Padrões fitogeográficos da vegetação arbustivo-arbórea em áreas de Cerrado Típico e Cerrado Rupestre no estado de Tocantins

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Botânica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, 2017.A diferenciação das comunidades vegetais quanto à composição florística, à abundância das espécies e a estrutura vertical e horizontal são moldadas pela ação de fatores ambientais em diferentes escalas. Desvendar esses padrões e os fatores que os regulam é objeto de diversos estudos. Entretanto, na porção centro-norte do bioma, estes estudos são escassos em áreas de Cerrado com solo profundo (Cerrado Típico – T) e áreas com solo raso e com afloramentos rochosos (Cerrado Rupestre – R). Aqui, caracterizamos e comparamos o Cerrado Típico e o Cerrado Rupestre quanto à riqueza, diversidade, flora e estrutura da vegetação arbustivo-arbórea com base em 10 comunidades distribuídas em pares no estado de Tocantins. Também investigamos os padrões de distribuição da flora e das populações e identificamos a relação destes padrões com os fatores ambientais e espaciais. Encontramos que não houve tendência de maior diversidade alfa para nenhum dos ambientes, apesar do ambiente rupestre ser mais rico em espécies que o ambiente sobre solo profundo. Os ambientes também apresentaram estrutura (densidade e área basal) semelhante, sem diferenças quanto à proporção das síndromes de dispersão, tanto para composição em espécies quanto para a abundância das espécies. Isso indica que o substrato não atua como fator limitante para o estabelecimento das espécies e desenvolvimento dos indivíduos arbustivo-arbóreos, nos ambientes T e R. Ambos os ambientes são formados por espécies do domínio do Cerrado, sendo que no ambiente rupestre há mais espécies compartilhadas entre Cerrado e Caatinga, enquanto no ambiente sobre solo profundo há mais espécies compartilhadas entre Cerrado e Amazônia. Também evidenciamos maior dissimilaridade da flora das comunidades da porção centro-norte do Cerrado do que tem sido apontado para as porções mais ao sul e centrais do bioma. Essa dissimilaridade refletiu em padrões distintos para a composição e abundância das espécies. As diferenças nos padrões foram fortemente influenciadas pelo ambiente, sendo que o clima teve importante peso sobre a distribuição da composição e abundância das espécies, sobrepondo-se aos fatores edáficos. A ação conjunta do espaço e do ambiente evidencia a complementariedade dos processos de nicho estocásticos na modulação das comunidades de savana da porção centro-norte do Cerrado, independente do tipo de substrato.The differentiation of plant communities in relation to species composition, abundance of the species and the vertical and horizontal structure are shaped by environmental factors in different scales. Uncovering these patterns and the factors that regulate has been the subject of several studies, however, these are scarce in areas with deep (Typical Cerrado-T) and shallow soil and rocky outcrops (Rupestrian Cerrado -R), especially in the North-Central portion of the Cerrado. Here, we describes and compared the Typical Cerrado and the Rupestrian Cerrado in north-central Cerrado in relation to richness, diversity, flora and vegetation structure of woody-shrub in 10 communities distributed in pairs in the State of Tocantins. We also investigated solved the distribution patterns of plants and populations and identified the relationship of these patterns with the environmental and spatial factors on regional scale. We found that there was no trend toward greater diversity Alpha to none of the environments, despite the rock environment be more rich in species than the environment on deep soil. The environments also showed similar structure (density and basal area) and proportion of dispersal syndromes, for both species composition and abundance of species. This indicates that the substrate does not act as a limiting factor for the establishment of species and development of individuals, in T and R. Both environments are formed by species of Cerrado, but in the rocky environment there are more species shared between Cerrado and Caatinga, while as the environment on deep soil there are more species shared between Cerrado and Amazon. We also found greater dissimilarity in the flora of the north-central portion of the Cerrado than what it has been appointed to the south and central parts of biome. This dissimilarity reflected in distinct patterns for composition and abundance of species. The differences in the patterns were strongly influenced by the environment, and the climate had important weight on the distribution of the composition and abundance of species, overlapping the edaphic factors. The synergy between space and environment show the complementarity of niche stochastic process and in the modulation of savanna communities in north-central Cerrado, regardless of the type of substrate

Relações florístico-estruturais entre áreas de Cerrado sentido restrito sobre dois tipos de substrato na porção norte do Cerrado, Brasil

Descrevemos e comparamos a composição florística, a riqueza, a diversidade de espécies e a estrutura do componente arbustivo-arbóreo em pares de Cerrado Típico e Cerrado Rupestre em duas localidades no Estado de Tocantins. Em cada localidade, alocamos 10 parcelas de 20 × 50 m em um sítio de Cerrado Típico e em outro de Cerrado Rupestre e amostramos os indivíduos com Db30cm ≥ 5 cm. Não identificamos tendência de que o Cerrado sobre solo raso com afloramentos rochosos tivesse riqueza e área basal inferiores ao Cerrado sobre solo profundo. Poucas espécies ocorreram nos quatro sítios e apenas duas espécies (Anacardium occidentale e Qualea parviflora) importantes para a estruturação das quatro vegetações foram comuns aos dois ambientes analisados. Aliado a isso, a ocorrência de espécies habitat-especialistas de ambientes com afloramentos rochosos e de elevadas altitudes (Mimosa claussenii, Tibouchina papyrus, Schwartzia adamantium e Wunderlichia cruelsiana) e a elevada dissimilaridade entre os sítios sugerem a altitude como principal responsável pela dissimilaridade florística, seguida pela influência do tipo de substrato. Assim, a utilização apenas da informação sobre o tipo fitofisionômico como parâmetro para escolha de áreas para conservação não garante a preservação efetiva da biodiversidade devido à heterogeneidade das floras existentes, tanto em escala local como regional, demonstrada pela particularidade florística e estrutural de cada sítio.We described and compared the floristic composition, richness, species diversity and structure of the tree-shrub component in pairs of Typical Cerrado (Cerrado Típico) and rocky outcrop Cerrado (Cerrado Rupestre) in two localities in Tocantins State. In each locality, we set up 10 plots of 20 × 50 m at a site, the Cerrado Típico and other Cerrado Rupestre, and sampled the individuals with Db30cm ≥ 5 cm. The rocky outcrop Cerrado did not present any trend towards lower richness and basal area compared to the Cerrado on deep soil. Few species occurred across the four sites and only two important species (Anacardium occidentale and Qualea parviflora) in the four vegetation structure were common to both environments assessed. Furthermore, the occurrence of habitat-specialist species of rocky outcrops and high altitudes (Mimosa claussenii, Tibouchina papyrus, Schwartzia adamantium and Wunderlichia cruelsiana) and the high dissimilarity among sites suggest that altitude is the main responsible for the floristic dissimilarity, followed by the influence of substrate type. Therefore, the information with respect to phytophysiognomy type as a parameter to select areas for conservation, by itself, does not effectively ensure biodiversity preservation, owing to the existing flora heterogeneity not only at local but also at regional scale, revealed by the floristic and structural particularity of each site

Lifelong exposure to a low-dose of the glyphosate-based herbicide RoundUp® causes intestinal damage, gut dysbiosis, and behavioral changes in mice

RoundUp® (RUp) is a comercial formulation containing glyphosate (N-(phosphono-methyl) glycine), and is the world’s leading wide-spectrum herbicide used in agriculture. Supporters of the broad use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) claim they are innocuous to humans, since the active compound acts on the inhibition of enzymes which are absent in human cells. However, the neurotoxic effects of GBH have already been shown in many animal models. Further, these formulations were shown to disrupt the microbiome of different species. Here, we investigated the effects of a lifelong exposure to low doses of the GBH-RUp on the gut environment, including morphological and microbiome changes. We also aimed to determine whether exposure to GBH-RUp could harm the developing brain and lead to behavioral changes in adult mice. To this end, animals were exposed to GBH-RUp in drinking water from pregnancy to adulthood. GBH-RUp-exposed mice had no changes in cognitive function, but developed impaired social behavior and increased repetitive behavior. GBH-Rup-exposed mice also showed an activation of phagocytic cells (Iba-1–positive) in the cortical brain tissue. GBH-RUp exposure caused increased mucus production and the infiltration of plama cells (CD138-positive), with a reduction in phagocytic cells. Long-term exposure to GBH-RUp also induced changes in intestinal integrity, as demonstrated by the altered expression of tight junction effector proteins (ZO-1 and ZO-2) and a change in the distribution of syndecan-1 proteoglycan. The herbicide also led to changes in the gut microbiome composition, which is also crucial for the establishment of the intestinal barrier. Altogether, our findings suggest that long-term GBH-RUp exposure leads to morphological and functional changes in the gut, which correlate with behavioral changes that are similar to those observed in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders

Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb(-1), collected in 2017-2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb(-1), collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.Peer reviewe