Body size of Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera, Insecta) in areas with different levels of conservation in South Brazil

Body size is correlated with many species traits such as morphology, physiology, life history and abundance as well; it is one of the most discussed topics in macroecological studies. The aim of this paper was to analyze the body size distribution of Chrysomelidae, caught with Malaise traps during two years in four areas with different levels of conservation in the Araucaria Forest, Paraná, Brazil, determining if body size is a good predictor of abundance, and if body size could be used to indicate environmental quality. Body size was considered the total length of the specimen from the anterior region of head to the apex of abdomen/elytron. Measurements were taken for up to ten specimens of each species for each area and for all specimens of those species represented by fewer than ten individuals. The highest abundance and richness of Chrysomelidae were obtained in the lowest body size classes. This herbivorous group showed a trend toward a decrease in body size with increasing abundance, but body size was not a good predictor of its abundance. There was a trend toward a decrease in body size from the less to the most conserved areas; however, the definition of a pattern in successional areas not seems to be entirely clear.     

Environmental Factors Influencing Local Fish Species Richness and Differences between Hydroregions in South‐Western France

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of 5 typological variables on the spatial distribution patterns of fish species richness in south‐western France, and, subsequently, to analyse differences in the number of species occurring in 6 major hydroregions located within the overall study area. The data were collected at 329 sampling sites. General Linear Modelling was used to assess the influence of each typological variable on local fish species richness, and to determine the differences in local fish species richness between the 6 hydroregions. Local species richness was significantly influenced by altitude, slope and catchment area, whereas distance from the source and stream width showed no significant relations with local richness. The Côteaux de Gascogne hydroregion had a significantly lower species richness, whereas no significant differences occurred among other neighbouring hydroregions. These results were congruent with the spatial distribution patterns of freshwater invertebrate species richness in the area, which were analysed in previous studies. At such a regional scale, we suggest that congruent patterns between fish and invertebrate species richness are almost certainly a result of similar responses by different taxa to environmental conditions, rather than to biotic interactions. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Predicting Patterns of Tiger Beetle (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) Species Richness in Northwestern South America

Species richness patterns of tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) were analyzed using a grid of 407 squares (137.5 km per side) across northwestern South America (Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and western Brazil). Reliable data on species numbers were available for only 149 of the squares. Using a trend surface model (a model used to represent the mean of a spatial process by a polynomial function of spatial coordinates) as well as altitudinal relief and biogeographical influence for each square, we predicted the number of tiger beetle species likely to occur in intermediate squares for which no or unreliable data were available. The resultant spatial patterns of species richness were compared to similar analyses for temperate areas of North America. Intercontinental comparisons and a more complete pattern of species numbers in South America are useful in developing an understanding of general spatial patterns and in the environmental management of species richness.     

Traditional Plants Used in Southern Brazil as a Source to Wound Healing Therapies

In southern Brazil, the biodiversity is great and the traditional use of medicinal plants for wound healing has been documented in ethnobotanical studies and pharmacological studies have assessed their wound properties and phytochemistry. Therefore, this study evaluated ethnobotanical surveys regarding medicinal plants used in southern Brazil for wound healing and studies about the healing properties of these plants published between 2000 and 2022. To retrieve articles related to the study, Web of Science, PubMed (NLM), Open Access Journals, Scielo, Lilacs, and Google Scholar, with keywords including medicinal plants, wound healing, and South of Brazil, have been used. As a result, 73 medicinal plants belonging to 39 families were found in ethnobotanical surveys as a traditional resource used for wound healing in southern Brazil, 15 of which were cited more than once. Besides, 14 of these 15 plants were also used as healing agents worldwide. The most cited plant with healing actions in southern Brazil was Symphytum officinale L. (comfrey). From 2000 to date, 44 articles scientifically demonstrated the wound-healing effects of the southern Brazilian plants found in ethnobotanical surveys reviewed. The folk medicine of southern Brazil presents a variety of medicinal plants for wound-healing purposes, and scientific data were found for some of those plants. However, the wound-healing properties of many plants have yet to be investigated, and the current literature still needs more phytochemical information about the plants studied. Aside from this, the future focus should be on the standardization of herbal extracts, and further research is required to investigate the pharmacological mechanisms. Clinical research in this area remains in its infancy and warrants more robust further clinical studies.     

Environmental Fate of Neonicotinoids and Classification of Their Potential Risks to Hypogean,Epygean, and Surface Water Ecosystems in Brazil

Due to their reported high toxicity to honey bees, ecotoxicological studies into the side-effects of neonicotinoid insecticides have focused almost exclusively on these organisms. The fate of neonicotinoids and potential toxic side-effects on other (especially non-standard) organisms have received considerably less attention. In the present study, the environmental distribution and leaching potential of neonicotinoids registered for agricultural use in Brazil (acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam) were studied by applying several environmental fate models and indices. Potential risks to various environmental compartments were evaluated by applying ranking indices to the maximum application rates recommended in Brazil. Although bees were indeed found to be the most sensitive organism, the neonicotinoids also indicated potential environmental risks to other organism groups. Due to the greater maximum application rates recommended in Brazil as compared to other parts of the world, environmental risk and resistance potential for at least imidacloprid appears especially high in Brazil. Attention should thus also be allocated to organisms other than bees and to resistance potential when performing an environmental risk assessment of neonicotinoids if they are used at relatively high application rates.     

岛屿栖息地鸟类群落的丰富度及其影响因子

1997年1月至1997年12月间,以杭州市的园林鸟类群落为研究对象,对岛屿栖息地鸟类群落的丰富度与面积,人为干扰,内部结构和周围景观结构等多种因素的关系进行了系统的分析和检验。在杭州市各园林中共观察到82种鸟类。园林单次调查的鸟类物种数（S）与园林全年总物种数（Sy)与园林面积（A）的最佳回归拟合方程分别为;S＝ 2.7432A^0.3846,Sy=10.6574A^0.3669。杭州市园林鸟类群落物种－面积关系的成因不支持平衡假说,随机取样假说,栖息地多样性假说和干扰假说,岛屿栖息地鸟类群落的丰富度是多因素综合作用的结果,包括取样面积效应（排除了取样面积效应之后,小园林具有更高的物种密度）,栖息地结构的多样性（其中树种多样性是最主要的影响因子）,干扰因素,物种因素和研究尺度等几个方面。     

新疆北部地区湿地鼓藻类植物多样性及其与环境因子的关系

为了探究新疆北部主要地区(乌鲁木齐、阿勒泰、伊犁)湿地鼓藻类植物多样性分布规律及其特征,该研究通过文献查阅和标本采集鉴定等方式收集数据,采用G-F指数方法进行物种多样性分析,利用Person相关分析和冗余分析(RDA)分析其与环境因子的关系,为新疆湿地鼓藻类植物资源的调查和淡水藻类多样性研究提供基本资料。结果表明:(1)研究区域共有鼓藻类植物189种,隶属于1门1纲2目6科18属;其中鼓藻科(Desmidiaceae)为优势科,有154种,占总种数的81.48%;优势属为鼓藻属(Cosmarium Corda ex Ralfs)、角星鼓藻属(Staurastrum Ralfs)和新月藻属(Closterium Nitzsch),共有137种,占总种数的72.49%。(2)阿勒泰地区鼓藻类植物的D F、D G、D F-G值均最高,分别为2.6213、2.0828、0.5095。(3)研究区域鼓藻类植物的种类数量分布为:阿勒泰地区>乌鲁木齐及周边地区>伊犁地区,纬向因素的变化趋势较经向更明显。(4)Person相关分析显示,影响阿勒泰地区鼓藻类植物物种多样性的主要因子是大气温度,影响乌鲁木齐及周边地区是大气温度、电导率和经度,伊犁地区则与环境指标未显出相关性。(5)RDA分析表明,pH和大气温度是影响鼓藻类植物物种多样性和组成的主要因素。研究认为,新疆北部主要地区湿地鼓藻类植物存在较明显的地理分布差异,物种数呈现北多南少,东多西少的分布规律,其物种多样性和组成分布与环境因子存在一定的相关性,但不同地区、不同属类的鼓藻类植物与环境因子的相关性存在差异。     

Ciliate community associated with aquatic macrophyte roots: effects of nutrient enrichment on the community composition and species richness

The objective of this study was to identify the impact of nutrient enrichment on the diversity of the ciliate community associated with the roots of the aquatic macrophyte Eichhornia crassipes. The experiment was performed in the Garças Lake, located in the Upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil. We conducted two treatments (fertilized and control) with three replicates each. To increase the initial nutrient concentrations in each mesocosm of the fertilized treatment, we added 1000 μg L⁻¹ of KNO₃ and 200 μg L⁻¹ of KH₂PO₄ during each sampling date. We found a relative high number of ciliate species (85 species) and a predominance of hypotrichs. Among the recorded species, about 25% occurred exclusively in the fertilized treatment. Moreover, detrended correspondence analysis demonstrated that the ciliate community associated with E. crassipes roots changed significantly in response to the nutrient input in such a way that the species composition of the fertilized treatment was remarkably different from that of the control. In contrast to our expectations, species richness in the fertilized treatment was significantly higher than that in the control, refuting our hypothesis that species richness decreases under eutrophic conditions.     

Species richness and assemblage structure of Trichoptera in Danish streams

• 1 Species richness and assemblages of Trichoptera from 157 ‘pristine’ Danish lowland stream sites were analyzed, for dependence on geographical position of the sites and simple physical variables, using two way indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis.
• 2 A total of 106 species were recorded, representing ≈ 90% of the species pool known from Danish streams. Only seven species occurred at more than half the sites, whereas an additional 11 species were found at more than a quarter of the sites.
• 3 Although sites showed significant regional differences in environmental variables (stream order, width, slope and presence/absence of riparian forest), species richness and assemblages were primarily correlated with stream order, width and slope. Maximum richness was found at the largest (5th order) stream sites.
• 4 Regional differences in species assemblages were found, with several species being absent from the islands Funen and Bornholm. Species assemblages also differed between forested and non‐forested stream sites.
• 5 We found evidence that stream temperature may be of only minor importance in determining Trichoptera species richness and assemblage composition in Danish streams compared to other size‐related physical factors.

     

Longitudinal patterns of fish assemblages in a large tropical river in southeastern Brazil: evaluating environmental influences and some concepts in river ecology

This study aimed to evaluate environmental influences on fish distribution and to assess the extent to which concepts in river ecology accommodate levels of spatio-temporal heterogeneity of fish assemblages in a 1,080-km long tropical river. A total of 25 sites were sampled between November 2002 and March 2003 in two seasons (summer/wet versus winter/dry). A thermal gradient separating the upper reaches from the lower reaches was detected. The middle-upper reaches showed higher conductivity and lower dissolved oxygen and pH levels compared with the other reaches. Although some significant associations were found between some fish abundance and environmental variables, the most abundant species (Tilapia rendalli, Geophagus brasiliensis, and Oligosarcus hepsetus) occurred in most sites and under most environmental conditions. Fish community structure varied more in space (longitudinal) than through time (seasonal). The community in the lower reach species was more diverse in comparison with the other reaches. Differences in the fish assemblage structure among the longitudinal river sections appear to have been influenced by the effects of damming, and seem to be partially consistent with the Serial Discontinuity Concept, which views dams as discontinuities within the river continuum. Only the lower river reach showed seasonal differences in the fish community structure, attributable to the influence of flooding. Management plans and biodiversity conservation will benefit by considering the effects of dam disruption and flood increased connectivity to the lotic systems. Handling editor: J. Trexler     

Diversity and distribution of Collembola (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) of Brazil

Objectives of this study are to summarize the current state of knowledge of the diversity and distribution of Collembola in Brazil; to identify areas of most importance, interest, and need of additional research; and to enable development of experimental hypotheses for future research on Collembola in this region. The total number of collembolan species currently known from Brazil is 199, distributed among 19 families and 80 genera. The greatest numbers of species have been recorded from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Amazonas (with 69 and 56 species, respectively). Few or no species are known from most Brazilian states. Most of the species for which specific Brazilian environmental habitat information is available (93, 66%) are known only from forest environments. Most of the species (127, 64%) are known only from Brazil (most likely being endemic); 33 species (17%) are known only from Brazil and other neotropical areas; and 39 species (20%) have a distribution beyond the neotropical region. Results of this study indicate that much remains to be learned about the Brazilian collembolan fauna. This is especially true for areas of the northeastern, central-western, and southern regions. Studies to determine the species composition of collembolan communities in specific environments in Brazil are needed. The great diversity of Collembola species in Brazil is largely unknown and there are many opportunities for additional research on these environmentally important organisms in this area. Such additional research on the Collembola in Brazil is also essential for a better understanding of the neotropical (and world) collembolan fauna.     

Effects of hydrological variation on the aquatic plant community in a floodplain palustrine wetland of southern Brazil

This study analyzed macrophyte richness, biomass, and composition under flooding of brief duration (less than 3 days) and drawdown events over an annual cycle in a floodplain palustrine wetland in the south of Brazil. The study was carried out to test the hypothesis that floods of brief and very brief duration are not long enough to compromise the richness and the biomass of aquatic macrophytes and that the alternation between wet and drawdown phases may cause variations in the macrophyte richness and composition. A total of 26 aquatic macrophyte species were observed from April 2003 to May 2004: 13 species were observed during the wet phase, and 24 during the drawdown phase. The mean richness was higher during the drawdown phase than during the wet phase, however, the mean biomass was similar in both phases. Although macrophyte richness was not modified after the three flooding events, mean biomass was modified after two events. The number of macrophyte species of which the biomass was modified after the first flooding event increased with subsequent floods. These results illustrate the importance of the dynamics between brief floods and drawdown events to the aquatic plant community in floodplain wetlands in southern Brazil.     

Responses of Aquatic Insect Functional Diversity to Landscape Changes in Atlantic Forest

The Atlantic Forest domain, one of the 25 world's hotspots for biodiversity, has experienced dramatic changes in its landscape. While the loss of species diversity is well documented, functional diversity has not received the same amount of attention. In this study, we evaluated functional diversity of insects in streams utilizing three indices: functional diversity (FD), functional dispersion (FDis), and functional divergence (FDiv), seeking to understand the roles of three predictor sets in explaining functional patterns: (1) bioclimatic and landscape variables; (2) spatial variables; and (3) local environmental variables. We determined the amount of variation in different measures of functional diversity that was explained by each predictor set and their interplays using variation partitioning. Our study showed that variation in functional diversity is better explained by a set of variables linked to different scales dependent on spatial structures, indicating the importance of landscape and mainly environmental variables in the functional organization of aquatic insect communities, and that the relative importance of predictor sets depends on the indices considered. Variation in FD was better explained by the interplay among the three predictor sets and by local environmental variables, whereas variation in FDis was better explained by spatial variables and by the interplay between environmental and spatial variables. Variation in FDiv was not significantly explained by any predictors. Our study adds more evidence on the harmful effects caused by landscape changes on biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest, suggesting that these effects also influence the functional organization of stream insect communities.     

江西省水生维管束植物群落与环境因子关系的初步研究

植物群落与环境因子关系的研究是植物生态学的一个中心议题[1],主要通过直接梯度分析和间接梯度分析的方法进行定量描述和解释。排序是梯度分析的一个主要技术[2 ],如极点排序 (ＰＯ)、相互平均法 (ＲＡ)、主分量分析 (ＰＣＡ)、典范分析 (ＣＣＡ)等排序技术已被广泛应用于植被的梯度分析中[1,3]。对于水生维管束植物的研究已有不少报道 ,其中有许多研究者注意到了水环境 (如水深、底质、水化学性质、流速等 )对水生维管束植物生态分布的影响[4,5],但缺乏对水生维管束植物与水环境关系的数量分析研究。据此 ,作者通过对水生维管束植物群落及…     

Factors Affecting Macroinvertebrate Richness and Diversity in Portuguese Streams: a Two‐Scale Analysis

We analysed the spatial patterns in macroinvertebrate taxon richness and abundance at two scales: sampling unit and basin. We sampled 12 stream sites in three zones of Portugal, differing in climate geomorphology and water chemistry. At a sampling unit scale, substratum organic matter content, depth and the dominant size of substratum particles were correlated with numbers of taxa and individuals. We propose that the number of taxa at a small scale depends on the number of individuals, which in turn is the result of organic matter accumulation, hydrologic and substratum characteristics. The environmental parameters better explaining the large‐scale biological data were temperature, minimum size of substratum particles and pH. Regardless of the relative importance of variable types and mechanisms regulating stream invertebrates along the climatic gradient, rivers from the North and Centre appeared to be richer in taxa than the typically Mediterranean streams in the South.     

茂兰喀斯特森林植物物种丰富度的垂直分布特征及环境解释

茂兰喀斯特峰丛地貌森林是目前罕见的一类原生性强、人为干扰少的非地带性森林生态系统,与常态地貌地带性森林生态系统相比差异大。该研究采用典型样地调查方法对茂兰喀斯特森林海拔在620～910 m之间的垂直样带11个样方进行调查,分析研究区顶级群落物种丰富度的垂直梯度变化特征,并用冗余分析(RDA)法分析环境因子对物种丰富度的影响,以明确垂直梯度上物种丰富度与环境因子的关系,为喀斯特自然森林生态系统的维持与恢复、保护与管理提供理论基础。结果表明：(1)该调查茂兰喀斯特峰丛共记录有维管植物511种,隶属于124科272属。(2)单因素方差分析表明,该群落不同生活型的丰富度之间存在极显著差异(P<0.01);LSD多重比较分析表明,群落丰富度水平表现为总体>灌木层>草本层>乔木层。(3)随海拔梯度的升高,群落总物种丰富度和草本层物种丰富度与海拔呈显著负相关关系(P<0.05),乔木层丰富度和灌木层丰富度与海拔无明显规律。(4)冗余分析表明,土壤C/N/P的解释率达到58%,是影响物种丰富度的主要因素。