Drivers of leafcutter ant populations and their inter‐trophic relationships in Amazonian forest islands

Under habitat loss and fragmentation, the intensity of local ecological processes involving species interactions changes pervasively, accelerating local species extinctions, and disrupting essential ecosystem functions. We addressed this issue by examining the direct population drivers of apex predators (five felid species), armadillo mesopredators, leafcutter ants (Atta sexdens and Atta cephalotes), and the indirect effects mediated by their inter-trophic relationships in a ~25-yr-old land-bridge island system formed by a hydroelectric dam in the Central Amazon. These trophic groups and pioneer tree abundance were surveyed across 34 variable-sized islands and three continuous forest sites. Leafcutter populations were characterized in relation to their occurrence, colony density, and proportion of inactive colonies, and for each leafcutter response, we considered the direct and/or indirect effects of forest area on each trophic group. Leafcutter occupancy was best explained by the direct model, colony density by either the direct or the indirect model, and proportion of inactive colonies by an indirect model via the effects of pioneer tree abundance. The direct forest area effects were positive for apex predators and leafcutter occupancy, but negative for armadillos and pioneer trees. Yet leafcutter colony density declined in increasingly larger forest areas. The absence or low abundance of apex predators on small islands released armadillo hyper-abundance, which contrary to expectation from top-down control, covaried positively with leafcutter colony density. Finally, the indirect model showed that leafcutter colonies were more active under higher pioneer tree abundances. That leafcutter density increases on smaller islands whenever present is likely attributed to the hyper-abundance of pioneer plants and canopy gaps. Although apex predators apparently suppressed armadillos, the remaining fraction of the food web seems to be controlled by bottom-up mechanisms most likely related the overall low foliage palatability typical of wet evergreen forests. Our findings can be used to inform the long-term viability of forest ecosystems affected by hydropower development in lowland Amazonia

Whales, dolphins or fishes? The ethnotaxonomy of cetaceans in São Sebastião, Brazil

The local knowledge of human populations about the natural world has been addressed through ethnobiological studies, especially concerning resources uses and their management. Several criteria, such as morphology, ecology, behavior, utility and salience, have been used by local communities to classify plants and animals. Studies regarding fishers' knowledge on cetaceans in the world, especially in Brazil, began in the last decade. Our objective is to investigate the folk classification by fishers concerning cetaceans, and the contribution of fishers' local knowledge to the conservation of that group. In particular, we aim to record fishers' knowledge in relation to cetaceans, with emphasis on folk taxonomy. The studied area is São Sebastião, located in the southeastern coast of Brazil, where 70 fishers from 14 communities were selected according to their fishing experience and interviewed through questionnaires about classification, nomenclature and ecological aspects of local cetaceans' species. Our results indicated that most fishers classified cetaceans as belonging to the life-form 'fish'. Fishers' citations for the nomenclature of the 11 biological species (10 biological genera), resulted in 14 folk species (3 generic names). Fishers' taxonomy was influenced mostly by the phenotypic and cultural salience of the studied cetaceans. Cultural transmission, vertical and horizontal, was intimately linked to fishers' classification process. The most salient species, therefore well recognized and named, were those most often caught by gillnets, in addition to the biggest ones and those most exposed by media, through TV programs, which were watched and mentioned by fishers. Our results showed that fishers' ecological knowledge could be a valuable contribution to cetaceans' conservation, helping to determine areas and periods for their protection, indicating priority topics for research and participating in alternative management related to the gillnet fisheries

Nonvolant mammal megadiversity and conservation issues in a threatened central amazonian hotspot in Brazil

Amazonia National Park is located in southwestern Pará State in central Amazonia. The 10,707 km2 park is one of the largest protected areas in Brazil and is covered with pristine forests, but the region is threatened by dam construction projects. An incomplete mammal biodiversity inventory was conducted in the area during the late 1970s. Here, we present results of sampling from 7,295 live-trap nights, 6,000 pitfall-trap nights, more than 1,200 km of walking transect censuses, and approximately 3,500 camera-trap days, all conducted between 2012 and 2014. These sampling efforts generated a list of 86 known species of nonvolant mammals, making the park the single most species-rich area for nonvolant mammals both in the Amazon Basin and in the Neotropics as a whole. Amazonia National Park is a megadiverse site, as is indicated by its mammalian richness, which includes 15 threatened mammal species and 5 to 12 new species of small mammals. As such, it merits being a high-conservation priority and should be an important focus of Brazilian authorities’ and the international scientific community’s conservation efforts. A comprehensive conservation plan is urgently needed, especially given the ecological threats posed by dam construction. © The Author(s) 2016

Auditing: A Strategy Evaluation Emphasis

This research investigated whether or not auditing is useful to the strategy evaluation and control process in Nigerian business organizations. In sourcing for data, we used structured questionnaire as well as personal interviews. The data collected were analyzed using the simple percentage and frequency distribution. We found that effective internal audit helps in the strategy evaluation and control process in the organizations we studied. Our conclusion is that, the effective performance of internal audit is crucial for management to be able to evaluate and control strategy in modern organization. SOPHIA: An African Journal of Philosophy Vol. 8 (2) 2006: pp. 109-11

DNA microsatellite markers for "dourada" (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii, Siluriformes: Pimelodidae), a migratory catfish of utmost importance for fisheries in the Amazon: Development, characterization and inter-specific amplification

The long-distance migratory catfish Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii is among the two most important commercial catfish in the Amazon region. Recent data lists this species as being affected by overfishing. Thirty polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized in 35 individuals. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 22, with an average of 9.87. The observed (HO) and the expected heterozygosity (HE) ranged between 0.143-0.914 (average 0.636) and 0.215-0.929 (average 0.706), respectively. Five loci showed a significant deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium was detected between loci BR68/BR44, BR68/BR48 and BR68/BR61. Cross-amplification in six con-generic species resulted between 12 and 21 polymorphic loci, depending upon the species. These polymorphic microsatellites should be useful for management policies of B. rousseauxii in the Amazon as well as for the others Brachyplatystoma species of commercial value. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009

Relationship between urban planning and flooding in Port Harcourt city, Nigeria; insights from planning professionals

Flooding is widely recognised as a global problem which has worsened in recent years due to climate change. In Nigeria, flooding remains the most widespread environmental disaster with the population of 200 million suffering numerous threats from perennial flooding. Port Harcourt in Southern Nigeria experiences annual flooding on a significant scale. While research has linked the flooding in Port Harcourt to poor urban planning, little research has engaged with planning professionals to investigate this relationship. This paper fills this gap. It explores how urban planning is linked to flooding in Port Harcourt and reports on qualitative research undertaken with five urban planners in Port Harcourt. The findings affirm that poor planning and/or lack of compliance with planning regulations are the main factors contributing to the flooding of Port Harcourt. The urban planners gave their expert opinions on how to control the flooding and unanimously agreed that improved planning practices could control the endemic flooding problem in the city. This implies that the government needs to work more closely with urban planners and other stakeholders to effectively control and find a lasting solution to the flooding problem in Port Harcourt city