52 research outputs found

    NOTES ON AN ARTIFICIAL ROOST OF Myotis albescens (CHIROPTERA, VESPERTILIONIDAE) IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

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    Myotis albescens has a wide distribution, occurring from southern Mexico to central Argentina and Uruguay, where it is usually caught near streams or flooded areas. M. albescens roosts during the day in cavities such as hollow logs, rock cavities, and buildings. Here, we describe a group of M. albescens roosting in a highway underpass in an Atlantic Forest area in Rancharia, southeastern Brazil. The group was found inside a culvert with a shallow stream passing through it. The animals left the roost and were mist-netted in the first hours of the night. The M. albescens group was composed of 18 individuals, eleven males and seven females. In October, all males had descended testes and two females were pregnant, as confirmed by abdominal palpation. Morphological characters of the specimens fell in the known variation for the species. Our data show that highway underpasses can be important day roosts for bats, especially if riparian areas are preserve

    Use of a portable thermograph as a potential tool to identify nocturnal airport bird risks / Uso de um termógrafo portátil como uma ferramenta potencial para identificar riscos noturnos de aves em aeroportos

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    Worldwide, wildlife-aircraft collisions constitute a major human health and safety concern.  About 98% of wildlife-aircraft strikes involve bird species (i.e., bird strikes) resulting in an annual loss of 1.2billiontotheaviationindustryandcosting194humanlives.Thus,airportmanagersdesirebettertoolstoidentifywildlifeaircraftrisksandmanagementoptiontomitigatethem.  Anumberofvariableshavebeenidentifiedthatcanattractthebirdsandotheranimalstotheairportarea.Thesevariablesincludeincreasedfoodavailability,clearviewsofpredators,andopenwater.Regularbirdsurveyscanhelpmanagerstoidentifybirdstrikerisksandprioritizemanagementactionstoreduceavianhazards.However,birdspeciesdetectionefficiencyattheairportscanvaryaccordingtotheappliedmethodology.WecomparedtheefficiencyofaportablethermographtodetectbirdriskinaBrazilianairportusingthetransectionmethodologyatnight.Lineartransectsadjacenttotheairstripweretraveled,byfoot,atanaveragespeedof1km/h,withandwithoutthedevice,lookingforbirds.Withthedevice,transectsweretraveledwiththethermographinmodeonandateachbirdvisualizationaphotowastaken.Withoutthedevicetransectsweretraveledwithaflashlightlookingforbirds.Aportablethermographallowswarmbloodedanimalstobecomeeasilyvisibleagainsttheenvironment,bothdayandnight,onceitcandetectandproduceradiationimagesinthelonginfraredrangeoftheelectromagneticspectrum(approximately9,000to14,000nanometersor9to14µm). OurevaluationswereconductedintheRegionalAirportofItanhaeˊm,Sa~oPaulo,Brazil,inSeptemberandOctober2015.Ourresultsshowthatthethermographydetected13locationswith25specimensofbirds,whilethesamemethodappliedwithoutthedevicerecordedthreelocationswiththreespecimens,resultinginninetimesmorebirdspecimensperhour.Webelievethatthethermographsmaybeconsideredasanewmethodinnocturnalairportbirdrisksandevencommonnocturnalbirdsurveys,withbenefitsexceedingitsU1.2 billion to the aviation industry and costing 194 human lives. Thus, airport managers desire better tools to identify wildlife aircraft risks and management option to mitigate them.   A number of variables have been identified that can attract the birds and other animals to the airport area. These variables include increased food availability, clear views of predators, and open water. Regular bird surveys can help managers to identify bird strike risks and prioritize management actions to reduce avian hazards. However, bird species detection efficiency at the airports can vary according to the applied methodology. We compared the efficiency of a portable thermograph to detect bird risk in a Brazilian airport using the transection methodology at night. Linear transects adjacent to the airstrip were traveled, by foot, at an average speed of 1 km/h, with and without the device, looking for birds. With the device, transects were traveled with the thermograph in mode on and at each bird visualization a photo was taken. Without the device transects were traveled with a flashlight looking for birds. A portable thermograph allows warm-blooded animals to become easily visible against the environment, both day and night, once it can detect and produce radiation images in the long infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (approximately 9,000 to 14,000 nanometers or 9 to 14 µm).  Our evaluations were conducted in the Regional Airport of Itanhaém, São Paulo, Brazil, in September and October 2015. Our results show that the thermography detected 13 locations with 25 specimens of birds, while the same method applied without the device recorded three locations with three specimens, resulting in nine times more bird specimens per hour. We believe that the thermographs may be considered as a new method in nocturnal airport bird risks and even common nocturnal bird surveys, with benefits exceeding its U 20.000,00 costs

    SING DIFFERENT PROXIES TO PREDICT HANTAVIRUS DISEASE RISK IN SÃO PAULO STATE, BRAZIL

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    Recent studies predict disease risk using different proxies, such as pathogen prevalence in hosts, abundance of the main hosts, and the number of reported disease cases. These proxies are used to build risk maps that can aid the prevention of new disease outbreaks. To date, these proxies have not been widely tested for differences in their predictions and effectiveness, which could have serious implications for disease control measures. In this study, we compared two different proxies inferring hantavirus disease risk in the state of São Paulo. We compared risk level distribution to the accuracy of risk maps using (a) Rodent Reservoir Abundance data (RRA) sampled in 2002--2008 and (b) Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome cases reported (RC) in 1993--2012. RRA data were collected within forest fragments and in the matrix of six landscapes, and were extrapolated for São Paulo State through regression models using the amount of forest cover and the collection context as predictors. Using Bayesian models, we created a HPS risk map using annual HPS incidence, climate, landscape structure metrics and social factors. We validated RRA and RC risk maps with actual reported HPS cases (2013--2015). These data were categorized according to risk levels and compared using histograms and correlations. The two risk maps (RRA and RC) had a low Pearson correlation (0,038) and a low covariance (0,016), indicating high uncertainty in the predictions between these two proxies. The RRA map predicted that 68% of the municipalities in the state are in the medium to high risk categories, while the RC map predicted only 6%. This indicates that the RRA risk map might be overestimating high risk areas. The RRA map also had a higher sensitivity than the RC map to newly reported cases, correctly identifying 82% of the cases in medium to high risk areas. On the other hand, the RC map had a higher specificity (91%), leading to better prediction of the low risk areas (31% for RRA map). Our results draw attention to the fact that different proxies can give different results and predict different risk levels and should be used carefully in disease studies.Recent studies predict disease risk using different proxies, such as pathogen prevalence in hosts, abundance of the main hosts, and the number of reported disease cases. These proxies are used to build risk maps that can aid the prevention of new disease outbreaks. To date, these proxies have not been widely tested for differences in their predictions and effectiveness, which could have serious implications for disease control measures. In this study, we compared two different proxies inferring hantavirus disease risk in the state of São Paulo. We compared risk level distribution to the accuracy of risk maps using (a) Rodent Reservoir Abundance data (RRA) sampled in 2002--2008 and (b) Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome cases reported (RC) in 1993--2012. RRA data were collected within forest fragments and in the matrix of six landscapes, and were extrapolated for São Paulo State through regression models using the amount of forest cover and the collection context as predictors. Using Bayesian models, we created a HPS risk map using annual HPS incidence, climate, landscape structure metrics and social factors. We validated RRA and RC risk maps with actual reported HPS cases (2013--2015). These data were categorized according to risk levels and compared using histograms and correlations. The two risk maps (RRA and RC) had a low Pearson correlation (0,038) and a low covariance (0,016), indicating high uncertainty in the predictions between these two proxies. The RRA map predicted that 68% of the municipalities in the state are in the medium to high risk categories, while the RC map predicted only 6%. This indicates that the RRA risk map might be overestimating high risk areas. The RRA map also had a higher sensitivity than the RC map to newly reported cases, correctly identifying 82% of the cases in medium to high risk areas. On the other hand, the RC map had a higher specificity (91%), leading to better prediction of the low risk areas (31% for RRA map). Our results draw attention to the fact that different proxies can give different results and predict different risk levels and should be used carefully in disease studies

    Novos registros do lagarto-listrado Kentropyx paulensis para São Paulo, Brasil

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    The endemic Cerrado teiid lizard Kentropyx paulensis is classified in the “Endangered” and “Vulnerable” categories by the lists of the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, respectively, and is therefore considered threatened. Thus, this work aimed to compile records of K. paulensis obtained in several works carried out in the Planalto Ocidental Paulista, which occupies almost half of the total area of the State of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil. Records were produced in seven municipalities (Anhembi, Assis, Castilho, Jaú, Piracicaba, Quatá and Santa Bárbara d'Oeste) in the hot and rainy season (December to March) in vegetation types ranging from natural environments such as Cerradão and Semideciduous Seasonal Forest to anthropized environments as reforestation and pastures of Urochloa sp. The intense process of changing the landscape that the Planalto Ocidental Paulista went through in the last century, because of the economic model that the state adopted, may have collaborated to reduce the viable areas for the maintenance of these populations. These new records indicate that the occurrence of the species may be broader, as a result of adaptations to recent conversion of cover natural that occurred in the State of São Paulo.O lagarto teídeo endêmico do Cerrado Kentropyx paulensis está classificado nas categorias “Em Perigo” e “Vulnerável” pelas listas do estado de São Paulo e Minas Gerais, respectivamente, sendo, portanto, considerado ameaçado. Com isso, esse trabalho objetivou compilar registros de K. paulensis obtidos em diversos trabalhos realizados no Planalto Ocidental Paulista, que ocupa praticamente metade da área total do Estado de São Paulo, sudeste do Brasil. Foram registradas ocorrências em sete municípios (Anhembi, Assis, Castilho, Jaú, Piracicaba, Quatá e Santa Bárbara d’Oeste) no período quente e chuvoso (dezembro a março) em fitofisionomias que vão desde ambientes naturais como Cerradão e Floresta Estacional Semidecidual até ambientes antropizados como reflorestamentos e pastagens de Urochloa sp. O intenso processo de alteração da paisagem que o Planalto Ocidental Paulista passou no século passado, fruto do modelo econômico que o estado adotou, pode ter colaborado para a diminuição de áreas viáveis para a manutenção dessas populações. Estes novos registros indicam que a ocorrência da espécie pode ser mais ampla, fruto de adaptações às recentes conversões de solo e ambientes naturais ocorridos no Estado de São Paulo.&nbsp

    Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome Transmission Risk in Brazil

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    Background: Hantavirus disease in humans is rare but frequently lethal in the Neotropics. Several abundant and widely distributed Sigmodontinae rodents are the primary hosts of Orthohantavirus and, in combination with other factors, these rodents can shape hantavirus disease. Here, we assessed the influence of host diversity, climate, social vulnerability and land use change on the risk of hantavirus disease in Brazil over 24 years. Methods: Landscape variables (native forest, forestry, sugarcane, maize and pasture), climate (temperature and precipitation), and host biodiversity (derived through niche models) were used in spatiotemporal models, using the 5570 Brazilian municipalities as units of analysis. Results: Amounts of native forest and sugarcane, combined with temperature, were the most important factors influencing the increase of disease risk. Population at risk (rural workers) and rodent host diversity also had a positive effect on disease risk. Conclusions: Land use change—especially the conversion of native areas to sugarcane fields—can have a significant impact on hantavirus disease risk, likely by promoting the interaction between the people and the infected rodents. Our results demonstrate the importance of understanding the interactions between landscape change, rodent diversity, and hantavirus disease incidence, and suggest that land use policy should consider disease risk. Meanwhile, our risk map can be used to help allocate preventive measures to avoid disease.publishedVersio

    Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

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