Checklist dos mamíferos do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

A fauna de mamíferos do estado de São Paulo consta de 231 táxons, sendo este número uma estimativa da real diversidade presente na região, dado a falta de amostragem em grandes extensões do estado, e também de revisões taxonômicas para determinados grupos. Ainda assim, nosso conhecimento aumentou em 20% desde a última estimativa em 1998, principalmente em relação aos quirópteros e roedores. Estes dados são provenientes de inventários faunísticos, e também do estudo de espécimes depositados em coleções científicas oriundos de revisões taxonômicas. Também temos um maior volume de dados a respeito da distribuição dos mamíferos em relação às diferentes paisagens presentes no estado, o que nos permite dividir a mastofauna em três componentes distintos: o mais importante desses é o das espécies generalistas, que ocorrem em todas as principais paisagens do estado; o segundo grupo concentra espécies das formações abertas, e o terceiro grupo inclui as espécies essencialmente florestais. Além disso, o número de estudos que tem se preocupado com o efeito da fragmentação de hábitats sobre as comunidades de mamíferos, bem como a respeito da permeabilidade das espécies em áreas alteradas, também aumentaram. Dados a respeito da ocorrência, abundância e vulnerabilidade das espécies foram essenciais para traçar estratégias em relação à escolha de áreas e à indicação de ações prioritárias para a conservação dos mamíferos no estado, assim como classificar as espécies nas diferentes categorias de ameaças propostas, culminando na Lista das Espécies Ameaçadas do Estado de São Paulo. Entretanto, ainda existem inúmeras lacunas de conhecimento, que vão desde o número limitado de amostras zoológicas, até a falta de informações acerca da ecologia e história natural de várias espécies. É imprescindível que aumentemos as amostras de mamíferos em coleções zoológicas, principalmente em áreas de Floresta Ombrófila Densa, nos fragmentos de Cerrado, bem como em áreas do centro e oeste do Estado, que permanecem ainda pouco estudadas, com o objetivo de produzir um maior número de revisões taxonômicas em diversos grupos de mamíferos, e de estudos com abordagens filogeográficas e de genética de populações, para diagnosticarmos de forma efetiva a riqueza de mamíferos no estado, bem como os mecanismos evolutivos responsáveis por esta diversificação. Aliados a esses estudos serão necessárias abordagens ecológicas para gerarmos conhecimento, que em conjunto, nos permitirá avaliarmos o estado de conservação dos mamíferos de São Paulo e tomarmos decisões sobre as melhores estratégias para manejarmos e preservarmos estas espécies.São Paulo harbors 231 mammal species until now. This is an estimate of its real diversity since many regions of the State continue poorly surveyed, and also reflects the lack of taxonomic work for certain mammal taxa. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the São Paulo mammals has increased in 20% in the last 12 years, especially in relation to bats and rodents. These new data are based in mammal inventories and also in the analysis of specimens housed in scientific collections associated with taxonomic revisions. We also know better about the mammal distribution in the distinct vegetation units present in the State, permitting us to divide the mammals in three distinct components: the most important one is the generalists, represented by species occurring in every landscape in the State, while the second one concentrates species inhabiting the open formations, and the third component the species associated with the forest formations. Besides, the number of studies dealing with the effect of fragmentation and the permeability of mammals in altered areas also has increased. Occurrence, abundance and vulnerability data were essential to raise strategies in order to choose priority areas and to indicate priority actions to conserve the mammals of the State, as well as to classify the species in the different proposed threaten categories, culminating in the List of the Threaten Species of the São Paulo State. However, there are many points yet poorly developed or poorly known, such as the limited number of zoological samples, and the lack of information about the ecology and natural history of many species, respectively. It's extremely important that we increase our samples in the scientific collections, especially in areas of Dense Ombrofilous Forests, in the Cerrado fragments, as well as in central and western areas of the State that continue poorly surveyed. The objective is to produce more taxonomic work in several mammalian groups, and also studies focusing in the phylogeography and in the population genetics in order to effectively diagnose the mammal richness of the State, as well as the evolutionary processes responsible for this diversification. Additionally, ecological data accompanying this information is needed in order to evaluate the conservation status of the São Paulo mammals to decide about the better strategies to manage and conserve these mammals.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade de São PauloUniversidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar)Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia Zoologia Departamento de Ciências NaturaisUniversidade Estadual PaulistaUniversidade Federal de Mato Grosso Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Biologia e ZoologiaUniversidade para o Desenvolvimento do Estado e da Região do PantanalUniversidade Estadual PaulistaFAPESP: 98/05075-7FAPESP: 00/06642-4CNPq: 310490/2009-

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance.

Investment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences that have been generated and used to track the pandemic on the continent, a number that now exceeds 100,000 genomes. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries that are able to sequence domestically and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround times and more-regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and illuminate the distinct dispersal dynamics of variants of concern-particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron-on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve while the continent faces many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Ultrasonic acoustic emissions as indicators of tree drought stress in outdoor forest settings: Testing the concept using cut saplings

Drought-induced air embolism (air blockage of xylem sap) is an important mechanism behind observed forest declines and serves as a physiological link between climate and reduced tree growth. It has been known since the 1980 s that vapour bubbles generated inside drying plant tissue emit ultrasonic acoustic emissions (UAEs), but it remains uncertain whether acoustic studies can be applied inside complex soundscapes of forests to monitor xylem embolism in real-time. In this study, we show that microphones mounted on, or adjacent to, stems of young birch (Betula pendula) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), can indeed be used in outdoor environments to detect embolism in the xylem sap. Vapour formation via cavitation in the xylem was artificially generated inside cut saplings by a surfactant that reduced the cohesive forces of water and forced the water column inside the xylem to break. Birch trees with induced xylem embolism experienced reduction (−60 ± 11 %; mean ± sterr) in water uptake in similar to pine (−49 % ±5). Both control trees and trees with induced embolism generated UAEs, but trees with hydraulic failure due to xylem embolism emitted UAEs more frequently than control trees. The vertical distribution of UAEs from the stems differed between species where birch only emitted more UAEs than the control from basal part of the tree trunk (+58 % ±28), while these pulses where emitted more often from both basal sections (+35 % ±2) and upper sections (+53 % ±4) of the pine trunk from our treatment. We conclude that both substrate-borne and airborne UAEs can be used to indicate hydraulic failures inside forests and that bioacoustics monitoring reveal a previously unknown species-specific difference in how embolism appear inside the trunk of birch and pine

Spatial analysis of a coastal area for conservation and fishery of mangrove edible crab (Ucides cordatus)

Mangroves are productive ecosystems of tropical coastal landscapes, constituting habitat for many commercial fisheries, as the crab Ucides cordatus. In Brazil this crab holds a major socio-economic importance for artisanal fishery, but with obvious decline on their productivity. In this study we determined and mapped the more suitable mangrove areas for the conservation and fishery of this crab in the São Francisco River Estuary (Northeastern Brazil). We applied a Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) in a GIS environment. Ten criteria in total were used, including crab biotic parameters, land use/cover and social factors. Maps of each criterion were produced by GIS techniques with CBERS and SPOT images and by field data. Mangroves more suitable for the conservation of U. cordatus (9.4 km2) are near to the river mouth, due to high density and frequency of non-commercial size crabs (NCSC), low density of commercial size crabs (CSC), small crabs and low degree of use for fishery. On the other hand, the mangroves for the crab fishery occurred with a similar area (10.2 km2) located farther away from the river mouth, with a high density and frequency of CSC, low density of NCSC, big crabs, medium-high degree of use for fishery and near to the villages. These information and thematic maps can aid government agencies in delineating extractive and fishery exclusion areas, thus contributing to the management plan for this species.SCOPUS: cp.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Microsatellite typing of ancient maize: insights into the history of agriculture in southern South America

Archaeological maize specimens from Andean sites of southern South America, dating from 400 to 1400 years before present, were tested for the presence of ancient DNA and three microsatellite loci were typed in the specimens that gave positive results. Genotypes were also obtained for 146 individuals corresponding to modern landraces currently cultivated in the same areas and for 21 plants from Argentinian lowland races. Sequence analysis of cloned ancient DNA products revealed a high incidence of substitutions appearing in only one clone, with transitions prevalent. In the archaeological specimens, there was no evidence of polymorphism at any one of the three microsatellite loci: each exhibited a single allelic variant, identical to the most frequent allele found in contemporary populations belonging to races Amarillo Chico, Amarillo Grande, Blanco and Altiplano. Affiliation between ancient specimens and a set of races from the Andean complex was further supported by assignment tests. The striking genetic uniformity displayed by the ancient specimens and their close relationship with the Andean complex suggest that the latter gene pool has predominated in the western regions of southern South America for at least the past 1400 years. The results support hypotheses suggesting that maize cultivation initially spread into South America via a highland route, rather than through the lowlands

Probiotic actions of Bacillus cereus var. toyoi and Saccharomyces boulardii in silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) larvae culture

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of Bacillus cereus var. toyoi and Saccharomyces boulardii as probiotics to improve Rhamdia quelen culture. Six hundred larvaes (0.16±0.07 g) were divided in three replicate tanks (25-L recirculation, 20 ºC, photoperiod of 12 h light/12 h darkness) per treatment and were randomly assigned to the following treatments: Bacillus cereus var. toyoi; Saccharomyces boulardii; B. toyoi and S. boulardii; and control (without probiotic addition) for a period of 30 days. The fish were fed five times daily (56% crude protein - Supra alevino inicial®) and the probiotics were applied in water once a day. The doses of probiotics were <img src="/img/revistas/rbz/v41n3/aproximadamente.jpg">5 × 10(8) and <img src="/img/revistas/rbz/v41n3/aproximadamente.jpg">2 × 10(9) CFU (colony forming unit)/mL for B. cereus var. toyoi and S. boulardii, respectively. Both probiotics have an inhibitory effect in vitro against Vibrio carchariae and are able to grow in media prepared with fishery water; however, no effect was observed on growth parameters when they were administered to Rhamdia quelen larvae