Padrões fitogeográficos da vegetação arbustivo-arbórea em áreas de Cerrado Típico e Cerrado Rupestre no estado de Tocantins

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Botânica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, 2017.A diferenciação das comunidades vegetais quanto à composição florística, à abundância das espécies e a estrutura vertical e horizontal são moldadas pela ação de fatores ambientais em diferentes escalas. Desvendar esses padrões e os fatores que os regulam é objeto de diversos estudos. Entretanto, na porção centro-norte do bioma, estes estudos são escassos em áreas de Cerrado com solo profundo (Cerrado Típico – T) e áreas com solo raso e com afloramentos rochosos (Cerrado Rupestre – R). Aqui, caracterizamos e comparamos o Cerrado Típico e o Cerrado Rupestre quanto à riqueza, diversidade, flora e estrutura da vegetação arbustivo-arbórea com base em 10 comunidades distribuídas em pares no estado de Tocantins. Também investigamos os padrões de distribuição da flora e das populações e identificamos a relação destes padrões com os fatores ambientais e espaciais. Encontramos que não houve tendência de maior diversidade alfa para nenhum dos ambientes, apesar do ambiente rupestre ser mais rico em espécies que o ambiente sobre solo profundo. Os ambientes também apresentaram estrutura (densidade e área basal) semelhante, sem diferenças quanto à proporção das síndromes de dispersão, tanto para composição em espécies quanto para a abundância das espécies. Isso indica que o substrato não atua como fator limitante para o estabelecimento das espécies e desenvolvimento dos indivíduos arbustivo-arbóreos, nos ambientes T e R. Ambos os ambientes são formados por espécies do domínio do Cerrado, sendo que no ambiente rupestre há mais espécies compartilhadas entre Cerrado e Caatinga, enquanto no ambiente sobre solo profundo há mais espécies compartilhadas entre Cerrado e Amazônia. Também evidenciamos maior dissimilaridade da flora das comunidades da porção centro-norte do Cerrado do que tem sido apontado para as porções mais ao sul e centrais do bioma. Essa dissimilaridade refletiu em padrões distintos para a composição e abundância das espécies. As diferenças nos padrões foram fortemente influenciadas pelo ambiente, sendo que o clima teve importante peso sobre a distribuição da composição e abundância das espécies, sobrepondo-se aos fatores edáficos. A ação conjunta do espaço e do ambiente evidencia a complementariedade dos processos de nicho estocásticos na modulação das comunidades de savana da porção centro-norte do Cerrado, independente do tipo de substrato.The differentiation of plant communities in relation to species composition, abundance of the species and the vertical and horizontal structure are shaped by environmental factors in different scales. Uncovering these patterns and the factors that regulate has been the subject of several studies, however, these are scarce in areas with deep (Typical Cerrado-T) and shallow soil and rocky outcrops (Rupestrian Cerrado -R), especially in the North-Central portion of the Cerrado. Here, we describes and compared the Typical Cerrado and the Rupestrian Cerrado in north-central Cerrado in relation to richness, diversity, flora and vegetation structure of woody-shrub in 10 communities distributed in pairs in the State of Tocantins. We also investigated solved the distribution patterns of plants and populations and identified the relationship of these patterns with the environmental and spatial factors on regional scale. We found that there was no trend toward greater diversity Alpha to none of the environments, despite the rock environment be more rich in species than the environment on deep soil. The environments also showed similar structure (density and basal area) and proportion of dispersal syndromes, for both species composition and abundance of species. This indicates that the substrate does not act as a limiting factor for the establishment of species and development of individuals, in T and R. Both environments are formed by species of Cerrado, but in the rocky environment there are more species shared between Cerrado and Caatinga, while as the environment on deep soil there are more species shared between Cerrado and Amazon. We also found greater dissimilarity in the flora of the north-central portion of the Cerrado than what it has been appointed to the south and central parts of biome. This dissimilarity reflected in distinct patterns for composition and abundance of species. The differences in the patterns were strongly influenced by the environment, and the climate had important weight on the distribution of the composition and abundance of species, overlapping the edaphic factors. The synergy between space and environment show the complementarity of niche stochastic process and in the modulation of savanna communities in north-central Cerrado, regardless of the type of substrate

Lifelong exposure to a low-dose of the glyphosate-based herbicide RoundUp® causes intestinal damage, gut dysbiosis, and behavioral changes in mice

RoundUp® (RUp) is a comercial formulation containing glyphosate (N-(phosphono-methyl) glycine), and is the world’s leading wide-spectrum herbicide used in agriculture. Supporters of the broad use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) claim they are innocuous to humans, since the active compound acts on the inhibition of enzymes which are absent in human cells. However, the neurotoxic effects of GBH have already been shown in many animal models. Further, these formulations were shown to disrupt the microbiome of different species. Here, we investigated the effects of a lifelong exposure to low doses of the GBH-RUp on the gut environment, including morphological and microbiome changes. We also aimed to determine whether exposure to GBH-RUp could harm the developing brain and lead to behavioral changes in adult mice. To this end, animals were exposed to GBH-RUp in drinking water from pregnancy to adulthood. GBH-RUp-exposed mice had no changes in cognitive function, but developed impaired social behavior and increased repetitive behavior. GBH-Rup-exposed mice also showed an activation of phagocytic cells (Iba-1–positive) in the cortical brain tissue. GBH-RUp exposure caused increased mucus production and the infiltration of plama cells (CD138-positive), with a reduction in phagocytic cells. Long-term exposure to GBH-RUp also induced changes in intestinal integrity, as demonstrated by the altered expression of tight junction effector proteins (ZO-1 and ZO-2) and a change in the distribution of syndecan-1 proteoglycan. The herbicide also led to changes in the gut microbiome composition, which is also crucial for the establishment of the intestinal barrier. Altogether, our findings suggest that long-term GBH-RUp exposure leads to morphological and functional changes in the gut, which correlate with behavioral changes that are similar to those observed in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders

Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb(-1), collected in 2017-2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb(-1), collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.Peer reviewe

Development and validation of HERWIG 7 tunes from CMS underlying-event measurements

This paper presents new sets of parameters (“tunes”) for the underlying-event model of the HERWIG7 event generator. These parameters control the description of multiple-parton interactions (MPI) and colour reconnection in HERWIG7, and are obtained from a fit to minimum-bias data collected by the CMS experiment at s=0.9, 7, and 13Te. The tunes are based on the NNPDF 3.1 next-to-next-to-leading-order parton distribution function (PDF) set for the parton shower, and either a leading-order or next-to-next-to-leading-order PDF set for the simulation of MPI and the beam remnants. Predictions utilizing the tunes are produced for event shape observables in electron-positron collisions, and for minimum-bias, inclusive jet, top quark pair, and Z and W boson events in proton-proton collisions, and are compared with data. Each of the new tunes describes the data at a reasonable level, and the tunes using a leading-order PDF for the simulation of MPI provide the best description of the dat

MUSiC : a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton-proton collisions at root s=13TeV

Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1), are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.Peer reviewe

Measurement of prompt open-charm production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

The production cross sections for prompt open-charm mesons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV are reported. The measurement is performed using a data sample collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 29 nb(-1). The differential production cross sections of the D*(+/-), D-+/-, and D-0 ((D) over bar (0)) mesons are presented in ranges of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity 4 < p(T) < 100 GeV and vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.1, respectively. The results are compared to several theoretical calculations and to previous measurements.Peer reviewe

Combined searches for the production of supersymmetric top quark partners in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A combination of searches for top squark pair production using proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1) collected by the CMS experiment, is presented. Signatures with at least 2 jets and large missing transverse momentum are categorized into events with 0, 1, or 2 leptons. New results for regions of parameter space where the kinematical properties of top squark pair production and top quark pair production are very similar are presented. Depending on themodel, the combined result excludes a top squarkmass up to 1325 GeV for amassless neutralino, and a neutralinomass up to 700 GeV for a top squarkmass of 1150 GeV. Top squarks with masses from 145 to 295 GeV, for neutralino masses from 0 to 100 GeV, with a mass difference between the top squark and the neutralino in a window of 30 GeV around the mass of the top quark, are excluded for the first time with CMS data. The results of theses searches are also interpreted in an alternative signal model of dark matter production via a spin-0 mediator in association with a top quark pair. Upper limits are set on the cross section for mediator particle masses of up to 420 GeV