A tale of two niches: methods, concepts, and evolution

Being snapshots in time, species ranges may fall short of representing all of the geographic or environmental space that they are able to occupy. This has important implications for niche studies yet most comparative studies overlook the transient nature of species distributions and assume that they are at equilibrium. We review the methods most widely used for niche comparisons today and suggest a modified framework to describe and compare niches based on snapshot species range data. First, we introduce a new environmental space-based Niche Equivalence Statistic to test niche similarity between two species, which explicitly incorporates the spatial distribution of environments and their availability into statistical tests. We also introduce a new Background Statistic to measure the ability of this Niche Equivalence Statistic to detect differences based on the available environmental-space. These metrics enable fair comparisons between different geographies when the ranges of species are out of equilibrium. Based on distinct parameterizations of the new Equivalence and Background statistics, we then propose a Niche Divergence Test and a Niche Overlap Test, which allow assessment of whether differences between species emerge from true niche divergences. These methods are implemented in a new R package, ‘humboldt’ and applied to simulated species with pre-defined niches. The new methods improve accuracy of niche similarity and associated tests – consistently outperforming other tests. We show that the quantification of niche similarity should be performed only in environmental space, which is less sensitive than geographic space to the spatial abundance of key environmental variables. Further, our methods characterize the relationships between non-analogous and analogous climates in the species’ distributions, something not available previously. These improvements allow assessment of whether the different environmental spaces occupied by two taxa emerge from true niche evolution, as opposed to differences in life history and biological interactors, or differences in the variety and configuration of environments accessible to them

A Brazilian anuran (Hylodes magalhaesi: Leptodactylidae) infected by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis: a conservation concern

Several studies have associated the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis with anuran population declines worldwide. To date, the fungus has been found in Africa, the Americas, Australia, and Europe. However, it has never been reported to occur in the Atlantic forest or Brazil. Based on morphological, histological, and molecular data, we encountered evidence of B. dendrobatidis infection in a high-altitude stream-dwelling Brazilian anuran species, Hylodes magalhaesi (Leptodactylidae). One population (Municipality of Camanducaia, State of Minas Gerais) was surveyed from 2001 to 2005. Tadpoles lacking teeth were observed and collected in 2004. Histological and molecular analyses identified infection by B. dendrobatidis. Although infected tadpoles seem nowadays to co-exist with the disease, our results are alarming due to the highly endangered situation of the Brazilian Atlantic forest and its fauna. Effects of the chytrid infection on the studied population are still unknown. Further investigations are needed to provide information on its distribution in relation to other populations of H. magalhaesi

A new species of Brachycephalus (Anura:Brachycephalidae) fromthe Quiriri mountain range of southern Brazil

A new miniaturized toadled of the genus Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) is described from Serra do Quiriri in the municipality of Campo Alegre, Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Specimens were collected from the leaf litter between from 1,263 and 1,318 m above sea level. The new species is distinguished from all its congeners by the combination of the following characters: snout–vent length 9.9–13.1 mm; skin on head and dorsum without dermal co-ossification; snout mucronate in dorsal view; dorsum rugose; general color brown, with a narrow orange vertebral stripe. The region where the new species is located is also shared with other endemic anuran species and has experienced strong anthropogenic impacts,suggesting that immediate actions should be taken to ensure their long-term preservation

Combination Therapy for Neuropathic Pain: A Review of Recent Evidence

Pharmacological treatment is not very effective for neuropathic pain (NP). A progressive decrease in the estimated effect of NP drugs has been reported, giving rise to an increase in the use of the multimodal analgesic approach. We performed a new independent review to assess whether more and better-quality evidence has become available since the last systematic review. We evaluated the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of double-blinded randomized controlled trials involving only adult participants and comparing combination therapy (CT: ≥2 drugs) with a placebo and/or at least one other comparator with an NP indication. The primary outcome assessed was the proportion of participants reporting ≥50% pain reductions from baseline. The secondary outcome assessed was the proportion of drop-outs due to treatment-emergent adverse events. After removing duplicates, 2323 citations were screened, with 164 articles assessed for eligibility, from which 16 were included for qualitative analysis. From the latter, only five lasted for at least 12 weeks and only six complied with the required data for complete analysis. CT has been adopted for years without robust evidence. Efforts have been made to achieve better-quality evidence, but the quality has not improved over the years. In this regard, guidelines for NP should attempt to make recommendations about CT research, prioritizing which combinations to analyze

O consumo energético residencial em campo grande e a eficiência energética

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Civil

Simulação e controle da etapa de reação da produção de Óxido de Etileno

O Óxido de Etileno é a principal commodity química produzida em todo o Mundo, obtido pela oxidação catalítica do etileno com catalisador de prata. Essa reação de oxidação é acompanhada por reações paralelas, destacando-se a de queima total do etileno e a queima direta do próprio óxido de etileno, formando CO2 e H2O. A seletividade e conversão do reator dependem fortemente das condições de processo e a baixa conversão por passe, associada ao aumento da seletividade, impõe a necessidade de reciclo, com integração energética para minimização dos custos de produção. A predição do comportamento dinâmico é dificultada pela alta sensibilidade paramétrica do processo, tornando necessárias ferramentas de simulação para análise e otimização da produção. Neste cenário, o presente trabalho abordou a Etapa de Reação, com modelagem fenomenológica rigorosa. Adicionalmente, a Etapa de Absorção do óxido produzido foi introduzida de forma simplificada visando à simulação do reciclo e da integração energética, enquanto a Etapa de Purificação não foi objeto de simulação. Os modelos para os principais equipamentos – i.e., reator, trocadores de calor de integração energética e absorvedora – foram implementados em ambiente SIMULINK do MATLAB (SIMULINK 4.1 do MATLAB versão 6.1, The MathWorks Inc.), configurado para simulação do processo em correntes de processo e blocos de operações/equipamentos. viii Uma análise de sensibilidade paramétrica apontou as condições de operação enquanto uma análise de controlabilidade definiu a estrutura de controle para condução do processo. A estratégia de controle proposta é composta por quatro malhas cascata de controle, além da malha de controle simples da concentração de CO2. Após procedimento de sintonia, o processo integrado e controlado foi si

Local adaptation in mainland anole lizards: Integrating population history and genome–environment associations

Environmental gradients constrain physiological performance and thus species’ ranges, suggesting that species occurrence in diverse environments may be associated with local adaptation. Genome–environment association analyses (GEAA) have become central for studies of local adaptation, yet they are sensitive to the spatial orientation of historical range expansions relative to landscape gradients. To test whether potentially adaptive genotypes occur in varied climates in wide‐ranged species, we implemented GEAA on the basis of genomewide data from the anole lizards Anolis ortonii and Anolis punctatus, which expanded from Amazonia, presently dominated by warm and wet settings, into the cooler and less rainy Atlantic Forest. To examine whether local adaptation has been constrained by population structure and history, we estimated effective population sizes, divergence times, and gene flow under a coalescent framework. In both species, divergence between Amazonian and Atlantic Forest populations dates back to the mid‐Pleistocene, with subsequent gene flow. We recovered eleven candidate genes involved with metabolism, immunity, development, and cell signaling in A. punctatus and found no loci whose frequency is associated with environmental gradients in A. ortonii. Distinct signatures of adaptation between these species are not associated with historical constraints or distinct climatic space occupancies. Similar patterns of spatial structure between selected and neutral SNPs along the climatic gradient, as supported by patterns of genetic clustering in A. punctatus, may have led to conservative GEAA performance. This study illustrates how tests of local adaptation can benefit from knowledge about species histories to support hypothesis formulation, sampling design, and landscape gradient characterization

Premio Ernesto McCausland Sojo, un apoyo al periodismo cultural

En su cuarta versión, el Premio de Periodismo Nacional Mejor Crónica del Carnaval de Barranquilla ‘Ernesto McCausland Sojo’ abrió dos nuevas categorías: Colaboradores Habituales y Nuevos Cronistas, además se recibieron 55 trabajos de periodistas locales, de la región y varias ciudades del país, que inicialmente llevaron el Carnaval a sus lectores, radioescuchas y televidentes a través de sus medios y luego postularon para honrar con este género el legado del gran narrador que fue McCausland

Coronación de Reyes de los Niños, un homenaje a los valores

Alejandra Santiago y Gabriel Primera lideraron con orgullo y alegría el Carnaval de los Niños 2017. Con ellos los pequeños barranquilleros vivieron una mágica experiencia, El espectáculo contó con 410pequeños bailarines en una puesta en escena que representó la búsqueda donde los valores y la alegría del mago de Oz fueron los principales protagonistas en el acto de Lectura de Bando y Coronación

Ejemplo de construcción de ciudad y ciudadanía

El Desfile del Rey Momo el sábado de Carnaval se convirtió en un ejercicio de construcción de ciudad y ciudadanía que promovió la apropiación de la comunidad, la participación de nuevas generaciones y la articulación interinstitucional de la ciudad con positivos resultados