Structure of ant-diaspore networks and their functional outcomes in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Ants are able to interact with fruits and seeds that are not adapted for ant seed dispersal. In Brazil, several studies show interactions of ants with non-myrmecochorous diaspores; however, few of them have studied the structure of ant-fruit networks. The use of the network approach allows visualising multiple interactions between partners and how they are shaped by the community context. Our study aims to investigate ant-fruit networks as well as quantitative and qualitative dispersal components in a fragment of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We investigated the structure of interaction networks, diaspore removal rates, diaspore destination and dispersal distance over two years of observation. We constructed three interaction networks: dry season, rainy season and total, with the latter comprising the two formers. The diaspore removal rate, dispersal distance and diaspore destination experiments were performed for the plant species Miconia calvescens, Miconia prasina, Psychotria leiocarpa and Inga edulis. We recorded a large number of interactions, with diaspore cleaning being more frequent than removal. Ant-diaspore networks were nested, non-modular and little specialized. M. calvescens, M. prasina and I. edulis showed higher diaspore removal rates. Diaspore removal distances were the same among M. calvescens, M. prasina and I. edulis. In M. calvescens and I. edulis, the main diaspore destination was the ant’s nest. Our study shows that diaspore cleaning is the most common behavior in ant-diaspore interactions and there are no differences in the organization of interaction networks over the seasons. These results have implications for the future structure of plant communities, considering that a small part of the diaspores is removed, and that most of them are cleaned, favouring germination at the deposition site

Pollination and breeding system in two sympatric Fuchsia (Onagraceae) species at the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia (Brazil): Hummingbirds, insects and facultative self-pollination

Fuchsia regia and F. campos-portoi (Onagraceae) belong to section Quelusia; a group native to the Patagonian, Southern and South eastern Brazilian regions. To date, no studies coupling detailed pollinator observations and breeding system experiments have been published for these species. Studies were performed at the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia (Rio de Janeiro), in altitudes ranging from 1300 to 2790 meters a.s.l. The flowers are nectariferous and protogynous. Yet, both species are self-compatible and facultatively autogamous, since more than 43% of the intact flowers undergo delayed self-pollination. Hummingbirds (four species), Acroceridae flies and bees (Apis mellifera and Bombus brasiliensis), in that order of importance, were recorded as pollinators of F. regia. In F. campos-portoi, bees of B. brasiliensis were the most frequent pollinators, followed by hummingbirds (three species). Experimental crosses between the two species yielded no fruits, in spite of their sharing of pollinators and of the existence of hybrids mentioned in literatur

Evolução na utilização e nos gastos de uma operadora de saúde

Brazil’s aging population and the rising number of people reliant upon the country’s supplementary healthcare system have elicited the concern of public and private managers regarding the increase in healthcare costs. In this paper, the costs per gender, per type of medical expenses and per age group of a major Brazilian self-managed healthcare provider between 2007 and 2013 were analyzed. This healthcare provider is of interest because, besides portraying a single condition of revenue growth restricted to the existing contributors, it also replicates the demographic profile expected for Brazil in 2050, when approximately one-third of its population will be over 60 years of age. The analyses confirm the current literature as they show an increase in healthcare plan usage by the elderly and the difference between admission rates by gender. They also reveal an increase in average length of stay in hospital and the increase in medical costs far above inflation, especially for materials and medicines. It is hoped that this study will help scholars and others interested in comparisons of medical expense trends, especially by age and sex, and that it encourages further collaboration on the sustainability of health insurance providers in Brazil

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

Efeito de Trilhas sobre Artrópodes de Serrapilheira no Parque Nacional da Tijuca, RJ

RESUMO Foi analisado o efeito de trilhas sobre a comunidade de artrópodes de serrapilheira em duas trilhas do Parque Nacional da Tijuca. Amostras de serrapilheira foram coletadas em duas cotas altitudinais (650 e 850 m anm) e em três classes de distância (0, 5 e 10 m). Os artrópodes foram identificados ao nível de ordem. Foram amostrados 4.491 indivíduos de 19 taxa, sendo Orthoptera a mais frequente. Foram encontradas diferenças significativas no número de táxons entre trilhas, possivelmente como resposta a um efeito causal da estrutura e da composição florística das trilhas e das cotas. A trilha que apresentou os maiores valores de riqueza foi a do Bico do Papagaio, diferindo da trilha do Pico da Tijuca. Concluiu-se que as diferenças encontradas podem estar relacionadas com o grau de perturbação diferenciado que as duas trilhas sofrem. No entanto, análises mais detalhadas poderão tornar os resultados mais claros

Understory epiphytic pteridophytes along altitudinal gradients on opposite slopes in the Atlantic Forest

Abstract Gradual climatic changes caused by mountains’ altitudinal variation promote alterations in the structure of ecological communities. Environmental changes are also expected according to the slope’s position in relation to the sea. In this study, we aimed to compare epiphytic pteridophyte communities along altitudinal gradients on opposite slopes in a section of the Atlantic Forest. We sampled a total of 10 sites in the montane and upper montane zones from the eastern (facing the sea) and western (facing away from the sea) slopes. A total of 1,742 individuals from 62 epiphytic species were recorded. The slopes showed similar epiphytic abundances and richness. Species richness showed a tendency to decrease with an increase in altitude on the western slope, and abundance was higher at intermediate altitudes, with no altitudinal trend in dominance. Conversely, on the eastern slope, there was no clear altitudinal pattern in richness or abundance; however, dominance increased with an increase in altitude from 1,200 to 1,800 m. Species compositions differed among altitudinal zones and between slopes. The eastern slope had lower species richness and no clear altitudinal gradient, although it was better preserved than the western one. Thus, there are differences in the community structure of epiphytic pteridophytes from the forest understory due to altitudinal variation and slope orientation, and these findings corroborate our hypotheses