Vulnerabilidade das microrregiões da Região Sul do Brasil à pandemia do novo coronavírus (SARS-CoV-2)

This is the first report of the ‘Observatório COVID191 - Grupo: Redes de Contágio – Laboratório de Estudos de Defesa’ for the South region of Brazil. We have combined data of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) for the South available up to 17/04/2020, with structural analyses of road networks, from within and between states, to estimate the vulnerability and potential influence of the South micro-regions to propagate the disease.Este é o primeiro relatório do Observatório COVID19 - Grupo: Redes de Contágio – Laboratório de Estudos de Defesa para a região Sul do Brasil. Combinamos dados de casos confirmados do novo coronavírus (SARS-CoV-2) para o Sul, disponíveis até o dia 17/04/2020, com análises estruturais da rede de rotas rodoviárias intra e interestaduais para estimarmos a vulnerabilidade e potencial influência das microrregiões sulinas na propagação da doença

Mamíferos e palmeiras neotropicais: InteraÇoes em paisagens fragmentadas

INTERACTIONS OF MAMMALS AND PALMS IN FRAGMENTED NEOTROPICAL LANDSCAPES. Human-induced forest fragmentation and hunting create so-called �empty forests�, wherein the loss of major vertebrates results in the disruption of many animal-plant interactions, including seed dispersal and predation. Such disturbances affect recruitment of seedlings and ultimately the abundance and diversity of plants. Palm trees are one of the most abundant food resources in tropical forests and are therefore considered necessary for the survival of many mammal species. The present paper analysed the results of 74 studies in the Neotropical region (published until 2008) dealing with palm tree seed dispersal and predation by mammals. The most important seed dispersers were ungulates, primates and rodents. Most studies discussing the reduced participation of mammals in palm tree seed dispersal and recruitment found that the amount and distance of removed / carried seeds were smaller inside fragmented or impoverished forests, resulting in accumulation of seeds around the mother trees. In most cases this accumulation was followed by increased predation by bruchid beetles, pathogenic microorganisms, and small mammals. Given the complexity of the ecological interactions and processes leading to the establishment of new plants in the areas, the palm tree populations were affected in different ways by defaunation, with some species becoming scarcer in the forest fragments while others increased in abundance. There are clear morphological and ecological traits which enable sets of palm tree species to be prioritized with respect to their vulnerability to extinction. Effective recognition of vulnerable species, along with reliable predictions of the resulting scenarios of forest impoverishment and fragmentation can aid the implementation of more effective management strategies.A fragmentação florestal e a caça criam as chamadas �florestas vazias�, onde extinções ecológicas de grandes vertebrados resultam na perda de interações entre animais e plantas como a dispersão e a predação de sementes. Alterações nesses processos afetam o recrutamento das plântulas e, consequentemente, a abundância e diversidade das plantas. As palmeiras são um dos recursos alimentares mais abundantes nos trópicos e são consideradas espécies-chave para a alimentação de várias espécies de mamíferos. A presente revisão analisou os resultados de 74 estudos conduzidos nos Neotrópicos até 2008 sobre dispersão e predação de sementes de palmeiras por mamíferos. Roedores, primatas e ungulados foram os frugívoros neotropicais que mais consumiram frutos de palmeiras, atuando como importantes dispersores de sementes. A maior parte dos estudos que investigaram os efeitos de empobrecimento de mamíferos sobre a dispersão de sementes e o recrutamento de palmeiras encontrou que as taxas e distâncias de remoção de sementes foram menores em fragmentos florestais ou locais defaunados, o que resultou em um acúmulo de sementes nas imediações das plantas-mãe nesses locais. Na maioria dos casos, esse acúmulo resultou em um aumento na predação pré-dispersão devido à maior atração de besouros brocadores, proliferação de patógenos, e/ou às altas densidades de pequenos mamíferos predadores de sementes. Devido à complexidade das interações ecológicas e dos processos que levam ao estabelecimento de novos indivíduos de plantas, houve diferentes respostas das palmeiras à defaunação, algumas delas se tornando mais escassas em pequenos fragmentos, enquanto outras espécies aumentaram suas abundâncias. Características morfológicas e ecológicas distintas permitem identificar grupos de palmeiras com diferentes vulnerabilidades à extinção e o reconhecimento desses grupos, juntamente com a predição dos cenários gerados pela fragmentação e pela defaunação, permite a implementação de estratégias adequadas de manejo.MAMÍFEROS Y PALMAS NEOTROPICALES: INTERACCIONES EN PAISAJES FRAGMENTADOS. La fragmentación forestal y la caza crean los llamados �bosques vacíos�, en donde las extinciones ecológicas de grandes vertebrados resultan en la pérdida de interacciones entre animales y plantas, tales como la dispersión y la depredación de semillas. Las alteraciones en estos procesos afectan el reclutamiento de las plántulas y consecuentemente la abundancia y la diversidad de las plantas. Las palmas son uno de los recursos alimentarios más abundantes de los trópicos y son consideradas especies clave para la alimentación de varias especies de mamíferos. Esta revisión analiza los resultados de 74 estudios realizados en el Neotrópico hasta el año 2008, sobre dispersión y depredación de semillas de palmas por mamíferos. Roedores, primates y ungulados fueron los frugívoros neotropicales que mas consumieron frutos de palmas, actuando como importantes dispersores de semillas. La mayor parte de los estudios que investigaron los efectos de la disminución de mamíferos sobre la dispersión de semillas y el reclutamiento de palmeras, encontraron que las tasas y distancias de remoción de semillas, fueron menores en fragmentos forestales o zonas defaunadas, lo que provocó la acumulación de semillas en las inmediaciones de las plantas madre. En la mayoría de los casos, esta acumulación ocasionó un aumento de la depredación pre-dispersión debido a la mayor atracción de brúquidos, proliferación de patógenos y/o altas densidades de pequeños mamíferos predadores de semillas. Debido a la complejidad de las interacciones ecológicas y a los procesos que dan lugar al establecimiento de nuevos individuos de plantas, hubo diferentes respuestas de las palmas a la defaunación. Algunas de estas se volvieron más escasas en pequeños fragmentos, mientras que otras aumentaron sus abundancias. Características morfológicas y ecológicas distintas permiten identificar grupos de palmas con diferentes vulnerabilidades a la extinción. El reconocimiento de estos grupos junto con la predicción de escenarios generados por la fragmentación y la defaunación permite la implementación de estrategias adecuadas de manejo

Ecological multiplex interactions determine the role of species for parasite spread amplification

Despite their potential interplay, multiple routes of many disease transmissions are often investigated separately. As a unifying framework for understanding parasite spread through interdependent transmission paths, we present the 'ecomultiplex' model, where the multiple transmission paths among a diverse community of interacting hosts are represented as a spatially explicit multiplex network. We adopt this framework for designing and testing potential control strategies for Trypanosoma cruzi spread in two empirical host communities. We show that the ecomultiplex model is an efficient and low data-demanding method to identify which species enhances parasite spread and should thus be a target for control strategies. We also find that the interplay between predator-prey and host-parasite interactions leads to a phenomenon of parasite amplification, in which top predators facilitate T. cruzi spread, offering a mechanistic interpretation of previous empirical findings. Our approach can provide novel insights in understanding and controlling parasite spreading in real-world complex systems

Ecological multiplex interactions determine the role of species for parasite spread amplification

Despite their potential interplay, multiple routes of many disease transmissions are often investigated separately. As a unifying framework for understanding parasite spread through interdependent transmission paths, we present the 'ecomultiplex' model, where the multiple transmission paths among a diverse community of interacting hosts are represented as a spatially explicit multiplex network. We adopt this framework for designing and testing potential control strategies for Trypanosoma cruzi spread in two empirical host communities. We show that the ecomultiplex model is an efficient and low data-demanding method to identify which species enhances parasite spread and should thus be a target for control strategies. We also find that the interplay between predator-prey and host-parasite interactions leads to a phenomenon of parasite amplification, in which top predators facilitate T. cruzi spread, offering a mechanistic interpretation of previous empirical findings. Our approach can provide novel insights in understanding and controlling parasite spreading in real-world complex systems

Ecological multiplex interactions determine the role of species for parasite spread amplification

Despite their potential interplay, multiple routes of many disease transmissions are often investigated separately. As a unifying framework for understanding parasite spread through interdependent transmission paths, we present the ‘ecomultiplex’ model, where the multiple transmission paths among a diverse community of interacting hosts are represented as a spatially explicit multiplex network. We adopt this framework for designing and testing potential control strategies for Trypanosoma cruzi spread in two empirical host communities. We show that the ecomultiplex model is an efficient and low data-demanding method to identify which species enhances parasite spread and should thus be a target for control strategies. We also find that the interplay between predator-prey and host-parasite interactions leads to a phenomenon of parasite amplification, in which top predators facilitate T. cruzi spread, offering a mechanistic interpretation of previous empirical findings. Our approach can provide novel insights in understanding and controlling parasite spreading in real-world complex systems.</p

Integrating databases for spatial analysis of parasite-host associations and the novel Brazilian dataset

Abstract Incomplete information on parasites, their associated hosts, and their precise geographical location hampers the ability to predict disease emergence in Brazil, a continental-sized country characterised by significant regional disparities. Here, we demonstrate how the NCBI Nucleotide and GBIF databases can be used as complementary databases to study spatially georeferenced parasite-host associations. We also provide a comprehensive dataset of parasites associated with mammal species that occur in Brazil, the Brazilian Mammal Parasite Occurrence Data (BMPO). This dataset integrates wild mammal species’ morphological and life-history traits, zoonotic parasite status, and zoonotic microparasite transmission modes. Through meta-networks, comprising interconnected host species linked by shared zoonotic microparasites, we elucidate patterns of zoonotic microparasite dissemination. This approach contributes to wild animal and zoonoses surveillance, identifying and targeting host species accountable for disproportionate levels of parasite sharing within distinct biomes. Moreover, our novel dataset contributes to the refinement of models concerning disease emergence and parasite distribution among host species

Population ecology of small rodents and marsupials in a semi-deciduous tropical forest of the southeast Pantanal, Brazil

The Pantanal is a South American biome characterized by extensive plains and stark environmental seasonality. Several habitats are subject to annual flooding, forcing small mammal species to aggregate in dry forest patches, which most likely influences their population dynamics and life history strategies. In order to investigate the seasonal influence on the life history traits of these small mammals, we conducted a 2-year mark-recapture study in the southeastern region of the Brazilian Pantanal (Nhecolândia) and analyzed the population dynamics of the most abundant small mammal species with the jackknife estimator. A trapping effort of 21,560 trap-nights resulted in 615 individuals in 1,171 captures (success = 5.43%). Three species of rodents - Oecomys mamorae (Thomas, 1906), Thrichomys pachyurus (Wagner, 1845), and Clyomys laticeps (Thomas, 1841) - and three species of marsupials - Gracilinanus agilis (Burmeister, 1854), Thylamys macrurus (Olfers, 1818), and Monodelphis domestica (Wagner, 1842) - were obtained. The most abundant species was O. mamorae, followed by G. agilis and T. pachyurus. Oecomys mamorae was more abundant in the wet season and presented an opportunistic reproductive strategy. Gracilianus agilis displayed increased population sizes in the dry season and synchronized, seasonal reproduction during the rainy season. Thrichomys pachyurus had a small population size, delayed response to variations in environmental conditions and higher reproductive rates in the dry season. All species revealed different life history strategies (seasonal, opportunistic or delayed response to environmental variations), coinciding with periods of higher resource availability in order to maximize survival