Centromochlus meridionalis, a new catfish species from the southern amazonian limits, Mato Grosso state, Brazil (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae)

Centromochlus actually comprises eleven species, being the most problematic genus among the Centromochlinae, including morphologically heterogeneous taxa. The Centromochlus species have a wide distributional area on northern South America. Centromochlus meridionalis, new species, is described from headwaters of rio Teles Pires, contributor of rio Tapajós, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, and represents one of the southernmost records of a centromochlin catfish for Meridional Amazon rivers. Centromochlus meridionalis is promptly distinguished from its congeners by the small orbital diameter (relative to head length), and also by the combination of absence of first nuchal plate, anterior margin of dorsal-fin spine smooth, six branched rays in anal fin, seven pairs of ribs and 34 vertebrae. They are small sized catfishes with adults between 33 to 61 mm in standard length. The modified male anal fin is conspicuous, with the third unbranched ray enlarged, about twice the width of first unbranched ray. The new species inhabits a region strongly endangered by environmental changes due to expansion of agropecuary activities on Brazilian Amazon, which include this species in an uncertain situation regarding the conservation status of its natural population. © 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Ictiologia

Dieta do peixe elétrico Gymnorhamphichthys petiti Géry & Vu-Tân-Tuê, 1964 (Rhamphichthyidae), em riachos da bacia do Rio Teles Pires, Amozônia Meridional

Gymnorhamphichthys petiti é uma espécie de peixe elétrico que habita o fundo arenoso de riachos da bacia do rio Teles Pires, no entanto pouco se sabe a respeito de sua biologia. O objetivo foi analisar a dieta de G. petiti. As coletas foram realizadas no município de Cláudia, Mato Grosso, na bacia do Rio Teles Pires. As amostragens ocorreram nos meses de julho de 2010 e em maio e junho de 2011, em riachos de 1ª e 2ª ordem. Utilizou-se os métodos de frequência de ocorrência e volume relativo para o cálculo do índice Alimentar (I.A.%) de 43 exemplares. O comprimento padrão variou entre 47,17 e 120,49 mm e o peso entre 0,12 e 2,04 g. Os itens alimentares encontrados foram: Nematoda, Acari, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Trichoptera, Diptera, fragmento de insetos, ovos de insetos, sementes e areia. O item alimentar (IAi) de maior importância na dieta foi Nematoda, em razão do seu maior volume relativo. No entanto, imaturos de insetos da ordem Trichoptera, habitantes do substrato de areia apareceram em maior frequência nos estômagos, diferindo dos resultados encontrados para outras espécies de Gymnorhamphichthys. Tais resultados confirmam que G. petiti tem forte dependência de itens alimentares relacionados ao substrato arenoso

Volume de calda e concentração de retardantes do fogo em queimas controladas em área de eucalipto na transição Cerrado-Amazônia

The chemical firebreaks consist of bands with applications of fire retardants and are used in the indirect combat of forest fires. Despite its efficiency, the lack of practical use recommendations restricts the application and effectiveness of the products. This paper evaluated the efficiency of fire retardants in controlled burning in area of 6.0 years old of the Eucalyptus urograndis (Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla) (clone H13) by applying different concentrations of product and volumes of the syrup, after 1.0h of retardants application. Two commercially fire retardants (Phos-Chek WD881® and Hold Fire®) and an alternative (hydro retainer polymer - Nutrigel®) were tested with five concentrations each and volumes of the syrup of 0.5; 1.0 and 2.0 L m-2 (only water and without application syrup were the references). The fire behavior was evaluated through fire propagation speed, flame length (and their respective reduction rates) and the fuel material remaining and consumed. For all the retardants, the increase of volumes of the syrup promoted reduction of fire behavior variables, being recommended an application of syrup equivalent to 2.0 L m-2. The efficiencies of the Phos-Chek WD881® and of Hold Fire® presented increasing linear models with increased concentration improved retarder efficacy, however, the Nutrigel® presented efficiency with quadratic response to increased concentrations. The ideal concentration varied according to the product, recommended 1.0 mL L-1; 1.5 mL L-1; 0.0060 g L-1 for Phos-Chek®, Hold Fire® and Nutrigel®, respectively.Os aceiros químicos consistem em faixas com aplicações de retardantes do fogo utilizados no combate indireto de incêndios florestais. Embora eficiente, a inexistência de recomendações de uso prático restringe a aplicação e eficácia dos produtos. Objetivou-se avaliar a eficiência de retardantes do fogo em queimas controladas em área de Eucalyptus urograndis (Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla) (clone H13) com 6,0 anos de idade, por meio da aplicação de diferentes concentrações e volumes de calda, considerando 1,0 h como tempo pós-aplicação. Foram avaliados três retardantes do fogo: dois comerciais (Phos-Chek WD881® e Hold Fire®) e um alternativo (polímero hidrorretentor: Nutrigel®) com cinco concentrações e nos volumes de calda de 0,5; 1,0 e 2,0 L m-2 (apenas água e sem aplicação de calda foram as referências). O comportamento do fogo foi avaliado pela velocidade de propagação do fogo, comprimento das chamas (e suas respectivas taxas de reduções) e material combustível remanescente e consumido. Para todos os retardantes, o aumento do volume de calda propiciou redução das variáveis do comportamento do fogo, sendo recomendado a aplicação de calda equivalente a 2,0 L m-2. As eficiências do Phos-Chek WD881® e do Hold Fire® apresentaram comportamentos lineares crescentes indicando que o aumento da concentração propiciou maior do controle do fogo, todavia, o Nutrigel® apresentou eficiência com resposta quadrática ao incremento das concentrações. A concentração ideal variou de acordo com o produto, sendo recomendado 1,0 mL L-1; 1,5 mL L-1; 0,0060 g L-1 para Phos-Chek WD881®, Hold Fire® e Nutrigel®, respectivamente

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

A database of freshwater fish species of the Amazon Basin

The Amazon Basin is an unquestionable biodiversity hotspot, containing the highest freshwater biodiversity on earth and facing off a recent increase in anthropogenic threats. The current knowledge on the spatial distribution of the freshwater fish species is greatly deficient in this basin, preventing a comprehensive understanding of this hyper-diverse ecosystem as a whole. Filling this gap was the priority of a transnational collaborative project, i.e. the AmazonFish project - https://www.amazon-fish.com/. Relying on the outputs of this project, we provide the most complete fish species distribution records covering the whole Amazon drainage. The database, including 2,406 validated freshwater native fish species, 232,936 georeferenced records, results from an extensive survey of species distribution including 590 different sources (e.g. published articles, grey literature, online biodiversity databases and scientific collections from museums and universities worldwide) and field expeditions conducted during the project. This database, delivered at both georeferenced localities (21,500 localities) and sub-drainages grains (144 units), represents a highly valuable source of information for further studies on freshwater fish biodiversity, biogeography and conservation

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 microhabitat, behavior and diet of Centromochlus meridionalis, a small catfish of Amazon streams (Teleostei: Auchenipteridae)

Centromochlus meridionalis was recently described from streams of Brazilian Amazon. The marbled dark brown and black color pattern together with the use of submersed leaf litter accumulations for shelter differentiates this species among its congeners. We present information about the biology of C. meridionalis based on data gathered in streams and under captivity, as well as on a dietary analysis. Behavioral observations were made in captivity (aquaria). Dietary analysis was performed based on stomach contents of 38 specimens. The species was found in 8 out of 12 small streams sampled, where specimens were captured predominantly amidst submerged leaf litter. Nine types of behavioral acts were identified, of which "swimming near the substratum" and "charging the substratum for food" were the most frequent. Thirty (∼79 %) out of the 38 stomachs had food, and the diet was composed of 27 types of food items. Centromochlus meridionalis can be considered a generalist microcarnivore, consuming predominantly authochtonous and allochtonous insects, and other terrestrial invertebrates, crustaceans and fish as well. The use of different water column strata during foraging and the diversity of food items consumed indicate that this small catfish utilizes several feeding tactics. © 2015 by Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München, Germany

Volume de calda e concentração de retardantes do fogo em queimas controladas em área de eucalipto na transição Cerrado-Amazônia

Os aceiros químicos consistem em faixas com aplicações de retardantes do fogo utilizados no combate indireto de incêndios florestais. Embora eficiente, a inexistência de recomendações de uso prático restringe a aplicação e eficácia dos produtos. Objetivou-se avaliar a eficiência de retardantes do fogo em queimas controladas em área de Eucalyptus urograndis (Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla) (clone H13) com 6,0 anos de idade, por meio da aplicação de diferentes concentrações e volumes de calda, considerando 1,0 h como tempo pós-aplicação. Foram avaliados três retardantes do fogo: dois comerciais (Phos-Chek WD881® e Hold Fire®) e um alternativo (polímero hidrorretentor: Nutrigel®) com cinco concentrações e nos volumes de calda de 0,5; 1,0 e 2,0 L m-2 (apenas água e sem aplicação de calda foram as referências). O comportamento do fogo foi avaliado pela velocidade de propagação do fogo, comprimento das chamas (e suas respectivas taxas de reduções) e material combustível remanescente e consumido. Para todos os retardantes, o aumento do volume de calda propiciou redução das variáveis do comportamento do fogo, sendo recomendado a aplicação de calda equivalente a 2,0 L m-2. As eficiências do Phos-Chek WD881® e do Hold Fire® apresentaram comportamentos lineares crescentes indicando que o aumento da concentração propiciou maior do controle do fogo, todavia, o Nutrigel® apresentou eficiência com resposta quadrática ao incremento das concentrações. A concentração ideal variou de acordo com o produto, sendo recomendado 1,0 mL L-1; 1,5 mL L-1; 0,0060 g L-1 para Phos-Chek WD881®, Hold Fire® e Nutrigel®, respectivamente.</jats:p