Anurofauna de restinga do Lagamar Paulista, São Paulo, Brasil

Insular habitats are considered ideal for biogeographic studies, as they represent almost closed habitats with known formation timelines. Although São Paulo state in Brazil has a large number of continental and oceanic islands, few studies have examined the composition of the fauna in each locality. These studies are crucial to determine the community structure and to make biogeographic and phylogenetic inferences. From February 2007 to January 2009, we surveyed the anuran community of sandy coastal plains in four municipalities of the Lagamar Paulista: Cananéia, Ilha Comprida, Iguape and Pariquera-Açu, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. This region is located in the Cananéia-Iguape estuary complex, comprising three continental islands: Ilha de Cananéia, Ilha Comprida, and Ilha do Cardoso, and the continental portions adjacent to these islands in the municipalities of Iguape and Pariquera-Açu. Through the use of pitfall traps and active search, we registered a total of 32 anuran species: 17 in Ilha Comprida, 21 in Ilha de Cananéia, 26 in Ilha do Cardoso, 27 in Iguape, and 23 in Pariquera-Açu. The analysis of the richness indices of the study sites revealed higher values in continental areas. This result is very common in comparative studies between islands and continents. This may be caused by an island effect and may reveal the historical process of island formation in the Lagamar. Our findings provide important information for identifying patterns of amphibian distribution in insular areas of the São Paulo coast, and for examining how events of marine transgression and regression have affected the local amphibian communities.Ambientes insulares são considerados ideais para estudos biogeográficos, já que representam ambientes quase fechados cujo tempo de formação é conhecido. Embora o estado de São Paulo possua um grande número de ilhas continentais e oceânicas, faltam estudos de base que determinem a composição faunística de cada localidade. Tais estudos são cruciais para se determinar a estrutura de comunidades e fazer inferências biogeográficas e filogenéticas que a expliquem. Durante os meses de fevereiro de 2007 a janeiro de 2009 inventariamos a comunidade de anuros de ambientes de restinga em quatro municípios do Lagamar Paulista: Cananéia, Ilha Comprida, Iguape e Pariquera-Açu, estado de São Paulo. Inserida no complexo estuarino Cananéia-Iguape, esta região caracteriza-se pela presença de três ilhas continentais: Ilha de Cananéia, Ilha Comprida e Ilha do Cardoso e porções continentais adjacentes a estas ilhas nos municípios de Iguape e Pariquera-Açu. Através da metodologia de procura ativa e armadilhas de interceptação e queda foi registrado um total de 32 espécies de anuros em todas as localidades: 17 espécies na Ilha Comprida, 21 na Ilha de Cananéia, 26 na Ilha do Cardoso, 27 em Iguape e 23 em Pariquera-Açu. A análise dos índices de riqueza revelou valores mais altos nas áreas continentais, resultado comumente observado em comparações entre ilhas e continente. Este resultado pode ser um reflexo de um efeito de isolamento promovido pelo evento de formação das ilhas, ou pode ser resultado de origem e tempo distintos em que as ilhas foram formadas. Os resultados aqui apresentados são de fundamental importância, pois fornecem subsídios tanto para estudos de padrões de distribuição de anfíbios em formações insulares do litoral paulista como para o entendimento de como eventos de transgressão e regressão marinha atuaram sobre as comunidades de anfíbios locais.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia Departamento de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia AnimalUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Estadual Paulista Instituto de Biociências Departamento de ZoologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Ciências BiológicasSciEL

The Habitat Affects the Ecological Interactions between Azteca Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Cecropia Loefl. (Urticaceae Juss.)

In order to understand the effects of human impacts on structure and functioning of tropical forests, we should consider studies on animal-plant interactions such as antplant mutualistic interactions.We investigated the mutualistic interactions between ants (Azteca genera) and Cecropia plants in habitats of secondary forest and pasture used as cattle fields. We tested for the following hyphothesis: (i) Cecropia from pasture are more susceptible to foliar herbivory than the Cecropia from the forest, and (ii) the defense promoted by ants of Azteca genus is less efficient in the pasture when compared to the forested areas. We selected four areas inserted in Atlantic rain forest domain surrounded by secondary forest and by cattle pastures. The herbivory was more intense in the pasture than in the secondary forest. The presence of Azteca species diminished foliar herbivory only in the forested areas, where we observed a significant increase in herbivory after the removal of A. alfari colony. We argue that the greater herbivory in pasture occurs probably due the lack of other plant resource, being Cecropia paschystachya Trécul and C. glaziovii Snethl., isolated in a “sea of grass” without connection with other tree vegetation, opposite scenario observed in forested habitats. The defense of Azteca only in the secondary forest, leading us to suppose that: 1) not even the your aggressive behavior is able to reduce the intense herbivory in the pasture; 2) the your behavioral pattern in forest is not the same in deforested environments and / or 3) mutualism may be undergoing changes due to abiotic effects on pasture

Soil Arthropods in the Douro Demarcated Region Vineyards : General Characteristics and Ecosystem Services Provided

Viticulture is one of the oldest and most profitable forms of agriculture; it is also one of the most intensive farming systems. As intensive cultivation threatens the environment, there is increasing interest in the concept of sustainability within the wine industry, as well as new business opportunities, as customers begin to pay more attention to environmental and sustainability issues. Recognizing the key role of soil quality in environmentally and economically sustainable viticulture makes it essential to understand better soil arthropod communities, given their crucial functions in maintaining soil quality and health. The 'Douro Demarcated Region' (DDR) in northern Portugal offers good potential, in regards to biodiversity, due to its significant areas of non-crop habitats. This work aims to compile information on soil arthropod communities (both soil surface and soil-living) collected in the DDR vineyard agroecosystems. A description of the ecosystem services provided by them, as a basis for the development and implementation of sustainable viticulture systems, is also an objective of this work. An important set of soil arthropods necessary for the delivery of vital ecosystem services for viticulture, with particular reference to supporting and regulating services, occurred in this ecosystem. Eight classes were chiefly represented in a sample of about 167,000 arthropod specimens: Arachnida, Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Entognatha, Insecta, Malacostraca, Pauropoda, and Symphyla. The most representative were Entognatha and Insecta in soil-surface arthropods, and Arachnida and Entognatha in soil-living arthropods. The presence of recognized groups as bioindicators in agroecosystems, such as soil quality indicators, is also revealed. This knowledge is expected to contribute to a more efficient and sustainable management of the viticultural ecosystem.Peer reviewe

Litter as an Important Resource Determining the Diversity of Epigeic Ants in the South-Central Part of Bahia State, Brazil

This study evaluates the richness and composition of the epigeic ant fauna in two Caatinga areas (site 1: Brejo Novo and 2: Frizuba) within a transitional region (between the Caatinga and the Decidual Atlantic Forest) in the Municipality of Jequié, state of Bahia, Brazil. Ants were sampled using pitfall traps and Winkler extractor method in 50 randomly chosen points, totalizing a sampling area of 12.5 ha per site. Overall, we identified 60 species belongingto 27 genera. The most speciose genera were Pheidole, Camponotus, and Solenopsis (with five species each) followed by Wasmannia and Cephalotes (four species each). Pheidole sp1. was the most frequent species (occurring in approximately 60% of the samples). Since site 1 did not possess a litter layer (and therefore could not be sampled by the Winkler extractor) comparisons between the two areas were made using only the data provided by the pitfalltrap method. The Simpson diversity indexes calculated for sites 1 and 2 were 0.87 and 0.89, respectively, and showed no statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.417). The Jaccard coefficient revealed only 35.5% similarity in species composition between the two areas. The results suggest that the presence of litter contributed to increased species richness (the Winkler method added 28 species in the sum total of species collected) and “shaped” a distinct faunal composition of the area. The present study is the first ant fauna inventory in the region and reveals an unexplored conservation potential for the Decidual Forest and the Caatinga of northeastern Brazil

Ecologia e biologia reprodutiva de duas espécies simpátricas do gênero Aplastodiscus na Serra do Japi, município de Jundiaí, Estado de São Paulo

Estudos comparativos sobre biologia reprodutiva e interações sociais em espécies simpátricas e taxonomicamente próximas de anuros ainda são escassos, embora estes aspectos tenham fundamental importância não apenas para o estabelecimento das relações filogenéticas entre espécies do mesmo grupo, mas também para a compreensão dos mecanismos que atuam na segregação das espécies no ambiente. O presente estudo foi desenvolvido na Serra do Japi, Município de Jundiaí, um dos últimos remanescentes de Mata Atlântica no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Durante os meses de março/04 a janeiro/06 foram coletados dados sobre a biologia reprodutiva, ecologia, repertório acústico e interações sociais de Aplastodiscus arildae e A. leucopygius. Três ambientes foram visitados (lagoa, riacho e brejo), nos quais foram coletadas as seguintes informações: características físicas dos sítios de vocalização e reprodução, temporada de vocalização e reprodução, deslocamento de indivíduos e densidade de espécimes. Quanto ao uso do ambiente, a espécie Aplastodiscus leucopygius foi registrada nos três ambientes estudados, enquanto A. arildae foi observada apenas no riacho. Ambas utilizaram a vegetação marginal ao corpo d água como sítio de vocalização. A espécie A. arildae mostrou-se menos generalista quanto ao uso do ambiente para a reprodução. As duas espécies apresentaram estação reprodutiva prolongada e positivamente relacionada com o regime de chuvas na região. Este fato é muito comum entre espécies de anuros e evidencia a importância da disponibilidade de água para a reprodução. Foram identificados três tipos de canto para cada espécie: canto de anúncio, canto de corte e canto territorial. As funções sociais dos cantos foram estabelecidas de acordo com os contextos sociais em que foram emitidos...Comparative studies on reproductive biology and social interactions among closely related sympatric species of anurans are still rare. However, these aspects are fundamental, not only for the understanding of taxonomic relationships, but also to access the mechanisms responsible for maintaining segregation of species in the environment. This study was carried out at Serra do Japi, one of the last remnants of Atlantic rainforest, in the Municipality of Jundiaí, State of São Paulo, Brazil, from March/04 to January/06. During this period we collected data about ecology, reproductive biology, acoustic repertoire, and social interactions of Aplastodiscus arildae and A. leucopygius. Three habitats were visited (lake, stream, and swamp), where we collected the following information: characteristics of the calling and reproductive sites, calling and breeding periods, displacement of individuals, and species density. Aplastodiscus leucopygius was registered in the three studied habitats, whereas A. arildae was found only in the stream. Both species used the vegetation at the edge of water bodies as calling sites. Aplastodiscus arildae can be considered less generalist with regard to the habitat used for reproductive activity. Both species showed a prolonged breeding season positively correlated with the rainfall in the area. This fact is very common among anuran species and emphasizes the importance of water for reproduction in species of this group. We identified three different types of call for each species: advertisement call, courtship call, and territorial call. Social functions of the vocalizations were established according to the social context in which they were emitted... (Complete abstract, click electronic access below)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae, Hypsiboas raniceps Cope, 1862: distribution extension

Hypsiboas raniceps is a large treefrog typically found in the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes. Here we provide information about new records of this species in the Atlantic Forest and raise some hypotheses that could explain the late record of this species in this biome