Feeding group responses of a Neotropical termite assemblage to rain forest fragmentation

Biomass collapse and its associated microclimatic stresses within recently isolated rain forest fragments may negatively affect species diversity of most resident taxa. However, for some decomposer organisms, increased resource availability via accompanying tree die-off may effect positive responses, at least for a time, with implications for rates of nutrient cycling and greenhouse gas release. This study investigates the early effects of forest fragmentation on a Neotropical termite assemblage. Numbers of encounters (surrogate for relative abundance) and species richness of wood and leaf-litter feeders, soil feeders, and the whole assemblage, were studied across true forest islands and mainland sites at a hydroelectric reservoir in French Guiana. Results showed no overall effect of fragmentation on either total termite encounters or species richness. However, numbers of encounters and species richness of wood and leaf-litter feeders showed positive responses to forest fragmentation. By contrast, soil feeders showed a negative response for numbers of encounters and no significant effect for species richness. Environmental data suggest that increased tree die-off, and other edge effects associated with biomass collapse, were underway at the time of sampling. Resulting increase in resource availability may therefore explain the positive influence on wood and leaf-litter feeders. A possible decrease in predation pressure from ants with decrease in island size was not tested for, but was a likely effect of the flooded matrix habitat. Fragmentation effects on soil feeder encounters may be due to the energetic and microclimatic constraints of feeding lower down the humification gradient of termite food substrates, but were not sufficient to affect species richness. The patterns revealed suggest that rates of wood decomposition following tree die-off, and of soil nutrient cycling, under different rain forest fragmentation scenarios, merit further study.     

Population structure and mitochondrial DNA variation in sedentary Neotropical birds isolated by forest fragmentation

The current worldwide concern about tropical deforestation raises questions about the sustainability of avian populations in isolated forest fragments. One of the most important issues concerns the sizes of forest fragments necessary to maintain populations and the genetic variation within them. We address this by: (1) using mtDNA sequence variation to infer aspects of the population structure of four species of understory birds from four sites in southern Costa Rican rainforest; and (2) determining whether forest fragmentation that has occurred in the last 50 years has had an effect on the amount of within-population variation for the species in question. High levels of between-population differentiation (D_xy) were found over a relatively small geographic scale (<130 km) for white-breasted wood-wren (Henicorhina leucosticta), bicolored antbird (Gymnopithys leucaspis), and gray-headed tanager (Eucometis penicillata), suggesting that these species are highly sedentary and exhibit strong female philopatry. No mtDNA variation was found in Plain Antvireo (Dysithamnus mentalis). In all three of the polymorphic species there was a significant decrease in mtDNA nucleotide diversity in populations isolated by forest fragmentation as compared to populations in contiguous primary forest. Even in relatively large (250–1000 ha) forest reserves, sedentary avian species have lost roughly half (range 43–85) of the nucleotide diversity in mtDNA over a relatively short period of time. Our results indicate that sedentary avian species in forest fragments isolated by clearing have undergone severe reductions in effective population size due to population bottlenecks perpetuated by prolonged isolation and potential edge effects.     

Nested species assemblages as a tool to detect sensitivity to forest fragmentation: the case of cloud forest birds

In an ecological community, groups of species may or may not have a nested structure. Furthermore, any nested structure detected could have several causes, each of which would have to be identified, since they may have important theoretical and management implications. In this paper, I assessed the nested structure of bird communities using cloud forest fragments in eastern Mexico to identify bird species and groups of species sensitive to cloud forest fragmentation. Sensitive species were expected to have a nested arrangement highly correlated with forest fragmentation intensity. Analysis identified the following groups of birds as showing a nested structure highly correlated with cloud forest fragmentation: birds with a body mass between 100 and 300 g and larger than 600 g, some trophic behavioural guilds (terrestrial granivore, terrestrial granivore–frugivore, understory granivore–frugivore, arboreal granivore–frugivore, gleaning terrestrial insectivore, gleaning understory insectivore, cliff gleaning insectivore, nocturnal aerial insectivore, diurnal raptor, nocturnal raptor, terrestrial omnivore, scavenger), forest interior and generalist birds, species restricted to cloud forest, and threatened species. This study shows that the analysis of the nested species assemblage can be considered a useful tool to identify species sensitivity to ecological or landscape patterns and processes, in this case, species or groups of species affected by a fragmented landscape pattern.     

Key Neotropical ecoregions for conservation of terrestrial vertebrates

Conservation planning analyses show a striking progression from endeavors targeted at single species or at individual sites, to the systematic assessment of entire taxa at large scales. These, in turn, inform wide-reaching conservation policies and financial investments. The latter are epitomized by global-scale prioritization frameworks, such as the Biodiversity Hotspots. We examine the entire Neotropical region to identify sets of areas of high conservation priority according to terrestrial vertebrate distribution patterns. We identified a set of 49 ecoregions in which 90, 82 and 83%, respectively of total, endemic and threatened vertebrates are represented. A core subset of 11 ecoregions captured 55, 27 and 38% of these groups. The Neotropics hold the largest remaining wilderness areas in the world, and encompass most of the tropical ecosystems still offering significant options for successful broad-scale conservation action. Our analysis helps to elucidate where conservation is likely to yield best returns at the ecoregion scale.     

Assessing environmental requirements effects on forest fragmentation sensitivity in two arboreal rodents

The study of the effect of habitat fragmentation on species that inhabit residual patches requires the investigation of the relationship existing between species distribution and landscape components. To understand which components of landscape mosaics are more influential for species’ persistence, we compared the distribution of two arboreal rodents proved to be sensitive to habitat fragmentation, the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius and the red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris. Their occurrence in residual oak woods in central Italy was studied with nest-boxes and hair-tubes, developing a new method for hair analysis. Their distributions were analysed considering patch, matrix composition and configuration, and landscape vegetation variables. The two species showed a different degree of plasticity, with the squirrel being significantly more specialised at the landscape scale. The comparison of the two distribution patterns highlighted the influence of different ecological constraints and the existence of different strategies to cope with fragmentation. Patch size and patch attributes were generally weaker determinants of occurrence, compared to landscape metrics. The squirrel presence was significantly influenced by the presence of shared perimeter between hedgerows and woods and by the lack of isolation of the residual patches, suggesting the use of several fragments to compensate the low habitat quality. Conversely the hazel dormouse seemed to be more affected by the internal management of the woods, and in particular by the mean DBH. Our results highlight how the recognition of the extrinsic constraints and the influence of multi-scale habitat selection may help guiding land use management, to ensure species conservation in profoundly exploited landscapes.     

Landscape variation of liana communities in a Neotropical rain forest

We studied local and landscape variation of liana communities across habitats differing in soil and topography in the Lacandon tropical rain forest, southeast Mexico. All liana stems 1 cm diameter breast height (DBH) were sampled within each one of eight 0.5 ha plots. Two plots were sampled in each of the following habitats: alluvial-terrace, flood plain, low-hill, and karst-range. In the whole sampled area, we recorded 2092 liana stems ha^–1 representing a total basal area of 1.95 m² ha^–1 and 90 species within 34 families. Lianas showed a strong clumped spatial pattern and a high taxonomic diversity at the scale of 50 m². On average (± s.e.), we found 10.4±0.6 stems, 4.4±0.2 species and 3.4±0.2 families per 50-m² quadrat. Bignonaceae (19 species), Malpighiaceae (9), and Fabaceae (8) comprised about 40% of total number of recorded species, and almost 50% of the total liana biomass, as expressed by an importance value index that combines species relative abundance, spatial frequency and basal area. Nineteen families (56%) were represented by just one species and Cydista (Bignoniaceae) and Machaerium (Fabaceae) were the most diverse genera with four species each. In the landscape, lianas showed a geometric diversity-dominance relationship with only three species (Combretum argenteum, Hiraea fagifolia and Machaerium floribundum) accounting for more than 50% of total biomass. More than 30% of the species were rare (<15 stems ha^–1) and showed low spatial frequency (recorded in just one of the eight plots). Liana communities differed in structure and composition among sites and habitats. Among sites, lianas exhibited four-fold variation both in stem density and basal area and two-fold variation in species richness. Liana density was significantly and positively correlated with treefall disturbance. Ordination analysis indicated a strong habitat differentiation of lianas at the family and species levels. Most species with non-random distribution among habitats (69% from 25 species) were significantly most abundant in low-hill or flood plain sites, and some (12%) were preferentially found at the karst-range sites. The karst-range habitat was well differentiated from the others in species composition and structure, and shared only 50% of common species with other habitats.Soil water availability, treefall dynamics, as well as tree host identity and abundance may play an important role in the organisation of the liana communities at the Lacandon forest.     

Nucleotype and cell size in vertebrates: a review

The relationships between genome size and various cell morphometric parameters have been assayed in 357 species of Vertebrates, in order to verify the existence and significance of the so-called "nucleotypic effect" in this subphylum. The results obtained clearly manifest a significant relationship between the increase in genome size and that in nuclear volume, nuclear surface, cell volume and cell surface. A precise correlation is also observed between the increase in DNA content and the decrease in the surface/volume ratios of the nucleus and the cell. Other parameters, such as the nucleoplasmic index and DNA concentration, though showing a slight increase with increasing genome size, have values rather homogeneous in each Vertebrate group. These results have allowed some interesting speculations on various problems; for example, the mechanisms through which genome size can influence the cell size; the influence of the DNA content and cell morphometric parameters on functional level of the cell and the organism; the importance of the nucleotypic effect in the adaptation to the environment of the various Vertebrate groups. From this study it seems possible to make the following conclusions: 1) in Vertebrates, genome size would exert a real nucleotypic influence on cell size; 2) genome sizes and cell morphometric parameters seem to be involved in the regulation of cell metabolism; 3) the regulation of some morphometric parameters depends strictly and automatically on the DNA amount or on other morphometric parameters. The regulation of others, instead, depends on the interaction of different factors, which do not always act synergically; 4) the nucleotypic effect seems to have different distribution and importance in Anamniotes and Amniotes.     

Competition for food between Neotropical vultures in forest

Carcasses were provided at a gallery forest site in Venezuela to compare the feeding methods of four vulture species. Turkey Vultures or Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures were always the first species to arrive. Black Vultures were most likely to arrive at large carcasses or those in open situations and were the only species to form large feeding groups. King Vultures were equally likely to arrive at small or large carcasses. There were marked differences in feeding technique, food selection, rate of feeding and bill morphology between Turkey, Black and King Vultures, and the level of aggression between species was low compared to intra-specific aggression.     

Competition for food between Neotropical vultures in forest

Carcasses were provided at a gallery forest site in Venezuela to compare the feeding methods of four vulture species. Turkey Vultures or Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures were always the first species to arrive. Black Vultures were most likely to arrive at large carcasses or those in open situations and were the only species to form large feeding groups. King Vultures were equally likely to arrive at small or large carcasses. There were marked differences in feeding technique, food selection, rate of feeding and bill morphology between Turkey, Black and King Vultures, and the level of aggression between species was low compared to intra-specific aggression.     

Spatial correlates of floristic and structural variation in a Neotropical wetland forest

Wetlands Ecology and Management - Despite the ecological importance of wetland forests, their classification is still unsatisfactory, partly due to insufficient knowledge about the environmental...     

Taking a tree's perspective on forest fragmentation genetics

Despite longstanding research, how anthropogenic disturbance affects the genetics of tree populations remains poorly understood. Although empirical evidence often conflicts with theoretical expectations, little progress has been made in refining experimental design or in reformulating theoretical hypotheses. Such progress is, however, essential to understand how forest tree species can tolerate anthropogenic disturbance. Further advances in forest fragmentation genetics research will require that processes driving reproduction and recruitment in fragmented populations are assessed from a tree's perspective instead of experimental convenience, using a multidisciplinary approach to explain the spatiotemporal dynamics of gene dispersal. In this opinion article we aim to inspire a new perspective in forest fragmentation genetics research.     

Comparative aspects of natriuretic peptide physiology in non-mammalian vertebrates: a review

The natriuretic peptide system is a complex family of peptides and receptors that is primarily linked to the maintenance of osmotic and cardiovascular homeostasis. A natriuretic peptide system is present in each vertebrate class but there are varying degrees of complexity in the system. In agnathans and chondrichthyians, only one natriuretic peptide has been identified, while new data has revealed that multiple types of natriuretic peptides are present in bony fish. However, it seems in tetrapods that there has been a reduction in the number of natriuretic peptide genes, such that only three natriuretic peptides are present in mammals. The peptides act via a family of guanylyl cyclase receptors to generate the second messenger cGMP, which mediates a range of physiological effects at key targets such as the gills, kidney and the cardiovascular system. This review summarises the current knowledge of the natriuretic peptide system in non-mammalian vertebrates and discusses the physiological actions of the peptides.Abbreviations ANP atrial natriuretic peptide - AVT arginine vasotocin - BNP brain natriuretic peptide - cDNA complementary deoxyribonucleic acid - CNP C-type natriuretic peptide - cAMP adenosine 3, 5 cyclic monophosphate - cGMP guanosine 3, 5 cyclic monophosphate - GC guanylyl cyclase - GFR glomerular filtration rate - mRNA messenger ribonucleic acid - NPR natriuretic peptide receptor - NPs natriuretic peptides - sCP salmon cardiac peptide - VIP vasoactive intestinal peptide - VNP ventricular natriuretic peptide Communicated by I.D. Hume     

Contrasting above‐ground biomass balance in a Neotropical rain forest

Question: What are the relative roles of tree growth, mortality and recruitment in variations of above‐ground biomass in tropical forests? Location: Paracou, French Guiana. Methods: We quantified the contribution of growth, recruitment and mortality to total biomass of stands (trees DBH≥10 cm) in six 6.25‐ha permanent plots over 16 yr. Live biomass stocks and fluxes were computed for four separate size classes. Results: All plots showed increasing biomass stocks over the study period, with an average value of +0.9 Mg ha^?1 yr^?1. Plots aggrading biomass were characterized by either minor biomass losses due to mortality or substantial increases in the biomass of large trees (DBH≥60 cm). Conclusions: Within the study period, the rarity of mortality events could not counter‐balance the slow permanent increase in biomass, resulting in an apparent increase in biomass. Accounting for such rare events results in no net change in biomass balance.     

Arboreal tropical forest vertebrates: current knowledge and research trends

We review the ecology and specialized methods required for studying arboreal mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and use faunal checklists from 12 tropical wet forest sites and an analysis of all articles published during the past ten years in 14 major journals to assess current knowledge and general research trends for these groups. The percentage of arboreal vertebrates was remarkably similar at the different sites (76.2 ± 3.9%). Birds were the most arboreal group and amphibians and reptiles the least. The review of journals showed that primates were overwhelmingly the most studied group (336 papers), followed by bats (105), passeriform birds (73) and rodents (55). Judging by their portion of the arboreal vertebrate community and the number of papers surveyed, birds and amphibians and reptiles are vastly understudied compared to mammals, but this is largely due to the great number of primate studies. The number of publications on arboreal vertebrates has remained relatively stable over the last 10 years for all taxa except primates, which have seen a growth in publications. Canopy vertebrates from Brazil had by far the most publications (120), followed by Madagascar (61), Costa Rica (55) and Indonesia (42). We conclude by highlighting the priorities we see for future studies on tropical canopy vertebrates.     

Seasonal response of fish assemblages to habitat fragmentation caused by an impoundment in a Neotropical river

Changes in fish assemblages between the zones above and below Funil dam in Southeastern Brazil were investigated to evaluate the possible impacts of this impoundment in two contrasting seasons: summer/wet and winter/dry. We expect differences in fish assemblage structure and in environmental conditions between seasons and between the reservoir and the zone downriver of the dam. A total of 3,579 individuals comprising 38 species, including six non-natives, were collected. As expected, the comparatively high habitat complexity and water flow regime of the downriver zone favored a richer and more abundant fish assemblage compared with the reservoir, especially in the wet season. In this period, water covers part of the riparian vegetation, increasing habitat availability and nutrient input. Additionally, the dam prevents upriver migration of rheophilics fish species such as the Characiformes Prochilodus lineatus and Leporinus copelandii, and the Siluriformes Pimelodus fur and Pimelodus maculatus, thus increasing shoals below the dam. Although the reservoir represents a simplified ecosystem highly influenced by non-native top predator species (e.g. the Perciformes Cichla kelberi and Plagioscion squamosissimus), seasonal processes (e.g. water level fluctuations and flood pulses) seem to play a role in structuring of the fish assemblage. Environmental variables, mainly turbidity, temperature, and conductivity were significantly associated to spatial-temporal patterns of fish assemblage. In this freshwater tropical reservoir, the spatial scale, rather than the seasonal changes in environmental variables, was the dominant factor structuring fish assemblage in the reservoir and in the zone downriver of the dam.     

Neotropical ennomine moths: a review of the genera (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

The classification of the Neotropical genera of the Ennominae is reviewed and 267 genera are recognised to occur in this region. Three new genera are described and three others are reinstated, while 48 generic synonyms are newly established. Other changes established in this work include 14 species synonyms and 237 new or reinstated combinations. External features and genitalia of representative members of the genera are illustrated (753 figures). All the known Neotropical species and subspecies of Ennominae are listed ( c . 3470), plus their synonyms. The tribes to which the genera belong are assessed, with c . 200 of the genera assigned to tribe or other suprageneric grouping.  © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 135 , 121–401.     

Tree species composition and environmental relationships in a Neotropical swamp forest in Southeastern Brazil

We examined the relationships between topography, soil properties and tree species composition in a Neotropical swamp forest in southeastern Brazil. Plots were sampled in the forest, encompassing three different soil ground water regimes along the topographical declivity. All non-climbing plant individuals with trunk height >1.3 m were sampled. A canonical correspondence analysis—CCA—of the species–environmental relationships grouped tree species according to drainage and chemical soil conditions. A total of 86 species were found, being 77 species in the inferior, 40 species in the intermediate and 35 species in the superior topographic section. Some species were among the 10 most abundant ones, both in the overall sampled area and in each topographical section, with alternation events occurring only with their abundance position. However, substantial differences in floristic composition between sections were detected in a fine spatial scale, due to higher number of species, diversity index (H′) and species unique (exclusives) in the inferior topographic section. These higher values can be attributed to its higher spatial heterogeneity that included better drained and seasonally waterlogged soils, higher soil fertility and lower acidity. The increase of the soil water saturation and the uniform conditions derived from the superficial water layer has led to a lower number of species and an increase on the palm trees abundance in the intermediate and superior sections. Our results showed that at a small spatial scale niche differentiation must be an important factor related to the increase of the local diversity. The wide distribution of the most abundant species in the studied area and the increase of local diversity corroborate the pattern of distribution of species in larger scales of swamp forests, in which the most abundant species repeat themselves in high densities in different remnants. However, the floristic composition of each remnant is strongly variable, contributing to the increase of regional diversity.     

Conservation biology: predicting birds' responses to forest fragmentation

Understanding species' ecological responses to habitat fragmentation is critical for biodiversity conservation, especially in tropical forests. A detailed recent study has shown that changes in the abundances of bird species following fragmentation may be dramatic and unpredictable.     

Searching for bioindicators of forest fragmentation: passerine birds in the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil

Aiming to evaluate the potential of Passerine birds as bioindicators of forest fragmentation, we studied the avifauna in the mountain region of the state of Rio de Janeiro by mist-netting between 2001 and 2005. We sampled six sites, including four small fragments (from 4 to 64 ha) in an agricultural area (Teresópolis), one second-growth forest (440 ha - Miguel Pereira) and a continuous forest (10,600 ha, Serra dos Org?os National Park - SONP). Indicator Species analysis and a Monte Carlo test were run to detect associations between species and sites, considering at least 30% of perfect indication and a significant value for the statistical test, only considering species with at least 10 captures. A total of 30 Passerine birds were sampled, and due to their association to the largest area (SONP), we considered Sclerurus scansor, Mionectes rufiventris, Chiroxiphia caudata and Habia rubica as the best indicators for this area. Five species were more captured not by chance in the 440 ha second-growth: Conopophaga melanops, Myiobius barbatus, Myrmeciza loricata, Philydor atricapillus and Schiffornis virescens and no species were related to any small fragment. This analysis has identified specialized Passerine species in many aspects (foraging substract, needs for nesting, rarity status), and it can be a valuable tool for detecting possible bioindicators.