A metric to quantify analogous conditions and rank environmental layers

Analogous conditions in environmental variables are expected because environments are spatially autocorrelated and often present similar combinations over geographic space. That similar environmental combinations may be found at different localities provides a crucial basis for correlative species distribution modeling. An absolutely analogous variable is constant, while a non-analogous variable has no-repeating values, yet no current method allows researchers to quantify intermediate degrees of analogous conditions and rank environmental layers. I approached this issue from the perspective of dual-space correspondence, in which (a) variable range and modal frequency have a theoretical inverse relationship (y ∝ x-1), and (b) modal values of frequency are limited by the number of pixels in a given raster layer. For two geographic extents and two resolutions (2.5’ and 10’), I obtained range and modal frequency of 19 bioclimatic variables and 5 reference variables. Then, I measured Euclidean distances from candidate variables to the non-analogous variable as a metric for degree of analogous conditions, which were used to rank variables. Bioclimatic layers were plotted in log-log scatterplots of range vs. modal frequency; variables were located inside the upper-right triangle (except for one set), and no layer fit the inverse model. Temperature variables presented higher degrees of analogous conditions than precipitation for South America and the Araucaria Moist Forests ecoregion. Geographic extent and pixel resolution changed the degree of analogous conditions of derived variables (quarterly and monthly); however, a pattern of change was not observed, which suggested ad hoc hypotheses on geographic and temporal idiosyncrasies. Variables with high contribution in previous SDM/ENM studies (e.g., temperature seasonality and annual precipitation) showed low degree of analogous conditions. It is expected that heterogeneous layers would generate better correlational geographic distributional predictions than analogous variables, even though this hypothesis remains untested. Ranking layers can provide grounds for selecting variables in distribution and niche modeling, particularly as regards interpreting spatial projection and transferability. Alternatively, ranking can be used to compare degrees of analogous conditions of the same layer in different time spans

Anais e resumos do XXXII Congresso Brasileiro de Zoologia: Desafios e Perspectivas para a zoologia na América Latina

Annals, meeting reports, symposia and abstracts of the 32rd Brazilian Congress of Zoology.Anais, resumos de reuniões, simpósios e resumos apresentados no XXXII Congresso Brasileiro de Zoologia.O Congresso Brasileiro de Zoologia é um evento bienal que visa congregar pessoas interessadas em estudos zoológicos (profissionais, estudantes, professores e pesquisadores); promover, incentivar e divulgar os avanços nos estudos da fauna neotropical; incrementar a formação e o reconhecimento do zoólogo como elemento indispensável no inventário e estudo do patrimônio natural dos países, especialmente na América Latina, região com maior diversidade de espécies no mundo. Esta 32ª. edição foi realizada entre os dias 26 de fevereiro a 02 de março de 2018 em Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, pelo Programa de Pós-raduação em Biodiversidade Neotropical da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana. Teve por tema “Desafios e perspectivas para a Zoologia na América Latina”, visando promover uma discussão prolífica sobre a integração de pessoas de diferentes países para o avanço da pesquisa e conservação da diversidade animal da Região Neotropical. O tema é considerado essencial para uma região de tríplice fronteira, como Foz do Iguaçu, de grande diversidade natural e cultural e, em uma escala mais ampla, considerado importante para toda a América Latina. A programação científica contou com oito palestras plenárias de pesquisadores internacionalmente renomados e 17 simpósios de temas específicos, cobrindo temas de grande interesse para a Zoologia brasileira. Participaram do evento 1441 congressistas e foram apresentados 1235 trabalhos, sendo 219 em sessões orais. Destaca-se que a maioria dos participantes foi de graduandos (641) e pós-graduandos (292) e maioria de mulheres (61%). Tivemos congressistas de 12 países além do Brasil. Esta edição do CBZ refletiu claramente o quanto a zoologia no Brasil é realizada por colaborações e o quão diversa é nossa comunidade. Agradecemos a participação de todos os congressistas, convidados, monitores, patrocinadores e equipe de apoio, que contribuíram para que esta edição do evento fosse um sucesso.Itaipu Binacional, Petrobras, Eletrobras Furnas, Ministério de Minas e Energia, Governo Federal. Apoio: CNPq, CAPES, Parque das Aves, Parque Tecnológico Itaipu, Iguassu Convention & Visitors Bureau

Andean region: a shapefile of Morrone’s (2015) biogeographical regionalisation

This is a shapefile of the geographic limits proposed by Morrone (2015) based on occurrence data of endemic animals and plants within South America

Neotropical region: a shapefile of Morrone’s (2014) biogeographical regionalisation

This is a shapefile of the geographic limits proposed by Morrone (2014) based on occurrence data of endemic animals and plants of Latin America and the Caribbean

Historical biogeography of the Fanniidae (Insecta, Diptera): A commentary on the age of the family Biogeografia histórica de Fanniidae (Insecta, Diptera): Un comentario sobre la edad de la familia

In a study on Fanniidae biogeography, Dominguez & Roig-Juñent (2011) argued that the family had a Pangeic origin, Late Jurassic/early Cretaceous (~146 Ma). However, recent literature on Diptera supports that Schizophora radiation occurred during Cenozoic. Fanniidae is a widespread taxon and it was interpreted under the maximum vicariance paradigm; the consequence was an analysis with no alternative hypothesis, but Pangeic origin. We verified that Fanniidae historical narrative was incongruent with the Gondwana sequential break-up. A second analysis, assuming the Fanniidae origin during early Paleocene (65 Ma), showed congruence with recent geological events and with the Muscidae diversification, a closely related Muscoidea family. Our hypothesis suggests that the Fanniidae originated in Paleogene and they were affected by few events of vicariance and several expansions during Cenozoic.En un estudio sobre biogeografía de Fanniidae, Domínguez & Roig-Juñent (2011) argumentaron que la familia era de origen Pangeico, Jurásico superior/Cretáceo inferior (~146 Ma). Sin embargo, literatura reciente sobre Diptera, confirma que la radiación de Schizophora ocurrió durante el Cenozoico. Fanniidae es un taxón ampliamente distribuido y fue interpretado bajo el paradigma de máxima vicarianza; la consecuencia, fue un análisis sin hipótesis alternativas, pero de origen pangeico. Nosotros verificamos que la narrativa histórica de Fanniidae es incongruente con la quiebra secuencial de Gondwana. Un segundo análisis, asumiendo el origen de Fanniidae durante el Paleoceno inferior (65 Ma), mostró congruencia con eventos geológicos recientes y con la diversificación de Muscidae, una familia de Muscoidea próximamente relacionada. Nuestra hipótesis sugiere que Fanniidae se originó en el Paleógeno y fueron afectados por pocos eventos de vicarianza y muchas expansiones durante el Cenozoico

Revisiting steroid treatment for septic shock: molecular actions and clinical effects - a review

Corticosteroids are widely used to treat a diversity of pathological conditions including allergic, autoimmune and some infectious diseases. These drugs have complex mechanisms of action involving both genomic and non-genomic mechanisms and interfere with different signal transduction pathways in the cell. The use of corticosteroids to treat critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and severe infections, such as sepsis and pneumonia, is still a matter of intense debate in the scientific and medical community with evidence both for and against its use in these patients. Here, we review the basic molecular mechanisms important for corticosteroid action as well as current evidence for their use, or not, in septic patients. We also present an analysis of the reasons why this is still such a controversial point in the literature