The role of edaphic environment and climate in structuring phylogenetic pattern in seasonally dry tropical plant communities

This study was made possible through the kind financial support of the São Paulo Research Foundation - http://fapesp.br/en (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo - Fapesp 2013/15280-9).Seasonally dry tropical plant formations (SDTF) are likely to exhibit phylogenetic clustering owing to niche conservatism driven by a strong environmental filter (water stress), but heterogeneous edaphic environments and life histories may result in heterogeneity in degree of phylogenetic clustering. We investigated phylogenetic patterns across ecological gradients related to water availability (edaphic environment and climate) in the Caatinga, a SDTF in Brazil. Caatinga is characterized by semiarid climate and three distinct edaphic environments – sedimentary, crystalline, and inselberg –representing a decreasing gradient in soil water availability. We used two measures of phylogenetic diversity: Net Relatedness Index based on the entire phylogeny among species present in a site, reflecting long-term diversification; and Nearest Taxon Index based on the tips of the phylogeny, reflecting more recent diversification. We also evaluated woody species in contrast to herbaceous species. The main climatic variable influencing phylogenetic pattern was precipitation in the driest quarter, particularly for herbaceous species, suggesting that environmental filtering related to minimal periods of precipitation is an important driver of Caatinga biodiversity, as one might expect for a SDTF. Woody species tended to show phylogenetic clustering whereas herbaceous species tended towards phylogenetic overdispersion. We also found phylogenetic clustering in two edaphic environments (sedimentary and crystalline) in contrast to phylogenetic overdispersion in the third (inselberg). We conclude that while niche conservatism is evident in phylogenetic clustering in the Caatinga, this is not a universal pattern likely due to heterogeneity in the degree of realized environmental filtering across edaphic environments. Thus, SDTF, in spite of a strong shared environmental filter, are potentially heterogeneous in phylogenetic structuring. Our results support the need for scientifically informed conservation strategies in the Caatinga and other SDTF regions that have not previously been prioritized for conservation in order to take into account this heterogeneity.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Os efeitos dos regimes de fogo sobre a vegetação de Cerrado no Parque Nacional das Emas, GO: considerações para a conservação da diversidade

O fogo é um importante agente evolutivo que pode causar alterações florísticas, filogenéticas e funcionais nas comunidades vegetais de cerrado, alterando a composição do solo e modificando as interações interespecíficas. Aqui discutimos os efeitos do fogo sobre a vegetação de cerrado e levantamos sugestões para o seu manejo em unidades de conservação. Com especial ênfase para trabalhos realizados no Parque Nacional das Emas, na fisionomia de campo cerrado, compilamos os seguintes resultados: em maiores frequências de fogo (queimadas anuais ou bienais) ocorre agrupamento fenotípico, diminuição da competição, diminuição da biomassa vegetal e enriquecimento dos solos; em menor frequência (sem queimadas há doze anos), há maior competição entre as espécies e grande acúmulo de biomassa seca. Além disso, diferentes regimes de fogo suportam diferentes composições florísticas, com grupos de espécies exclusivos em cada regime, tanto de espécies herbáceo-subarbustivas quanto de arbustivo-arbóreas. Portanto, sugerimos que seja mantido um mosaico com diferentes regimes de fogo e que se evitem áreas de cerrado sem queimadas por muitos anos. Palavras-chave: biomassa vegetal, diversidade filogenética, diversidade funcional, manejo, solo

Avaliação do perfil pós dose terapêutica com iodo-131 em pacientes da FCECON com carcinoma diferenciado de tireóide no período de 2012 a 2016 / Evaluation of the post-therapeutic dose profile with iodine-131 in FCECON patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma in the period from 2012 to 2016

Introdução A radioiodoterapia (RAI) I131 é o método mais utilizado para terapia e localização de imagens da glândula tireoide A neoplasia de tireoide, dentre todos os tipos de câncer, foi a que mais cresceu em incidência, representando hoje a neoplasia mais comum da glândula. O tratamento com I131 é um procedimento padrão após a tireoidectomia total por carcinoma papilífero de tireoide, diminuindo a probabilidade de recidiva. Normalmente a dosimetria é montada individualmente, levando em consideração o estadiamento e o perfil prognóstico do paciente. O objetivo do trabalho é avaliar o perfil sócio-demográfico e clinico dos pacientes portadores de carcinoma diferenciado da tireoide da FCECON que realizaram RAI. Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo analítico, retrospectivo nos prontuários dos pacientes de 2012 a 2016 dos pacientes submetidos a pesquisa de corpo inteiro no Centro de Medicina Nuclear do Amazonas e na FCECON. Resultados: O trabalho obteve um total de 213 pacientes, porém apenas 149 possuíam estudo patológico presente no prontuário, sendo 84,7% do sexo feminino, possuindo uma média de 44 anos de idade, tendo o mais novo 10 anos e o mais velho 78. 51,3% possuem mais de 45 anos, destes 50,6% encontram-se na quinta década de vida, e, entre aqueles abaixo dos 45 anos (49,7%), apenas 21,9% estão na segunda década de vida. Conclusão: O trabalho obteve um excelente resultado, visto a percepção do super-tratamento de diversos pacientes, chamando a atenção para as atualizações quanto ao seguimento do paciente portador do câncer bem diferenciado de tireoide

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

Senso de pertencimento das mulheres em projetos de software

ABSTRACTBackground: Gender diversity is an important feature for softwaredevelopment. Studies show that teams with more diversity are moreproductive, too. Objective: This study is a systematic review thatanalyzes women’s motivations to contribute to software development,focusing on a sense of belonging. Method: A protocol wasestablished and the works retrieved by the applied search string.It was analyzed according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results: The results showed that the main factors that motivatewomen to contribute to software projects are Kinship, Career andLearning. However, the sense of belonging, related to the termKinship, was more important in the analysis of groups composedonly of women, compared to heterogeneous groups. Conclusions:Thus, it was found that there are differences in motivations betweengenders, and the sense of belonging is more relevant forwomen than for men. Therefore, to increase diversity in softwareprojects, an important factor to be improved is the belonging of thecontributors

Are fire, soil fertility and toxicity, water availability, plant functional diversity, and litter decomposition related in a Neotropical savanna?

Understanding how biodiversity and ecosystem functioning respond to changes in the environment is fundamental to the maintenance of ecosystem function. In realistic scenarios, the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning path may account for only a small share of all factors determining ecosystem function. Here, we investigated the strength to which variations in environmental characteristics in a Neotropical savanna affected functional diversity and decomposition. We sought an integrative approach, testing a number of pairwise hypotheses about how the environment, biodiversity, and functioning were linked. We used structural equation modelling to connect fire frequency, soil fertility, exchangeable Al, water availability, functional diversity of woody plants, tree density, tree height, and litter decomposition rates in a causal chain. We found significant effects of soil nutrients, water availability, and Al on functional diversity and litter decomposition. Fire did not have a significant direct effect on functional diversity or litter decomposition. However, fire was connected to both variables through soil fertility. Functional diversity did not influence rates of litter decomposition. The mediated effects that emerged from pairwise interactions are encouraging not only for predicting the functional consequences of changes in environmental variables and biodiversity, but also to caution against predictions based on only environmental or only biodiversity change