Contribution to the taxonomy of the Terpides lineage (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae)

In the present work, based on material from several localities in Brazil, we present a contribution to the taxonomy of the Terpides lineage, a monophyletic group of Neotropical mayflies that encompasses three genera: Terpides, Tikuna, and Fittkaulus. A new species of Terpides is described from the States of Espírito Santo and Mato Grosso, based on nymphs, male and female imagos. The male imago of the type species of Terpides, T. guyanensis, the nymph and male imago of Tikuna bilineata, and the nymph of Fittkaulus cururuensis are described for the first time. © EDP Sciences, 2009

EMERGENCE TRAP FOR THE COLLECTION OF EXUVIAE AND ADULT OF ODONATAs

Odonates have aquatic larval stages and terrestrial adults. The extreme change in habitat occupation during their life cycle means that combined collection methods, capable of providing data for both larvae and adults, are scarce and are often inefficient. Given this, we applied a method for the collection of specimens of both life phases using emergence traps. During fieldwork, 78 emergence events were recorded for 15 species. We also briefly discuss the emergence pattern of the recorded species. We believe the information obtained here provide an important contribution to the understanding of the ecology and basic biology of Neotropical odonate species, as well as helping to solve the taxonomic problems associated with the identification of larvae

Review of the genus Aturbina Lugo-Ortiz & McCafferty (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae)

In the present work, based on material from several localities in Brazil, the genus Aturbina is reviewed. Two new species, A. maculata, sp. nov. and A. nigra, sp. nov. are described based on nymphs and adults; the type-species, A. georgei, is redescribed based on nymphs and reared adults; the nymphs and adults of A. beatrixae are respectively described and redescribed, as well as recorded from Brazil for the first time. Based on these findings, an updated key to nymphs and adults of the genus is provided. © EDP Sciences, 2010

Insectos acuáticos en hábitats orgánicos e inorgánicos de corrientes de las sabanas centro- brasileñas.

Una parte importante de los mecanismos que afectan la distribución de las especies está relacionada con las condiciones ambientales. Dentro de un canal de corriente la acumulación de sustratos como hojas, raíces, piedras, grava y arena crean hábitats que actúan como fuente de refugio y alimento para las diferentes espécies de las comunidades acuáticas, propiciando o no su establecimiento. Basado en este hecho, se estudió la estructura de las comunidades de insectos acuáticos en hábitats orgánicos e inorgánicos dentro de corrientes del bioma Cerrado. Se analizaron las diferencias en la riqueza de géneros (i), la abundancia individual (ii) y la composición de géneros (iii). Asimismo (iv) se verificó si existen bioindicadores específicos de hábitats orgánicos o inorgánicos. Se muestrearon substratos orgánicos (basura) e inorgánicos (arena y grava) en cinco estaciones de tres arroyos, recolectando individuos de los órdenes Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Odonata y Heteroptera (EPTOH). Se encontró que la composición de las comunidades difiere entre hábitats, ya que el substrato orgánico presenta mayor riqueza y abundancia, congéneros exclusivos (seis). Esta diferencia puede ser debida a la fuente de refugio y alimentación proporcionada por los substratos orgánicos

Consequências do pós-fogo para a decomposição foliar em riachos tropicais

Queimadas é um distúrbio natural nas paisagens do Bioma Savana. Este estudo avalia os efeitos do pós-fogo (antes e depois) na decomposição de serapilheira na comunidade de invertebrados e biomassa de fungos em diferentes detritos e malhas (fina e grossa) em riacho em curto prazo temporal. Métodos Folhas senescentes (2 ± 0,1 g de peso seco) foram colocadas em sacos (30 × 30 cm, 10 mm – de malha grossa e 0,5 mm - de malha fina) e submersas no fluxo antes e depois do fogo. Sacos replicados (n = 4) foram recuperados após 20 e 40 dias e lavados em uma peneira para separar os invertebrados (densidade, riqueza e grupo trófico funcional) para ambos os tratamentos (antes e após o fogo). Uma série de discos das folhas foi cortada para determinar a massa seca isenta de cinzas e o material restante foi seco em estufa para determinar o peso seco. Resultados O coeficiente médio de decomposição (k = -0,012 dia-1 antes do fogo) corresponde ao intervalo intermediário observado em outros riachos de Savana, com valores menores no pós-fogo (k = -0,007 dia-1). Isso pode ser explicado pelo fogo diminuir a importância da serapilheira alóctone para metabolismo de fluxo devido a aumentar a produção de autóctones (maior abertura do dossel pela queima do mesmo). O coeficiente de decomposição intermediário de todas as diferentes espécies de folhas pós-incêndio pode indicar que o fogo pode equalizar a qualidade da serapilheira em ecossistemas de lóticos. Por outro lado, raspadores (e não fungos ou fragmentadores) pela função de fragmentação foliar (por consumo de perifíton) diminuíram sua abundância (30-50%) no pós-fogo como a perda de massa foliar. Conclusões Isso pode indicar que o pós-fogo modifica as relações de importância dentro das comunidades decompositoras em riachos tropicais.Wildfire is a natural pulsed disturbance in landscapes of the Savannah Biome. This study evaluates short-term post-fire effects on leaf litter breakdown, the invertebrate community and fungal biomass of litter from three different vegetal species in a tropical stream. Methods Senescent leaves of Inga laurina, Protium spruceanum and Rircheria grandis (2 ± 0.1 g dry mass) were individually placed in litter bags (30 × 30 cm: 10 mm coarse mesh and 0.5 mm fine mesh) and submerged in the study stream before and after fire. Replicate bags (n = 4; individually for each species, sampling time, fire event and mesh size) were then retrieved after 20 and 40 days and washed to separate the invertebrates before fire event and again immediately after fire. Disks were cut from leaves to determine ash-free dry mass, while the remaining material was oven-dried to determine dry mass. Results The pre-fire mean decomposition coefficient (k = -0.012 day-1) was intermediate compared to that reported for other savannah streams, but post-fire it was lower (k = -0.007 day-1), due to decreased allochthonous litter input and increased autochthones production. Intermediate k values for all qualities of litter post-fire may indicate that fire is equalizing litter quality in the stream ecosystem. The abundance of scrapers was found to be more important than fungal biomass or shredder abundance, probably due to their functioning in leaf fragmentation while consuming periphyton growing on leaf litter. Conclusions Theses results indicate that fire can modify the relationships within decomposer communities in tropical stream ecosystems

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