited areas and negatively in heat-sufficient and water-deficit places, and the reverse was mostly true for ATmin. These phenomena may be associated with the intrinsic differences in the mechanisms that day- and night-time temperatures have on vegetation growth. Our paper gives new insights into the non-uniform responses of the terrestrial ecosystem to asymmetric warming. Looking ahead, terrestrial ecosystem models are highly recommended to incorporate such non-uniform time-lag impacts and distinguished correlations so as to improve their performances in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indiscriminate use of antimicrobials has led to the emergence of resistant bacteria, especially pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli , which are associated with diseases in animals and humans. The aim of the present study was to characterize E. coli isolates in calves with regards to the presence of virulence genes and investigate the resistance of the isolates to different antimicrobials. Between 2021 and 2023, 456 fecal samples were collected from calves in the Pantanal and Cerrado biomes of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. All samples were subjected to microbiological analysis and disc diffusion antibiogram testing. The polymerase chain reaction method was used to detect virulence genes. Bacterial growth was found in 451 of the 456 samples and biochemically identified as Escherichia coli. All 451 isolates (100 %) exhibited some phenotypic resistance to antimicrobials and 67.62 % exhibited multidrug resistance. The frequency of multidrug-resistant isolates in the Cerrado biome was significantly higher than that in the Pantanal biome (p = 0.0001). In the Cerrado , the most common pathotype was Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) (28 %), followed by toxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) (11 %), enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) (8 %) and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) (2 %). In most cases, the concomitant occurrence of pathotypes was more common, the most frequent of which were ETEC + STEC (33 %), ETEC + EHEC (15 %) and ETEC + EPEC (3 %). The STEC pathotype (30 %) was also found more frequently in the Pantanal , followed by EHEC (12 %), ETEC (9 %) and EPEC (6 %). The STEC pathotype had a significantly higher frequency of multidrug resistance (p = 0.0486) compared to the other pathotypes identified. The frequency of resistance was lower in strains from the Pantanal biome compared to those from the Cerrado biome. Although some factors are discussed in this paper, it is necessary to clarify the reasons for this difference and the possible impacts of these findings on both animal and human health in the region. • Multi-resistant bacteria in cattle in the Cerrado and Pantanal biomes of Brazil. • Antimicrobial multiresistance of E. coli pathotypes isolated from calf feces. • Domestic animals and humans, exchange of pathogens between different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peropteryx leucoptera is a widespread species in the Neotropics but with a disjunct distribution in Northern South America and a separated population in the Atlantic Forest of Northeastern Brazil. Here we present new records of this species for Northeastern Brazil, the first records for the Caatinga biome and for the states of Bahia and Rondônia. These new records represent a major range extension and establishes a new southern limit of occurrence for the species. We also examined and provide measurements of other specimens and present an updated map with the distribution of P. leucoptera in South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is the most important tick species affecting cattle in the world. Under field conditions, the non-parasitic phase of R. (B.) microplus is unknown in the Amazon biome, including Brazil. The present study aimed to evaluate the non-parasitic phase of R. (B.) microplus in field (grass plots) and laboratory conditions. Methods: The study was conducted from September 2020 to April 2022 in an Amazonian region (Maranhão State, Brazil). We evaluated the biological parameters of R. (B.) microplus under laboratory and field conditions. Engorged females were exposed to experimental conditions every 14 days, totaling 20 months of study. The following biological parameters were observed: pre-oviposition period, egg mass incubation period, and maximum larval survival period. Results: Abiotic data (e.g., temperature and humidity) varied little throughout the year. Precipitation was the factor that varied the most throughout the year (dry ~ 30 mm3 and rain 400 mm3), and the parameters of pre-oviposition and pre-hatching are longer during the rainy season. A possible negative effect of the dry season on the percentage of hatched eggs was observed. Larval longevity in the plots of both control and free females was short (mean ~ 50–60 days), below that recorded for larvae under controlled conditions (mean ~ 95 days). Conclusions: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus was able to complete its non-parasitic phase by producing host-seeking larvae in the pasture during all months of the study. The results indicate that R. (B.) microplus can complete up to six generations per year in biome Amazon. To our knowledge, this is the highest number of annual generations for R. (B.) microplus in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amazon biome plays a crucial role in the hydrological cycle, supplying water vapor for the atmosphere and contributing to evapotranspiration (ET) that influences regional humidity across Brazil and South America. Remote sensing (RS) has emerged as a valuable tool for measuring and estimating ET, particularly in the data-scarce Amazon region. A scientometric analysis was conducted to identify the most used RS-based ET product or model in Brazil and its potential application in the Amazon. Scientometrics allows for the quantitative analysis of scientific output; this study identified the most widely used RS product in the Amazon biome. Articles published in Web of Science, Scielo, and Scopus databases up to 2022 were searched using the keywords "Evapotranspiration", "Remote Sensing", and "Brazil". After initial screening, 140 relevant articles were subjected to scientometric analysis using the Bibliometrix library in RStudio 2023.06.1+524. These articles, published between 2001 and 2022, reveal a collaborative research landscape involving 600 authors and co-authors from 245 institutions, with most studies originating from Brazil's Southeast and North (Amazon) regions. Notably, within the 12 studies focusing on ET by RS in the Amazon biome, applications were diverse, encompassing river basins, climate change, El Niño, and deforestation, with the MOD16 product being the most frequently employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hunting comprises the extraction of wild animals from their natural environment for use in various purposes. In this sense, based on the Socioecological Theory of Maximization (TSM), semi-structured forms were applied to 45 hunters from rural communities located in the Caatinga region in the state of Bahia/Brazil to verify the influence of cost-benefit, perceived abundance, taste preference and multiple uses in the selection of hunted species. Fourteen species were selected to test whether hunting intensity is influenced by the presented variables. It was found that the only variable that showed statistical significance was flavor preference, increasing the chance of a species being hunted by up to three times (OR = 3.09). It is concluded that subjective variables related to culture significantly influence species selection in the study region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of the relative roles of internal climate variability and external contributions, from both natural (solar, volcanic) and anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing, is important to better project future hydrologic changes. Changes in the evaporative demand play a central role in this context, particularly in tropical areas characterized by high precipitation seasonality, such as the tropical savannah and semi-desertic biomes. Here we present a set of geochemical proxies in speleothems from a well-ventilated cave located in central-eastern Brazil which shows that the evaporative demand is no longer being met by precipitation, leading to a hydrological deficit. A marked change in the hydrologic balance in central-eastern Brazil, caused by a severe warming trend, can be identified, starting in the 1970s. Our findings show that the current aridity has no analog over the last 720 years. A detection and attribution study indicates that this trend is mostly driven by anthropogenic forcing and cannot be explained by natural factors alone. These results reinforce the premise of a severe long-term drought in the subtropics of eastern South America that will likely be further exacerbated in the future given its apparent connection to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Speleothems from the Savanna region in Brazil documents the occurrence of an unprecedented long-term drought driven by anthropogenic forcing. Staring in the 1970´s the current drought is the most severe that has struck the region in the past 700 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil fertility is key point to pastures systems and drives the microbial communities and their functionality. Therefore, an understanding of the interaction between soil fertility and microbial communities can increase our ability to manage pasturelands and maintain their soil functioning and productivity. This study probed the influence of soil fertility on microbial communities in tropical pastures in Brazil. Soil samples, gathered from the top 20 cm of twelve distinct areas with diverse fertility levels, were analyzed via 16S rRNA sequencing. The soils were subsequently classified into two categories, namely high fertility (HF) and low fertility (LF), using the K-Means clustering. The random forest analysis revealed that high fertility (HF) soils had more bacterial diversity, predominantly Proteobacteria, Nitrospira, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes, while Acidobacteria increased in low fertility (LF) soils. High fertility (HF) soils exhibited more complex network interactions and an enrichment of nitrogen-cycling bacterial groups. Additionally, functional annotation based on 16S rRNA varied between clusters. Microbial groups in HF soil demonstrated enhanced functions such as nitrate reduction, aerobic ammonia oxidation, and aromatic compound degradation. In contrast, in the LF soil, the predominant processes were ureolysis, cellulolysis, methanol oxidation, and methanotrophy. Our findings expand our knowledge about how soil fertility drives bacterial communities in pastures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protozoa of the Family Trypanosomatidae (Class: Kinetoplastida) are parasites of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. The family includes 25 genera (20 monoxenes and 5 heteroxenes, including Trypanosoma and Leishmania), which can be transmitted by vectors of the orders Diptera (Families Corethrellidae, Culicidae and Psychodidae), Hemiptera (family Reduviidae) and Arhynchobdellida (leeches). In anurans, approximately 60 species of trypanosomatids of the genus Trypanosoma are reported, forming an aquatic clade, which are evolutionarily important because they are considered the link between the trypanosomes of aquatic and terrestrial hosts. In reptiles, trypanosomatids of the genus Leishmania, subgenera Sauroleishmania ("lizard Leishmania") and Leishmania (L. donovani and L. tropica) are reported in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Of the genus Trypanosoma, the parasite T. cruzi is reported. In the American continent there are records of L. (S.) henrici in reptile species introduced from the Old World. The parasite T. cruzi was reported in the following reptile species in Chile: Microlophus atacamensis, Liolaemus sp. and Gartthia gaudichaudii. Phlebotomine sandflies of the subtribe Sergentomyiina, genera Deanemyia and Mycropigomyia are vectors of these parasites in reptiles. In spite of the great diversity of species of these parasites in these vertebrates, and in their vectors, they have been little studied, because they have no importance in human or veterinary medicine. The objective of this work is to know the diversity of trypanosomatids of anurans and reptiles and their insect vectors (dipterans) in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes in Brazil. The work is being carried out in the municipalities of Pacoti and Guaramiranga, Cear'a (Atlantic Forest biome), and in Presidente Figueredo and Urucurituba (Amazon biome). The capture methodology applied was time constrained audiovisual search (TAVS). The sampling was performed in the morning and at night. The collected animals were sacrificed following the ethical norms for the use of animals, through anesthesia protocols. Liver, spleen and blood samples were taken (filter paper, and for parasite isolation in NNN/LIT (Novy-MazNeal-Nicolle/Liver infusion Tryptose) biphasic culture medium, supplemented with 10% SFB). Blood smears were also analyzed for morphological identification of the parasites. DNA was extracted from the tissues and PCR will be done with specific primers for the Trypanosomatidae family. The amplicons corresponding to Trypanosomatidae will be purified and sequenced using the BigDye Terminator v3.1 kit in an ABI 3730. Hematophagous insects were captured with CDC traps modified with sound boxes, stored in absolute ethanol, identified using dichotomous keys, and DNA was extracted to identify the presence of parasites and the source of blood feeding, with specific markers. Samples were collected from 48 anurans and 23 reptiles (N = 71) of the following species: Anurans: Pristimantis relictus, P. streldidialis, Leptodactylus mystaceus, Scinax tropicalia, Rhinella dapsilis, Scinax sp., Trachycephalus typhonius, Scinax scihalus, Dendropsophus tapacurensis, Rhinella crucifer, Boana raniceps. Reptiles: Anolis sp., Polychrus marmoratus, Lachesis mutans, Leposternon polystegum, Apostolepis cearensis, Enyalius broniati, Coleodactylus meridionalis, Enyalius bibronii, Norops fuscoauratus, Copeoglossum nigropunctatum. Parasite identification in vertebrate blood smears, liver DNA extraction and PCR for parasite detection using oligonucleotides of SSUrRNA and gGAPDH genes are currently underway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the first record of Furipterus horrens (F. Cuvier 1828) from the state of Paraíba, in northeastern Brazil. A female specimen was collected in a rock shelter located in a legal reserve (614 ha) of Caatinga habitat. The morphometric data and morphological characters were consistent with those recorded for the species at other Brazilian sites. The present record increases to 67 the total number of bats species known to occur in Paraíba, of which, 40 occur in the Caatinga, and 17 are so far restricted to this biome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lichens are sources of numerous biologically active compounds and many of these have demonstrated antitumor potential. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the antiproliferative activity and selectivity of the following compounds isolated from lichens: atranorin and diffractaic, divaricatic, perlatolic, psoromic, norstictic, and protocetraric acids. Cytotoxicity tests based on sulforhodamine B were performed on normal cells (NIH/3T3, fibroblast) and cancer cell lines 786-0 (renal), MCF7 (breast), HT-29 (colon), PC-3 (prostate), and HEp2 (laryngeal). Diffractaic acid exhibited GI50 values in the 58.6-98.9 µM range. Divaricatic and perlatolic acids were the most active compounds, with GI50 values of 9.8 and 15.5 µM for PC-3 and MCF7 cells, respectively. Protocetraric acid proved active only against HEp2 cells (GI50 = 41.4 µM). Atranorin, psoromic acid, and norstictic acids were inactive against all the cells tested. Chemometrics was used to evaluate the effect of the compounds against the cell lines tested. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) based on GI50 values separated compounds into two groups compared to doxorubucin, while HCA (Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) separated them into three groups based on SI values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, six new records of fungi of the genus Geastrum Pers. are described in four different physiognomies of the Cerrado stricto sensu: Geastrum fimbriatum, G. lageniforme, G. morganiii, and G. hirsutum are the first records for the Brazilian Cerrado, being collected, respectively, in Typical Cerrado, Rupestrian Cerrado, Sparse Cerrado and Dense Cerrado. The specimen described as G. aff. rusticum is also the first record for the biome and was founded in Typical Cerrado. G. triplex is the second record for the Brazilian Cerrado and the first for the state of Bahia, found in physiognomies of Dense Cerrado. The taxa described present plates with photographs and micrographs for each species and a map for the collection locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amphibian skin microbiome is an important component of anti-pathogen defense, but the impact of environmental change on the link between microbiome composition and host stress remains unclear. In this study, we used radiotelemetry and host translocation to track microbiome composition and function, pathogen infection, and host stress over time across natural movement paths for the forest-associated treefrog, Boana faber. We found a negative correlation between cortisol levels and putative microbiome function for frogs translocated to forest fragments, indicating strong integration of host stress response and anti-pathogen potential of the microbiome. Additionally, we observed a capacity for resilience (resistance to structural change and functional loss) in the amphibian skin microbiome, with maintenance of putative pathogen-inhibitory function despite major temporal shifts in microbiome composition. Although microbiome community composition did not return to baseline during the study period, the rate of microbiome change indicated that forest fragmentation had more pronounced effects on microbiome composition than translocation alone. Our findings reveal associations between stress hormones and host microbiome defenses, with implications for resilience of amphibians and their associated microbes facing accelerated tropical deforestation. Short-term tracking of treefrogs in southern Brazil, alongside microbiome and stress hormone profiling, suggests that forest fragmentation impacts microbiome diversity and composition, and that these changes might be mediated by the host stress response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: A new genus of hilarine dance fly, i.e., Tropicohilara, is described with six new included species. The new genus is recorded from the Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes. The morphology and distribution of the genus are discussed. The genus Tropicohilara gen. nov. (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae: Hilarini) is described and includes the following six new species from Brazil: Tropicohilara amazonensis sp. nov. (type species, Brazil: Amazonas, Manaus); T. bahiensis sp. nov. (Brazil: Bahia, Camacan); T. bella sp. nov. (Brazil: Pernambuco, Jaqueira); T. mineira sp. nov. (Brazil: Minas Gerais, Itamonte); T. paranaensis sp. nov. (Brazil: Paraná, Piraquara); and T. sinclairi sp. nov. (Brazil: Paraná, Morretes). The genus is presently recorded from the Amazonian and Atlantic Forest biomes. It differs from other hilarine genera by the following combination of characteristics: predominantly yellowish specimens; occiput somewhat conical in dorsal view; postpedicel elongate, male first fore tarsomere unmodified; hind tibia slightly shorter than hind femur; wing vein R2+3 with setae on ventral surface; male tergite 7 with a sclerotized band at posterior margin, tergite 8 reduced and upwardly directed so that terminalia can be flexed forward. A key to the species is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in climate mitigation pathways is critical and can be reached by assessing their consequences through the deployment of appropriate indicators to that end. Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are important tools for understanding possible impacts caused by adopting new policies. We investigate terrestrial biodiversity trends (life on land: SDG 15) for three different climate mitigation scenarios for Brazil: (1) A scenario compatible with a world that maintains its current policies with current deforestation rates in the Amazon and the Cerrado biomes; (2) A scenario in which Brazil fulfils its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC); and (3) A scenario compatible with a world that limits warming to 1.5°C. We use the Brazilian Land-Use and Energy System model (BLUES), a national IAM, to show the implications of the transitions involved in the above-mentioned scenarios for the country up to 2050. We conduct a post-processing analysis using consolidated biodiversity indicators to emphasize how different IAM greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation solutions present distinct positive and negative potential impacts on biodiversity in Brazil. However, our analysis does not consider the impacts associated with climate change, but only the risks imposed by mitigation policies. Our results indicate that biodiversity loss decreases in the scenarios from (1) to (3), implying that stronger climate change mitigation actions could result in smaller biodiversity losses. We conclude that Brazil has the opportunity to align its biodiversity and climate goals through nature-based solutions (NBS), such as forest conservation, restoration, pasture recovery, and the use of crop-pasture and agroforestry systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the trends in land use and land cover (LULC) is crucial for modeling streamflow and sediment yield, particularly in hydrological basins. This study examined the impact of LULC on the dynamics of streamflow and sediment yield within a humid tropical basin of the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil, focusing on the period from 2000 to 2016. Changes in LULC were analyzed using annual MapBiomas data products for the same period. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was deployed to simulate streamflow and sediment yield based on LULC changes. To investigate temporal trends in LULC, a suite of non-parametric statistical tests, including the Mann–Kendall, Pettitt, and Sen's slope estimator tests, was employed. Ecological diversity indices such as Shannon–Weaver, Simpson, and Pielou were applied to assess forest fragmentation, along with the Forest Fragmentation Index. The results revealed a growing trend in urban and sugarcane areas, coupled with a decline in dense vegetation, mangroves, and other forms of dense vegetation. With regard to the correlation between land uses and hydrological variables, the findings indicate minor variations in hydrological balance, attributable to the not-so-significant changes among the studied land-use scenarios, except for sediment yield estimates, which showed more considerable alterations. Notably, the estimates for 2000 and 2013–2016 were the most divergent. In a broader scientific context, this research conclusively establishes that the incorporation of dynamic LULC data into the SWAT model augments the precision and robustness of simulations pertaining to agricultural watersheds, thereby enabling a more comprehensive hydrological characterization of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few information on the biological properties of the chemical constituents of propolis produced by Apis mellifera from the Cerrado of Midwest Brazil has hitherto been reported. In the present work, the mutagenic properties of five compounds isolated from a sample of brown propolis from the aforesaid biome, namely, caffeic (1), p-coumaric (2), dihydro-p-coumaric (3), and acetylisocupressic (4) acids, and aromadendrin (5) have been assessed by performing the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) on wing cells of Drosophila melanogaster, using standard (ST) and high bioactivation (HB) crosses. This is the first report of assessment of the mutagenic potential of 2-4, and using the SMART assay for 5. No mutagenicity was induced by 1-3 and 5 in the descendants from the ST and HB crosses at all evaluated concentrations. However, 1 and 2, unlike 3, were shown to be toxic to descendants of both ST and HB crosses. A structure-activity relationship established among 1-3 revealed that a C-7/C-8 unsaturation is responsible for the toxic effect of 2 compared to 3, while an additional ortho-dihydroxy substitution at C-3 and C-4 confers to 1 the highest toxicity to D. melanogaster flies. Diterpene 4 proved mutagenic only after P450 activation, suggesting that it may act as a promutagen compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, six species of puffballs are recorded. Calvatia baixaverdensis and Calvatia brasiliensis are second records for science. Langermannia bicolor var. cirrifera is new record for Northeastern Brazil in the Caatinga biome. Arachnion album is a second record for the Northeastern region. Disciseda bovista and Disciseda verrucosa are the second records for the Caatinga biome. Descriptions of the taxa are provided from morphological data and illustrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how climatic variables impact the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is essential for water resource management, especially considering potential fluctuations due to climate change. Therefore, we used the Sobol' method to analyze the spatiotemporal variations of Penman–Monteith ETo sensitivity to the climatic variables: downward solar radiation, relative humidity, maximum and minimum air temperature, and wind speed. The Sobol' indices variances were estimated by Monte Carlo integration, with sample limits set to the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles of the daily data of 33 automatic weather stations located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The results of the Sobol' analysis indicate considerable spatiotemporal variations in the sensitivity of ETo to climatic variables and their interactions. The dominant climatic variable responsible for ETo fluctuations in Mato Grosso is incident solar radiation (53% to 93% of annual total sensitivity—Stot), which has a more significant impact in humid environments (70% to 90% of Stot), as observed in the areas of the Amazon biome in the state. Air relative humidity and wind speed have higher sensitivity indices during the dry season in the Cerrado biome (savanna) areas in Mato Grosso (20% and 30% of the Stot, respectively). Our findings show that changes in solar radiation, relative humidity, and wind speed are the main driving forces that impact the reference evapotranspiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents four records of Phallales fungi from the Phallaceae and Clathraceae families collected in northeastern Brazil. The region is composed of nine states and three biomes. Clathrus natalensis is the first record for the Caatinga biome in Rio Grande do Norte State. Samples of Itajahya galericulata are the first records for Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba states, and I. rosea is the first record for Ceará State in the Caatinga biome, as well as the first record for the Atlantic Forest biome. Phallus squamulosus is the second record for science. Detailed descriptions of the taxa are given together with morphologic photographs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) is the most important Brazilian agricultural research institute and has recently published a study on the preservation status of forest fragments in more than 5 million rural properties. The authors concluded that no institution, public authority or professional category helps more in preserving Brazilian biomes than farmers (Miranda et al. 2017). The aim of the current paper is to demonstrate that these conclusions are hasty and that the real Brazilian flora preservation status in rural properties remains unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire is one of the natural agents with the greatest impact on the terrestrial ecosystem and plays an important ecological role in a large part of the terrestrial surface. Remote sensing is an important technique applied in mapping and monitoring changes in forest landscapes affected by fires. This study presents a spectral separability analysis for the detection of burned areas using Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS images in the context of fires that occurred in different biomes of Brazil (dry ecosystem) and Portugal (temperate forest). The research is based on a fusion of spectral indices and automatic classification algorithms scientifically proven to be effective with as little human interaction as possible. The separability index (M) and the Reed–Xiaoli automatic anomaly detection classifier (RXD) allowed the evaluation of the spectral separability and the thematic accuracy of the burned areas for the different spectral indices tested (Burn Area Index (BAI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Mid-Infrared Burn Index (MIRBI), Normalized Burn Ratio 2 (NBR2), Normalized Burned Index (NBI), and Normalized Burn Ratio Thermal (NBRT)). The analysis parameters were based on spatial dispersion with validation data, commission error (CE), omission error (OE), and the Sørensen–Dice coefficient (DC). The results indicated that the indices based exclusively on the SWIR1 and SWIR2 bands showed a high degree of separability and were more suitable for detecting burned areas, although it was observed that the characteristics of the soil affected the performance of the indices. The classification method based on bitemporal anomalous changes using the RXD anomaly proved to be effective in increasing the burned area in terms of temporal alteration and performing unsupervised detection without relying on the ground truth. On the other hand, the main limitations of RXD were observed in non-abrupt changes, which is very common in fires with low spectral signal, especially in the context of using Landsat-8 images with a 16-day revisit period. The results obtained in this work were able to provide critical information for fire mapping algorithms and for an accurate post-fire spatial estimation in dry ecosystems and temperate forests. The study presents a new comparative approach to classify burned areas in dry ecosystems and temperate forests with the least possible human interference, thus helping investigations when there is little available data on fires in addition to favoring a reduction in fieldwork and gross errors in the classification of burned areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sumampattus Galiano, 1983 comprise three species from South America, the genus is diagnosed by the male palps with an embolus and a cymbial groove with an inclination to the prolateral side, accompanied by a membranous conductor and proximal retrolateral lobe of tegulum distal division, emerging from the dorsal border, moderately turned and twisted. In females, the epigynum has a large posterior atrium, accompanied by a carena septum and absent visible posteriorly-opening coupling pocket. In this work, a new spider species Sumampattus verae sp. n. (male and female) found associated with low vegetation in the Pampa Biome, Southern Brazil, is diagnosed, illustrated and described. Notes on polymorphism in color identified in the new species is herein described. All specimens were collected by D-vac in a grassland habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of human activities on the suppression of biodiversity is visibly evident throughout the world. Monitoring and conservation services are usually expensive in terms of time and money, and potential savings in these areas are always welcome. The higher-taxon approach has been used as a possible alternative to overcome these impediments. However, there is little information about the effect of sample size on the effectiveness of the higher-taxon approach, mainly with empirical data. Using an extensive database, which compiles information on the distribution of ants between the years 1886 and 2020, I verified the effect of sample size on the predictive power of the higher-taxon approach in Brazil. I evaluated the effect of sample size on the predictive power of the Genus and Subfamily to represent species richness and composition at the spatial scales of State and Biomes. The associations between coarser taxonomic units and species-level are strong at both spatial scales, with metrics of richness and composition. In general, the genus has the results with the highest coefficients regardless of spatial scales. The sample size effect was sporadic and did not dramatically affect the effectiveness of the surrogates. Regardless of the possible biases that data compiled from the literature and taxonomic collections may have due to lack of standardization, coarser taxonomic units (Genus and Subfamily) were efficient predictors of species-level in Brazilian states and biomes. It reinforces the potential to save costs in monitoring and conserving ant biodiversity in a wide space-environmental gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is one of the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Fire foci across the country contributes to these emissions and compromises emission reduction targets pledged by Brazil under the Paris Agreement. In this paper, we quantify fire foci, burned areas, and carbon emissions in all Brazilian biomes (i.e., Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga, Atlantic Forest, Pantanal and Pampa). We analyzed these variables using cluster analysis and non-parametric statistics to predict carbon and CO2 emissions for the next decade. Our results showed no increase in the number of fire foci and carbon emissions for the evaluated time series, whereby the highest emissions occur and will persist in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. The Atlantic Forest, Pantanal, Caatinga and Pampa biomes had low emissions compared to the Amazon and Cerrado. Based on 2030 projections, the sum of emissions from fire foci in the six Brazilian biomes will exceed 5.7 Gt CO2, compromising the national GHG reduction targets. To reduce GHG emissions, Brazil will need to control deforestation induced by the expansion of the agricultural frontier in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. This can only be achieved through significant political effort involving the government, entrepreneurs and society as a collective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Atlantic Forest is the biome with the highest number of papers on ecological restoration. • Pantanal, Pampa and Caatinga are the least studied in terms of ecological restoration. • In all biomes, most of the studies are related to monitoring. • The number of species used in restored areas is limited. • It is necessary to include different life forms, restoration techniques and studies using reference areas to measure success. The Bonn challenge aims at the restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded ladscapes by 2030. In Brazil, the restoration goal for 2030 is 12 million hectares. Despite the great demand for ecological restoration across the whole of Brazil, there have been no analyses of the studies carried out in different biomes. In addition, conservation efforts must cover all biomes, so that different regions can take advantage of the many benefits of restoration. Our aim was to identify advances and gaps in current restoration knowledge in order to guide future efforts in Brazil. Our bibliometric survey in the Web of Science using 23 keywords related to restoration generated a total of 530 papers, of which 291 were included in the analysis. The papers were published in 121 scientific journals between 1988 and 2018, with the largest number of papers in 2016. The Atlantic Forest was the biome with the highest number of studies, as it is one of the most threatened tropical forest regions in the world and maintains the largest number of research institutions and receives the highest level of funding support in the country. Regarding the types of studies, temporal monitoring was more frequent in the Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Pampa, while the monitoring at one point in time was more frequent in the Atlantic Forest. From the studies examined, 31% used a reference area for comparing restoration success. The most studied organisms were plants (81%), and among them, trees were the most frequent, followed by fungi, birds, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles. The pre-restoration degradation differed among biomes, with deforestation for logging the most cited in the Amazon, agriculture, and livestock in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, logging and cattle ranching in Caatinga, and livestock in the Pampa and Pantanal. In general, active/assisted natural succession was the most frequent restoration process: planting seedlings more readily occurred in the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and Caatinga, whereas natural regeneration in the Cerrado and Pantanal and sowing in Pampa. The studies varied among the age of restoration (>1 to 67 years for active restoration and >1 to 120 years for passive/unassisted natural succession), and the number of species planted (1 to 121 species). We identified an important regional knowledge gap for the Pantanal, Caatinga, and Pampa, as well as the need to include reference areas, evaluate different restoration techniques (besides planting seedlings), and the inclusion of other taxa and life forms in biodiversity studies apart from trees. We also identified the need to expand research to assess landscape metrics, prioritization, legislation, and public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rodriguésia is the property of Revista Rodriguesia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A deep understanding of the cattle gastrointestinal microbiome is crucial to selective breeding high-efficiency animals that produce more and generate less environmental damage. Here we performed the taxonomic identification of Bacterial and Archaeal communities using high throughput 16SrRNA gene sequencing from critical compartments of the gastrointestinal tract of Bradford cattle raised in a natural grassland in the Pampa biome, Brazil. We analyzed 110 samples, including saliva, ruminal fluid, and feces from 36 months old Bradford heifers (weighing on average 343 ± 30 kg by the sampling time). To reduce unexpected variation and confounders, we selected the animals from the same breed, submitted them to the same food source, and collected the samples for three consecutive years from different animals in the same season. Our main goal was to analyze the microbial shifts throughout the gastrointestinal tract to reference future works proposing management strategies and interventions to improve animal nutrition and increase production in the Pampa Biome. To accomplish our objective, we accessed the microbial community differences in groups with a high and low weight gain controlling for food ingestion and quality of grazed pasture. Few taxa were shared among the samples. About 40% of the phyla and 60% of the genera were unique from saliva samples, and 12.4% of the microbial genera were uniquely found in feces. All samples shared only 36.1% of phyla and 7.5% of genera. Differences in microbial diversity and taxa counts were observed. The ruminal fluid presented the lowest microbial richness, while saliva and feces presented the highest microbial richness. On the other hand, saliva and feces also presented more distinct communities between themselves when compared with ruminal samples. Our data showed that the saliva microbiome is not representative of the rumen microbiome and should not be used as an easy-to-collect sample for studies about the rumen microbiome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-land tapir (Tapirus terrestris) is the largest wild terrestrial mammal found in Brazil. Although T. terrestris has been already reported as a host of hemoparasites, the occurrence and genetic identity of Piroplasmida agents in this species is still cloudy. Although it is reported that Theileria equi, an endemic equid-infective agent in Brazil, is occurring in lowland tapirs, these reports are probably misconceived diagnoses since they are solely based on small fragments of 18S rRNA that may not achieve accurate topologies on phylogenetic analyses. The present study aimed to detect and investigate the identity of Theileria spp. in tapirs from Pantanal and Cerrado biomes. Blood-DNA samples from tapirs were screened for a partial (~800 bp) 18S rRNA gene fragment from Piroplasmida and 64 (64/122; 52.46% CI: 43.66–61.11%) presented bands of expected size. Samples were submitted to different protocols for molecular characterization, including near-full length 18S rRNA gene (~1500 bp), and the ema-1 gene from T. equi. Eight sequences were obtained for extended fragments (1182–1473 bp) from the 18S rRNA gene. Moreover, three sequences from partial cox-1 and five from partial hsp70 gene were obtained. None of the samples presented amplifications for the ema-1 gene. Phylogenetic and distance analyses from the 18S rRNA sequences obtained demonstrated a clear separation from tapirs' Theileria spp. and T. equi. Phylogenetic analyses of cox-1 and hsp70 sequences obtained herein also showed a unique clade formed by tapir's Theileria spp. Theileria terrestris sp. nov. is positioned apart from all other Theileria species in 18S rRNA, cox-1, and hps70 phylogenetic analyses. This novel proposed species represents a new Piroplasmida clade, yet to be characterized regarding biological features, vectors involved in the transmission cycles, additional vertebrate hosts, and pathogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We surveyed dragonflies (Odonata) at 87 sites in the anthropologically modified Pampa biome of southern Brazil to evaluate how regionally rare and common species form species assemblages in habitats with different water physiochemistry, habitat structures, and other environmental variables. We classified 9 out of the 90 species encountered as regionally common and 59 as regionally rare. A discriminant analysis confirmed that localities with only a few common species were characteristic in the set of rare species present, while localities housing more common species showed no clear pattern. A PCA revealed that a subset of the common species were strongly positively associated with water temperature, turbidity, dissolved O2 and pH but negatively associated with desertification. In contrast, rare species were positively associated with grassland habitat, but negatively with agriculture, salinity, and conductivity. In general, the associations of the rare species were weaker than those of common species. Finally, a correlation suggested that sites with six or more common species present had a reduced number of rare species compared to sites with fewer common species. It is possible that common species reduce the available niche space for weaker competitors among the rare species. We conclude that the original species assemblages in the biome may have been species poor with few regionally common species. Current anthropogenic change has increased the number of common species, which in turn has negative effects on the survival possibilities of rare species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the roadkill of wild animals is accidental, but some drivers intentionally target animals, especially those that are culturally stigmatized such as reptiles and amphibians. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of intentional snake roadkill on two highways in the Triângulo Mineiro, a Cerrado region in the Minas Gerais state, Brazil. We placed on the roadsides of each highway 40 snakes (40 pre-made models and 15 snake carcasses) and 40 plastic bottles filled with soil. The behavior of swerving the vehicle to hit the object was characterized as an intentional roadkill. Our sampling effort was 160 hours. We observed intentional roadkill, totaling 23 snakes and 12 controls hit on BR-050 highway and five snakes and five controls on MG-223 highway. Contrary to what we expected, drivers swerve to run over anything. Carcasses and models were hit with the same frequency. The characteristics of the highways influenced the number of intentional roadkill, most of them occurred on uphill lanes and were caused by trucks. Our study confirms the behavior of swerving the route to run over a wild animal as an intentional act. Therefore, measures to preserve wildlife are necessary, such as awareness campaigns and the creation of wildlife passages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phytophagous scarab genus Macraspis MacLeay (Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae, Rutelini) is reviewed from the Brazilian Amazon region. Three new species are described and illustrated from the states of Amazonas, Pará, and Rondônia: M. buehrnheimi sp. nov., M. opala sp. nov., and M. phallocardia sp. nov. Two species, Macraspis fernandezi Neita-Moreno and M. oblonga Burmeister, are recorded for the first time in Brazil (new country records). Macraspis maculata crosarai Soula is a new synonym of Macraspis maculata Burmeister; hence this species no longer includes subspecies. Furthermore, Macraspis cincta parensis Soula, 2005 is deemed unavailable under the provisions of ICZN Articles 16.4.1 and 16.4.2. An illustrated key to 15 species and subspecies of Macraspis from the Brazilian Amazon enables identification of this speciose leaf chafer genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myxozoans are a diverse group of parasitic cnidarians of wide distribution. A new species, Myxobolus matogrossoensis n. sp., is herein described infecting wild specimens of tetra mato-grosso Hyphessobrycon eques, caught in the Pantanal biome, the world's largest tropical wetland area. Cysts were found in 3 of the 30 examined fishes. Mature myxospores were ovoid in shape in frontal and measured 6.6 ± 0.4 µm (6.2–7.0 µm) in length and 3.5 ± 0.2 µm (3.3–3.7 µm) in width. The two polar capsules were elongated in shape, equal in size and occupying almost half of the myxospore body. They measured 3.3 ± 0.2 µm (3.1–3.5 µm) in length and 1.8 ± 0.1 µm (1.7–1.9 µm) in width. The polar tubules presented three to four turns. Phylogenetic analysis placed the new species within a clade containing myxobolid species from South American characiforms fish and appears as a close species of Myxobolus piraputangae and Myxobolus umidus. Nevertheless, the sequences of the new species and P. umidus and P. piraputangae have a large genetic divergence of 12 and 12.2% in their 18S rDNA gene, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a Myxobolus species parasitizing the tetra fish mato-grosso, thus increasing our knowledge of cnidarian myxosporean diversity from South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the composition of mosquito species in different kinds of breeding sites in a tropical forest remnant of the Atlantic Forest and identified species of public health concern therein. Collections of immature forms of mosquitoes were carried out monthly at the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve in southeastern Brazil, between June 2014 and June 2015. Samples were collected from four types of breeding sites: bamboos, bromeliads, puddles, and a lake. A total of 1,182 specimens of mosquitoes belonging to 28 species and 13 genera were collected. Three species, Ad. squamipennis, An. neglectus, and Wy. arthrostigma represented 64.8% of the captured specimens. Only three species were found in more than one type of breeding site: Ps. ferox, An. triannulatus, and Tx. trichopygus. Two species of public health concern were found breeding in bamboo (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus) and one in the lake (An. darlingi). Bamboo had the highest species richness, Shannon diversity, abundance of individuals and number of dominant species of all breeding sites. Similar Simpson diversity was obtained for bamboo and bromeliads, with higher values than those obtained for puddles and the lake. The significance of the four breeding sites, especially bamboos, is discussed in the context of controlling populations of sylvatic species of mosquitoes in Atlantic Forest areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazil, 19 species of the genus Ornithodoros (Acari: Argasidae) have been reported. The medical and veterinary importance of Ornithodoros ticks has increased substantially in recent decades, with the discovery of various relapsing fever Borrelia infecting Ornithodoros ticks. Herein, argasid ticks were collected during 2019–2020 from caves, abandoned nests and homes in various regions of Ceará State, Brazilian semiarid—Caatinga biome. In total, 289 ticks were collected and identified into five species: Ornithodoros cavernicolous (176 specimens), Ornithodoros fonsecai (81), Ornithodoros mimon (12), Ornithodoros rietcorreai (4), and a fifth species provisionally retained as Ornithodoros sp. Ubajara. Tick identifications were corroborated by a phylogenetic analysis inferred using the 16S rRNA gene. To extend the molecular characterization, DNA samples were tested by an additional PCR assay targeting the nuclear Histone 3 (H3) gene. Because there were no H3 sequences of argasids in GenBank, we extended this PCR assay for additional Ornithodoros species, available in our laboratory. In total, 15 partial sequences of the H3 gene were generated for 10 Ornithodoros species, showing 0% intraspecific polymorphism, and 1.5–11.6% interspecific polymorphism. Phylogenetic analyses inferred segregated Ornithodoros sp. Ubajara as a potential novel species. Our results also highlight the potential of the H3 gene for deeper phylogenetic analyses of argasids. The present study provides new data for argasid ticks of the genus Ornithodoros in the Caatinga biome. Because some of these tick species are human-biting ticks, active surveillance for the incidence of human infection due to Ornithodoros-borne agents is imperative in the Caatinga biome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Species of Leishmania genus are intracellular parasites responsible for severe zoonotic diseases worldwide, such as leishmaniasis. In Brazil, the most important species is Leishmania infantum. In the northern region, the state of Pará is notable, with a high number of cases reported in recent years. The second largest number of cases of human visceral leishmaniasis in the region in recent years has been reported in the city of Marabá (Pará state). We investigated the prevalence of L. infantum in domestic dogs from Marabá in Amazon region in Brazil. Materials and Methods: A total of 400 blood samples were tested using the dual-path platform chromatographic immunoassay (DPP® CVL—Bio-Manguinhos), and molecular diagnosis based in cathepsin L-like gene, which has better specificity and sensitivity than other similar tests. Results: The prevalence of L. infantum was 75.5% (302/400) in the serological test, and 59.25% (237/400) in molecular diagnosis, and 45.5% (182/400) in both tests. Interpretation and Conclusion: The results confirmed that the parasite L. infantum was prevalent in the dog population of the studied region and adoption of appropriate public policies are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies that evaluate climate change projections over the whole of South America (SA) and including different seasons and models are scarce. In this context, the objective of this work is to assess climate projections for SA through the use of climatic indices, considering the entire continent, distinct seasons, and ensembles of models. Projections performed with the Eta regional climate model and its driving global climate models (GCMs) are analysed. From these projections, 19 climate indices based on daily precipitation and maximum and minimum temperature are computed. The results focus on two ensembles (GCMs and Eta), time slices (1980–2005 and 2050–2080), and scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). In the validation of the present climate, it is shown that Eta adds value to GCMs. Future projections indicate, for both austral summer (DJF) and winter (JJA), an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events of daily rainfall over southeastern and extreme north of SA. Over the Amazon, during DJF, there is a statistically significant increase in the number of consecutive dry days and a decrease in the consecutive wet days. For northeastern Brazil, these features are more intense in JJA. The frequency of cold (warm) nights and days is projected to decrease (increase) over the whole continent and seasons. The climate change signal for the 19 climate indices is more intense under RCP8.5, and the regions more vulnerable to climate change are the Amazon, northeastern Brazil, and southeastern SA. Considering Brazil, the projections of precipitation and air temperature are also shown by biomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica is the property of Universidad de la Rioja, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Rodriguésia is the property of Revista Rodriguesia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)