Padrões de distribuição e abundância da fauna auxiliar na ilha Terceira

I Congresso de Fruticultura e Viticultura. Angra do Heroísmo 17-19 Abril 2008.Trabalho de investigação desenvolvido no projecto INTERFRUTA II, financiado pelo programa INTERREG III-B.Neste trabalho estudam-se os padrões de abundância e distribuição da fauna auxiliar de artrópodes dos pomares da ilha Terceira. Os objectivos foram os seguintes: a) determinar a distribuição de frequências da distribuição das espécies em vários tipos de pomares; b) determinar a distribuição de frequências da abundância das espécies em vários tipos de pomares; c) testar a existência de uma relação positiva entre abundância e distribuição. Utilizaram-se técnicas padronizadas de amostragem de artrópodes das copas das fruteiras para obter dados sobre a abundância e distribuição dos artrópodes. Observou-se de forma consistente que um pequeno grupo de espécies domina estas comunidades, havendo uma grande proporção de espécies raras. A relação interespecífica positiva entre abundância e distribuição implica que deveremos promover os mecanismos de gestão que promovam a facilidade de dispersão das espécies de artrópodes auxiliares e mantenham nas comunidades as espécies comuns. Os pomares com maior abundância de artrópodes benéficos podem servir como fontes de colonização para outros pomares, desde que haja o controlo da aplicação de pesticidas e do maneio mais intensivo, duas actividades que causam um efeito negativo na riqueza e abundância das aranhas e parasitóides

Fire from the Sky in the Anthropocene

[EN] Lightning is the prevailing ignition source in many remote or scarcely populated parts of the world, and those fires tend to be larger and more intense than human-caused fires [1]. “Dry” lightning storms can ignite many fires over short periods of time and relatively vast areas and in locations less predictable and accessible than those of human-caused fires. Additionally, and regardless of the ignition cause, thunderstorm wind flows can drastically change the behaviour of on-going fires, amplifying fire–atmosphere interactions and leading to erratic and destructive firestorms. Such was the case of the Pedrogão Grande wildfire in Portugal, where 66 people died on 17 June 2017 [2]. Fires themselves can generate lightning when pyrocumulonimbus form, as in the Black Saturday fires of February 2009 in Australia, where 173 people perished [3]. In 2019–2020, the unprecedented Black Summer mega-fires were mostly lightning-caused fires (LCFs) and burned one-fifth of the Australian temperate broadleaf forest and caused huge social disruption [4]; lightning started most fires in a region where “dry” thunderstorms are now more frequent than in the recent past [5]. Once rare in Tasmania, LCFs are now threatening World Heritage forests non-adapted to fire [6]. In California, the unusual 2020 lightning siege has burned ca. 1 million hectares, destroying at least 4390 structures and killing 22 people after 14,000 lightning strikes [7]. In human-dominated landscapes, such as in southern Europe, LCFs comprise a small fraction of the total number of fires, and so are commonly perceived as irrelevant. Such neglect and focus on human agency can happen even when fire statistics indicate a significant role of LCFs in the fire regime, e.g., in temperate Australia [8]. Consequently, by downplaying or ignoring LCFs, fire management planning will hardly be prepared to handle the particular difficulties posed by an LCF crisis. Here, we characterize the relevance of LCFs in a generically low LCF region, the Iberian Peninsula, and will then address current and future challenges posed by LCFs in relation to climate changeSIThis work is supported by National Funds by FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/04033/202

Os artrópodes auxiliares generalistas associados às Macieiras na ilha Terceira (Açores)

Neste trabalho apresenta-se uma listagem das espécies de artrópodes auxiliares encontradas nos pomares de macieiras (Malus sp.) durante o decorrer dos projectos INTERFRUTA e INTERFRUTA II (durante o período de 2003 a 2007), com comentários relativos à biologia e distribuição das espécies mais abundantes

Os artrópodes auxiliares generalistas associados às bananeiras na ilha Terceira (Açores)

"A biodiversidade dos artrópodes associados às fruteiras dos Açores era, até há poucos anos, quase completamente desconhecida, resumindo-se apenas a listagens de pragas e indicação de uma ou outra espécie de auxiliar (e.g., Garcia & Furtado, 1980; Schanderl & Almeida, 1992; Cruz De Boelpaepe & Teixeira, 1990; Soares et al., 1992, 1994, 1996; Costa-Comelles et al., 1994). Com o projecto INTERFRUTA (Lopes et al., 2005) foi possível realizar um inventário mais ou menos exaustivo da diversidade de artrópodes predadores generalistas que podem actuar como auxiliares no combate a muitas pragas. Este projecto teve início em 2003 e resultou já num maior conhecimento dos artrópodes associados a quatro culturas frutícolas (bananeiras, citrinos, macieiras e pessegueiros) da Ilha Terceira (ver Santos et al. 2005a, b, 2009). Em 2006 este projecto foi continuado através do INTERFRUTA II. […].Neste trabalho apresenta-se uma listagem das espécies de artrópodes predadores generalistas encontrados em pomares de bananeiras (Musa sp.), com comentários relativos à biologia e distribuição das espécies mais comuns." (da Introdução

Zebrafish models to study ectopic calcification and calcium-associated pathologies

Ectopic calcification refers to the pathological accumulation of calcium ions in soft tissues and is often the result of a dysregulated action or disrupted function of proteins involved in extracellular matrix mineralization. While the mouse has traditionally been the go-to model organism for the study of pathologies associated with abnormal calcium deposition, many mouse mutants often have exacerbated phenotypes and die prematurely, limiting the understanding of the disease and the development of effective therapies. Since the mechanisms underlying ectopic calcification share some analogy with those of bone formation, the zebrafish (Danio rerio)—a well-established model for studying osteogenesis and mineralogenesis—has recently gained momentum as a model to study ectopic calcification disorders. In this review, we outline the mechanisms of ectopic mineralization in zebrafish, provide insights into zebrafish mutants that share phenotypic similarities with human pathological mineralization disorders, list the compounds capable of rescuing mutant phenotypes, and describe current methods to induce and characterize ectopic calcification in zebrafish.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Climate- and fire-smart landscape scenarios call for redesigning protection regimes to achieve multiple management goals

Integrated management of biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) in heterogeneous landscapes requires considering the potential trade-offs between conflicting objectives. The UNESCO's Biosphere Reserve zoning scheme is a suitable context to address these trade-offs by considering multiple management zones that aim to minimise conflicts between management objectives. Moreover, in Mediterranean ecosystems, management and planning also needs to consider drivers of landscape dynamics such as wildfires and traditional farming and forestry practices that have historically shaped landscapes and the biodiversity they host. In this study, we applied a conservation planning approach to prioritise the allocation of management zones under future landscape and climate scenarios. We tested different landscape management scenarios reflecting the outcomes of climate-smart and fire-smart policies. We projected the expected landscape dynamics and associated changes on the distribution of 207 vertebrate species, 4 ES and fire hazard under each scenario. We used Marxan with Zones to allocate three management zones, replicating the Biosphere Reserves zoning scheme (“Core area”, “Buffer zone” and “Transition area”) to address the various management objectives within the Biosphere Reserve. Our results show that to promote ES supply and biodiversity conservation, while also minimising fire hazard, the reserve will need to: i) Redefine its zoning, especially regarding Core Areas, which need a considerable expansion to help mitigate changes in biodiversity and accommodate ES supply under expected changes in climate and species distribution. ii) Revisit current management policies that will result in encroached landscapes prone to high intensity, uncontrollable wildfires with the potential to heavily damage ecosystems and compromise the supply of ES. Our results support that both climate- and fire-smart policies in the Meseta Ibérica can help develop multifunctional landscapes that help mitigate and adapt to climate change and ensure the best possible maintenance of biodiversity and ES supply under uncertain future climate conditions.This study was supported by national funds - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the “FirESmart” project (PCIF/MOG/0083/2017), and the project UIDB/04033/2020. CCS is supported by the “Financiamento Programático” UIDP/04050/2020 funded by national funds through the FCT I.P. VH was funded by the Junta de Andalucía through an Emergia contract (EMERGIA20_00135). AR is supported by ‘Juan de la Cierva’ fellowship program funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (IJC2019-041033-I). ÂS received support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through Ph.D. Grant SFRH/BD/132838/2017, funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and by the European Social Fund - Operational Program Human Capital within the 2014–2020 EU Strategic Framework.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Riqueza de espécies e diversidade ecológica de himenópteros parasitóides (Hymenoptera, Parasitica) em culturas frutícolas da ilha Terceira (Açores)

"A ordem Hymenoptera, que compreende as abelhas, vespas e formigas, constitui um dos grupos mais diversos do reino animal (Nieves-Aldrey & Fontal-Cazalla, 1999). Actualmente conhecem-se entre 120.000 a 200.000 espécies de himenópteros, mas algumas estimativas apontam para valores bastante superiores: 250.000 a 500.000 espécies (Gaston, 1991). Nos Açores, actualmente estão referenciadas 131 espécies de Hymenoptera (11 das quais endémicas), um número que possivelmente corresponde a menos de 30% da fauna realmente existente no arquipélago (ver Fig. 8 em Borges et al., 2005). […]". (da Introdução

Feeling the heat: Elevated temperature affects male display activity of a lekking grassland bird

Most climate-species models relate range margins to long-term mean climate variables but lack mechanistic understanding of the ecological or demographic processes underlying the climate response. We examined the case of a climatically limited edge-of-range population of a medium-sized grassland bird, for which climate responses may involve a behavioural trade-off between temperature stress and reproduction. We hypothesised that temperature will be a limiting factor for the conspicuous, male snort-call display behaviour, and high temperatures would reduce the display activity of male birds. Using remote tracking technology with tri-axial accelerometers we classified and studied the display behaviour of 17 free-ranging male little bustards at 5 sites in the Iberian Peninsula. Display behaviour was related to temperature using two classes of Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) at different temporal resolutions. GAMMs showed that temperature, time of the day and Julian date explained variation in display behaviour within the day, with birds snort-calling significantly less during higher temperatures. We also showed that variation in daily snort-call activity was related to average daytime temperatures, with our model predicting an average decrease in daytime snort-call display activity of up to 10.9% for the temperature increases projected by 2100 in this region due to global warming. For little bustards and more widely in lekking grassland birds, reduced display behaviour could impact inter- and intra-sex mating behaviour interactions through sexual selection and mate choice mechanisms, with possible consequences on mating and reproductive success of this species. The study provides a reproducible example for how accelerometer data can be used to answer research questions with important conservation inferences related to the impacts of climate change on a range of taxonomic groups

Evolution during three ripening stages of Évora cheese

ALT20-03-0145-FEDER-023356 UIDP/04035/2020 UIDB/05064/2020The variability and heterogeneity found in Évora cheeses, Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), can affect consumers’ choices. Assessing the ripening conditions and their effect can be helpful. To study the effect of ripening duration in Évora cheese PDO, sensory and chemical analyses were performed in cheese samples subjected to 30, 60, and 120 days of ripening under controlled conditions (temperature 14 to 15 ◦C and humidity 65 to 70%). Sensory analysis was conducted with a homogenous panel previously familiarized with the product after a short training period, and chemical analyses including pH, moisture, NaCl content, aw, and salt-in-moisture were determined. Panelists were able to distinguish the differences in the organoleptic characteristics of the three cheese stages, and chemical determinations showed significant differences between stages. Interrater agreement was higher in the sensory evaluation of cheeses with a longer maturation period. As expected, cheeses in the 120 days ripening period presented lower pH, moisture, and water activity and had higher salt-in-moisture content. This stage received the highest scores in hardness and color of the crust, intensity, pungency of the aroma, intensity of taste and piquancy, and firmness and granular characteristics of texture. Overall acceptance of cheese samples was positive, regardless of the ripening stage, which probably reflects both the homogeneity of taster profiles and the previous knowledge of this particular product. The degree of ripeness influences the physical, chemical, and sensory characteristics but does not affect the acceptance of this product by the consumer.publishersversionpublishe

Feeling the heat: Elevated temperature affects male display activity of a lekking grassland bird

Most climate-species models relate range margins to long-term mean climate variables but lack mechanistic understanding of the ecological or demographic processes underlying the climate response. We examined the case of a climatically limited edge-of-range population of a medium-sized grassland bird, for which climate responses may involve a behavioural trade-off between temperature stress and reproduction. We hypothesised that temperature will be a limiting factor for the conspicuous, male snort-call display behaviour, and high temperatures would reduce the display activity of male birds. Using remote tracking technology with tri-axial accelerometers we classified and studied the display behaviour of 17 free-ranging male little bustards at 5 sites in the Iberian Peninsula. Display behaviour was related to temperature using two classes of Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) at different temporal resolutions. GAMMs showed that temperature, time of the day and Julian date explained variation in display behaviour within the day, with birds snort-calling significantly less during higher temperatures. We also showed that variation in daily snort-call activity was related to average daytime temperatures, with our model predicting an average decrease in daytime snort-call display activity of up to 10.9% for the temperature increases projected by 2100 in this region due to global warming. For little bustards and more widely in lekking grassland birds, reduced display behaviour could impact inter- and intra-sex mating behaviour interactions through sexual selection and mate choice mechanisms, with possible consequences on mating and reproductive success of this species. The study provides a reproducible example for how accelerometer data can be used to answer research questions with important conservation inferences related to the impacts of climate change on a range of taxonomic groups