Two new records of Gynandromorphs in Xylocopa (Hymenoptera, Apidae s.l.)

Two new records of gynandromorphs in Xylocopa Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Gynandromorphs are deviant morphological individuals with genetically distinct male and female tissues. Records of sex anomalies seems to be important to better understand the mechanisms regulating phenotypic expression. Herein, two new cases of gynandromorphs in carpenter bee species of Xylocopa from Brazil are described and figured: a mixed gynandromorph of the X. (Neoxylocopa) brasilianorum (Linnaeus, 1767) from São Paulo and a bilateral gynandromorph of the X. (Neoxylocopa) ordinaria Smith, 1874 from Sergipe

Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in an Ecotonal Cerrado-Amazon Region in Brazil

Little is known about the distribution of organisms in transitional areas, overall because of the lack of understanding regarding each species’ specificity to the diversity of microhabitats found in these areas and effective ways to sample organisms in these regions. Therefore, in this study we aimed to inventory the bee species in a transitional Cerrado-Amazon area in the state of Pará, Brazil, evaluating the effects of three different sampling methods. We used six fragments, sampled in two different seasons with three sampling methods (arboreal pitfalls with urine, scent traps, and pan traps). The specimens were identified and we used accumulation curves to measure the effectiveness of each method. In total, we sampled 68 bee species, where 53 were exclusively from one single sampling method. The pitfall traps were those with reached the highest species richness among all three sampling methods analyzed, followed by the scent traps and pan traps, respectively. Despite the efficiency and generality of the bee groups we found, the pitfall method does not cover specific bee groups as the Euglossini bees, almost exclusively attracted to scent traps. Therefore, we suggest that studies using pitfalls with urine should be performed in other biomes to evaluate the efficiency of this method in future bee surveys

Two new records of Gynandromorphs in Xylocopa (Hymenoptera, Apidae s.l.)

Abstract Two new records of gynandromorphs in Xylocopa Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Gynandromorphs are deviant morphological individuals with genetically distinct male and female tissues. Records of sex anomalies seems to be important to better understand the mechanisms regulating phenotypic expression. Herein, two new cases of gynandromorphs in carpenter bee species of Xylocopa from Brazil are described and figured: a mixed gynandromorph of the X. (Neoxylocopa) brasilianorum (Linnaeus, 1767) from São Paulo and a bilateral gynandromorph of the X. (Neoxylocopa) ordinaria Smith, 1874 from Sergipe

The Influence of abiotic factors on the foraging activity of Cephalotes borgmeieri (Kempf, 1951)

The foraging activity can be defined as the search for food resources and is an activity of utmost importance for ant colony maintenance. Workers can be exposed to adverse environmental conditions during foraging, and because of it, some species can adjust their foraging behavior to achieve greater success in the search for resources. The foraging behavior has been studied in other ant species; however, studies with the Cephalotini tribe are still scarce in the literature. In this study, we evaluated how Cephalotes borgmeieri (Kempf) foragers adjust their foraging activity to variations in abiotic factors. Throughout the day, the flow of foragers is positively influenced by temperature and luminosity and negatively affected by relative air humidity. Wind speed does not affect the flow of foragers. During the day, we can observe four groups of activity intensity: very low, low, medium, and high. The foraging peak occurs at the hottest and least humid times of the da

Modeling the potential distribution to present and future of the poorly known species Xenohyla eugenioi Caramaschi, 1998 (Anura: Hylidae) with findings about its distribution, natural history, and conservation

Abstract The distribution of amphibians is conditioned by historical factors and ecological drivers. Thus, Ecological Niche Models are important tools to provide information on the potential distribution of the species and determine where they will be requirements in future. Mainly, rare species or with restricted areas of occurrence, because this information are essential to understanding of their living area, microhabitat use, or natural history, serving as a basis for preservation actions. Xenohyla eugenioi is a poorly known species, restricted to transition areas of Caatinga and Atlantic Forest from Minas Gerais to Sergipe. This species exhibits little biological information available and few specimens housed in museums, which difficulty to plan conservation strategies. Here our aim was modeling the current and future distribution and discussing about conservation of Xenohyla eugenioi. We searched for occurrence records through literature and scientific collections data. For the future (2071-2100), we used ensemble models from three algorithms (CTA, GLM and ANN) to two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP370 and SSP585 scenarios). This species has approximately 650 km in straight line between the extreme localities, occurring mainly in bromeliads near to water bodies. The Ensemble method indicates the most suitable areas of occurrence were over ecotonal range between Caatinga and Atlantic Forest and our projections have showed suitable conditions to highlands (up to 1.000 m). However, in the future, is expected total erosion of the X. eugenioi populations, due climatic changes, which reinforce the caution to conservation of this poorly known species and necessity of studies about its ecology, natural history and distribution. Moreover, we hope that this work can contribute to the discovery of new records, characterizing the narrower niche space than this species may actually inhabit

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Formigas e o Código Florestal Brasileiro : comparando Áreas de Preservação Permanente (APP) e Reserva Legal (RL)

The New Brazilian Forest Code (NCFB) presents some controversial points in its text, especially those related to the reduction or replacement of legal reserves (LRs) and Permanent Protection Areas (PPAs) for non-native vegetation or the compensation of these areas by another, on the same property. The NCFB therefore considers these two areas structurally similar and able to house and preserve the fauna and regional flora. This work aims to analyze the existence of similarity between LRs and PPAs, with focus on environmental complexity on the fragments and the use of ants as bioindicators. For this purpose, samplings were taken in six areas, three of them considered LR and three as PPA. In each area, one transect was subdivided into 30 plots of 5 x 5m and 6 m spaced. In each plot, we measured plant litter depth, density of trees and the canopy cover (%). Furthermore, in the central area of each plot, we toke a 1m² samples of plant litter to analyze the ant fauna. The relationship between ant richness and environmental variables were tested using generalized linear models (GLMS), and the species composition between areas was checked through non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis (NMDS). As a result, 116 ants morphospecies were collected, distributed in nine subfamilies and 42 genera. No difference was found in species richness of ants between LRs and PPAs and only percentage of canopy cover was significantly different. We also did not find differences of ant assemblages or functional groups between LR and PPA and this fact reinforces that the NCFB is coherent indicating that LR and PPA are similar in maintaining of local biodiversity. Thus, using the PPA in the calculation of LR (or vice versa) does not imply the reduction of local diversity of ants and consequently loss of ecological functions and interactions mediated by species of this group as these areas have similarity in structure and species diversity.O Novo Código Florestal Brasileiro (NCFB) atualmente em vigor apresenta alguns pontos polêmicos em seu texto, em especial aqueles relacionados à redução ou substituição de Reservas Legais (RLs) e Áreas de Proteção Permanentes (APPs) por vegetação não nativa ou a compensação de uma dessas áreas pela outra, numa mesma propriedade. O NCFB portanto, considera essas duas áreas estruturalmente similares e passíveis de abrigar e conservar a fauna e flora regional. O presente trabalho visa analisar se RLs e APPs são, de fato, similares do ponto de vista ecológico, tendo como itens de analise a complexidade ambiental existente nos fragmentos e o uso de formigas como bioindicadores. Para tanto, foram realizadas coletas em seis áreas, sendo três consideradas como RL e três como APP. Em cada área foi feito um transecto e esse subdividido em 30 parcelas de 5 x 5 m, espaçadas 6 m. Em cada uma das parcelas foi medida a profundidade da serapilheira, contabilizada a densidade de árvores e medida a cobertura do dossel. Além disso, na área central de cada parcela foi retirada uma amostra de 1m² de serapilheira para analise da mirmecofauna (riqueza, composição e grupos funcionais). A riqueza de formigas, bem como de grupos funcionais foram testadas em resposta às variáveis ambientais por meio de modelos lineares generalizados (GLMs) e a composição entre as áreas verificada através da análise de similaridade (ANOSIM) e escalonamento multidimensional não-métrico (NMDS). Foram coletadas 116 morfoespécies de formigas, distribuídas em nove subfamílias e 42 gêneros. Não foi encontrada diferença na riqueza de espécies de formigas entre RLs e APPs e, dentre as variáveis ambientais analisadas, apenas houve relação positiva entre a riqueza e a porcentagem do dossel. Além disso, não houve diferença na composição de formigas nem na riqueza de grupos funcionais e estes resultados reforçam o texto atual do NCFB de que RLs ou APPs atuam de forma similar na manutenção da biodiversidade local. Desta forma, utilizar a APP no cômputo da RL (ou vice-versa) não implica na redução da diversidade local de formigas e consequentemente, prejuízo de suas funções ecológicas e de interações mediadas por espécies desse grupo já que essas áreas apresentam similaridade na sua estrutura e na diversidade de espécies