Human attitudes towards herpetofauna: How preferences, fear and belefs can influence the conservation of reptiles and amphibians

A forma como o Homem valoriza a biodiversidade afecta a sua relação com esta. Os répteis e os anfíbios são dos animais mais negativamente valorizados pelo Homem, devido a percepções erradas, argu mentos estéticos e pela presença de mitos e crendices. Nesta dissertação tenta-se demonstrar como estas percepções, argumentos estéticos e mitos podem conduzir a atitudes de perseguição e de pouco apoio à sua conservação destes animais. Estas interacções entre Homem e herpetofauna variam entre diferentes características sócio-demográficas e são mais intensas em relação aos répteis do que aos anfíbios. Os répteis são no geral mais perseguidos pelo Homem, sendo mais capturados e mortos que os anfíbios, principalmente por medo e ideias erradas. Através de uma experiência de educação ambiental pode-se antever que um programa de educação ambiental bem estruturado e de grande aplicação pode melhor a compreensão e relações humanas com estes animais. - ABSTRACT: The way the human values the biodiversity affects their relationship with this. The reptiles and amphibians are some of the more negatively valued animals by man, due to wrong perceptions, aesthetic arguments and the presence of myths and superstitions. This thesis attempts to demonstrate how these misperceptions, aesthetic arguments and myths can lead to persecution and little support for the conservation of these animals. These interactions between men and herpetofauna vary between different socio-demographic characteristics and are more intense in relation to reptiles than to amphibians. The reptiles are in general most persecuted by man, being captured and killed more than amphibians, mainly by fear and misconceptions. Through a small experience of environmental education held during the thesis, it can be anticipated that a structured and widely applied program of environmental education and can better the understanding and human relationships with these animals

Os monstros ainda "existem"? Os monstros de Vandelli e o percurso das colecções de História Natural do século XVIII

A actual presença dos “monstros” nas colecções da Universidade de Coimbra, bem como no Arquivo Histórico do Museu Bocage/MNHN, vem reforçar a riqueza do património destas instituições e evidenciar a sua enorme importância para o estudo, salvaguarda e valorização do património histórico e cultural da ciência em Portugal. Os “Monstros de Vandelli”, graças aos Museus, continuarão, portanto, a servir a ciência, mesmo que a sua função e forma de interpretação se tenha radicalmente alterado desde a sua incorporação até aos dias de hoje

Building a Portuguese Coalition for Biodiversity Genomics

The diverse physiography of the Portuguese land and marine territory, spanning from continental Europe to the Atlantic archipelagos, has made it an important repository of biodiversity throughout the Pleistocene glacial cycles, leading to a remarkable diversity of species and ecosystems. This rich biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic drivers, such as climate change, invasive species, land use changes, overexploitation or pathogen (re)emergence. The inventory, characterization and study of biodiversity at inter- and intra-specific levels using genomics is crucial to promote its preservation and recovery by informing biodiversity conservation policies, management measures and research. The participation of researchers from Portuguese institutions in the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) initiative, and its pilot effort to generate reference genomes for European biodiversity, has reinforced the establishment of Biogenome Portugal. This nascent institutional network will connect the national community of researchers in genomics. Here, we describe the Portuguese contribution to ERGA’s pilot effort, which will generate high-quality reference genomes of six species from Portugal that are endemic, iconic and/or endangered, and include plants, insects and vertebrates (fish, birds and mammals) from mainland Portugal or the Azores islands. In addition, we outline the objectives of Biogenome Portugal, which aims to (i) promote scientific collaboration, (ii) contribute to advanced training, (iii) stimulate the participation of institutions and researchers based in Portugal in international biodiversity genomics initiatives, and (iv) contribute to the transfer of knowledge to stakeholders and engaging the public to preserve biodiversity. This initiative will strengthen biodiversity genomics research in Portugal and fuel the genomic inventory of Portuguese eukaryotic species. Such efforts will be critical to the conservation of the country’s rich biodiversity and will contribute to ERGA’s goal of generating reference genomes for European species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Sobre um “Monstro bicorpóreo Eborense do século XVIII”

A document preserved in the Public Library of Évora states that a female "double-bodied monster" with a cleft lip was born in the city in 1778, which was dissected and drawn in the city and finally sent to the Royal Museum of Natural History of Ajuda, Lisbon. Unaware of its current location, we proceeded with research in order to find it. The specimen was found in October 2011, in the teratology collection at the Museum of Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, but had not been identified as such. The journey of this specimen is quite similar to other eighteenth century Portuguese "monsters", showing the evolution of museums and science itself. This specimen constitutes one of the oldest Portuguese teratology specimens and is an important historical and scientific specimen

Sobre um “Monstro bicorpóreo Eborense do século XVIII”

A document preserved in the Public Library of Évora states that a female "double-bodied monster" with a cleft lip was born in the city in 1778, which was dissected and drawn in the city and finally sent to the Royal Museum of Natural History of Ajuda, Lisbon. Unaware of its current location, we proceeded with research in order to find it. The specimen was found in October 2011, in the teratology collection at the Museum of Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, but had not been identified as such. The journey of this specimen is quite similar to other eighteenth century Portuguese "monsters", showing the evolution of museums and science itself. This specimen constitutes one of the oldest Portuguese teratology specimens and is an important historical and scientific specimen

From Cape Verde to the Netherlands via Portugal and France : the journey of an early specimen of the giant skink Chioninia coctei (Duméril & Bibron, 1839)

An old specimen of the extinct giant skink Chioninia coctei (Duméril & Bibron, 1839), endemic to the islets of Branco and Raso, Cape Verde Islands, in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the Netherlands, had been misidentified as Leiolopisma telfairii (Desjardin, 1831). The specimen, acquired by the Leiden Museum from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris during the 19th century, is demonstrated to be one of the specimens of C. coctei sent to Portugal by João da Silva Feijó during the 1780s. It was brought from Lisbon to Paris by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire during the Napoleonic invasion in 1808. Together with the specimen remaining in the Paris museum, it is the oldest known of the species. The likely pathway of dispersal, as well as the general characteristics of the specimen, are discussed.Um espécimen antigo do extinto lagarto gigante Chioninia coctei (Duméril & Bibron, 1839), endémico dos ilhéus Branco e Raso do arquipélago de Cabo Verde, encontra-se actualmente nas colecções do Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Paises Baixos, erroneamente identificado como Leiolopisma telfairii (Desjardin, 1831). O espécimen, que terá dado entrada no Museu de Leiden vindo do Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle de Paris no século XIX, é aqui apresentado como um dos espécimenes de C. coctei enviados para Portugal por João da Silva Feijó durante a década de 1780. Terá sido enviado de Lisboa para Paris por Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire durante a invasão Napoleónica de 1808. Conjuntamente com o espécimen presente no Museu de Paris, apresenta-se como o exemplar mais antigo da espécie que actualmente se conhece. É discutida neste artigo a trajectória singular de dispersão do exemplar, bem como as suas características gerais

Coleccionismo naturalista na Évora do séc. XIX: as colecções como fundamento da teologia natural no discurso de frei Manuel do Cenáculo

Frei Manuel do Cenáculo, franciscano de formação, foi Bispo de Beja e Arcebispo de Évora e, nestas cidades, entre os finais do séc. XVIII e 1814, acumulou importantes colecções de arte, arqueologia e história natural, que expôs à fruição pública. Tendo sido sobretudo um "anticómano", acumulador de objectos antiquários, a sua adesão ao coleccionismo naturalista perfilha os princípios da escola da Teologia Natural, cujos cultores almejavam conciliar a Religião com a concepção ilustrada da Naturez

Global change in microcosms: Environmental and societal predictors of land cover change on the Atlantic Ocean Islands

Islands contribute enormously to global biodiversity, but their species and ecosystems are highly threatened and often confined to small patches of remaining native vegetation. Islands are thus ideal microcosms to study the local dimensions of global change. While human activities have drastically transformed most islands, the extent to which societal and environmental conditions shape differences in land cover remains unclear. This study analyses the role of contrasting environmental and societal conditions in affecting the extent of native vegetation cover on 30 islands in five Atlantic Ocean archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Gulf of Guinea Islands). We adopt a mixed-method approach in which we combine a statistical analysis of environmental and societal variables with a qualitative reconstruction of historical socioeconomic trends. Statistical results indicate that terrain ruggedness predominantly shapes the extent of remaining native vegetation cover, suggesting that topography constrains human impacts on biodiversity. Overall, environmental variables better explain differences in native vegetation cover between islands than societal variables like human population density. However, throughout history, islands experienced large changes in demography and socioeconomic trends, and therefore modern patterns of native vegetation might also partly reflect these past conditions. While anthropocene narratives often present humans as a global geophysical force, the results show that local environmental context strongly mitigated the degree of human impact on biodiversity. These findings call for integrative approaches to understand the contributions of local human-environment interactions to ongoing global change.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio