Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Multiplex PCR for detection of pathogens of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in honey

Recentemente, o declínio global dos polinizadores, especialmente das abelhas Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), tem acometido a atividade apícola e agrícola de alguns países causando prejuízos econômicos e ambientais, notadamente para os ecossistemas, ainda não efetivamente contabilizados. Dentre as causas elencadas para esse inexplicável fenômeno os patógenos estão entre os principais possíveis responsáveis. Vários são os patógenos que acometem as abelhas A. mellifera pelo mundo, entre eles a bactéria Paenibacillus larvae (White), e os fungos Ascosphaera apis (Maassen ex Claussen) Olive e Spiltoir, Nosema apis Zander e Nosema ceranae Fries et al. Suas distribuições em algumas partes do mundo, como o Brasil, são pouco conhecidas, não apenas pela dificuldade de coleta de amostras em um país com tamanha dimensão, mas também em virtude da morosidade e custo dos diagnósticos envolvidos. Diante disso, torna-se importante a padronização de técnicas para o diagnóstico rápido e seguro que facilite a realização de levantamentos epidemiológicos e que, consequentemente, auxilie no controle da disseminação desses micro-organismos. O objetivo desse trabalho foi padronizar uma técnica de PCR multiplex para detecção simultânea da presença de A. apis, N. ceranae e P. larvae em mel, bem como empregá-la na análise de amostras de mel provenientes de algumas regiões brasileiras. A PCR multiplex foi padronizada com primers específicos e DNA dos micro-organismos obtidos de amostras de mel positivas para cada um dos patógenos. Utilizou-se as recomendações da legislação nacional vigente para o preparo das soluções de mel a serem submetidas à técnica desenvolvida. A técnica padronizada neste estudo foi eficiente para diagnosticar simultaneamente três patógenos de A. mellifera em mel: A. apis, N. ceranae e P. larvae. O limiar de detecção da PCR monoespecífica foi 10 UFC/mL de mel para P. larvae e de 10 e 100 esporos/mL de mel para A. apis e N. ceranae, respectivamente. A sensibilidade de detecção da PCR multiplex foi de 10 UFC/mL de mel para P. larvae e 100 esporos/mL de mel para A. apis e N. ceranae. Não foram encontrados nenhum dos referidos patógenos nas 120 amostras de mel que foram analisadas com a PCR multiplex padronizada. A PCR multiplex foi adequada para detecção simultânea de patógenos de A. mellifera em mel, mas, provavelmente, poderá ser utilizada em outros produtos apícolas com pequenas modificações.Recently, a decline of pollinators, especially the bees Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), has affected beekeeping and consequently agricultural harvests in some countries, although the damage to ecosystems has not been effectively accounted. Among the causes listed for this unexplained phenomenon, pathogens are among the possible factors responsible. There are several pathogens that attack the bees A. mellifera around the world, as bacteria Paenibacillus larvae (White) and the fungi Ascosphaera apis (Maassen ex Claussen) Olive & Spiltoir, Nosema apis Zander and Nosema ceranae Fries et al. Their distributions in some parts of the world, such as Brazil, are not exactly known, not only because of the difficulty of collecting samples in such a large country, and also because of the time and cost of diagnoses involved. At this point, it is important to standardize techniques for rapid diagnosis and to facilitate the safe conduct of epidemiological surveys, and therefore assist in controlling the spread of these microorganisms. The aim of this work was standardize a multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection of the spores of A. apis, N. ceranae and P. larvae present in honey and use it in the analysis of honey samples from some regions. The multiplex PCR was standardized using specific primers and DNA was extracted from honey samples positive for each of the pathogens. The recommendations of existing national legislation were used for the preparation of the solutions of honey to be submitted to the technique developed. The standard technique in this study was effective for diagnosing three pathogens to A. mellifera in honey, A. apis, N. ceranae and P. larvae. The detection threshold of monospecific PCR was of 10 CFU/mL of honey, and of 10 and 100 spores/mL of honey for A. apis and N. ceranae, respectively. The detection sensitivity of multiplex PCR was of 10 CFU/mL of honey for P. larvae, and of 100 spores/mL of honey for A. apis and for N. ceranae. Did not match any of those pathogens in 120 honey samples analyzed with standardized multiplex PCR. Thus this method was suitable for simultaneous detection of pathogens to A. mellifera in honey, but can probably be used in other bee products with minor modifications.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superio

Species of Geotrupidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Coleoptera of the family Geotrupidae play an important ecological role in the decomposition of animal and plant organic matter. In Brazil there is little information on the diversity and distribution of this group, thus, this work had a purpose to study Geotrupidae species, occurring in Aquidauana, MS. A survey for geotrupids was conducted in Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Beetles were captured using a light trap over a period of two years, from January 2006 to December 2007. A total of 907 specimens were collected and identified to eight species. From the subfamily Bolboceratinae, the species identified were Bolbapium minutum (Luederwaldt, 1929) and Pereirabolbus castaneus (Klug, 1845). In the subfamily Athyreinae the species identified were Athyreus bilobus Howden & Martínez, 1978, Parathyreus aff. bahiae, Neoathyreus aff. julietae, N. sexdentatus Laporte, 1840, N. centromaculatus (Felsche, 1909) and N. goyasensis (Boucomont, 1902). Four species (A. bilobus, N. centromaculatus, N. goyasensis and P. castaneus) are reported for the first time in Aquidauana, MS, Brazil. The most abundant species, representing 85.9% of the total capture, was B. minutum. The greatest numbers of specimens was caught from October to December of both years of the study

Aspectos biológicos de Leucothyreus dorsalis Blanchard (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae) Biological aspects of Leucothyreus dorsalis Blanchard (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae)

No Brasil existe uma escassez de informações sobre a bioecologia da maioria das espécies de Scarabaeidae. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar os aspectos biológicos de Leucothyreus dorsalis Blanchard, 1850 em laboratório e a campo. A dinâmica populacional dos adultos foi avaliada de janeiro de 2006 a dezembro de 2007, com uso de armadilha luminosa. Adultos coletados em campo foram mantidos em recipientes de plástico contendo solo e mudas de Brachiaria decumbens Stapf, para obtenção de ovos e dar início aos estudos. Todos os estágios de desenvolvimento foram acompanhados e adultos e imaturos foram mensurados para obtenção de dados biométricos. Foram coletados 3.607 adultos e os picos populacionais de coleta ocorreram em novembro de 2006 e outubro de 2007, com média de 145 e 241 indivíduos coletados, respectivamente. O período embrionário durou em média 15,5 dias, o primeiro instar 32,4 dias, o segundo 38,9 dias, o terceiro 52,7 dias, a fase de pré-pupa 130,7 dias, a fase pupal 23,5 dias e a longevidade 18 dias. O ciclo biológico completou-se em 273,5 dias, o que caracteriza a espécie como univoltina. Verificou-se que do primeiro ao terceiro instar houve um aumento de 4,5 vezes no comprimento e de 3,5 vezes na largura das larvas. Observou-se um aumento de 53,1 vezes no peso larval do primeiro para o terceiro instar. As pupas das fêmeas foram significativamente maiores e mais pesadas que a dos machos. As fêmeas adultas foram maiores que os adultos machos, porém, apresentaram peso semelhante.<br>In Brazil there is a shortage of information on bioecology of most species of Scarabaeidae. The aim of this work was to study the biological aspects of Leucothyreus dorsalis Blanchard, 1850 in laboratory and field. The population dynamics of adults was evaluated from January, 2006, to December, 2007, with the use of light traps. Adults collected in the field were kept in plastic recipients containing soil and seedlings of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf, to obtain eggs and start the studies. All developmental stages were monitored and adults and immatures measured to get biometric data. 3,607 adults were collected and the population peaks occurred in November, 2006 and October, 2007, with averages of 145 e 241 individuals collected, respectively. The embryonic period took in the average 15.5 days, the 1st instar 32.4 days, the 2nd instar 38.9 days, the 3rd instar 52.7 days, the pre-pupa 130.7 days, the pupa 23.5 days and the longevity of adults 18 days. The biological cycle was completed in 273.5 days, characterizing the specie as univoltine. From the first to the third instar it was observed an increasing of 4.5 times in the extension and 3.5 times in the width of the larvae. There was an increase of 53.1 times in the larval weight from the first to the third instar. The female pupae were significantly larger and heavier than the male ones. The adult females are larger than the adult males, however, they have similar weight