Use of secondary forests by understory birds in a fragmented landscape in central Amazonia

Rates of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon have increased since 1991 and forecasts are not optimistic about the slowing of this process. Some authors believe that the Amazon may be experiencing a massive process of species extinction. However, the deforestation is accompanied by the expansion of secondary forests that are established in the abandoned areas. The trend is an increase in secondary forests cover, resulting in a mosaic of primary forest (FP) and fragments separated by an array of secondary forests (FS). In this scenario, the prediction of a massive extinction could be wrong if many species could survive in the secondary forests. To assess the importance of FS for the understory birds we sampled areas in regeneration and a continuous forest of a fragmented landscape. We conducted mist netting (24 nets/day) for six consecutive days/month, for 8 months (May-November) in 2009. Some forest species as do not seem to be adapted to the secondary forest environment and their occurrences are restricted to continuous forest environments. But most focal species showed no significant difference in apparent survival rates between the enviroments, suggesting that these species inhabit the secondary forest and the primary forest similarly. Because most of the matrix in fragmented landscapes are composed by secondary forests, such results highlights the conservation value that these habitats present in the long term. Thus, FS should be regarded as dynamic matrix that not only allows the movement of individuals but also function as habitat for many species typical of FP.Na Amazônia, as taxas de desmatamento crescem desde 1991 e as previsões não são otimistas quanto à desaceleração desse processo. A devastação da floresta é acompanhada de uma expansão de florestas secundárias (FS) que se estabelecem nas áreas abandonadas. A tendência é um aumento de florestas secundárias, resultando num mosaico de floresta contínua e fragmentos separados por uma matriz de FS. Nesse cenário, autores acreditam que a Amazônia pode passar por um processo massivo de extinção de espécies. Por outro lado, a previsão de um processo massivo de extinção pode ser equivocada, pois muitas espécies florestais poderiam sobreviver nas florestas secundárias. Para avaliar o valor das florestas secundárias para espécies florestais amostramos por oito meses com redes de neblina uma capoeira (FS) em regeneração e uma floresta primária (FP) de uma paisagem fragmentada. Algumas espécies não foram capturadas na capoeira e aparentemente evitam esse tipo de hábitat. No entanto, a maioria das espécies do grupo focal não apresentou diferença na sobrevivência aparente entre os ambientes, o que nos indica que estão habitando a capoeira e a floresta primária da mesma forma. Na realidade amazônica, onde grande parte da matriz é composta por floresta secundária, a matriz tem valor para conservação e deve ser analisada como um elemento dinâmico que não apenas permite a movimentação de indivíduos, mas também serve de hábitat para muitas espécies de floresta primária. Mas ressaltamos que é fundamental a preservação de áreas de floresta primária que servirão de fonte às florestas secundárias adjacentes

Influence of matrix habitats on the occurrence of insectivorous bird species in Amazonian forest fragments

The influence of matrix habitats on the occurrence of seven understory insectivorous bird species in forest fragments was examined at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Manaus, Amazonia. Playback techniques were used to detect individuals in the continuous primary forest, fragments of 1, 10 and 100 ha, and in two matrix habitats of secondary forest dominated by Vismia spp. and Cecropia spp. Sampling points in secondary forest areas were distributed at 50, 250 and 500 m from the continuous forest. Using G-tests of frequency distribution, species occurrences were compared in the following ways: (a) continuous forest vs. fragments; (b) continuous forest vs. second growth forest; (c) in second growth at different distances from continuous forest. Species were divided into three categories according to their sensitivity to the fragmentation process. Highly sensitive species (Cyphorhinus arada, Hylophilus ochraceiceps and Thamnomanes ardesiacus) did not occur in small fragments or in matrix habitats. Moderately sensitive species (Formicarius colma and T. caesius) occurred in small fragments and utilized infrequently matrix habitats. Positively affected species (Percnostola rufifrons and Hypocnemis cantator) were frequently detected in small fragments and all matrix habitats. Distances from the continuous forest did not influence the frequency of species occurrences in the secondary forest areas. Species were more frequent in small fragments surrounded by Cecropia spp. than by Vismia spp. Our results support the idea that the maintenance of species in small fragments may depend on their ability to use the matrix, and that increasing the permeability of the matrix may be an option to lessen the effects of forest fragmentation. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Fabry disease: the importance of the enzyme replacement therapy (TRE), treating quickly and efficiently

Fabry Disease is a lysosomal disorder due to the absence or deficiency of the Alpha galactosidase A enzyme that causes a pathological accumulation of glycosphingolipids mainly in the endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells and podocytes among others. Enzyme replacement therapy is the only option for a specific treatment at present. Increasing knowledge of the physiopathological mechanisms has changed the management of the disease and above all, when treatment should begin. At present, beginning treatment at an early age seems to be a way of preventing and in some cases reverting some of the signs and symptoms of Fabry disease

An actor-centered, scalable land system typology for addressing biodiversity loss in the world’s tropical dry woodlands

Land use is a key driver of the ongoing biodiversity crisis and therefore also a major opportunity for its mitigation. However, appropriately considering the diversity of land-use actors and activities in conservation assessments and planning is challenging. As a result, top-down conservation policy and planning are often criticized for a lack of contextual nuance widely acknowledged to be required for effective and just conservation action. To address these challenges, we have developed a conceptually consistent, scalable land system typology and demonstrated its usefulness for the world's tropical dry woodlands. Our typology identifies key land-use actors and activities that represent typical threats to biodiversity and opportunities for conservation action. We identified land systems in a hierarchical way, with a global level allowing for broad-scale planning and comparative work. Nested within it, a regionalized level provides social-ecological specificity and context. We showcase this regionalization for five hotspots of land-use change and biodiversity loss in dry woodlands in Argentina, Bolivia, Mozambique, India, and Cambodia. Unlike other approaches to present land use, our typology accounts for the complexity of overlapping land uses. This allows, for example, assessment of how conservation measures conflict with other land uses, understanding of the social-ecological co-benefits and trade-offs of area-based conservation, mapping of threats, or targeting area-based and actor-based conservation measures. Moreover, our framework enables cross-regional learning by revealing both commonalities and social-ecological differences, as we demonstrate here for the world's tropical dry woodlands. By bridging the gap between global, top-down, and regional, bottom-up initiatives, our framework enables more contextually appropriate sustainability planning across scales and more targeted and social-ecologically nuanced interventions