IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTION OF NATIVE AND INVASIVE GRASSES IN THE CERRADO

Biological invasion, mainly by African grasses, is one of the main threats to the Cerrado's biodiversity. The objective of this study was to elucidate the distribution patterns of the exotic grass Melinis minutiflora and the native grass Trichanthecium cyanescens, in order to verify the areas of potential occurrence of these species and, thus, to infer if their potential distribution will be affected by climate changes. Species occurrence data and ten uncorrelated climatic variables referring to the forecasts for the current period and future forecasts (2050 and 2070) were used for the analysis of the modeling. The models indicated the existence of environmental suitability, with AUCs above 0.8 (good) being observed in M. minutiflora and above 0.9 (excellent) in T. cyanescens. It is concluded that climate change may have negative impacts on the geographic distribution of these species, reducing the area of environmental suitability for them. In addition, the species studied have similar areas of potential distribution and regularly overlap, which can make M. minutiflora a threat to the conservation of T. cyanences, due to the invasion potential of the first

Phylogenetic regionalization of tree assemblages reveals novel patterns of evolutionary affinities in the Atlantic Forest

peer reviewedAim: We used a phylogenetic approach to group assemblages of woody plant into major vegetation units in the Atlantic Forest, thus for the first time incorporating information on species evolutionary relationships into a bioregionalization of this critical hotspot. A phylogenetic regionalization will provide a spatially explicit framework for answering many basic and applied questions in biogeography, ecology and conservation. Location: Atlantic Forest. Taxon: Angiosperms. Methods: Our data set comprises 614 genera and 116 families, spread over 1,755 assemblages. To place assemblages in a multivariate evolutionary composition space, we used a phylogenetically informed ordination analysis, and to determine what the main phylogenetic groups of assemblages were, we used K-means clustering based on phylogenetic dissimilarity of assemblages. To quantify how well environmental variables distinguish the phylogenetic groups found, we implemented classification tree approaches. Then, to explore the evolutionary turnover between the phylogenetic groups, we calculated phylogenetic beta diversity. Finally, we determined the lineages that are most strongly associated with individual phylogenetic groups using an indicator analysis for lineages. Results: Our analyses suggest that there are seven principal groups, in terms of evolutionary lineage composition, in the Atlantic Forest. The greatest turnover of phylogenetic lineage composition separates tropical evergreen rain forest and semideciduous assemblages from subtropical and highland assemblages. The mixed subtropical forest showed the lowest phylogenetic compositional similarity values with other groups. Tropical rain forest had the highest number of significant indicator lineages, and the highest values of the indicator statistic for lineages. Main conclusions: We found that the most pronounced evolutionary division separates southern and highland tree assemblages from those occurring under more tropical climates and at lower elevations. Our phylogenetic analyses point to an environmentally driven compositional division, likely based on the regular occurrence of freezing versus non-freezing temperatures. Precipitation and edaphic regimes that assemblages experience had less definitive effects on their evolutionary lineage composition

Fitossociologia de macrófitas aquáticas associadas ao Rio Miranda, Pantanal, MS, Brasil

Analisou-se quantitativamente uma comunidade de macrófitas aquáticas associada ao Rio Miranda, Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul utilizando dois métodos de amostragem: interseção linear e parcelas. Ao todo foram catalogadas 36 espécies, distribuídas em 31 gêneros e 20 famílias, sendo Poaceaea família com maior riqueza específica (5 spp.), seguida por Malvaceae (4), Asteraceae, Araceae, Convolvulaceae e Polygonaceae representadas por três espécies cada. Polygonum acuminatum foi a espécie que apresentou maior valor de importância (IVI) para ambos os métodos. O índice de diversidade de Shannon (H’) foi de 2,44 para o método da interseção linear e de 2,47 para o método das parcelas. Para ambos os métodos, a curva de rarefação demonstrou tendência à estabilização, indicando suficiência amostral. Os resultados obtidos foram similares para as duas metodologias, indicando ambas são apropriadas para estudos quantitativos com esta comunidade

Genetic and metabolic structure of bacterial communities in cerrado soil under different managements

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a estrutura metabólica e genética de comunidades bacterianas em Latossolo de cerrado sob vegetação nativa ou cultivado em sistema de rotação soja/milho sob preparo convencional e plantio direto. Foram utilizadas microplacas EcoPlate para determinar o perfil e a diversidade metabólica das comunidades bacterianas, e eletroforese em gel com gradiente desnaturante (DGGE) para avaliar a estrutura genética. O teste estatístico de Mantel foi utilizado para avaliar a relação entre a estrutura metabólica e a genética. A comunidade bacteriana sob vegetação nativa apresentou perfil metabólico diferente do encontrado em solos cultivados. No solo cultivado com soja sob preparo convencional, o padrão de utilização das fontes de carbono diferenciou-se dos demais tratamentos. Com base nos resultados de DGGE, a comunidade bacteriana sob vegetação nativa apresentou 35% de similaridade com as de áreas cultivadas. Foram formados grupos distintos de comunidades bacterianas do solo entre as áreas sob preparo convencional e plantio direto. Houve correlação significativa de 62% entre as matrizes geradas pelas microplacas EcoPlate e pela DGGE. Variações no perfil metabólico estão relacionadas às variações na estrutura genética das comunidades bacterianas do solo.The objective of this work was to evaluate the metabolic and genetic structure of bacterial communities in a cerrado Oxisol under native vegetation or cultivated in a soybean/maize rotation system under conventional tillage and no tillage. EcoPlate microplates were used to determine the metabolic profile and diversity of bacterial communities, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to assess the genetic structure. The Mantel statistic test was used to evaluate the relationship between the metabolic and the genetic structure. The bacterial community under native vegetation showed a different metabolic profile than that of cultivated soils. In the area cultivated with soybean under conventional tillage, the carbon source utilization pattern differed from the other treatments. Based on the DGGE results, the bacterial community under native vegetation showed 35% similarity to the ones found under cultivation. Distinct groups of soil bacterial communities were formed between the areas under conventional tillage and no tillage. A significant correlation of 62% was observed between matrices generated by EcoPlate microplates and by DGGE. Variations in the metabolic profile are related to changes in the genetic structure of soil bacterial communities

Reversal of SARS-CoV2-Induced Hypoxia by Nebulized Sodium Ibuprofenate in a Compassionate Use Program

Introduction: Sodium ibuprofenate in hypertonic saline (NaIHS) administered directly to the lungs by nebulization and inhalation has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, with the potential to deliver these benefits to hypoxic patients. We describe a compassionate use program that offered this therapy to hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: NaIHS (50 mg ibuprofen, tid) was provided in addition to standard of care (SOC) to hospitalized COVID-19 patients until oxygen saturation levels of > 94% were achieved on ambient air. Patients wore a containment hood to diminish aerosolization. Outcome data from participating patients treated at multiple hospitals in Argentina between April 4 and October 31, 2020, are summarized. Results were compared with a retrospective contemporaneous control (CC) group of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with SOC alone during the same time frame from a subset of participating hospitals from Córdoba and Buenos Aires. Results: The evolution of 383 patients treated with SOC + NaIHS [56 on mechanical ventilation (MV) at baseline] and 195 CC (21 on MV at baseline) are summarized. At baseline, NaIHS-treated patients had basal oxygen saturation of 90.7 ± 0.2% (74.3% were on supplemental oxygen at baseline) and a basal respiratory rate of 22.7 ± 0.3 breath/min. In the CC group, basal oxygen saturation was 92.6 ± 0.4% (52.1% were on oxygen supplementation at baseline) and respiratory rate was 19.3 ± 0.3 breath/min. Despite greater pulmonary compromise at baseline in the NaIHS-treated group, the length of treatment (LOT) was 9.1 ± 0.2 gs with an average length of stay (ALOS) of 11.5 ± 0.3 days, in comparison with an ALOS of 13.3 ± 0.9 days in the CC group. In patients on MV who received NaIHS, the ALOS was lower than in the CC group. In both NaIHS-treated groups, a rapid reversal of deterioration in oxygenation and NEWS2 scores was observed acutely after initiation of NaIHS therapy. No serious adverse events were considered related to ibuprofen therapy. Mortality was lower in both NaIHS groups compared with CC groups. Conclusions: Treatment of COVID-19 pneumonitis with inhalational nebulized NaIHS was associated with rapid improvement in hypoxia and vital signs, with no serious adverse events attributed to therapy. Nebulized NaIHS s worthy of further study in randomized, placebo-controlled trials (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04382768).Fil: Salva, Oscar. Clínica Independencia; ArgentinaFil: Doreski, Pablo A.. Fundación Respirar; ArgentinaFil: Giler, Celia S.. Clínica Independencia; ArgentinaFil: Quinodoz, Dario C.. Sanatorio de la Cañada; ArgentinaFil: Guzmán, Lucia G.. Sanatorio de la Cañada; ArgentinaFil: Muñoz, Sonia Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Carrillo, Mariana Norma del Valle. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Porta, Daniela Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Ambasch, Germán. Sanatorio Privado Mayo; ArgentinaFil: Coscia, Esteban. Sanatorio Privado Mayo; ArgentinaFil: Tambini Diaz, Jorge L.. Sanatorio Privado Mayo; ArgentinaFil: Bueno, Germán D.. Sanatorio Privado Mayo; ArgentinaFil: Fandi, Jorge O.. Clínica Independencia; ArgentinaFil: Maldonado, Miriam A.. Sanatorio San Roque; ArgentinaFil: Peña Chiappero, Leandro E.. Sanatori San Roque; ArgentinaFil: Fournier, Fernando. Clínica Francesa; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Hernán A.. Sanatorio Alive; Argentina. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Quiroga, Mauro A.. Instituto Modelo de Cardiología; ArgentinaFil: Sala Mercado, Javier Agustin. Instituto Modelo de Cardiología; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Picco, Carlos. Clínica del Sol; ArgentinaFil: Beltrán, Marcelo Alejandro. Hospital Dr. Alberto Duhau; ArgentinaFil: Castillo Argañarás, Luis Fernando. Hospital Dr. Alberto Duhau; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ríos, Nicolás Martínez. Quimica Luar Srl; ArgentinaFil: Kalayan, Galia I.. Provincia de Córdoba. Ministerio de Ciencia y Técnica. Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Beltramo, Dante Miguel. Provincia de Córdoba. Ministerio de Ciencia y Técnica. Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos de Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Nestor Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina. Provincia de Córdoba. Ministerio de Ciencia y Técnica. Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos de Córdoba; Argentin

A list of land plants of Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Brazil, highlights the presence of sampling gaps within this protected area

Brazilian protected areas are essential for plant conservation in the Atlantic Forest domain, one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots. A major challenge for improving conservation actions is to know the plant richness, protected by these areas. Online databases offer an accessible way to build plant species lists and to provide relevant information about biodiversity. A list of land plants of “Parque Nacional do Caparaó” (PNC) was previously built using online databases and published on the website "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil." Here, we provide and discuss additional information about plant species richness, endemism and conservation in the PNC that could not be included in the List. We documented 1,791 species of land plants as occurring in PNC, of which 63 are cited as threatened (CR, EN or VU) by the Brazilian National Red List, seven as data deficient (DD) and five as priorities for conservation. Fifity-one species were possible new ocurrences for ES and MG states