Revitalização da mata de galeria do Ribeirão das Antas próximo a AMBEV (Compainha de Bebidas das Américas), Município de Anápolis – GO/ Revitalization of the gallery forest of the riverbank of the tapirs near AMBEV (Compainha of Drinks of the Américas), City of Anápolis – GO

As Matas de Galeria possuem a importante função de conectar diferentes remanescentes florestais e manter a qualidade dos cursos d'água, evitando seu assoreamento. O objetivo deste estudo foi elaborar e executar um plano de recuperação de áreas degradadas de uma Mata de Galeria do Ribeirão das Antas inserida em uma empresa no município de Anápolis, Goiás. As etapas propostas para a realização do projeto foram a coleta de sementes, construção de um viveiro para produção de mudas de espécies nativas, limpeza e preparo do solo e plantio de mudas. O viveiro construído possui uma capacidade de produção de aproximadamente 5000 mudas de espécies vegetais nativas do Cerrado. Também foi realizado o plantio de espécies vegetais nas áreas degradadas seguindo o critério de intercalar plantas de classificação sucessional inicial (pioneiras) e plantas secundárias. Algumas espécies exóticas frutíferas foram plantadas fora das Áreas de Preservação Permanente visando proteção das bordas da mata, uso econômico e atração de animais dispersores. O processo de recuperação teve início em uma área composta por pastagem e por vegetação nativa com incidência de corte seletivo. Nestas áreas, foi utilizado o sistema de recuperação a partir da implantação de uma comunidade florestal nas pastagens e o sistema de adensamento da comunidade nas áreas com vegetação nativa que apresentavam corte seletivo. As contribuições do presente trabalho foram o início da recuperação de um importante curso d’água e a construção do viveiro que poderá fornecer mudas para os próximos plantios no decorrer do projeto e também para moradores das regiões próximas a área. Além disso, possibilitou uma experiência profissional aos acadêmicos na execução de atividades de campo e na pesquisa científica

Scavenging in the Anthropocene: Human impact drives vertebrate scavenger species richness at a global scale

Understanding the distribution of biodiversity across the Earth is one of the most challenging questions in biology. Much research has been directed at explaining the species latitudinal pattern showing that communities are richer in tropical areas; however, despite decades of research, a general consensus has not yet emerged. In addition, global biodiversity patterns are being rapidly altered by human activities. Here, we aim to describe large‐scale patterns of species richness and diversity in terrestrial vertebrate scavenger (carrion‐consuming) assemblages, which provide key ecosystem functions and services. We used a worldwide dataset comprising 43 sites, where vertebrate scavenger assemblages were identified using 2,485 carcasses monitored between 1991 and 2018. First, we evaluated how scavenger richness (number of species) and diversity (Shannon diversity index) varied among seasons (cold vs. warm, wet vs. dry). Then, we studied the potential effects of human impact and a set of macroecological variables related to climatic conditions on the scavenger assemblages. Vertebrate scavenger richness ranged from species‐poor to species rich assemblages (4–30 species). Both scavenger richness and diversity also showed some seasonal variation. However, in general, climatic variables did not drive latitudinal patterns, as scavenger richness and diversity were not affected by temperature or rainfall. Rainfall seasonality slightly increased the number of species in the community, but its effect was weak. Instead, the human impact index included in our study was the main predictor of scavenger richness. Scavenger assemblages in highly human‐impacted areas sustained the smallest number of scavenger species, suggesting human activity may be overriding other macroecological processes in shaping scavenger communities. Our results highlight the effect of human impact at a global scale. As speciesrich assemblages tend to be more functional, we warn about possible reductions in ecosystem functions and the services provided by scavengers in human‐dominated landscapes in the Anthropocene

Functional biogeography of vertebrate scavengers drives carcass removal across biomes

Resumen del trabajo presentado en el XVI Congreso Nacional de la AEET 2023: la ecología en una biosfera humanizada, celebrado en Almería entre el 16 y el 20 de octubre de 2023.Vertebrate scavengers play a crucial role in food web stability and cycling of organic matter and nutrients. However, the global factors that influence their functional biogeography and impact on ecosystem functioning at regional and local levels remain poorly understood. We aim to address this challenge by analyzing a global dataset covering 49 regions in all inhabited continents, including information on 1,847 locally monitored carcasses and 204 vertebrate scavenger species along with their functional traits. We investigate the importance of biogeographical (spatial), environmental and anthropogenic factors in structuring vertebrate scavengers¿ functional trait composition, diversity and abundance. Additionally, we investigate how these biodiversity attributes affect carcass removal at regional and local scales. Our results show that the functional trait composition of assemblages across studied regions was primarily explained by latitude and lon¬gitude, suggesting a strong biogeographical signature. In addition, while functional richness remained unexplained, scavenger abundance responded to both environmental and spatial factors. Further, we found that carcass removal was mainly driven by functional composition, but with the relative importance of particular functional traits varying from local to regional scales. At the local scale, carcass removal was positively related to large carnivorous species with large home ranges, while at the regional scale, carcass removal was better explained by the presence of vultures, other raptors and diurnal birds. Our study provides a better understanding of the factors controlling the func¬tional biogeography of terrestrial vertebrates and their role in maintaining essential ecological functions and services.Peer reviewe

Assessment of risk scores to predict mortality of COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit

ObjectivesTo assess the ABC2-SPH score in predicting COVID-19 in-hospital mortality, during intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and to compare its performance with other scores (SOFA, SAPS-3, NEWS2, 4C Mortality Score, SOARS, CURB-65, modified CHA2DS2-VASc, and a novel severity score).Materials and methodsConsecutive patients (≥ 18 years) with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to ICUs of 25 hospitals, located in 17 Brazilian cities, from October 2020 to March 2022, were included. Overall performance of the scores was evaluated using the Brier score. ABC2-SPH was used as the reference score, and comparisons between ABC2-SPH and the other scores were performed by using the Bonferroni method of correction. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.ResultsABC2-SPH had an area under the curve of 0.716 (95% CI 0.693–0.738), significantly higher than CURB-65, SOFA, NEWS2, SOARS, and modified CHA2DS2-VASc scores. There was no statistically significant difference between ABC2-SPH and SAPS-3, 4C Mortality Score, and the novel severity score.ConclusionABC2-SPH was superior to other risk scores, but it still did not demonstrate an excellent predictive ability for mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Our results indicate the need to develop a new score, for this subset of patients

Remote sensing of forest biophysical structure of Atlantic Rainforest over steep slopes

O mapeamento da estrutura florestal em escala de paisagem nos permite avaliar como as florestas respondem aos impactos da ação humana e a mudanças nas condições ambientais. Neste contexto, a tese tem como objetivo elaborar modelos de estimativa de biomassa acima do solo e fechamento de dossel utilizando imagens de satélite, em diferentes estágios de sucessão de Mata Atlântica localizada em área com complexidade topográfica. Para alcançar este objetivo geral, temos dois objetivos específicos: (1) avaliar o efeito da geomorfologia na modelagem da biomassa florestal e fechamento do dossel; (2) analisar os resultados das estimativas considerando diferentes estágios de sucessão florestal e testar o efeito da radiação solar direta sobre o fechamento do dossel. Primeiro, sumarizamos os mais frequentes temas ecológicos e métodos utilizados na literatura ligados a modelagem de estrutura florestal por meio do sensoriamento remoto. Subsequentemente, utilizamos dados de campo e imagens de satélite (LANDSAT TM e ALOS AVNIR-2) para estimar biomassa e fechamento do dossel. Utilizamos modelo digital de elevação como fonte de informação geomorfológica. Foram encontradas melhores estimativas de biomassa e fechamento do dossel quando integramos as imagens de satélite com uma variável geomorfométrica secundária do relevo (Fator de iluminação), que é baseada no ângulo de incidência da radiação solar sobre faces de morros. O índice \"solo/vegetação\", elaborado no presente estudo, apresentou melhores estimativas de fechamento do dossel quando comparado com a performance de diferentes índices de vegetação. A biomassa estimada pelas imagens possibilitou a diferenciação entre diferentes estágios de sucessão florestalMapping forest structure in landscape scale enables the evaluation of how forested areas respond to human impact and environmental conditions. In this context, the thesis aims to evaluate modeling approaches to estimate forest aboveground biomass and canopy closure with satellite images in different successional forest stands located at a rugged terrain region. Towards that goal, the specific objectives are: (1) to evaluate the effect of topographic features in the remotely sensed biomass and canopy closures estimations; (2) to analyze the modeled data over different successional stands of Atlantic Rainforest and test the effect of the annual direct sunlight in the forest canopy closure. First, we summarize the most frequent ecological inferences discussed in the literature and the methods used about forest structure modeling by using remote sensing data. Afterward, ground biophysical forest data and satellite images (LANDSAT TM and ALOS AVNIR-2) were used to estimate biomass and canopy closure. The modeling approach includes topographic features derived from digital elevation model. Our results show improved biomass and canopy closure estimates when the modeling includes satellite data interacting with a secondary geomorphometric variable (the Illumination Factor), that is based on direct solar beam angle. The soil/vegetation index, suggested in the present study, showed a better performance when compared with other vegetation index to estimate canopy closure. The modeled biomass shows evident biophysical distinction among different forest succession stage

Uso e manejo de plantas alimentares em ambientes agrícolas e florestais em Iporanga, SP

O objetivo do estudo é descrever e analisar o manejo dos recursos vegetais alimentares e sua relação com a estrutura da paisagem reconhecida por agricultores tradicionais em Iporanga, SP. Os dados foram coletados entre novembro de 2005 e março de 2007. O estudo considerou como unidades amostrais 13 famílias. Em cada unidade da paisagem reconhecida pelos entrevistados foram levantados a disponibilidade e manejo de espécies vegetais alimentares cultivadas e não-cultivadas. Foi calculado o Índice de Saliência para as espécies presentes em ambientes florestados. Um mapeamento das categorias de uso e ocupação do solo foi elaborado a partir de interpretação visual com imagem de satélite SPOT 5 e utilizando o software ArcGIS 9. Pode ser observada uma grande influência do manejo agrícola na configuração da paisagem na área estudada. Das 165 espécies encontradas com a finalidade alimentar, 47,3% são nativas da Mata Atlântica. As espécies que obtiveram maior saliência foram Hymenaea courbaril, Pouteria sp. e Garcinia gardneriana. Além de Euterpe edulis, apenas Astrocaryum aculeatissimum e Syagrus romanzoffiana são espécies nativas já comercializadas. Foram encontradas 79 espécies em roças. A crescente pressão da legislação na manutenção dos espaços florestais gera enorme conflito com o sistema agrícola da região. Foi citada uma crescente diminuição do tempo de pousio das áreas de roça, gerando modificações nas técnicas de cultivo. Com o turismo, os mais jovens têm diminuído seu interesse pela agricultura. Aliar a manutenção do conhecimento tradicional agrícola e florestal com o turismo pode ser uma alternativa para manter este conhecimento. Como 57% da área do estudo está dentro do Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), as leis ambientais têm grande influência sobre a forma de uso do solo. A prática agrícola...The objective of the study was to describe and analyze the management of food plants resources and its relationship with the structure of the landscape recognized for traditional agriculturists in Iporanga, SP. This study was carried out during November, 2005 and March, 2007 in Iporanga, São Paulo, Brazil, with 13 chosen families where practice tradicional agriculture. The semi-strictural interviews were based on questionnaires about recognized landscape and available cultivated and non-cultivated food plants. The Salience index was used for the free list of food forest species. Using visual interpretation of satellite image SPOT 5 and software ArcGIS 9 a map of land use was made. It was observed influences of the agricultural management on the configuration of the landscape in the study area. The agriculturists cited 165 species of cultivated and spontaneous food plants. Among the total plants, 47,3% is native of Atlantic Forest. The species Hymenaea courbaril, Pouteria sp. and Garcinia gardneriana have been verified greater salience. Euterpe edulis, Astrocaryum aculeatissimum and Syagrus romanzoffiana are native species just commercialized. In roça have been found 79 species. The increasing pressure of the legislation, in the maintenance of the forest, generates enormous conflict with agricultural system in the region. An increasing reduction of the pousio has been cited, generating modifications in the cultivation techniques. With tourism, youngest people in study area have been diminished the interest for agriculture. The association of the agricultural and forest traditional knowledge with the tourism can be a good alternative to maintain this knowledge. As 57% of the area of the study is inside the Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), the environmental laws have great influence on the land use. This study highlights modifications...(Complete abstract click electronic access below)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Modeling forest canopy closure using vegetation index

The use of remote sensing to estimate forest structure has been largely tested but few researches have related such information about canopy closure in tropical forests in steep slope. This work aims to analyze the potential employ of vegetation index and sunlight radiation to generate a predictive model of canopy closure in the Ribeira Valley, south of the São Paulo State Brazil. The canopy closure data were obtained from Spherical Densiometer in 52 sample points. The sun radiation (AIF) was obtained using TOPODATA image and literature equations. Thus, canopy closure and AIF information were related to NDVI, EVI and LAI, obtained from LANDSAT-TM and ALOS-AVNIR images. The results showed: a) field canopy closure facing to the North, East and West presented a tendency to have higher canopy closure then points facing to the south; b) the field canopy closure ranged from 0.58 to 0.97 c) and the annual illumination factor (AIF) ranging from 0.28 to 0.66 ; d) all three indexes showed lower determination coefficients when compared with image bands alone; e) two spatial resolution images were tested using 30 m (TM) and 10 m (ALOS); the lower pixel size did not result in better canopy closure estimation; f) the use of topographic correction on the TM images did not resulted in better model explanation of canopy closure, comparing it with models that use AIF; g) the blue ALOS band and TM7 Landsat band models explained, about 27% and 30% of the variation in observed canopy closure, respectively.Pages: 3031-303

A IMPORTÂNCIA DA ETNOBOTÂNICA NA CONSERVAÇÃO DE PLANTAS MEDICINAIS

Brazil has one of most diversified flora of the world, having the possibility of a rich set of medicinal plants. The local people who have diary experience with these vegetal resources have been fundamental importance to their management and conservation. The Ethnobotany, with its theoretical and methodological set can help to concretize the dialogue between scientific knowledge and knowledge and experiences of human communities of most diverse regions. The different approach strategies of conservation, aiming to conciliate the use with the conservation of natural, social and cultural resources by instruments that are available by Ethnobotany is the main focus of this article.O Brasil possui uma das mais diversificadas floras do mundo, possibilitando um rico conjunto de plantas medicinais. As populações locais que possuem vivência cotidiana com estes recursos vegetais têm sido ressaltadas como de fundamental importância para o seu manejo e conservação. A etnobotânica, com seu instrumental teórico-metodológico pode colaborar para concretizar o diálogo entre o conhecimento científico e os conhecimentos e experiências de comunidades humanas das mais diversas regiões. As diferentes formas de abordagens das estratégias de conservação, visando conciliar o uso com a conservação dos recursos naturais, sociais e culturais por meio das ferramentas que a etnobotânica disponibiliza é o tema principal deste artigo

Functional traits driving species role in the structure of terrestrial vertebrate scavenger networks

Species assemblages often have a non-random nested organization, which in vertebrate scavenger (carrion-consuming) assemblages is thought to be driven by facilitation in competitive environments. However, not all scavenger species play the same role in maintaining assemblage structure, as some species are obligate scavengers (i.e., vultures) and others are facultative, scavenging opportunistically. We used a database with 177 vertebrate scavenger species from 53 assemblages in 22 countries across five continents to identify which functional traits of scavenger species are key to maintaining the scavenging network structure. We used network analyses to relate ten traits hypothesized to affect assemblage structure with the %role% of each species in the scavenging assemblage in which it appeared. We characterized the role of a species in terms of both the proportion of monitored carcasses on which that species scavenged, or scavenging breadth (i.e., the species %normalized degree%), and the role of that species in the nested structure of the assemblage (i.e., the species %paired nested degree%), therefore identifying possible facilitative interactions among species. We found that species with high olfactory acuity, social foragers, and obligate scavengers had the widest scavenging breadth. We also found that social foragers had a large paired nested degree in scavenger assemblages, probably because their presence is easier to detect by other species to signal carcass occurrence. Our study highlights differences in the functional roles of scavenger species and can be used to identify key species for targeted conservation to maintain the ecological function of scavenger assemblages