Biodiversity of Insects in the Amazon: survey of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in Amazon rainforest areas in Amazonas state, Brazil

The thematic network ‘Biodiversity of Insects in the Amazon’ is the first network among researchers of the Brazilian Amazon in terms of the increase of knowledge and provision of subsidies for the conservation of Amazonian biodiversity, focusing on insects, and disseminate this knowledge to different sectors of society. In this way, expeditions to six localities in the Amazonas State were carried out and we present here the results for social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae). We used two modified Malaise traps combined with two suspended traps from July 2016 to June 2017. A total of 140 species and 20 genera were collected: 92 species and 18 genera in ZF-2-Manaus area, where the greatest diversity was recorded, followed by Tefé (73 species, 16 genera), Careiro-Castanho (72 species, 17 genera), Novo Airão (71 species, 16 genera), Presidente Figueiredo (62 species, 16 genera), and Ipixuna (58 species, 17 genera). Metapolybia rufata Richards, 1978 and Polybia diguetana du Buysson, 1905 were new records for Brazil, and other six species were first records for Amazonas state. The results indicate that further investigations should significantly increase the species diversity of wasps in the Amazon region and add more information to the knowledge of Polistinae diversity

A Bibliometric Analysis of Microalgae Research in the World, Europe, and the European Atlantic Area

A bibliographic database of scientific papers published by authors affiliated worldwide, especially focused in Europe and in the European Atlantic Area, and containing the keywords “microalga(e)” or “phytoplankton” was built. A corpus of 79,020 publications was obtained and analyzed using the Orbit Intellixir software to highlight the evolution of the research domain. Publication rates from 1960 to 2019, organization of the research, collaboration networks between countries and organizations, emerging and fading research concepts, major studied species, and associated concepts, as well as journals publishing microalgae research were considered. As a result, of the 79,020 papers published worldwide, 26,137 included authors from Europe (33% of world production) and 6989 from the European Atlantic Area (AA) (27% of European production, 9% of world production). The main worldwide scientific research topics found in this study were phytoplankton, community, bloom, diatoms, distribution, ecosystem, coastal, chlorophyll, zooplankton, photosynthesis, and primary production. At the European scale, the most studied topics were related to the environment, food, chemicals, pigments, protein, feed, and drugs. The highest scientific trends and market opportunities analysis identified bioplastics and biostimulants as top emerging concepts at the European level and agricultural, animal feed, and blue biotechnology at the European AA level

Biodiversity of Insecta in Amazonia: Updating the geographic records of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in Acre and Rondônia States, Brazil

The Acre and Rondônia states in Brazil are part of Western Amazon rainforest in Brazil, an area harboring high biodiversity and high degree of endemisms Nevertheless, there are few studies on diversity of social wasps occurring in both states. This study presents a list of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) collected using three modified Malaise traps model: Townes, Gressit and Gressit, and suspended traps in two localities in Acre and two in Rondônia state.  A total of 60 species were collected, 20 of these species are new distribution records to Acre state and 54 species, 15 of these species are new distribution records to Rondônia state. Some species are not commonly found in the collections and lists of species, and some are recorded for the first or second time to Brazil or the Amazon region. Now there are 114 species (19 genera) for Acre and 116 species (19 genera) for Rondônia. This increase may be an indication that the Polistinae richness is probably higher in the regions studied and that Acre and Rondônia may well contain a number of additional (as yet unrecorded) social wasp species. He we present an updated about the geographic records of social wasps’ fauna in both states

Mecanismos de Controle para Fluxo de Vapor d’água na Flona Tapajós para o Ano de 2002

O objetivo desse trabalho é analisar a relação do fluxo de vapor d’água com os mecanismos de controle (condutância de superfície, condutância aerodinâmica) para os períodos sazonais para o ano de 2002. Sítio de estudo está localizado na Floresta Nacional de Tapajós (FNT, 54º 58’ W, 2º 51’ S, Pará, Brasil), próximo ao km 67 da Santarém-Cuiabá rodovia (BR-163). Na estação chuvosa a média de evapotrasnpiração (ETP) foi de 124,8 mm.mês-1, enquanto no seco obteve valor de 145,7 mm.mês-1. As médias para cada estação foram de 0,355 m.s-1 (chuvosa) e 0,206 m.s-1 (seca) para a condutância de superfície (Cs) e 0,325 m.s-1 (chuvosa) e 0,371 m.s-1 (seca) para condutância (Ca). Os mecanismos de controle reagem de formas diferentes durante os períodos sazonais para o fluxo de vapor d’água.. Dessa forma, pode-se inferir que os mecanismos tem respostas de forma diferente para a evapotranspiração da floresta ao longo do ano

Comparative analysis of sustainability assessment methods in agroecosystems

The aim of this work was to compare and analyze three different methods of the sustainability evaluation in agricultural systems, such as the Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles (IDEA), the weighted Assessment of environmental impact of New Rural activities (APOIA Novo-Rural), and the indicators of sustainability in Agroecosystem (ISA). Those methods were comparied by two criteria. The first one relates to the distribution of sustainability indicators into categories (Endogenous System Operation, Endogenous Resources, Exogenous Systems Operation, and Exogenous Resources) and elements (technical, socioeconomic, natural and cultural resources). The second one involves the conceptual approaches of each method towards the concept of sustainability, objective and target audience, adoption of the systemic approach, level of stakeholder’s participation, level of adequacy, and method flexibility in different realities. The indicators set of each method, although quantitatively different, consider the diversity of elements that involve the agricultural systems. The IDEA method concentrates its indicators on the Endogenous System Operation category, while the APOIA Novo-Rural and the ISA methods concentrate their indicators on the Endogenous Resources category. The IDEA method directs the assessment to the awareness of the environmental processes that surround the agricultural activity in the property. On the other hand, in the APOIA Novo-Rural and the ISA methods, the reflective practice is fostered from impacts on the environment, and can be improved by extension actions. The main difference presented among those methods is the integrative evaluation of the indicators as well as trade-offs involved

Developing cost-effective field assessments of carbon stocks in human-modified tropical forests

Across the tropics, there is a growing financial investment in activities that aim to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, such as REDD+. However, most tropical countries lack on-the-ground capacity to conduct reliable and replicable assessments of forest carbon stocks, undermining their ability to secure long-term carbon finance for forest conservation programs. Clear guidance on how to reduce the monetary and time costs of field assessments of forest carbon can help tropical countries to overcome this capacity gap. Here we provide such guidance for cost-effective one-off field assessments of forest carbon stocks. We sampled a total of eight components from four different carbon pools (i.e. aboveground, dead wood, litter and soil) in 224 study plots distributed across two regions of eastern Amazon. For each component we estimated survey costs, contribution to total forest carbon stocks and sensitivity to disturbance. Sampling costs varied thirty-one-fold between the most expensive component, soil, and the least, leaf litter. Large live stems (≥10 cm DBH), which represented only 15% of the overall sampling costs, was by far the most important component to be assessed, as it stores the largest amount of carbon and is highly sensitive to disturbance. If large stems are not taxonomically identified, costs can be reduced by a further 51%, while incurring an error in aboveground carbon estimates of only 5% in primary forests, but 31% in secondary forests. For rapid assessments, necessary to help prioritize locations for carbon- conservation activities, sampling of stems ≥20cm DBH without taxonomic identification can predict with confidence (R2 = 0.85) whether an area is relatively carbon-rich or carbon-poor—an approach that is 74% cheaper than sampling and identifying all the stems ≥10cm DBH. We use these results to evaluate the reliability of forest carbon stock estimates provided by the IPCC and FAO when applied to human-modified forests, and to highlight areas where cost savings in carbon stock assessments could be most easily made

USO DE PRODUTOS FLORESTAIS NÃO MADEIREIROS EM COMUNIDADES DA FLONA TAPAJÓS

This article aims to identify the use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) by the traditional populations living in the communities of São Domingos, Maguari, and Jamaraquá, PA, Brazil, to understand the issues related to the main species collected, their uses, and product pricing. A rapid rural appraisal (RRA) was conducted with community NTFP collectors, followed by interviews with the artisans, including a total of 10 people. The most cited species in the RRA were morototó, bead tree, tento amarelo, wingleaf soapberry, açaí palm, jutaí, and Job’s tears, which are used to produce handicrafts and bio-jewels. In addition, buriti, tucumã, and curuá fiber and lapachillo, itaúba, cedar, arara castanha, and molongó wood were used. The price of bio-jewels varies from BRL 2 to 30, and of the wood ornamental pieces from BRL 10 to 300. The main advantages of working with NTFP highlighted in the interviews were that seed collection is easy, that there is demand, and that income is generated for community members. The difficulties mentioned were the collection and processing of morototó and paricá seed, and access to trees. Jamaraquá, Maguari, and São Domingos are successful examples of forest products that consolidated the market and are cultural and social representation of the forest peoples.  O objetivo deste artigo é caracterizar o uso dos produtos florestais não madeireiros (PFNM) pelas populações ribeirinhas em comunidades na Flona Tapajós, compreendendo as questões relacionadas às principais espécies coletadas, seus usos e atribuição de valor aos produtos confeccionados. Foi realizado um Diagnóstico Rápido Rural (DRR) com os coletores de PFNMs, e entrevistas com um total de 10 artesãos. As espécies mais citadas foram: morototó, tento vermelho, tento amarelo, saboneteira, açaí, jutaí e lágrima de nossa senhora que são utilizadas na produção de artesanatos e biojóias; também se utiliza as fibras (buriti, tucumã e curuá) e as madeiras (coração de negro, itaúba, cedro, arara castanha e molongó). As biojóias variam de valor entre R$2,00 a R$20,00 e as peças ornamentais de madeira de R$10,00 a R$300,00. As principais vantagens de trabalhar com PFNM apontadas na entrevista são a facilidade de coletar sementes, o fato de ter demanda e gerar renda aos artesãos envolvidos. As dificuldades mencionadas são a coleta das sementes do morototó e paricá e o acesso as árvores na floresta. Jamaraquá, Maguari e São Domingos são exemplos bem-sucedidos de que os produtos oriundos da floresta têm mercado consolidado e são representação cultural e social dos povos da floresta. Palavras-chave: artesanato; biojóias; população tradicional; Amazônia.   Use of non-wooden forest products in the National Forest of Tapajós communities   ABSTRACT: The aim of this article is to characterize the use of non-timber forest products (NTFP) by riverine populations in communities in Flona Tapajós, including issues related to the main species collected, their uses and attribution of value to the manufactured products. the use of non-timber forest products (NTFP) by riverine populations in communities in Flona Tapajós, including issues related to the main species collected, their uses and attribution of value to the products made. A rapid rural appraisal (RRA) was conducted with community NTFP collectors, followed by interviews with the artisans, including a total of 10 people. The most cited species in the RRA were morototó, bead tree, tento amarelo, wingleaf soapberry, açaí palm, jutaí, and Job’s tears, which are used to produce handicrafts and bio-jewels. In addition, buriti, tucumã, and curuá fiber and lapachillo, itaúba, cedar, arara castanha, and molongó wood were used. The price of bio-jewels varies from BRL 2 to 20, and of the wood ornamental pieces from BRL 10 to 300. The main advantages of working with NTFP highlighted in the interviews were that seed collection is easy, that there is demand, and that income is generated for community members. The difficulties mentioned were the collection and processing of morototó and paricá seed, and access to trees. Jamaraquá, Maguari, and São Domingos are successful examples of forest products that consolidated the market and are cultural and social representation of the forest peoples. Keywords: handicrafts; bio-jewels; traditional population; Amazon

A new field instrument for leaf volatiles reveals an unexpected vertical profile of isoprenoid emission capacities in a tropical forest.

Both plant physiology and atmospheric chemistry are substantially altered by the emission of volatile isoprenoids (VI), such as isoprene and monoterpenes, from plant leaves. Yet, since gaining scientific attention in the 1950?s, empirical research on leaf VI has been largely confined to laboratory experiments and atmospheric observations. Here, we introduce a new field instrument designed to bridge the scales from leaf to atmosphere, by enabling precision VI detection in real time from plants in their natural ecological setting. With a field campaign in the Brazilian Amazon, we reveal an unexpected distribution of leaf emission capacities (EC) across the vertical axis of the forest canopy, with EC peaking in the mid-canopy instead of the sun-exposed canopy surface, and moderately high emissions occurring in understory specialist species. Compared to the simple interpretation that VI protect leaves from heat stress at the hot canopy surface, our results encourage a more nuanced view of the adaptive role of VI in plants. We infer that forest emissions to the atmosphere depend on the dynamic microenvironments imposed by canopy structure, and not simply on canopy surface conditions. We provide a new emissions inventory from 52 tropical tree species, revealing moderate consistency in EC within taxonomic groups. We highlight priorities in leaf volatiles research that require field-portable detection systems. Our self-contained, portable instrument provides real-time detection and live measurement feedback with precision and detection limits better than 0.5 nmolVI m-2 leaf s-1. We call the instrument ?PORCO? based on the gas detection method: photoionization of organic compounds. We provide a thorough validation of PORCO and demonstrate its capacity to detect ecologically driven variation in leaf emission rates and thus accelerate a nascent field of science: the ecology and ecophysiology of plant volatiles

Methods for overcoming seed dormancy in blue palm

The blue palm (Bismarckia nobilis) is one of the most used ornamental palms in landscaping, due to its size and slightly bluish fan-shaped leaves. However, its propagation is carried out through seeds and the germination of these seeds is extremely low, in addition to the plant growth being considered slow. This work aimed to compare the use of pre-germination treatments to break dormancy and accelerate germination of B. nobilis seeds. The effect of mechanical scarification (sanding the region opposite the embryonic axis), thermal (immersion in water at 40 ºC, 60 ºC and 80 ºC for 5 min) and chemical (immersion in sulfuric acid 98% for 15; 30; 45 and 60 min), as well as its imbibition in solutions containing GA3 (gibberellic acid) at concentrations of 250; 500; 750 and 1000 mg L-1 on germination and speed of germination of seeds of the species. The results showed that the pre- germination treatments of mechanical and thermal scarification presented the best results compared to the other treatments