Mapping and characterization of vegetation units by means of Landsat imagery and management recommendations for the Pantanal of Mato Grosso (Brazil), north of Poconé

In the present study, remote sensing in the northern region of Poconé-MT was used to identify vegetation categories, which were then mapped and characterized. The goal in generating the map was to provide information needed to support sustainable use and to formulate conservation policies. Vegetation units were identified and classified using digital images that were taken in 1990 by the Landsat Thematic Mapperc Satellite and then processed using ERDAS software. First, the vegetation classes were systematically defined. In a preliminary interpretation of the image data, Landsat-TM bands that allowed the best visual differentiation of these classes were selected and the image was georeferenced. Routes for trips to the study area to collect truth data (training samples) for further supervised classification were then determined. These data were subsequently classified according to The System of Classification of Brazilian Vegetation (VELLOSO et al. 1991), which has been used in other physiognomic maps of the Pantanal, in order to make our results comparable to those from other mappings. In addition, some modifications of this system were made due to the particular characteristics of the Pantanal and the scale used for this map. Six classes and 16 subclasses were defined for part I of the vegetation map of Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil, specifically, the area north of Poconé. A distinction was made between the vegetation units of the Paraguayan Depression and those of the Pantanal due to the different characteristics of the vegetation from these two regions, and particularly the role played by inundation. The phytoecological region savanna (cerrado) covers a large part of the total area (53.05%) and consists of five sub-classes. Two forest classeswere identified: seasonal semideciduous forest and seasonal deciduous forest. These two phytoecological classes occupied 16.21 % of the total mapped area; 14.45% of the area has been strongly modified by humans (agriculture, pasture, gold mine, and construction); 0.80% is covered during the dry season by perennial water bodies. Based upon ground truth data and regional field experience, ten eco-zones are proposed and suggestions for sustainable management and conservation measures are discussed

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 un derstanding 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,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 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 underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities 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 or ganism 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 ne glected 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 lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

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

The sweet jelly of Combretum lanceolatum flowers (Combretaceae): a cornucopia resource for bird pollinators in the Pantanal, western Brazil

The pollination biology of the neotropical scandent shrub Combretum lanceolatum was studied in the seasonally-flooded Pantanal region in western Brazil. This plant bears horizontally oriented inflorescences, whose yellowish green flowers begin to expand at dusk and are fully open at dawn. Instead of fluid nectar the flowers produce sweet gelatinous secretion in form of pellets. The glandular complex of the flower is composed of the inner wall of the receptacle and its tubular extension, being equivalent to the nectariferous disk of the nectar-producing species within the genus. The jelly is produced at night, contains mannan and is imbibed by free hexoses. It originates by swelling and disintegration of the inner wall, after contact with the nectar generated concomitantly in the mesophyll. Combretum lanceolatum is unique within the genus in its production of jelly pellets instead of liquid nectar. A new term, the jelly-flower, is proposed for flowers with this kind of reward. The pellet is not replaced once removed by a bird, and thus resembles a fruit in its availability to consumers, another unique feature that distinguishes this species within the genus. The jelly pellets offered by the many flowered branches attract a great diversity of bird visitors (28 species from eight families), which feed on this copious food resource and pollinate the flowers. The most effective pollinators probably are thrushes, tanagers, and orioles. Flocking parakeets and macaws sometimes feed on the petals, thus acting as flower plunderers. Combretum lanceolatum presents a high fruit set under natural conditions, which likely favours its spreading and becoming a weed species

Water Uptake in PHBV/Wollastonite Scaffolds: A Kinetics Study

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a widely studied polymer and it has been found that porous PHBV materials are suitable for substrates for cell cultures. A crucial factor for scaffolds designed for tissue engineering is the water uptake. This property influences the transport of water and nutrients into the scaffold, which promotes cell growth. PHBV has significant hydrophobicity, which can harm the production of cells. Thus, the addition of α-wollastonite (WOL) can modify the PHBV scaffold’s water uptake. To our knowledge, a kinetics study of water uptake of α-wollastonite phase powder and the PHBV matrix has not been reported. In this work, PHBV and WOL, (PHBV/WOL) films were produced with 0, 5, 10, and 20 wt % of WOL. Films were characterized, and the best concentrations were chosen to produce PHBV/WOL scaffolds. The addition of WOL in concentrations up to 10 wt % increased the cell viability of the films. MTT analysis showed that PHBV/5%WOL and PHBV/10%WOL obtained cell viability of 80% and 98%, respectively. Therefore, scaffolds with 0, 5 and 10 wt % of WOL were fabricated by thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). Scaffolds were characterized with respect to morphology and water uptake in assay for 65 days. The scaffold with 10 wt % of WOL absorbed 44.1% more water than neat PHBV scaffold, and also presented a different kinetic mechanism when compared to other samples. Accordingly, PHBV/WOL scaffolds were shown to be potential candidates for biological applications