Search

Differences in habitat complexity and structure can directly influence the composition, diversity, and structure of species assemblages. Measurements of functional and phylogenetic diversity complement the commonly used measurements of taxonomic diversity, elucidating the relationships between species, their traits, and their evolutionary history. In this study, we evaluated how the mosaic of open and forested formations in a federal conservation unit in the western portion of the Brazilian Cerrado savanna influences the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic structure of lizard assemblages. Lizards were sampled for 15 months using pitfall traps set in open and forested formations. We recorded 292 lizards distributed among 16 species from eight families, with species composition differing among the formations. Richness was greater in the assemblages from open formations, while functional diversity and phylogenetic variability were greater in those of forested formations. Lizard assemblages in open formations were functionally and phylogenetically clustered, probably as a result of environmental filters acting on species, while the assemblages from forested formations were randomly structured. Different environmental and historical mechanisms have apparently shaped the current diversity of lizards in the region. This study shows that Cerrado vegetation mosaics can promote wide variation in different aspects of the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic structure from the lizard assemblages.

The drought and wildfires that swept through Pantanal, the major South American wetland, in 2020 severely impacted the local biota. The resilience of native species to these types of extreme events remains largely unknown. During post-wildfire surveys at recently affected sites, we found three burrows containing the semi-aquatic Chacoan marsh rats (Holochilus chacarius). We also found a callichthyid catfish (Hoplosternum sp.) and a trichodactylid crab (Dilocarcinus pagei) alive and co-habiting one of the burrows with H. chacarius. We report for the first time the use of underground structures with a flooded chamber by the Chacoan marsh rat. We discussed the importance of these burrows for post-fire survivorship and whether they may serve as shelters for H. chacarius and other species against wildfires and drought, under the light of previous studies with other taxa. Resumen: Las sequías e incendios forestales que afectaron el Pantanal, la mayor llanura inundada de Sudamérica, en 2020 impactaron fuertemente la biota, cuya resiliencia a estos tipos de eventos extremos todavía es desconocida. Durante muestreos posteriores a los incendios en sitios impactados, encontramos tres cuevas habitadas por la rata colorada chaqueña, Holochilus chacarius. Además, encontramos a un bagre calíctido (Hoplosternum sp.) y a un cangrejo tricodactílido (Dilocarcinus pagei) cohabitando una de las cuevas con H. chacarius. Reportamos, por primera vez, el uso de una cueva inundada por la rata colorada. Discutimos la importancia de dichas estructuras para la supervivencia posterior al incendio y si pueden servir como refugio para H. chacarius y otras especies a eventos extremos de incendios y sequía, a la luz de estudios previos con otros taxones. Made available in DSpace on 2022-02-23T18:00:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Semedo-et-al.-2022-1.pdf: 1497423 bytes, checksum: 371bc19ed3dbade43b5faa51872530df (MD5) Previous issue date: 2022

As commonly observed in turtles, sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is pronounced in the Neotropical freshwater turtle Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Bour, 1973), a species in which females are usually larger than males. We studied SSD in two populations of M. vanderhaegei from the Brazilian Cerrado savannah, based on 245 specimens captured between November 2010 and August 2013. The carapace length of the largest male was 201 mm (9.15% shorter than that of the largest female, 220 mm). The mean sizes of males and females did not differ in the two populations. However, a comparison of eight selected morphological variables revealed that the size distribution pattern differed between the populations. Using model selection, seven out of 34 morphometric variables - from the head, plastron, bridge, and tail - were selected as the most suitable ones to distinguish between males and females. The pattern of SSD found in M. vanderhaegei is similar to that found in other chelonian species and may be the result of natural selection rather than ecological factors, since individuals of both sexes use the same habitats. RESUMO Como comumente observado em quelônios, dimorfismo sexual em tamanho (SSD) é pronunciado em Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Bour, 1973), uma espécie de quelônio Neotropical de água doce onde as fêmeas são geralmente maiores que os machos. Nós estudamos SSD em duas populações de M. vanderhaegei no Cerrado brasileiro, com base em 245 espécimes capturados entre novembro de 2010 e agosto de 2013. O comprimento da carapaça do maior macho foi de 201 mm (9,15% menor que o comprimento da maior fêmea, 220 mm). Os tamanhos médios de fêmeas e machos não diferiram nas duas populações. No entanto, uma comparação de oito variáveis morfológicas revelou que o padrão de distribuição de tamanhos diferiu entre as populações. Usando a seleção de modelos, sete das 34 variáveis morfométricas - incluindo medidas da cabeça, plastrão, ponte e cauda - foram selecionadas como as mais adequadas para distinguir fêmeas e machos. O padrão de SSD encontrado em M. vanderhaegei é similar ao encontrado em outras espécies de quelônios e pode ser o resultado de seleção natural ao invés de fatores ecológicos, uma vez que indivíduos de ambos os sexos usam os mesmos habitats.

The structure of freshwater assemblages may be driven directly by urbanization or indirectly by a reduction in environmental heterogeneity (EH). Disentangling the effects of urbanization and EH requires uncorrelated proxies of each of these factors. We assessed the effects of the degree of urbanization and EH on the structure of fish assemblages. We sampled fish in 45 streams located in the urban area of Cuiabá. We assessed the effects of urbanization and EH on rarefied fish species richness (Srarefied), the local contribution to beta diversity (LCBD), and composition with linear models and distance-based redundancy analysis. Our indexes of urbanization and EH were not correlated. We found that both Srarefied and the LCBD decreased with an increasing degree of urbanization, but were not associated with EH. We also noted that few native fish species abundances were associated with the EH. Serrapinnus microdon, S. calliurus, Hemigrammus tridens, and Astyanax lacustris were abundant in streams with a lower degree of urbanization. The non-native Poecilia reticulata was more abundant in streams with a higher degree of urbanization. Our results highlight that urbanization leads in negative impacts on fish assemblages, such as decreases in diversity and the dominance of non-native species. Resumo A estrutura de assembleias de água doce pode ser influenciada diretamente pela urbanização ou indiretamente por reduções em heterogeneidade ambiental (HA). Para separar os efeitos da urbanização dos da HA, variáveis substitutas a esses processos precisam ser não-correlacionadas. Avaliamos os efeitos do grau de urbanização e HA na estrutura das assembleias de peixes. Amostramos peixes em 45 riachos localizados na área urbana de Cuiabá. Avaliamos os efeitos da urbanização e HA na riqueza rarefeita de espécies de peixes (Srarefeita), contribuição local para a diversidade beta (LCBD) e composição de espécies utilizando modelos lineares e análise de redundância baseada em distância. Nossos índices de urbanização e HA não foram correlacionados. Observamos que tanto a Srarefeita e a LCBD diminuíram com aumentos no grau de urbanização, mas não foram correlacionadas com a HA. Também observamos que as abundâncias de poucas espécies de peixes nativos correlacionaram-se com HA. Serrapinnus microdon, S. calliurus, Hemigrammus tridens e Astyanax lacustris foram mais abundantes em riachos com menor grau de urbanização. A não-nativa Poecilia reticulata foi mais abundante em riachos com maior grau de urbanização. Nossos resultados destacam que a urbanização resulta em impactos negativos nas assembleias de peixes, tais como reduções da diversidade e a dominância de espécies não-nativas.

Anthropogenic factors have significantly influenced the frequency, duration, and intensity of meteorological drought in many regions of the globe, and the increased frequency of wildfires is among the most visible consequences of human-induced climate change. Despite its role in determining biodiversity outcomes in different ecosystems, wildfires can cause negative impacts on wildlife. We conducted ground surveys along line transects to estimate the first-order impact of the 2020 wildfires on vertebrates in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil. We adopted the distance sampling technique to estimate the densities and the number of dead vertebrates in the 39,030 square kilometers affected by fire. Our estimates indicate that at least 16.952 million vertebrates were killed immediately by the fires in the Pantanal, demonstrating the impact of such an event in wet savanna ecosystems. The Pantanal case also reminds us that the cumulative impact of widespread burning would be catastrophic, as fire recurrence may lead to the impoverishment of ecosystems and the disruption of their functioning. To overcome this unsustainable scenario, it is necessary to establish proper biomass fuel management to avoid cumulative impacts caused by fire over biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Acoustic monitoring provides the opportunity to study ecological processes that are difficult to assess with traditional surveys. Elachistocleis matogrosso is an anuran species, described in 2010, ...

Factors driving the spatial configuration of centres of endemism have long been a topic of broad interest and debate. Due to different eco-evolutionary processes, these highly biodiverse areas may harbour different amounts of ancient and recently diverged organisms (paleo- and neo-endemism, respectively). Patterns of endemism still need to be measured at distinct phylogenetic levels for most clades and, consequently, little is known about the distribution, the age and the causes of such patterns. Here we tested for the presence of centres with high phylogenetic endemism (PE) in the highly diverse Neotropical snakes, testing the age of these patterns (paleo- or neo-endemism), and the presence of PE centres with distinct phylogenetic composition. We then tested whether PE is predicted by topography, by climate (seasonality, stability, buffering and relictualness), or biome size. We found that most areas of high PE for Neotropical snakes present a combination of both ancient and recently diverged diversity, which is distributed mostly in the Caribbean region, Central America, the Andes, the Atlantic Forest and on scattered highlands in central Brazil. Turnover of lineages is higher across Central America, resulting in more phylogenetically distinct PE centres compared to South America, which presents a more phylogenetically uniform snake fauna. Finally, we found that elevational range (topographic roughness) is the main predictor of PE, especially for paleo-endemism, whereas low paleo-endemism levels coincide with areas of high climatic seasonality. Our study highlights the importance of mountain systems to both ancient and recent narrowly distributed diversity. Mountains are both museums and cradles of snake diversity in the Neotropics, which has important implications for conservation in this region. Fil: Azevedo, Josué Anderson Rêgo. University Goteborg; Suecia. Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre; Suecia Fil: Guedes, Thaís B.. University Goteborg; Suecia. Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre; Suecia. Universidade Estadual do Maranhão. Centro de Estudos Superiores de Caxias. Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade, Ambiente e Saúde; Portugal Fil: Nogueira, Cristiano de Campos. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil Fil: Passos, Paulo. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Sawaya, Ricardo. Universidad Federal do Abc; Brasil Fil: Prudente, Ana. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi; Brasil Fil: Barbo, Fausto Erritto. Governo do Estado de Sao Paulo. Secretaria da Saude. Instituto Butantan; Brasil Fil: Strüssmann, Christine. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul; Brasil Fil: Franco, Francisco L.. Governo do Estado de Sao Paulo. Secretaria da Saude. Instituto Butantan; Brasil Fil: Arzamendia, Vanesa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; Argentina Fil: Giraudo, Alejandro Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; Argentina Fil: Argolo, Antonio. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; Brasil Fil: Jansen, Martin. Senckenberg Research Institute and Nature Museum; Alemania Fil: Zaher, Hussam. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil Fil: Tonini, Joao Filipe Riva. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Francia. Sorbonne University; Francia. Harvard University; Estados Unidos Fil: Faurby, Søren. University Goteborg; Suecia Fil: Antonelli, Alexandre. University Goteborg; Suecia

The Program for Biodiversity Research (PPBio) is an innovative program designed to integrate all biodiversity research stakeholders. Operating since 2004, it has installed long-term ecological research sites throughout Brazil and its logic has been applied in some other southern-hemisphere countries. The program supports all aspects of research necessary to understand biodiversity and the processes that affect it. There are presently 161 sampling sites (see some of them at Supplementary Appendix), most of which use a standardized methodology that allows comparisons across biomes and through time. To date, there are about 1200 publications associated with PPBio that cover topics ranging from natural history to genetics and species distributions. Most of the field data and metadata are available through PPBio web sites or DataONE. Metadata is available for researchers that intend to explore the different faces of Brazilian biodiversity spatio-temporal variation, as well as for managers intending to improve conservation strategies. The Program also fostered, directly and indirectly, local technical capacity building, and supported the training of hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. The main challenge is maintaining the long-term funding necessary to understand biodiversity patterns and processes under pressure from global environmental changes. Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-03T12:00:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Program-for-Biodiversity-Research-2021.pdf: 4613827 bytes, checksum: 04b1875a6efdcba448fd73c1ecddf986 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T12:36:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-01-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica de Argentina The Leptodactylus melanonotus species group is widely distributed across the Neotropics and contains 17 valid species. Here we reassess the taxonomic status of several taxa of the group, focusing mainly on the Amazonian L. petersii and both its junior synonyms (L. brevipes and L. intermedius), based on morphological, acoustic, cytogenetic, and DNA sequence data. The phylogenetic analyses recovered a monophyletic L. melanonotus group. However, L. petersii in the broad sense was found to be polyphyletic by containing the nominal species and two other lineages more closely related to L. podicipinus than to L. petersii. Color patterns and calls also support the distinctiveness among these lineages. Moreover, one of the lineages (L. brevipes) has a unique karyotype in the genus (2n = 20 vs. 2n = 22 in the other species). The holotype of L. petersii is presumably lost and a previous designation of a neotype was later considered as invalid. Therefore, we designate a new neotype for L. petersii and redescribe the species from the upper Negro River drainage. Also, we revalidate and characterize L. brevipes and L. intermedius from their type localities. Our study contributes to the systematics, cytogenetic and phenotypic variation, and distribution patterns of leptodactylid frogs in South America. (c) 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. Univ Estadual Paulista, Lab Citogenet Anim, Dept Biol Geral & Aplicada, Inst Biociencias, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Lab Herpetol, Dept Biodiversidade, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Ctr Aquicultura, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Pontificia Univ Catolica Ecuador, Museo Zool, Escuela Ciencias Biol, Quito, Ecuador Univ Fed Mato Grosso, Fac Med Vet, Cuiaba, MT, Brazil Univ Nacl Misiones, Inst Biol Subtrop, Fac Ciencias Exactas Quim & Nat, Lab Genet Evolut, Posadas, Argentina Univ Fed Mato Grosso, Inst Biociencias, Ctr Referencia Biodiversidade Reg, Lab Herpetol, Cuiaba, MT, Brazil Univ Fed Uberlandia, Lab Anuros Neotropicais, Inst Ciencias Exatas & Nat Pontal, Ituiutaba, MG, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Lab Citogenet Anim, Dept Biol Geral & Aplicada, Inst Biociencias, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Lab Herpetol, Dept Biodiversidade, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Ctr Aquicultura, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil FAPESP: 2008/50928-1 FAPESP: 2012/15763-7 FAPESP: 2013/50741-7 FAPESP: 2017/08489-0 FAPESP: 2017/26162-8 CNPq: 446935/2014-0 CNPq: 302518/2013-4 CNPq: 305169/2019-0 CNPq: 306623/2018-8 CNPq: 3123038/2018-1 Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica de Argentina: PICTs 2015/2381 Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica de Argentina: 2016/4066 Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica de Argentina: 2018/3349

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:29:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-12-01 The similar morphology of species in the genus Oreobates that inhabit rocky outcrops amidst the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests and Cerrado savannas of central South America has led to taxonomic inaccuracies when only external morphology was considered. Therefore, researchers frequently fail to determine the true taxonomic status of some of these populations and thus attribute them to unidentified or misidentified species. Integrating different sources of data is of fundamental importance to understand the diversity of species in this group. Herein, we used external morphology (16 characters measured in 54 adult specimens), bioacoustics (238 advertisement calls of 19 specimens of Oreobates from six localities), and molecular evidence (based on 58 16S gene fragments representing 24 of the currently available names of Oreobates) to evaluate the taxonomic status and distribution range of Oreobates from 10 localities in central South America. We performed phylogenetic analysis, principal component analysis, and discriminant function analysis to evaluate the taxonomic status of Oreobates in central South America. We redescribe Oreobates heterodactylus based on a newly collected series of topotypes and additional material from other localities. We reassess the taxonomic status of Oreobates crepitans, herein considered as a junior synonym of O. heterodactylus. We also describe eastern Bolivian populations of Oreobates as a new species. Laboratório de Herpetologia Centro de Referência da Biodiversidade Regional Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Av. Fernando Correa da Costa, 2367 Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP) Instituto de Biociências, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista Instituto de Investigación Biológica Del Paraguay, Del Escudo 1607 Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Av. Fernando Correa da Costa, 2367 Terrestrische Zoologie Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Senckenberganlage 25 Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP) Instituto de Biociências, Av. 24A, 1515, Bela Vista

Clinal variation and cryptic species complexes are challenges to taxa targeted conservation. These issues are particularly problematic for the estimation of species geographic distributions, generally resulting in erroneous estimations due to unrecognized species. However, integrative taxonomy could help to solve these problems, revealing geographic and genealogical limits of species when they are not clear through morphological comparisons solely. Here we evaluated the efficiency of integrative taxonomy in identifying a new population of leaf frog from a species complex. This example was chosen because correct species identification can have an impact in the conservation assessment of a threatened species. The new population belongs to Pithecopus centralis, extending its distribution by approximately 400 km to the east of its known distribution. This identification was confirmed by the consensus between genetic, morphometric and bioacoustic evidence, even with some level of uncertainty when using each piece of evidence. We reassessed the conservation status of the species following recommendations from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), after having checked and cleaned the data used for the species categorization in the Brazilian Red List of Threatened Fauna. In spite of the distribution extension reported here, our results demonstrate that the status of the species should be revised in the national Red List, reinforcing the importance of a rigorous taxonomic approach to improve Red Lists assessments.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:35:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-11-10 The genus Pseudopaludicola includes small-sized anurans, widely distributed throughout South America. Twenty-three out of the 25 species occur in Brazil. Although described more than a century ago, from mid-southern Mato Grosso state, central Brazil, Pseudopaludicola ameghini is poorly known. Here we describe the characteristics of reproductive site, amplexus, egg-laying behaviour, eggs and tadpoles of P. ameghini based on specimens and observations performed in the vicinities of the type locality. Pairs of P. ameghini reproduce in shallow and slow groundwater established on hydromorphic terrains, in open environments amidst the Brazilian Cerrado savanna. Reproductive activity occurred between 17:00 and 21:00 h at two sites studied from December 2013 to April 2014. Amplexus is axillary. Eggs are spherical, with a mean diameter of 5.1 mm (yolk plus jelly envelope). Oviposition occurs in shallow sites at a depth of nearly 2.0 cm. Females deposit their eggs one at a time, directly onto sediment at the bottom of waterbodies or attached to submerged vegetation. The tadpole body is oval in dorsal view and globular/depressed in lateral view; eyes are large and dorsally positioned. Nares are large, round, with a small apophysis on marginal rim, dorsally positioned, near the eyes. The spiracle is short, with posterodorsal opening. The oral disc is anteroventral, emarginated laterally, with one dorsal and two ventral gaps; the tooth row formula is 2(2)/2(1), and the upper jaw sheath is ‘arc’ shaped. Pseudopaludicola ameghini has a unique behaviour of oviposition among members of the genus. The differences in reproductive pattern and larval characteristics of P. mystacalis and P. ameghini reinforce the taxonomic validity of the latter, questioned until recently. Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Graduação em Licenciatura Plena em Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal Laboratório de Zoologia Centro de Ciências Biológicas e de Saúde Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) Laboratório de Herpetologia Centro de Referência da Biodiversidade Regional Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)

Zika virus (ZIKV) was first discovered in 1947 in Uganda but was not considered a public health threat until 2007 when it found to be the source of epidemic activity in Asia. Epidemic activity spread to Brazil in 2014 and continued to spread throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Despite ZIKV being zoonotic in origin, information about transmission, or even exposure of non-human vertebrates and mosquitoes to ZIKV in the Americas, is lacking. Accordingly, from February 2017 to March 2018, we sought evidence of sylvatic ZIKV transmission by sampling whole blood from approximately 2000 domestic and wild vertebrates of over 100 species in West-Central Brazil within the active human ZIKV transmission area. In addition, we collected over 24,300 mosquitoes of at least 17 genera and 62 species. We screened whole blood samples and mosquito pools for ZIKV RNA using pan-flavivirus primers in a real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in a SYBR Green platform. Positives were confirmed using ZIKV-specific envelope gene real-time RT-PCR and nucleotide sequencing. Of the 2068 vertebrates tested, none were ZIKV positive. Of the 23,315 non-engorged mosquitoes consolidated into 1503 pools tested, 22 (1.5%) with full data available showed some degree of homology to insect-specific flaviviruses. To identify previous exposure to ZIKV, 1498 plasma samples representing 62 species of domestic and sylvatic vertebrates were tested for ZIKV-neutralizing antibodies by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90). From these, 23 (1.5%) of seven species were seropositive for ZIKV and negative for dengue virus serotype 2, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus, suggesting potential monotypic reaction for ZIKV. Results presented here suggest no active transmission of ZIKV in non-human vertebrate populations or in alternative vector candidates, but suggest that vertebrates around human populations have indeed been exposed to ZIKV in West-Central Brazil.

Building bridges between environmental and political agendas is essential nowadays in face of the increasing human pressure on natural environments, including wetlands. Wetlands provide critical ecosystem services for humanity and can generate a considerable direct or indirect income to the local communities. To meet many of the sustainable development goals, we need to move our trajectory from the current environmental destructive development to a wiser wetland use. The current article contain a proposed agenda for the Pantanal aiming the improvement of public policy for conservation in the Pantanal, one of the largest, most diverse, and continuous inland wetland in the world. We suggest and discuss a list of 11 essential interfaces between science, policy, and development in region linked to the proposed agenda. We believe that a functional science network can booster the collaborative capability to generate creative ideas and solutions to address the big challenges faced by the Pantanal wetland. Made available in DSpace on 2019-09-27T00:39:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SustainabilityAgenda2019.pdf: 7046678 bytes, checksum: 95e607f5662246d9f5e01cf9b656b030 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019

We describe a new watersnake of the genus Helicops based on a single specimen found in the northern limit of the Brazilian Pantanal. Immediately after collection, the unique features of color pattern and head proportions prevented us to attribute this specimen to any other congener. Further comparisons revealed that the combination of entire nasal scales, a distinctively acuminate snout, high dorsal and supralabial counts, as well as a dorsal pattern with chain-like spot rows and a venter with vivid and peculiar orange markings confirmed that the specimen represented a new species. Molecular data supported our morphological conclusion recovering the new species deeply nested within Helicops terminals, sister to a clade composed by H. carinicaudus and H. nentur. Our discovery represents a rare instance of a snake species restricted to the Brazilian Pantanal, but we refrain from considering it a Pantanal endemic until further records allow more considerations on distributional patterns.

Background : Snakebites occur frequently among humans and animals. In Brazil, about 23,000 cases of snakebite involving humans were recorded in 2016, 11% of them caused by venomous snakes. In the region of Cuiaba, capital of Mato Grosso, the highest occurrence is of snakes of the genus Bothrops (81%), followed by Crotalus (4%). Bothrops venom has proteolytic, coagulant and hemorrhagic effects, whereas Crotalus venom is neurotoxic, myotoxic and nephrotoxic. This paper reports on three cases of Bothrops snakebites in dogs treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Mato Grosso in 2017. Cases : Three dogs were treated showing clinical signs of snakebite, possibly by Bothrops , since their owners reported that these are the snakes most frequently found where they live. This information is consistent with the known geographic distribution of snakes of the genus Bothrops in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. In the first report (Case 1 1 ), the patient was bitten on two different occasions in a five-month interval, and died presumably due to anaphylactic shock caused by the venom injected by a second snakebite (Case 1 2 ). In both episodes, the animal presented a swollen face and neck, dyspnea and eye bleeding, and these signs were more severe in the second episode. Case 2 was a dog with severe neck and chest swelling and pain. The owner of this dog reported that he had taken his dog for a walk in the countryside, along with the dog of Case 1, and had returned home with both dogs about three hours before the consultation. Case 3 was a Rottweiler living at a small family farm located 67 km from Cuiaba. The animal presented with slight swelling and pain in the left forelimb, and puncture wounds on the lower limb. Neutrophilic leukocytosis was observed in cases 1 and 3. In addition, Case 1 2 (the second episode of Case 1) presented with thrombocytopenia and increased prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time. The dog of Case 2 presented no hematological or biochemical alteration. All the dogs received antivenom serum and supportive care. Discussion : Based on the clinical signs of local swelling with bleeding and absence of neurological signs, the snakebites were attributed to the genus Bothrops . In Case 1 2 , blood clotting tests showed non-coagulation. The greater severity of Case 1, which culminated in death, was attributed to anaphylaxis due to prior exposure or the larger amount of venom than that injected in Case 2, since the two injuries were inflicted in the same environment on the same day, probably by the same snake. Neutrophilic leukocytosis may be indicative of an inflammatory reaction, while thrombocytopenia and clotting changes are associated with the hemorrhagic activity of Bothrops venom. Death by snakebite is directly linked to the amount of venom injected, the envenomation site, and the time between the bite and the beginning of treatment. This explains the moderate signs presented by Cases 2 and 3, whose injuries were inflicted on the neck and forelimb, unlike the dog of Case 1, which was bitten on the head on two occasions. It was concluded that Bothrops venom causes systemic and local alterations characterized by pain, swelling, necrosis and bleeding. Early access to antivenom treatment is essential to neutralize clinical signs and prevent worsening of systemic poisoning. The determining factor in snakebite deaths is the amount of injected venom and the time elapsed between the injury and the beginning of treatment.

Two new species of Pseudopaludicola from midwestern Brazil are described. One of them, distributed in Bolivian and Brazilian areas within the Upper Paraguay and Upper Guapore river basins, is characterized by the presence of a conspicuous conical tubercle on each heel, by T-shaped terminal phalanges, and so belongs to the formally recognized Pseudopaludicola pusilla group. The advertisement call is composed of a series of 14–720 notes with concatenated pulses—each lasting for 5–25 ms—and mean dominant frequency of 5071 ± 242 Hz. The second species, restricted to the southeastern-most region of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, is characterized mainly by a 2n = 18 karyotype, an advertisement call composed of series of 12–287 notes with concatenated pulses and mean dominant frequency of 4167.7 ± 287.5 Hz. A detailed description of the karyotype of this latter species is also provided.

Anuran distribution patterns can be influenced by structural and dynamic characteristics of a habitat. In floodplains—such as the South American Pantanal wetlands—cyclic changes within terrestrial and aquatic biotopes can limit the distribution and occurrence of species. To test the influence of the habitat on the anuran community structure in the Pantanal, we recorded data on species composition and abundance at 30 sampling plots, from October 2006 to May 2007. We also recorded data on seven local environmental variables: water depth, distance to the nearest permanent water body, hydroperiod, leaf litter volume, plant cover by herbaceous plants, by monospecific stands of a bromeliad, and by shrubby/arboreal woody plants. We used multivariate statistical analyses to test for data correlation. In addition, we analyzed the degrees of associations of anuran species to habitat types. Our results revealed no influence of any of the analyzed environmental variables on the anuran species richness and ...

Human-wildlife conflict is a widespread problem that threatens both animals and local livelihoods. When this conflict involves predators, the additional risks to human life worsen the problem. The ...

Seasonal flood pulses drive important seasonal ecosystem changes, trigger ecological processes that control spatial and temporal distribution of organisms and their life-history strategies, and are considered a key ecological process shaping diversity in floodplains. We used generalized dissimilarity modelling (GDM) to analyse the relative importance of flooding as a driver of snake community composition in the Paraguay River Basin (PRB), which encompasses discontinuous seasonal flooded areas, including the Pantanal floodplain, one of the largest Neotropical wetland systems. We modelled the beta diversity of pairs of PRB snake communities (based on species occurrence and phylogenetic relationships) as a function of biogeographical and environmental dissimilarities between areas, considering predictors that represent distinct limitations of species’ ability to use an area. Annual flooding directly drives snake diversity, mainly when ancient evolutionary relationships between species were considered to calculate the phylogenetic diversity of the communities. Floods recurrently produce major changes in the environment and probably limit the persistency of species extremely specialized in habitat use. Despite the confirmation of the effect of flooding, the most important predictor of beta diversity between snake communities in the PRB was forest cover where communities were placed. Forest cover seems to constrain the occurrence of some species in both gradient extremities through the absence of suitable conditions for either specialized habitat use or thermoregulatory behaviours. Geographical distance was also an important predictor of beta diversity, highlighting the importance of neutral process in the assembly of local communities in systems such as seasonally flooded areas, where annual disturbances of varying intensities continually disassemble and reassemble biological communities. For the first time, we quantified the relative importance of flooding affecting patterns of biological communities in the Pantanal floodplain, compared to multiple factors also acting on species turnover in the area.

Scinax (Anura: Hylidae) is a species-rich genus of amphibians (113 spp.), divided into five species groups by morphological features. Cladistic analyses however revealed only two monophyletic clades in these groups: Scinax catharinae and Scinax ruber. Most species from the S. catharinae clade are found in Atlantic rainforest, except for Scinax canastrensis,S. centralis, S. luizotavioi, S. machadoi,S. pombali and S. skaios. In the present work, specimens of Scinax collected in Chapada dos Guimarães, central Brazil, were morphologically compatible with species from theS. catharinae group. On the other hand, genetic analysis based on mitochondrial (16S and 12S) and nuclear (rhodopsin) sequences revealed a nucleotide divergence of 6 to 20% between Scinax sp. and other congeners from the Brazilian savannah (Cerrado). Accordingly, Bayesian inference placed Scinax sp. in the S. catharinae clade with high support values. Hence, these findings strongly indicate the presence of a new species in the S. catharinae clade from the southwestern portion of the Brazilian savannah. To be properly validated as a novel species, detailed comparative morphological and bioacustic studies with other taxa from Brazil such asS. canastrensis, S. centralis, S. luizotavioi, S. machadoi, S. pombali and S. skaios are required.

Land use change has been identified as a major driver of amphibian decline around the world. Yet we generally lack an understanding of how conversion to exotic pastures affects freshwater communities. This study examined tadpole assemblages in areas converted to exotic pastures and native wooded grasslands in northern Pantanal wetland, Midwestern Brazil. We tested the differences in site occupancy probability and assemblage composition during a flood season. We registered thirteen tadpole species, but only five were detected at levels suitable for occupancy modelling. For most species, tadpole occupancy was higher at the beginning of the flood season. Only Scinax fuscomarginatus occupancy was related with vegetation cover. Occupancy probability for three species (Dendropsophus nanus, Physalaemus centralis, and Physalaemus cuvieri) was associated positively with species richness of fish. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that exotic pastures hosted a different tadpole assemblage than native areas. The assemblage composition gradient was associated with species richness of fish, vegetation cover and volume of herbaceous vegetation and leaf litter. These differences likely relate to specific traits of individual anuran species (dietary plasticity, reproductive mode, and habitat preference). The study showed that some generalist species were able to cope with replacement of native vegetation by exotic species. However, management practices have maintained many areas in the Pantanal at a stage of a near-pristine wetland ecosystem and replacement of native vegetation by exotic pastures should be done with caution.

In many parts of the world, replacement of natural grasslands by woody plants has resulted in a decrease of pasture areas and in habitat loss for a variety of animal species, including amphibians. Wetlands are especially susceptible to invasive plants, both native and exotic, but the effects of such invasions on animal assemblages remain poorly understood. Here, we present information on the impact of selected environmental variables, especially coverage by the native shrub Combretum laxum Jacq., on the structure of an anuran assemblage in the Pantanal, a huge flood-pulsed South American wetland. Anurans were surveyed during the rainy season in 17 plots, which differed in extent of C. laxum coverage, leaf litter volume, soil moisture and distance to permanently wet areas. Effects of these environmental variables on the species number, relative abundance and composition of the anuran assemblage were evaluated using multivariate statistical analyses. We captured 1203 anurans, of 21 species from four families. Both the number of species and the relative abundance of anurans were lower in plots with greater C. laxum coverage, which also influenced anuran species composition. Number of species was highest in plots located closest to permanently wet areas, which provide protection from desiccation and other resources during the Pantanal dry season, and so could be considered source areas of anurans. While many anuran species were negatively affected by the homogenization of the landscape caused by shrub encroachment, some seemed to be favoured in such circumstances. For these, dense shrub encroachment into natural grasslands may provide safer migratory routes to permanently wet habitats. Thus, at the mesoscale, a mosaic of areas with different levels of coverage by C. laxum (shrub islands) may aid anuran assemblages in the Pantanal wetlands, facilitating the maintenance of higher beta and gamma diversity.

Comparisons of advertisement calls of anurans can be used to determine intra- and interspecific differences or affinities. Described from midwestern Brazil,Pseudopaludicola mystacalisis widely distributed and abundant in major open Brazilian ecosystems. However, researchers frequently fail to determine the true taxonomic status of some of these populations and attribute them to unidentified or misidentified species. Herein, we employ morphological and bioacoustic data to reassess the distribution range and to evaluate intraspecific variation inP. mystacalisbased on specimens from fifteen localities and seven Brazilian states. We also reassess the distribution and taxonomic status ofPseudopaludicola serrana, herein considered as a junior synonym ofP. murundubased on morphology, bioacoustics, and molecular data.

Accurate and detailed species distribution maps are fundamental for documenting and interpreting biological diversity. For snakes, an ecologically diverse group of reptiles, syntheses and detailed data on distribution patterns remain scarce. We present the first comprehensive collection of detailed, voucher-based, point-locality, range maps for all described and documented Brazilian snakes, with the major aim of mitigating the Wallacean shortfall and as a contribution towards a better understanding of this rich, threatened, and poorly studied megadiverse fauna. We recorded a total of 412 snake species in Brazil on the basis of an extensive and verified point-locality database of 163,498 entries and 75,681 unique records (available here as Online Supporting Information). Our results reveal previously undocumented patterns of distribution, sampling effort, richness, and endemism levels, resulting in a more objective view of snake diversity in the Neotropics. Apart from these achievements, we understand that the most relevant and enduring contribution of the present atlas is to stimulate researchers to publish corrections, additions, and new discoveries.

Size and function of digestive organs in snakes are modulated by feeding frequency and by the energetic demands of reproduction. This allows snakes to minimize costs and maximize the energ...

Reproductive aspects of Ameerega braccata, a Cerrado endemic species of Dendrobatidae, were studied in the surroundings of the type locality of the species, Chapada dos Guimaraes, mid-southern Mato Grosso State, Brazil. We found that males call mainly early in the morning and in the late afternoon. During courtship, the female approaches a calling male and tactile and visual communication occurs. Males call continuously while guiding females to the oviposition site, which may be situated as far as 24 m (in a straight line) from the initial encounter site. Spawn are deposited over fallen leaves on the soil surface or in burrows. Female snout–vent length and body mass did not explain the variation in ovary mass, or the variation in the number and size of post-vitellogenic oocytes. The results reported here for A. braccata might help to understand trends in the evolution of dendrobatids in open Cerrado environments.