Inland wetlands in the lower Tagus: land uses, habitat condition and fish communities

Tese de Mestrado, Ecologia e Gestão Ambiental, 2023, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de CiênciasO aumento da população mundial e a consequente conversão de terras para agricultura e ocupação urbanística, têm vindo a acentuar a perda e degradação de habitats e o colapso da biodiversidade. As zonas húmidas de água doce são um dos ecossistemas mais ameaçados do mundo e importantes “hotspots” de biodiversidade. Constituem refúgios para diversas espécies em declínio, e fornecem diversos Serviços de Ecossistema, e múltiplos benefícios para o bem-estar humano. Estes aspetos têm vindo a ser crescentemente reconhecidos, e a conservação e restauro das zonas húmidas de água doce assume cada vez mais relevância nos planos para a inverter a perda de biodiversidade a nível nacional e regional. Esta tendência é notória nos planos da Convenção sobre Diversidade Biológica (CBD), Estratégia de Biodiversidade para 2030 da União Europeia e na Estratégia Nacional de Conservação da Natureza e Biodiversidade para 2030, que figuram como o maior desafio da política ambiental do século XXI. As zonas húmidas de água doce são particularmente importantes na região do Mediterrâneo, devido à elevada taxa de espécies endémicas ameaçadas nesta região, e à sua acrescida suscetibilidade a pressões humanas e às alterações climáticas. Identificar e monitorizar as comunidades biológicas nestes ambientes e avaliar as pressões que os afetam é por isso da maior relevância, particularmente em zonas com menor informação. A identificação e monitorização de zonas húmidas tem vindo a melhorar substancialmente nos últimos anos, em associação com o desenvolvimento de técnicas como a deteção remota, e a disponibilização de informação pelas missões de satélite Sentinel. A utilização desta informação, com elevada precisão e cobertura temporal, facilita a monitorização das alterações nos ecossistemas e permite atuar de forma mais informada nos locais com maior necessidade de conservação. O Tejo é o rio mais longo da Península Ibérica, e no seu segmento terminal, desde a Golegã até Lisboa, drena uma extensa planície aluvial. A região do Baixo Tejo, é historicamente caracterizada por inundações anuais, que transforma toda a paisagem numa imensa zona húmida, podendo inclusive isolar algumas localidades. Atualmente estas situações são cada vez menos frequentes devido à construção de barragens e regularização dos caudais do rio, as quais permitiram também a atual expansão da agricultura intensiva, mas que também terão contribuído também para o desaparecimento de várias zonas húmidas na região. Este trabalho pretendeu assim identificar as zonas húmidas de água doce que persistem atualmente no Baixo Tejo, quantificar os usos atuais do solo e as alterações que ocorreram nos últimos 10 anos nestas zonas, e caracterizar as comunidades de peixes dulciaquícolas locais. Assim, a área de estudo abrange apenas zonas de baixa altitude (≤ 50 m), sendo esta mais suscetibilidade à ocorrência de inundações, e onde existe uma maior probabilidade de ocorrência de zonas húmidas de água doce. Com base em deteção remota, e na combinação de imagens captadas pelo satélite Sentinel-2 através do Índice de Água de Diferença Normalizada (NDWI), foram identificadas 409 massas de água na região do Baixo Tejo, entre a Golegã e Lisboa. Destas, 30 apresentaram capacidade de manutenção de água durante o período seco, tendo desta forma, sido consideradas como possuidoras de potencial para albergar comunidades de peixes. Após análise in loco, foram selecionadas para amostragem 11 zonas húmidas, globalmente representativas da variabilidade de condições ambientais observadas na região do Baixo Tejo. O uso do solo entre 2007 e 2018 foi quantificado a partir das Cartas de Uso e Ocupação do Solo da Direção Geral do Território. Para facilidade de interpretação e comparação, os usos do solo foram reclassificados e agrupados em quatro classes abrangentes, designadamente, Urbano/Industrial (UI), Agricultura Intensiva (IA), Agricultura Extensiva (EA) e Áreas Naturais (NA). Especificamente, a alteração do uso do solo foi determinada a partir da diferença da representação das classes EA e NA de dois períodos distintos, em 2018 e a média do período correspondente aos anos de 2007, 2010 e 2015. Complementarmente, com base na representação da UI e IA em 2018, as zonas húmidas foram classificadas em cinco categorias pressão, de Excelente a Severamente Perturbado. Os usos e ocupação do solo nas áreas adjacentes às zonas húmidas apresentaram uma grande heterogeneidade. O uso mais representado e transversal às zonas húmidas foi a IA (em média 42.9 %), sendo muito relevante na Golegã, Santana e Setil (> 70 %). Foram também observadas percentagens elevadas(> 60 %) de NA em Gouxa, Granho e Sto Estevão, e de UI em Manique Intendente e Caniceiras, não ocorrendo esta última em Muge, Granho e Sto Estevão. Entre os períodos analisados, verificou-se um decréscimo da UI e IA nas áreas adjacentes a todas as zonas húmidas, excetuando no Setil, Caniceiras e Pinhal Novo onde a IA tem vindo a aumentar. As zonas húmidas com maior perturbação foram Golegã, Manique do Intendente e Caniceiras, com UI elevada, e Santana, Muge, Setil e Pinhal Novo, com IA elevada. As zonas húmidas classificadas em bom estado, foram Gouxa, Granho, Ota e Sto Estevão, onde tem vindo a ocorrer uma diminuição da agricultura intensiva em favor da agricultura extensiva e de áreas naturais nas áreas adjacentes. As comunidades piscícolas das 11 zonas húmidas selecionadas foram amostradas entre 6 de maio e 11 de junho de 2021, com recurso a armadilhas, redinha e pesca-elétrica. As comunidades foram caracterizadas em termos de capturas por unidade de esforço (CPUE), com base no método Multi Gear Mean Standardization, que tem vindo a revelar-se particularmente adequado no estudo da estrutura de comunidades. No total foram capturados 8 272 peixes, de cinco espécies nativas e de oito espécies nãonativas. Embora a generalidade das comunidades piscícolas locais tenham sido dominadas por espécies não-nativas, foram encontradas duas espécies classificadas como criticamente ameaçadas (CR) a nível global, nomeadamente, a Enguia europeia (Anguilla anguilla) e a Boga-de-boca-arqueada-de-lisboa (Iberochondrostoma olisiponense), em cinco e duas zonas húmidas, respetivamente. As comunidades piscícolas de Setil e Sto Estevão que mantêm conectividade direta com o curso principal do Rio Tejo, foram as únicas que incluíram uma espécie migradora e uma espécie potamódroma, respetivamente a Taínha fataça Chelon ramada e o Barbo-ibérico Luciobarbus bocagei. Por sua vez, Golegã and Gouxa que são isolados e profundos apresentaram a maior abundância de Achigã Micropterus salmoides e de Perca-sol Lepomis gibbosus. Pelo contrário, Caniceiras que é pouco profundo e mantém alguma conectividade com a rede hidrográfica em eventos de cheia, apresentou o maior número de espécies nativas, incluindo não só a Enguia-europeia e a Boga-de-boca-arqueada-de-lisboa, mas ainda o Verdemã-comum (Cobitis paludica). A Boga-de-boca-arqueada-de-lisboa foi ainda encontrada no Granho, sendo esta uma nova localização para a sua área de distribuição no baixo Tejo. Apesar da prevalência de espécies não-nativas nas comunidades locais, os resultados obtidos indicam que algumas zonas húmidas do Baixo Tejo poderão ainda servir como zonas de refúgio para espécies de peixes ameaçadas. No entanto, a colonização de espécies não-nativas nas zonas húmidas é muito preocupante e pode representar uma pressão significativa para a fauna nativa. A expansão de áreas naturais e agricultura extensiva, abrem oportunidades para implementação de melhores práticas agrícolas na vizinhança das zonas húmidas, as quais, em associação com processos de conservação e restauro, podem contribuir para inverter a tendência de expansão de espécies não-nativas e de perda de biodiversidade.Inland wetlands are widely recognized as biodiversity hotspots, and among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. Conservation management and restauration actions are thus urgently needed in inland wetlands, especially in areas harbouring endangered endemic species. The role of inland wetlands in Lower Tagus in supporting endangered endemic fish remains unclear. This work assessed the status of inland wetlands in the region and its local fish communities. Inland wetlands were identified using the Normalized Difference Water Index with Sentinel-2 imagery. Land use and change were derived from soil use and occupation charts. Fish communities were surveyed using multiple techniques and the Gear Mean Standardization approach, and related to habitat, landscape, and land use and change. In total, 409 water bodies were identified in the Lower Tagus, 30 of which with potential to host fish. Seven out of 11 wetlands assessed were heavily disturbed, though intensive agriculture tended to reduce and be replaced by extensive agriculture and natural areas in the last years. Fish communities included five native species, but were dominated by eight non-native species. Setil and Sto Estevão were directly connected to the Tagus River and harboured Iberian barbel and Thinlip grey mullet, while the deep and isolated Golegã and Gouxa harboured Largemouth bass and Pumpkinseed sunfish and the shallow Caniceiras included threatened European eel, Southern Iberian Spined loach and Lisbon arched-mouthed nase. These results indicate that some wetlands in the Lower Tagus may act as refuge habitats for threatened fish, despite non-native fish prevalence. Efforts should focus on preserving and restoring these wetlands and in controlling non-native species spread in the region

Multicenter validation of PIM3 and PIM2 in Brazilian pediatric intensive care units

ObjectiveTo validate the PIM3 score in Brazilian PICUs and compare its performance with the PIM2.MethodsObservational, retrospective, multicenter study, including patients younger than 16 years old admitted consecutively from October 2013 to September 2019. We assessed the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR), the discrimination capability (using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve – AUROC), and the calibration. To assess the calibration, we used the calibration belt, which is a curve that represents the correlation of predicted and observed values and their 95% Confidence Interval (CI) through all the risk ranges. We also analyzed the performance of both scores in three periods: 2013–2015, 2015–2017, and 2017–2019.Results41,541 patients from 22 PICUs were included. Most patients aged less than 24 months (58.4%) and were admitted for medical conditions (88.6%) (respiratory conditions = 53.8%). Invasive mechanical ventilation was used in 5.8%. The median PICU length of stay was three days (IQR, 2–5), and the observed mortality was 1.8% (763 deaths). The predicted mortality by PIM3 was 1.8% (SMR 1.00; 95% CI 0.94–1.08) and by PIM2 was 2.1% (SMR 0.90; 95% CI 0.83–0.96). Both scores had good discrimination (PIM3 AUROC = 0.88 and PIM2 AUROC = 0.89). In calibration analysis, both scores overestimated mortality in the 0%–3% risk range, PIM3 tended to underestimate mortality in medium-risk patients (9%–46% risk range), and PIM2 also overestimated mortality in high-risk patients (70%–100% mortality risk).ConclusionsBoth scores had a good discrimination ability but poor calibration in different ranges, which deteriorated over time in the population studied

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

Datasheet1_Multicenter validation of PIM3 and PIM2 in Brazilian pediatric intensive care units.pdf

ObjectiveTo validate the PIM3 score in Brazilian PICUs and compare its performance with the PIM2.MethodsObservational, retrospective, multicenter study, including patients younger than 16 years old admitted consecutively from October 2013 to September 2019. We assessed the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR), the discrimination capability (using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve – AUROC), and the calibration. To assess the calibration, we used the calibration belt, which is a curve that represents the correlation of predicted and observed values and their 95% Confidence Interval (CI) through all the risk ranges. We also analyzed the performance of both scores in three periods: 2013–2015, 2015–2017, and 2017–2019.Results41,541 patients from 22 PICUs were included. Most patients aged less than 24 months (58.4%) and were admitted for medical conditions (88.6%) (respiratory conditions = 53.8%). Invasive mechanical ventilation was used in 5.8%. The median PICU length of stay was three days (IQR, 2–5), and the observed mortality was 1.8% (763 deaths). The predicted mortality by PIM3 was 1.8% (SMR 1.00; 95% CI 0.94–1.08) and by PIM2 was 2.1% (SMR 0.90; 95% CI 0.83–0.96). Both scores had good discrimination (PIM3 AUROC = 0.88 and PIM2 AUROC = 0.89). In calibration analysis, both scores overestimated mortality in the 0%–3% risk range, PIM3 tended to underestimate mortality in medium-risk patients (9%–46% risk range), and PIM2 also overestimated mortality in high-risk patients (70%–100% mortality risk).ConclusionsBoth scores had a good discrimination ability but poor calibration in different ranges, which deteriorated over time in the population studied.</p

AMAZONIA CAMTRAP: A data set of mammal, bird, and reptile species recorded with camera traps in the Amazon forest

The Amazon forest has the highest biodiversity on Earth. However, information on Amazonian vertebrate diversity is still deficient and scattered across the published, peer-reviewed, and gray literature and in unpublished raw data. Camera traps are an effective non-invasive method of surveying vertebrates, applicable to different scales of time and space. In this study, we organized and standardized camera trap records from different Amazon regions to compile the most extensive data set of inventories of mammal, bird, and reptile species ever assembled for the area. The complete data set comprises 154,123 records of 317 species (185 birds, 119 mammals, and 13 reptiles) gathered from surveys from the Amazonian portion of eight countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela). The most frequently recorded species per taxa were: mammals: Cuniculus paca (11,907 records); birds: Pauxi tuberosa (3713 records); and reptiles: Tupinambis teguixin (716 records). The information detailed in this data paper opens up opportunities for new ecological studies at different spatial and temporal scales, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change, and other human-mediated defaunation processes in one of the most important and threatened tropical environments in the world. The data set is not copyright restricted; please cite this data paper when using its data in publications and we also request that researchers and educators inform us of how they are using these data

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

Comenta&#769;rios a uma sentenc&#807;a anunciada : o processo Lula

“Comentários a uma sentença: o Caso Lula” é talvez o mais importante documento jurídico publicado no Brasil em décadas. A presente coletânea de artigos nasceu de um movimento espontâneo e bastante significativo de juristas brasileiros e estrangeiros que examinaram cuidadosamente a sentença proferida no âmbito do processo que tramitou na 13ª Vara Federal de Curitiba, no caso que ficou conhecido na mídia como o do “tríplex do Guarujá”. <br>De la presentación de Geraldo Prad