Philodryas olfersii (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) feeding on bats in southern Brazil

(Philodryas olfersii (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) feeding on bats in southern Brazil). Snakes are often cited as regular or occasional predators of bats. However, information on predator-prey interactions involving bats and snakes is relatively scarce in Brazil considering the high diversity of both taxa. The present note reports two new records of a snake feeding on bats in two different municipalities located in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. The predation attempts were opportunistically observed, and were made by Philodryas olfersii, a semi-arboreal dipsadid snake. In the first event, the snake was observed eating a Nyctinomops laticaudatus specimen at the entrance of a rocky wall, where there is a colony of this bat species. In the second case, the snake entered a bat roost in a building and bit a Histiotus velatus individual, which escaped and died 30 minutes later. This is the first record of P. olfersii feeding on bats, and the first and second record, respectively, of H. velatus and N. laticaudatus being predated by a snake. The strategy of entering roost sites during the day to attack bats is documented for the first time in P. olfersii, but this predatory behavior is apparently common among large colubrids, which are closely related to dipsadids. Since P. olfersii is diurnal, scansorial, and can be faithful to the hunting site, it is a potential regular predator of gregarious bats inside day roosts.(Philodryas olfersii (­Serpentes, Dipsadidae) se alimentando de morcegos no sul do Brazil). Serpentes são frequentemente citadas como predadores regulares ou ocasionais de morcegos. Porém, informações sobre interações predador-presa envolvendo morcegos e serpentes são relativamente escassas no Brasil, considerando a alta diversidade de ambos os táxons no país. A presente nota descreve dois novos registros de uma serpente se alimentando de morcegos, em dois diferentes municípios localizados no Rio Grande do Sul, o estado mais meridional do Brasil. As tentativas de predação foram oportunisticamente observadas e foram realizadas por Philodryas olfersii, uma serpente semi-arborícola da família Dipsadidae. No primeiro evento, a serpente foi observada ingerindo um espécime de Nyctinomops laticaudatus na entrada de uma parede rochosa, onde há uma colônia desta espécie de morcego. No segundo caso, a serpente entrou em um abrigo diurno, um vão entre uma parede e uma viga de madeira de uma casa, e mordeu um indivíduo de Histiotus velatus, que escapou e morreu 30 minutos depois. Este é o primeiro registro de P. olfersii se alimentando de morcegos, e o primeiro e segundo registros, respectivamente, de H. velatus e N. laticaudatus sendo predados por uma serpente. A estratégia de entrar em refúgios durante o dia para atacar morcegos é documentada pela primeira vez para P. olfersii, mas esse comportamento predatório é aparentemente comum entre serpentes de grande porte de Colubridae, uma família filogeneticamente próxima de Dipsadidae. Uma vez que P. olfersii é diurna, escansorial, e pode ser fiel à área de caça, esta espécie é um potencial predador regular de morcegos gregários dentro de abrigos diurnos

Latitudinal cline of chronotype

The rotation of the Earth around its own axis and around the sun determines the characteristics of the light/dark cycle, the most stable and ancient 24 h temporal cue for all organisms. Due to the tilt in the earth’s axis in relation to the plane of the earth’s orbit around the sun, sunlight reaches the Earth differentially depending on the latitude. The timing of circadian rhythms varies among individuals of a given population and biological and environmental factors underlie this variability. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that latitude is associated to the regulation of circadian rhythm in humans. We have studied chronotype profiles across latitudinal cline from around 0° to 32° South in Brazil in a sample of 12,884 volunteers living in the same time zone. The analysis of the results revealed that humans are sensitive to the different sunlight signals tied to differences in latitude, resulting in a morning to evening latitudinal cline of chronotypes towards higher latitude

Latitudinal cline of chronotype

The rotation of the Earth around its own axis and around the sun determines the characteristics of the light/dark cycle, the most stable and ancient 24 h temporal cue for all organisms. Due to the tilt in the earth’s axis in relation to the plane of the earth’s orbit around the sun, sunlight reaches the Earth differentially depending on the latitude. The timing of circadian rhythms varies among individuals of a given population and biological and environmental factors underlie this variability. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that latitude is associated to the regulation of circadian rhythm in humans. We have studied chronotype profiles across latitudinal cline from around 0° to 32° South in Brazil in a sample of 12,884 volunteers living in the same time zone. The analysis of the results revealed that humans are sensitive to the different sunlight signals tied to differences in latitude, resulting in a morning to evening latitudinal cline of chronotypes towards higher latitudes

12,500+ and counting: biodiversity of the Brazilian Pampa

Knowledge on biodiversity is fundamental for conservation strategies. The Brazilian Pampa region, located in subtropical southern Brazil, is neglected in terms of conservation, and knowledge of its biodiversity is fragmented. We aim to answer the question: how many, and which, species occur in the Brazilian Pampa? In a collaborative effort, we built species lists for plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi that occur in the Brazilian Pampa. We included information on distribution patterns, main habitat types, and conservation status. Our study resulted in referenced lists totaling 12,503 species (12,854 taxa, when considering infraspecific taxonomic categories [or units]). Vascular plants amount to 3,642 species (including 165 Pteridophytes), while algae have 2,046 species (2,378 taxa) and bryophytes 316 species (318 taxa). Fungi (incl. lichenized fungi) contains 1,141 species (1,144 taxa). Animals total 5,358 species (5,372 taxa). Among the latter, vertebrates comprise 1,136 species, while invertebrates are represented by 4,222 species. Our data indicate that, according to current knowledge, the Pampa holds approximately 9% of the Brazilian biodiversity in an area of little more than 2% of Brazil’s total land The proportion of species restricted to the Brazilian Pampa is low (with few groups as exceptions), as it is part of a larger grassland ecoregion and in a transitional climatic setting. Our study yielded considerably higher species numbers than previously known for many species groups; for some, it provides the first published compilation. Further efforts are needed to increase knowledge in the Pampa and other regions of Brazil. Considering the strategic importance of biodiversity and its conservation, appropriate government policies are needed to fund studies on biodiversity, create accessible and constantly updated biodiversity databases, and consider biodiversity in school curricula and other outreach activitie

Descrição dos casos hospitalizados pela COVID-19 em profissionais de saúde nas primeiras nove semanas da pandemia, Brasil, 2020

Objective. Describing the COVID-19 hospitalization in health professionals in Brazil. Methods. Serial cases descriptive study; we included the cases with illness between February 21st and April 15th, 2020; registered in Flu Surveillance Information System (SIVEP-Gripe, in Brazilian acronym). Results. From the 184 (1.76%) cases, 110 (59.8%) were female, with a median age of 44 years (min-max: 23-85). Of the 184, 89 (48.4%) are nursing professionals and 50 (27.2%) are doctors. Still, 92 (50.0%) presented comorbidity, with heart disease predominating (n = 37; 40.2%). Of the 112 professionals with a record of evolution, 85 (75.9%) were cured and 27 (24.1%) died, 18 (66.7%) of whom were male. Conclusion. The profile descripted is similar to the population’s in age and comorbidities, but different in relation to sex. The most affected areas were nursing and medicine.Objetivo. Descrever os casos hospitalizados pela COVID-19 em profissionais de saúde no Brasil. Métodos. Estudo descritivo de tipo Série de Casos; foram incluídos aqueles com adoecimento entre 21 de fevereiro e 15 de abril de 2020, registrados no Sistema de Informação de Vigilância da Gripe (SIVEP-Gripe). Resultados. Dos 184 casos, 110 (59,8%) eram do sexo feminino, com mediana de idade de 44 anos (mínima-máxima: 23-85), 89 (48,4%) eram profissionais da enfermagem e 50 (27,2%) médicos. Ainda, 92 (50,0%) apresentavam comorbidade, predominando cardiopatias (n=37; 40,2%). Dos 112 profissionais com registro de evolução, 85 (75,9%) alcançaram cura e 27 (24,1%) foram a óbito, 18 destes do sexo masculino. Conclusão. O perfil dos profissionais de saúde hospitalizados por COVID-19 é semelhante ao da população quanto à idade e comorbidades; porém, diferente quanto ao sexo. As áreas profissionais mais acometidas foram a Enfermagem e a Medicina

Signal transduction-related responses to phytohormones and environmental challenges in sugarcane

BACKGROUND: Sugarcane is an increasingly economically and environmentally important C4 grass, used for the production of sugar and bioethanol, a low-carbon emission fuel. Sugarcane originated from crosses of Saccharum species and is noted for its unique capacity to accumulate high amounts of sucrose in its stems. Environmental stresses limit enormously sugarcane productivity worldwide. To investigate transcriptome changes in response to environmental inputs that alter yield we used cDNA microarrays to profile expression of 1,545 genes in plants submitted to drought, phosphate starvation, herbivory and N(2)-fixing endophytic bacteria. We also investigated the response to phytohormones (abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate). The arrayed elements correspond mostly to genes involved in signal transduction, hormone biosynthesis, transcription factors, novel genes and genes corresponding to unknown proteins. RESULTS: Adopting an outliers searching method 179 genes with strikingly different expression levels were identified as differentially expressed in at least one of the treatments analysed. Self Organizing Maps were used to cluster the expression profiles of 695 genes that showed a highly correlated expression pattern among replicates. The expression data for 22 genes was evaluated for 36 experimental data points by quantitative RT-PCR indicating a validation rate of 80.5% using three biological experimental replicates. The SUCAST Database was created that provides public access to the data described in this work, linked to tissue expression profiling and the SUCAST gene category and sequence analysis. The SUCAST database also includes a categorization of the sugarcane kinome based on a phylogenetic grouping that included 182 undefined kinases. CONCLUSION: An extensive study on the sugarcane transcriptome was performed. Sugarcane genes responsive to phytohormones and to challenges sugarcane commonly deals with in the field were identified. Additionally, the protein kinases were annotated based on a phylogenetic approach. The experimental design and statistical analysis applied proved robust to unravel genes associated with a diverse array of conditions attributing novel functions to previously unknown or undefined genes. The data consolidated in the SUCAST database resource can guide further studies and be useful for the development of improved sugarcane varieties

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