Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

The Gaia mission

Gaia is a cornerstone mission in the science programme of the EuropeanSpace Agency (ESA). The spacecraft construction was approved in 2006, following a study in which the original interferometric concept was changed to a direct-imaging approach. Both the spacecraft and the payload were built by European industry. The involvement of the scientific community focusses on data processing for which the international Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) was selected in 2007. Gaia was launched on 19 December 2013 and arrived at its operating point, the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth-Moon system, a few weeks later. The commissioning of the spacecraft and payload was completed on 19 July 2014. The nominal five-year mission started with four weeks of special, ecliptic-pole scanning and subsequently transferred into full-sky scanning mode. We recall the scientific goals of Gaia and give a description of the as-built spacecraft that is currently (mid-2016) being operated to achieve these goals. We pay special attention to the payload module, the performance of which is closely related to the scientific performance of the mission. We provide a summary of the commissioning activities and findings, followed by a description of the routine operational mode. We summarise scientific performance estimates on the basis of in-orbit operations. Several intermediate Gaia data releases are planned and the data can be retrieved from the Gaia Archive, which is available through the Gaia home page. http://www.cosmos.esa.int/gai

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Levantamento e estimativas populacionais de mamíferos de médio e grande porte num fragmento urbano de Mata Atlântica no sudeste do Brasil

This study was carried out in an Atlantic Forest fragment on the periphery of Juiz de Fora City, state of Minas Gerais, including the Biological Municipal Reserve Poço D’Anta and private areas, with about 930 ha. The study aimed to assess the mammalian fauna status in the fragment, through species survey and population estimates. Moreover, the efficiency of baits for mammals’ surveys was evaluated. The samplings were based on camera-traps, diurnal line-transect sampling and casual records of feces, footprints and sighting. Twenty-two species were recorded, including threatened species (Leopardus pardalis and Chrysocyon brachyurus), and exotic species (C. brachyurus, Callithrix penicillata, Callithrix jacchus, Canis familiaris and Equus caballus). Amongst the recorded species by camera-traps, the commonest were Didelphis aurita, Philander frenatus, Marmosops sp., Dasypus novemcinctus and Agouti paca. Baits were efficient to record more species at the sampling points, and to record species in less time than traps with no baits. Density estimates were high to Cebus nigritus and Alouatta guariba clamitans, and low to C. penicillata and Sciurus aestuans. Density of Callicebus nigrifrons must have been underestimated, but it was within the range reported for other Atlantic Forest fragments. However, hypothetical population sizes for all species suggest that long-term survivorship is unviable. Recommended strategies for species conservation are species monitoring programs, exotic species control and establishment of wildlife corridors.Este estudo foi realizado num fragmento periurbano de Mata Atlântica no município de Juiz de Fora, MG, incluindo a Reserva Biológica Municipal Poço D’Anta e áreas particulares, com aproximadamente 930 ha. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar o estado da mastofauna no fragmento, através de levantamento de espécies e estimativas populacionais. Adicionalmente, foi avaliada a eficiência do uso de iscas em levantamentos de mamíferos. Os métodos consistiram de armadilhas fotográficas, transecções lineares e registros eventuais de fezes, pegadas e avistamentos. Foram registradas 22 espécies, incluindo espécies ameaçadas de extinção (Leopardus pardalis e Chrysocyon brachyurus), e espécies exóticas (C. brachyurus, Callithrix penicillata, Callithrix jacchus, Canis familiaris e Equus caballus). Entre as espécies registradas por armadilhas fotográficas, as mais comuns foram Didelphis aurita, Philander frenatus, Marmosops sp., Dasypus novemcinctus e Agouti paca. O uso de iscas foi eficiente em registrar o maior número de espécies por ponto de amostragem, e permitiu o registro de espécies em menor tempo, do que quando iscas não foram utilizadas. Estimativas de densidade foram elevadas para Cebus nigritus e Alouatta guariba clamitans, e baixas para C. penicillata e Sciurus aestuans. A densidade para Callicebus nigrifrons deve ter sido subestimada, mas esteve dentro dos limites reportados para outros fragmentos de Mata Atlântica. Tamanhos populacionais hipotéticos, entretanto, sugerem que as populações não são viáveis em longo prazo. Para a conservação das espécies recomenda-se o estabelecimento de programas de monitoramento de espécies, controle de espécies exóticas, e corredores ecológicos.FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerai

Morcegos (mammalia, chiroptera) em fragmentos florestais urbanos no munic\uedpio de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Sudeste do Brasil

Apresentamos os resultados de inventários de morcegos realizados em três áreas de floresta urbana (78, 9 e 2 ha) localizadas no município de Juiz de Fora. Entre maio de 2001 e maio de 2002, 209 morcegos foram capturados e marcados, representando sete espécies comuns em habitats urbanos (Artibeus lituratus, Platyrrhinus lineatus, Anoura caudifer, Sturnira lilium, Carollia perspicillata, Myotis nigricans e Molossus molossus). Apenas A. lituratus foi amostrada em todas as áreas, além de ter sido a mais abundante em todas elas, indicando sua alta resistência à fragmentação. Dois indivíduos desta espécie foram recapturados em uma área diferente daquela em que haviam sido marcados anteriormente. Sugerimos que as áreas estudadas apresentam valor significativo para a manutenção de alguns quirópteros, funcionando como "trampolins ecológicos", unindo populações, bem como fragmentos