Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time, and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space. While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes, vast areas of the tropics remain understudied. In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity, but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases. To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications 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, 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

Frutificação, características físicas de frutos e produtividade em cultivares e seleções de pessegueiro em Vista Alegre do Alto-SP Fruiting, physical fruit characteristics and productivity of peach tree cultivars and selections in Vista Alegre do Alto, São Paulo State, Brazil

A microrregião de Jaboticabal, SP, considerada como marginal para o cultivo do pessegueiro, apresenta vantagens comparativas importantes em relação às principais regiões produtoras do Brasil, como o reduzido risco de geadas, a baixa umidade relativa do ar e o déficit hídrico entre abril e setembro, além da possibilidade de produção precoce (agosto a outubro), o que tem remunerado satisfatoriamente os produtores. Entretanto, os resultados de pesquisa são consistentes apenas para a cultivar "Aurora-1". Visando consolidar esta microrregião como um novo pólo produtor de pêssegos de alta qualidade, o presente trabalho foi realizado no município de Vista Alegre do Alto-SP e teve por objetivo estudar a frutificação, as características físicas de frutos e a produtividade das cultivares "Aurora-1" e "Régis" e das seleções "Jab 484" e "Jab 694". Com as avaliações realizadas no 2&deg; e no 3&deg; ano após o transplantio das mudas (safras de 2005 e 2006), foi possível concluir que: a) a frutificação das cultivares "Régis" e "Aurora-1" e das seleções "Jab 484" e "Jab 694"é satisfatória em condições climáticas normais do município de Vista Alegre do Alto-SP; b) a cultivar "Régis" pode apresentar produção e produtividade equivalentes à "Aurora-1", podendo se tornar opção para produção ultraprecoce com frutos de dupla finalidade, ainda que sejam menores e mais leves em relação à "Aurora-1", "Jab 484" e "Jab 694"; c) as seleções "Jab 484" e "Jab 694" apresentam potencial para o cultivo em Vista Alegre do Alto-SP, por apresentarem frutos com características de dupla finalidade (servem para consumo in natura e para processamento), por serem mais pesados que "Aurora-1", podendo atingir produção e produtividade equivalentes a esta cultivar.<br>The Jaboticabal Micro-region, located in São Paulo State, Brazil, considered unsuitable for peach tree culture, presents important comparative advantages in relation to other traditional regions producing peach in Brazil, as the reduced frost incidence, low air relative humidity and hidric deficit between April and September, beyond precocious production possibility (August to October), which has remunerated satisfactorily the fruit growers. However, the research results are consistent only to 'Aurora-1' peach. Aiming to consolidate this Micro-region as a new peach production pole of high quality, the present research was conducted in Vista Alegre do Alto, São Paulo State, and had the objective to study the fruiting, physical fruit characteristics and productivity of 'Aurora-1' and 'Régis' cultivar, and 'Jab 484' and 'Jab 694' peach selections. With the evaluations carried through in 2nd and 3rd years after transplant (2005 and 2006 harvests), it was possible to conclude that: a) the fruiting of 'Régis' and 'Aurora-1' cultivars and 'Jab 484' and 'Jab 694' peach selections is satisfactory in normal climatic conditions in Vista Alegre do Alto, São Paulo State, Brazil; b) 'Régis' peach tree presents production and productivity equivalent to 'Aurora-1', becoming an option for ultraprecocious production of double purpose fruits, despite its fruits being smaller and lighter than 'Aurora-1' peach, 'Jab 484' and 'Jab 694' peach selections; c) 'Jab 484' and 'Jab 694' peach selections present potential in Vista Alegre do Alto, São Paulo State, presenting fruits with double purpose characteristics, being heavier than 'Aurora-1' peach, being able to reach production and productivity equivalent to this cultivar