Protocolo de monitoramento dos efeitos da queima prescrita e queima controlada no Pantanal: aves como bio-indicadores.

Esse trabalho descreve um protocolo aplicável à avaliação e monitoramento dos impactos da queima de vegetação no Pantanal, sejam elas naturais, incêndios causados pelo homem, ou ainda práticas de manejo como a queima controlada e a queima prescrita da vegetação. Protocolos desta natureza são fundamentais para a aplicação prática de boas formas de uso dos ecossistemas, bem como para dar suporte a políticas públicas que visem à conservação da biodiversidade em propriedades rurais no Pantanal. Dentre essas possíveis políticas públicas estão os necessários ajustes e melhorias nos termos de referência de licenciamento ambiental, dentro de um paradigma de desenvolvimento rural ambientalmente responsável. Esperamos que protocolos como esse facilitem o processo de avaliação e monitoramento de impactos, assim como a pesquisa cientifica, conferindo a esses processos maior consistência técnica

Behavior of granite-epoxy composite beams subjected to mechanical vibrations

The capacity to damp mechanical vibrations is one of the most important properties of granite-epoxy composites, even superior to the cast iron one. For this reason, these materials have been adopted for manufacturing of tool machine foundations and precision instruments. This work presents a study concerning the behavior of particulate composite beams, based on granite powder and epoxy, subjected to mechanical vibrations. Composite samples were prepared with different combinations of processing variables, like the weight fraction of epoxy in the mixture and size distributions of granite particles. The damping behavior of the material was investigated adopting the logarithmic decrement method. Samples, in the form of prismatic beams, were excited in the middle point and the output signal was measured in a point located at the extremity. The obtained results showed that composite samples, with weight fractions of about 80% of granite and 20% of epoxy, presented damping properties approximately three times greater than gray cast iron

Bird tolerance to humans in open tropical ecosystems

AbstractAnimal tolerance towards humans can be a key factor facilitating wildlife–human coexistence, yet traits predicting its direction and magnitude across tropical animals are poorly known. Using 10,249 observations for 842 bird species inhabiting open tropical ecosystems in Africa, South America, and Australia, we find that avian tolerance towards humans was lower (i.e., escape distance was longer) in rural rather than urban populations and in populations exposed to lower human disturbance (measured as human footprint index). In addition, larger species and species with larger clutches and enhanced flight ability are less tolerant to human approaches and escape distances increase when birds were approached during the wet season compared to the dry season and from longer starting distances. Identification of key factors affecting animal tolerance towards humans across large spatial and taxonomic scales may help us to better understand and predict the patterns of species distributions in the Anthropocene.</jats:p