A dark scenario for Cerrado plant species: effects of future climate, land-use, and protected areas ineffectiveness

Aim: The anthropogenic climate change and land-use change are considered two of the main factors that are altering biodiversity at the global scale. An evaluation that combined both factors can be relevant to detect which species could be the most vulnerable and reveal the regions of highest stability or susceptibility to biodiversity.We aimed to (i) assess the effect of the climate change and land-use on the distribution of the Cerrado plant species for different countries where it occurs, (ii) evaluate the efficiency of the current protected areas (PAs) network to safeguards species under different greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land-use and (iii) estimate the vulnerability of species caused by protection efficiency and habitat loss.Location: Bolivia, Brazil, and ParaguayMethods: We modeled the distribution of 1,553 plant species of Cerrado and evaluated species range loss caused by present and future land-use and two GHG for 2050 and 2080. We assessed the species vulnerability combining the representativeness of a species´ distribution within conservation units and the loss of species range outside PAs.Results: We found that climate change and land-use will cause great damage to Cerrado flora by 2050 and 2080, even under optimistic conditions. Unfortunately, the greatest intensity and extent of land-use will have to overcome on the regions where the greatest richness will be harbored. The conservation of the species will be seriously affected since the PAs network is not as efficient in safeguarding them under current or future conditions. Main conclusions: The low level of protection together with the losses caused by the advance of the agricultural frontier will lead to most species being highly vulnerable. Due to the climate and land-use, effects showed different interactions in each country, conservation strategies should be implemented at transboundary and national levels.Fil: Velazco, Santiago José Elías. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Villalobos, Fabricio. Instituto de Ecología; México. Universidade Federal de Goiás; BrasilFil: Galvao, Franklin. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: de Marco Junior, Paulo. Universidade Federal de Goiás; Brasi

A review of techniques for spatial modeling in geographical, conservation and landscape genetics

Most evolutionary processes occur in a spatial context and several spatial analysis techniques have been employed in an exploratory context. However, the existence of autocorrelation can also perturb significance tests when data is analyzed using standard correlation and regression techniques on modeling genetic data as a function of explanatory variables. In this case, more complex models incorporating the effects of autocorrelation must be used. Here we review those models and compared their relative performances in a simple simulation, in which spatial patterns in allele frequencies were generated by a balance between random variation within populations and spatially-structured gene flow. Notwithstanding the somewhat idiosyncratic behavior of the techniques evaluated, it is clear that spatial autocorrelation affects Type I errors and that standard linear regression does not provide minimum variance estimators. Due to its flexibility, we stress that principal coordinate of neighbor matrices (PCNM) and related eigenvector mapping techniques seem to be the best approaches to spatial regression. In general, we hope that our review of commonly used spatial regression techniques in biology and ecology may aid population geneticists towards providing better explanations for population structures dealing with more complex regression problems throughout geographic space

Herdabilidades e correlações genéticas para características de crescimento de animais da raça Tabapuã.

Dados de pesos ajustados para os 205, 365 e 550 dias de idade de bovinos da raça Tabapuã, foram utilizados para estimar componentes de (co)variância e parâmetros genéticos, pelo método da máxima verossimilhança restrita (REML). As estimativas de herdabilidade direta e total foram baixas. As herdabilidades maternas também foram baixas, e as estimativas de correlações genéticas entre efeitos direto e materno foram negativas, evidenciando antagonismo entre estes efeitos. Efeitos maternos permaneceram ainda evidentes após a desmama, porém menos importantes

The efficiency of indicator groups for the conservation of amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The adequate selection of indicator groups of biodiversity is an important aspect of the systematic conservation planning. However, these assessments differ in the spatial scale, in the methods used and in the groups considered to accomplish this task, which generally produces contradictory results. The quantification of the spatial congruence between species richness and complementarity among different taxonomic groups is a fundamental step to identify potential indicator groups. Using a constructive approach, the main purposes of this study were to evaluate the performance and efficiency of eight potential indicator groups representing amphibian diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Data on the geographic range of amphibian species that occur in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest was overlapped to the full geographic extent of the biome, which was divided into a regular equal-area grid. Optimization routines based on the concept of complementarily were applied to verify the performance of each indicator group selected in relation to the representativeness of the amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest as a whole, which were solved by the algorithm"simulated annealing", through the use of the software MARXAN. Some indicator groups were substantially more effective than others in regards to the representation of the taxonomic groups assessed, which was confirmed by the high significance of data (F = 312.76; p < 0.01). Leiuperidae was considered as the best indicator group among the families analyzed, as it showed a good performance, representing 71% of amphibian species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (i.e. 290 species), which may be associated with the diffuse geographic distribution of its species. This study promotes understanding of how the diversity standards of amphibians can be informative for systematic conservation planning on a regional scale

Paternity testing and behavioral ecology: a case study of jaguars (Panthera onca) in Emas National Park, Central Brazil.

We used microsatellite loci to test the paternity of two male jaguars involved in an infanticide event recorded during a long-term monitoring program of this species. Seven microsatellite primers originally developed for domestic cats and previously selected for Panthera oncawere used. In order to deal with uncertainty in the mother?s genotypes for some of the loci, 10000 values of Wwere derived by simulation procedures. The male that killed the two cubs was assigned as the true sire. Although the reasons for this behavior remain obscure, it shows, in principle, a low recognition of paternity and kinship in the species. Since the two cubs were not very young, one possibility is that the adult male did not recognize the cubs and killed them for simple territorial reasons. Thus, ecological stress in this local population becomes a very plausible explanation for this infanticide, without further sociobiological implications

Partitioning and mapping uncertainties in ensembles of forecasts of species turnover under climate change

Forecasts of species range shifts under climate change are fraught with uncertainties and ensemble forecasting may provide a framework to deal with such uncertainties. Here, a novel approach to partition the variance among modeled attributes, such as richness or turnover, and map sources of uncertainty in ensembles of forecasts is presented. We model the distributions of 3837 New World birds and project them into 2080. We then quantify and map the relative contribution of different sources of uncertainty from alternative methods for niche modeling, general circulation models (AOGCM), and emission scenarios. The greatest source of uncertainty in forecasts of species range shifts arises from using alternative methods for niche modeling, followed by AOGCM, and their interaction. Our results concur with previous studies that discovered that projections from alternative models can be extremely varied, but we provide a new analytical framework to examine uncertainties in models by quantifying their importance and mapping their patterns

O YouTube: potencialidades pedagógicas na aprendizagem da Língua Inglesa no 1.º ciclo do ensino básico

Mestrado em Ensino Precoce do InglêsO presente projeto de investigação procurou apresentar o YouTube como um banco de recursos audiovisuais, promotor do desenvolvimento das macrocapacidades de audição e de expressão oral, no processo de ensino/aprendizagem da Língua Inglesa no 1.º ciclo do ensino básico. Desta forma, procurámos tecer algumas considerações relativamente à origem e natureza orgânica do YouTube, que nos conduziram à visualização e à exploração de vídeos publicados no website, que promovessem, simultaneamente, o usufruto de imagem e som e, por conseguinte, o cumprimento de objetivos pedagógicos inerentes à aprendizagem significativa da língua estrangeira. O trabalho de pesquisa centrou-se num estudo de caso, cujo desenvolvimento providenciou a aplicação de vídeos e a realização de atividades diversas, numa turma de alunos do 4.º ano de escolaridade, tendo como base princípios decorrentes de métodos e abordagens utilizados no ensino de Inglês a crianças, auscultando-se o seu grau de envolvimento e participação no processo de aprendizagem. Do mesmo modo, e porque consideramos fundamental a troca de ideias e a partilha de experiências e práticas, especialmente no que se refere ao campo de ação da Educação, procurou-se estabelecer práticas de trabalho colaborativo e colegialidade entre as professoras envolvidas no decurso da investigação realizada.This research work aimed at describing the YouTube as a source of audiovisual materials, favourable to the development of listening and speaking skills concerning the process of English language teaching and learning in primary schools. Bearing in mind YouTube’s origins and organic nature, we engaged in selecting and exploring videos uploaded on the website, which conveyed both image and sound, in order to attain a set of pedagogical objectives aimed at a meaningful learning of the foreign language. The research work redefined itself as a case study, whose development consisted in using a number of videos and activities with fourth graders, having in mind principles from preferred methods and approaches in the teaching of English to Young Learners, as well as the assessment of their degree of involvement and participation in the learning process. Furthermore, and because we consider the sharing of ideas, experiences and practices of major importance, especially as far as Education is concerned, we tried to develop and enhance collaborative and collegial work between the teachers engaged in the course of the research work

Levantamento semidetalhado dos solos de áreas do Ministério da Agricultura no Distrito Federal.

O presente levantamento de solos foi executado nos meses de junho e julho de 1966, pela Equipe de Pedologia e Fertilidade do Solo, através do Convênio M.A. - CONTAP-U.S.A.I.D./ BRASIL - Projeto de Levantamento de Recursos Naturais (PRO - AG...512-15-120-249), tendo-se para os trabalhos de campo contado com a colaboração da Direção do Colégio Agrícola de Brasília. A principal finalidade do levantamento foi a identificação e estudo das várias unidades de solos existentes na área levantada, compreendendo sua distribuição geográfica e delimitação cartográfica das áreas por elas ocupadas, além do estudo de suas características morfológicas, físicas, químicas e mineralógicas. Os trabalhos de mapeamento foram realizados utilizando-se fotografias aéreas escala 1:25.000. Faz parte do presente trabalho um capítulo referente a interpretação de levantamento de solos, visando avaliar a aptidão agrícola desses, dentro de cinco sistemas de manejo.bitstream/item/212069/1/EPFS-BT-8-1967.pdf; bitstream/item/213811/1/Mapa-Levantamento-semidetalhado-dos-solos-de-areas-do-M.A.-no-Distrito-Federal-1966.pdfAcompanha 1 mapa, p&b. Escala 1:25.000. Convênio M.A.-CONTAP-USAID/BRASIL. Projeto de Levantamento de Recursos Naturais (PRO-AG 512-15-120-249)