Characterization of feather-degrading bacteria from Brazilian soils

Studies on keratinolytic microorganisms have been mainly related to their biotechnological applications and association with animal pathologies. However, these organisms have an ecological relevance to recycling keratinous residues in nature. This work aimed to select and identify new culturable feather-degrading bacteria isolated from soils of Brazilian Amazon forest and Atlantic forest. Bacteria that were isolated from temperate soils and bacteria from Amazonian basin soil were tested for their capability to grow on feather meal agar (FMA). Proteolytic bacteria were tested for feather degradation and were further identified according to their morphological and biochemical characteristics. Also, molecular identification based on 16S rDNA gene sequencing was carried out. A total of 24 proteolytic and 20 feather-degrading isolates were selected; Most of the isolates were from the Bacillus genus (division Firmicutes), but one Aeromonas, two Serratia (??-Proteobacteria), and one Chryseobacterium (Cytophaga-Flavobacterium group).     

Relationships between phenology,radiation and precipitation in the Amazon region

In tropical areas, Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) still have deficiencies in simulating the timing of vegetation phenology. To start addressing this problem, standard Fourier‐based methods are applied to aerosol screened monthly remotely sensed phenology time series (Enhanced Vegetation Index, EVI) and two major driving factors of phenology: solar radiation and precipitation (for March 2000 through December 2006 over northern South America). At 1 × 1 km scale using, power (or variance) spectra on good quality aerosol screened time series, annual cycles in EVI are detected across 58.24% of the study area, the strongest (largest amplitude) occurring in the savanna. Terra Firme forest have weak but significant annual cycles in comparison with savannas because of the heterogeneity of vegetation and nonsynchronous phenological events within 1 × 1 km scale pixels. Significant annual cycles for radiation and precipitation account for 86% and 90% of the region, respectively, with different spatial patterns to phenology. Cross‐spectral analysis was used to compare separately radiation with phenology/EVI, precipitation with phenology/EVI and radiation with precipitation. Overall the majority of the Terra Firme forest appears to have radiation as the driver of phenology (either radiation is in phase or leading phenology/EVI at the annual scale). These results are in agreement with previous research, although in Acre, central and eastern Peru and northern Bolivia there is a coexistence of ‘in phase’ precipitation over Terra Firme forest. In contrast in most areas of savanna precipitation appears to be a driver and savanna areas experiencing an inverse (antiphase) relationship between radiation and phenology is consistent with inhibited grassland growth due to soil moisture limitation. The resulting maps provide a better spatial understanding of phenology–driver relationships offering a bench mark to parameterize ecological models.     

Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Large‐Scale Ecological Restoration in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

Over the past 150 years, Brazil has played a pioneering role in developing environmental policies and pursuing forest conservation and ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems. In particular, the Brazilian Forest Act, first drafted in 1934, has been fundamental in reducing deforestation and engaging private land owners in forest restoration initiatives. At the time of writing (December 2010), however, a proposal for major revision of the Brazilian Forest Act is under intense debate in the National Assembly, and we are deeply concerned about the outcome. On the basis of the analysis of detailed vegetation and hydrographic maps, we estimate that the proposed changes may reduce the total amount of potential areas for restoration in the Atlantic Forest by approximately 6 million hectares. As a radically different policy model, we present the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact (AFRP), which is a group of more than 160 members that represents one of the most important and ambitious ecological restoration programs in the world. The AFRP aims to restore 15 million hectares of degraded lands in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome by 2050 and increase the current forest cover of the biome from 17% to at least 30%. We argue that not only should Brazilian lawmakers refrain from revising the existing Forest Law, but also greatly step up investments in the science, business, and practice of ecological restoration throughout the country, including the Atlantic Forest. The AFRP provides a template that could be adapted to other forest biomes in Brazil and to other megadiversity countries around the world.     

Allelic frequencies and statistical data obtained from 12 codis STR loci in an admixed population of the Brazilian Amazon

The allelic frequencies of 12 short tandem repeat loci were obtained from a sample of 307 unrelated individuals living in Macapá, a city in the northern Amazon region, Brazil. These loci are the most commonly used in forensics and paternity testing. Based on the allele frequency obtained for the population of Macapá, we estimated an interethnic admixture for the three parental groups (European, Native American and African) of, respectively, 46%, 35% and 19%. Comparing these allele frequencies with those of other Brazilian populations and of the Iberian Peninsula population, no significant distances were observed. The interpopulation genetic distances (F(ST) coefficients) to the present database ranged from F(ST) = 0.0016 between Macapá and Belém to F(ST) = 0.0036 between Macapá and the Iberian Peninsula.     

Sampling subterranean termite species diversity and activity in tropical savannas: an assessment of different bait choices

Abstract.  1. Cellulose baits are commonly used for semi-quantitative sampling of subterranean wood-feeding termites, with a single food choice sampling programme implemented most often. In most situations, however, the composition and feeding preferences of the subterranean termite assemblage remain unknown.
2. The diversity, frequency, foraging activity, and intensity of attack of termites were assessed regularly at 144 baits representing 12 different bait choices over 8.5 months, in two northern Australian tropical savanna sites that differed in vegetation structure (closed vs open). Baits differed in type (paper rolls, cardboard, wooden stakes), position (surface, buried), and moisture status at installation (wet, dry).
3. Sixteen species were recorded, including 11 wood-feeders. Average species diversity, foraging activity, and bait consumption were greater at buried baits than at surface baits. Wooden baits were most attractive early in the experiment, and paper baits more attractive later. Mean species diversity was greatest at wooden stakes in the closed site. Species frequency of occurrence varied across bait choices.
4. A composite bait sampling protocol of stakes and paper rolls installed above and below ground gave an accurate assessment of the activity, diversity, and structure of the termite guild sampled across all baits over 8.5 months.
5. The choice of bait, its presentation, and time of examination are critical to the success of a termite baiting programme. If the aim is to characterise the structure and foraging activity of the subterranean termite assemblages that are attracted to baits, composite baiting protocols should be implemented.     

A hawkmoth crossroads? Species richness,seasonality and biogeographical affinities of Sphingidae in a Brazilian Cerrado

Aim The aim of the study was (1) to describe the biodiversity of the sphingid assemblage in a Cerrado area in the Triângulo Mineiro region, south‐east of Brazil; (2) to evaluate the seasonal variations in species composition; (3) to compare the faunistic relationships between the Cerrado biome and adjacent ecosystems; and (4) to analyse the biogeographical pattern of species distribution in the Neotropical region in a historical context. Location Panga Ecological Station (PES), 30 km south of the city of Uberlândia, and other areas of the Triângulo Mineiro region, Minas Gerais state, south‐eastern Brazil. Methods Moth richness and abundance were monitored monthly at the PES from August 2003 to July 2004, with additional collections at this locality in 2001/2002, 2005 and 2006. Complementary moth richness and abundance data were also collected in other areas of the Triângulo Mineiro region. All collections were made using light traps, and the hawkmoths were mounted and identified. Cluster analysis, rarefaction curves and estimators of total species richness were used to compare the Cerrado hawkmoth assemblage with assemblages derived from other surveys in the Neotropics. Results In total, 61 hawkmoth species were recorded for the study region and their occurrence was markedly seasonal. The hawkmoth assemblage in the study area presented the closest similarity with rain forest areas and with a tropical dry forest area in Central America. The area shared species with both rain forest and seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) ecosystems, including supposedly endemic species previously recorded only in the latter areas. Rarefaction curves and estimators of the total number of species showed species richness to be comparable with other highly diverse forest areas in the Neotropics, such as the Brazilian Amazon and Costa Rica. Main conclusions This short‐term study is the first systematic survey of hawkmoths in the Cerrado. It has recorded around 22% of the South American fauna and highlighted the high species richness of the region, which compares favourably with that in other rain forest ecosystems. The survey indicates high regional diversity, and has shown that the Cerrado harbours a hawkmoth fauna comprising both rain forest elements, probably distributed along humid gallery forest corridors, and SDTF elements, supporting the idea of a historical Pleistocene arc connecting the Caatinga domain and other seasonal dry forest areas across the Cerrado region.     

Phylogeography of the Guinea multimammate mouse (Mastomys erythroleucus): a case study for Sahelian species in West Africa

Aim To investigate the phylogeographical structure of the Guinea multimammate mouse, Mastomys erythroleucus (Temminck, 1853), a widespread murid rodent in sub‐Saharan (Sahel and Sudan) savannas, for a better understanding of the impacts of geographical and historical factors on the evolutionary history of this species, in the context of the growing database of phylogeographical studies of African savanna mammal species. Location Sahel and Sudan savannas, Africa. Methods We sequenced the whole cytochrome b gene in 211 individuals from 59 localities distributed from Senegal to Ethiopia. Sequence data were analysed using both phylogenetic (several rooted tree‐construction methods, median‐joining networks) and population genetic methods (spatial analyses of molecular variance, mismatch distributions). Results Haplotypes were distributed into four major monophyletic groups corresponding to distinct geographical regions across a west–east axis. Diversification events were estimated to have occurred between 1.16 and 0.18 Ma. Main conclusions Vicariance events related to the fragmentation of savanna habitats during the Pleistocene era may explain the phylogeographical patterns observed. Genetic structure was consistent with a role of major Sahelian rivers as significant barriers to west–east dispersal. Recent demographic expansions probably occurred during arid phases of the Holocene with the southward expansion of savannas.     

Palms,Pastures, and Swidden Fields: The Grounded Political Ecology of “Agro-Extractive/Shifting-cultivator Peasants” in Maranhão,Brazil

This article examines transformations associated with changes in resource use and land cover dynamics in the community of São Manoel, Maranhão state, in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. The shifting cultivator peasants in São Manoel integrate swidden fields for annual cropping, the extraction of babassu palm products, and pastures for cattle ranching. Since the early twentieth century, predominant vegetative cover patterns have been altered from species-rich mature forests to secondary succession with babassu dominant to pasture or swidden fields containing palm stands of various densities. A grounded political ecology of resource use in the area suggests that management strategies and the resulting land cover dynamics integrate site-specific decisions of peasant producers. I discuss the trajectory of production strategies in São Manoel since the establishment of the community in the 1920s, and identify the multiple dimensions affecting resource use and environmental outcomes, with an emphasis on the period following land struggles and the recovery of peasant tenure rights in the mid-1980s. The analysis indicates that socionatural trajectories that optimize resource use and address the socioeconomic needs of the community include the maintenance of palm/pastures associations.     

Changes in cerrado vegetation after disturbance by frost (São Paulo State,Brazil)

We report changes after frost in cerrado species populations and community structure in Assis, São Paulo State, Brazil and consider the possible impacts of frost on cerrado types and their distribution. Four permanent plots (10 m × 10 m) were established and 736 individuals were marked with enumerated plastic labels and measured one week after the frost. Frost damage for each individual was assessed: 0 - not affected; 1 - slightly affected; 2 - substantially affected; and 3 - strongly affected. The frost impact on vegetation structure was high, reducing tree canopy cover from 88% to 19% in the upper stratum and that of the lower stratum from 48% to 8.5%. Floristic richness did not change, even though a small number (3%) of individuals of some species died. Conversely, the relative dominance of species changed dramatically in the short-term because of varying susceptibility to frost of different species. The largest reductions in crown cover were observed in Xylopia aromatica and Vochysia tucanorum. Of the 57 species recorded, 15% were unaffected, 19% had only their leaves damaged, 25% had some of their leaves and branches damaged, and 41% had all their aerial parts killed. The majority of individuals in the community belonged to frost tolerant species. The regeneration of the stand structure was remarkably rapid; height and canopy cover of the lower stratum recovered completely after five months, and those of the arboreal stratum showed a recovery of about 80% after 11 months. We consider that the frequency and intensity of frosts can maintain more open forms of cerrado vegetation even in sites where both water and nutrient availability could support denser vegetation. It is also probable that some frost-resistant heliophyte species are confined to areas where frosts prevent the development of denser cerrado vegetation. Much of the characteristic floristic composition of the southern region of the cerrado biome may be related to the selection of frost-resistant species. Our study shows, however, that a full complement of cerrado plants is capable of occupying and colonizing frost susceptible sites.     

The Importance of Defining 'Forest': Tropical Forest Degradation, Deforestation, Long-term Phase Shifts, and Further Transitions

While research continues on the causes, consequences, and rates of deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics, there is little agreement about what exactly is being lost, what we want back, and to whom the 'we' refers. Particularly unsettling is that many analyses and well-intended actions are implemented in fogs of ambiguity surrounding definitions of the term 'forest'—a problem that is not solely semantic; with development of markets for biomass carbon, vegetation classification exercises take on new relevance. For example, according to the basic implementation guidelines of the Kyoto Protocol, closed canopy natural forest could be replaced by monoclonal plantations of genetically engineered exotic tree species and no deforestation would have occurred. Following these same guidelines, carbon credits for afforestation could be available for planting trees in species-rich savannas; these new plantations would count towards a country moving towards the 'forest transition,' the point at which there is no net 'forest' loss. Such obvious conflicts between biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration might be avoided if 'forest' was clearly defined and if other vegetation types and other ecosystem values were explicitly recognized. While acknowledging that no one approach to vegetation classification is likely to satisfy all users at all scales, we present an approach that recognizes the importance of species composition, reflects the utility of land-cover characteristics that are identifiable via remote sensing, and acknowledges that many sorts of forest degradation do not reduce carbon stocks ( e.g ., defaunation) or canopy cover ( e.g ., over-harvesting of understory nontimber forest products).