Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Unraveling Amazon tree community assembly using Maximum Information Entropy: a quantitative analysis of tropical forest ecology

In a time of rapid global change, the question of what determines patterns in species abundance distribution remains a priority for understanding the complex dynamics of ecosystems. The constrained maximization of information entropy provides a framework for the understanding of such complex systems dynamics by a quantitative analysis of important constraints via predictions using least biased probability distributions. We apply it to over two thousand hectares of Amazonian tree inventories across seven forest types and thirteen functional traits, representing major global axes of plant strategies. Results show that constraints formed by regional relative abundances of genera explain eight times more of local relative abundances than constraints based on directional selection for specific functional traits, although the latter does show clear signals of environmental dependency. These results provide a quantitative insight by inference from large-scale data using cross-disciplinary methods, furthering our understanding of ecological dynamics

Unraveling Amazon tree community assembly using Maximum Information Entropy: a quantitative analysis of tropical forest ecology

In a time of rapid global change, the question of what determines patterns in species abundance distribution remains a priority for understanding the complex dynamics of ecosystems. The constrained maximization of information entropy provides a framework for the understanding of such complex systems dynamics by a quantitative analysis of important constraints via predictions using least biased probability distributions. We apply it to over two thousand hectares of Amazonian tree inventories across seven forest types and thirteen functional traits, representing major global axes of plant strategies. Results show that constraints formed by regional relative abundances of genera explain eight times more of local relative abundances than constraints based on directional selection for specific functional traits, although the latter does show clear signals of environmental dependency. These results provide a quantitative insight by inference from large-scale data using cross-disciplinary methods, furthering our understanding of ecological dynamics

Cytotoxicity of Extracts from <i>Petiveria alliacea</i> Leaves on Yeast

Petiveria alliacea L. is a plant used in traditional medicine harboring pharmacological properties with anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, hypoglycemiant and anesthetic activities. This study assessed the potential cytotoxic, genotoxic and mutagenic effects of ethanolic extract of P. alliacea on Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. S. cerevisiae FF18733 (wild type) and CD138 (ogg1) strains were exposed to fractioned ethanolic extracts of P. alliacea in different concentrations. Three experimental assays were performed: cellular inactivation, mutagenesis (canavanine resistance system) and loss of mitochondrial function (petites colonies). The chemical analyses revealed a rich extract with phenolic compounds such as protocatechuic acid, cinnamic and catechin epicatechin. A decreased cell viability in wild-type and ogg1 strains was demonstrated. All fractions of the extract exerted a mutagenic effect on the ogg1 strain. Only ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions increased the rate of petites colonies in the ogg1 strain, but not in the wild-type strain. The results indicate that fractions of mid-polarity of the ethanolic extract, at the studied concentrations, can induce mutagenicity mediated by oxidative lesions in the mitochondrial and genomic genomes of the ogg1-deficient S. cerevisiae strain. These findings indicate that the lesions caused by the fractions of P. alliacea ethanolic extract can be mediated by reactive oxygen species and can reach multiple molecular targets to exert their toxicity

Billardia subrufa Jaderholm 1904

&lt;i&gt;Billardia subrufa&lt;/i&gt; (J&auml;derholm, 1904a) &lt;p&gt; Synonyms in the area: &lt;i&gt;Campanularia subrufa&lt;/i&gt; J&auml;derholm, 1904a, 1905 [polyp].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Remarks: the genus &lt;i&gt;Billardia&lt;/i&gt; Totton, 1930 have been placed outside the family Campanulariidae in phylogenetic studies (Govindarajan &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2006), and was shown to be more closely related to species of Hebellidae (Pe&ntilde;a Cantero &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2010; Moura &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. 2011). Its taxonomic affinities, however, remain uncertain, and it is here retained in the family Campanulariidae, pending more detailed study.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Distribution in South America: polyp&mdash;Atlantic Ocean, Argentina, at 52.38&deg;S 63.84&deg;W and at Shag Rocks (J&auml;derholm 1904a, 1905; Nutting 1915; Totton 1930; Genzano &amp; Zamponi 1997).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Habitat: polyp&mdash;from 160 to 229m depth (J&auml;derholm 1904a, 1905; Totton 1930).&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;OLIVEIRA, OTTO M. P., MIRANDA, THAÍS P., ARAUJO, ENILMA M., AYÓN, PATRICIA, CEDEÑO-POSSO, CRISTINA M., CEPEDA-MERCADO, AMANCAY A., CÓRDOVA, PABLO, CUNHA, AMANDA F., GENZANO, GABRIEL N., HADDAD, MARIA ANGÉLICA, MIANZAN, HERMES W., MIGOTTO, ALVARO E., MIRANDA, LUCÍLIA S., MORANDINI, ANDRÉ C., NAGATA, RENATO M., NASCIMENTO, KARINE B., JÚNIOR, MIODELI NOGUEIRA, PALMA, SERGIO, QUIÑONES, JAVIER, RODRIGUEZ, CAROLINA S., SCARABINO, FABRIZIO, SCHIARITI, AGUSTÍN, STAMPAR, SÉRGIO N., TRONOLONE, VALQUÍRIA B. &amp; MARQUES, ANTONIO C., 2016, Census of Cnidaria (Medusozoa) and Ctenophora from South American marine waters, pp. 1-256 in Zootaxa 4194 (1)&lt;/i&gt; on page 79, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4194.1.1, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10068449"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/10068449&lt;/a&gt

Calycella

&lt;i&gt;Calycella&lt;/i&gt; sp. &lt;p&gt; Distribution in South America: polyp&mdash;Atlantic Ocean, Brazil, from 23.70&deg;S to 24&deg;S (Shimabukuro 2007). Habitat: polyp&mdash;on bryozoans, &lt;i&gt;Clavelina oblonga&lt;/i&gt;, and &lt;i&gt;Eudendrium caraiuru&lt;/i&gt; (Shimabukuro 2007).&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;OLIVEIRA, OTTO M. P., MIRANDA, THAÍS P., ARAUJO, ENILMA M., AYÓN, PATRICIA, CEDEÑO-POSSO, CRISTINA M., CEPEDA-MERCADO, AMANCAY A., CÓRDOVA, PABLO, CUNHA, AMANDA F., GENZANO, GABRIEL N., HADDAD, MARIA ANGÉLICA, MIANZAN, HERMES W., MIGOTTO, ALVARO E., MIRANDA, LUCÍLIA S., MORANDINI, ANDRÉ C., NAGATA, RENATO M., NASCIMENTO, KARINE B., JÚNIOR, MIODELI NOGUEIRA, PALMA, SERGIO, QUIÑONES, JAVIER, RODRIGUEZ, CAROLINA S., SCARABINO, FABRIZIO, SCHIARITI, AGUSTÍN, STAMPAR, SÉRGIO N., TRONOLONE, VALQUÍRIA B. &amp; MARQUES, ANTONIO C., 2016, Census of Cnidaria (Medusozoa) and Ctenophora from South American marine waters, pp. 1-256 in Zootaxa 4194 (1)&lt;/i&gt; on page 142, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4194.1.1, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10068449"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/10068449&lt;/a&gt