Structure, diversity and phytogeographic contingent of tree species in a riverine forest in the Planalto da Campanha, Pampa biome

O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a estrutura e a diversidade de espécies arbóreas da floresta ribeirinha no arroio Pai Passo, município de Quaraí (RS), e avaliar as relações florísticas. Foram demarcadas três parcelas de 0,25 ha e amostradas todas as árvores com perímetro à altura do peito ≥ 15 cm. Em 0,75 ha, encontramos 1.050 indivíduos distribuídos em 36 espécies nativas e duas exóticas. As espécies estruturalmente mais importantes foram Pouteria salicifolia (Spreng.) Radlk., Gymnanthes klotzschiana Müll.Arg. e Eugenia uniflora L. A diversidade de Shannon foi de 12,38 espécies equivalentes, com índices de Shannon (H’) de 2,52 e de Pielou (J’) de 0,70. As espécies de ampla distribuição corresponderam a 50%, as do contingente paranense a 25% e as chaquenhas a 25%. A riqueza específica é alta para o Planalto da Campanha, devido à compensação de espécies chaquenhas ante a diluição de espécies paranenses, porém intermediária para o bioma Pampa.The aim of this study was to describe the structure and diversity of tree species of a riverine forest in the Pai Passo stream, Quaraí municipality (RS), and evaluate the floristic relationships. Three 0.25 ha plots were delimited and all trees with a perimeter at breast height ≥ 15 cm were sampled. In 0.75 ha, we sampled 1,050 individuals distributed in 36 native and two exotic species. The structurally most important species were Pouteria salicifolia (Spreng.) Radlk., Gymnanthes klotzschiana Müll.Arg. and Eugenia uniflora L. The Shannon diversity was 12.38 equivalent species, with Shannon index (H’) of 2.52 and Pielou index (J’) of 0.70. The species with wide distribution correspond to 50%, the paranense contingent species to 25% and the chacoan species to 25%. The species richness is high for the Planalto da Campanha, due to compensation of chacoan species against the dilution of paranense species, but intermediate for the Pampa biome

Transnational agricultural land acquisitions threaten biodiversity in the Global South

Agricultural large-scale land acquisitions have been linked with enhanced deforestation and land use change. Yet the extent to which transnational agricultural large-scale land acquisitions (TALSLAs) contribute to—or merely correlate with—deforestation, and the expected biodiversity impacts of the intended land use changes across ecosystems, remains unclear. We examine 178 georeferenced TALSLA locations in 40 countries to address this gap. While forest cover within TALSLAs decreased by 17% between 2000 and 2018 and became more fragmented, the spatio-temporal patterns of deforestation varied substantially across regions. While deforestation rates within initially forested TALSLAs were 1.5 (Asia) to 2 times (Africa) higher than immediately surrounding areas, we detected no such difference in Europe and Latin America. Our findings suggest that, whereas TALSLAs may have accelerated forest loss in Asia, a different mechanism might emerge in Africa where TALSLAs target areas already experiencing elevated deforestation. Regarding biodiversity (here focused on vertebrate species), we find that nearly all (91%) studied deals will likely experience substantial losses in relative species richness (−14.1% on average within each deal)—with mixed outcomes for relative abundance—due to the intended land use transitions. We also find that 39% of TALSLAs fall at least partially within biodiversity hotspots, placing these areas at heightened risk of biodiversity loss. Taken together, these findings suggest distinct regional differences in the nature of the association between TALSLAs and forest loss and provide new evidence of TALSLAs as an emerging threat to biodiversity in the Global South

AVALIAÇÃO DA REGENERAÇÃO NATURAL EM ÁREA DE RESTAURAÇÃO ECOLÓGICA E MATA CILIAR DE REFERÊNCIA

Riparian areas are a recurrent focus of ecological restoration due to their importance for the maintenance of ecosystem services. However, few studies have evaluated the success of active interventions in restoring ecosystem functions and processes. The natural regeneration is a successional process and its evaluation might reveal the state and the potential of the ecosystem resilience in forest areas undergoing restoration. The present study aimed to compare natural regeneration of a riparian area that is undergoing restoration (planting of native trees, 10 years ago) with a reference forest area, in Cachoeirinha, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. We conducted a survey of trees and shrubs in the upper stratum (DBH ≥ 5 cm) and the lower stratum (> 30 cm in height and DBH > 5 cm) in a total of 40 plots (100 m2 each), within the planting (restoration) and the remnant forest (reference). For each stratum and treatment (reference vs. restoration) we analyzed phytosociological parameters, patterns of structure and composition, and similarity among plots. The results showed significant differences in relation to structure and species composition, especially for the upper stratum. For the lower stratum (natural regeneration), abundance, height, and species richness were similar between the restoration and the reference areas. Species composition in regeneration remained distinct. However, its similarity value was higher than any other comparison among strata, indicating that species that were not planted were able to establish in the planted areas.Áreas ribeirinhas são foco recorrente de restauração ecológica, devido a sua importância para a manutenção de serviços ecossistêmicos. Entretanto, poucos estudos têm de fato avaliado o sucesso de intervenções ativas em restaurar funções ou processos ecossistêmicos. A regeneração natural é um processo sucessional, cuja avaliação pode indicar o estado e o potencial de resiliência do ecossistema em áreas sob restauração. O presente estudo comparou padrões de regeneração natural de uma área de restauração ecológica (com plantio de mudas nativas há 10 anos) com a mata ciliar de referência, em Cachoeirinha, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Para tanto, foi realizado o levantamento das espécies arbóreas e arbustivas presentes no estrato superior (DAP ≥ 5 cm) e inferior (altura > 30 cm e DAP < 5 cm), em 40 parcelas de 100 m² cada, considerando o plantio (restauração) e a mata ciliar remanescente (referência). Cada estrato e tratamento (referência vs. restauração) foi avaliado quanto aos descritores fitossociológicos, padrões de estrutura e composição, riqueza e similaridade entre as comunidades. Os resultados demonstraram que a área de restauração apresenta composição de espécies e estrutura diferenciada com relação à referência, especialmente para o estrato superior. No estrato inferior (regeneração natural), o número de indivíduos, a altura média e a riqueza de espécies já não diferiram da referência. A composição de espécies em regeneração ainda foi distinta, porém, esta foi mais similar entre si do que as demais comparações entre estratos, indicando que espécies não plantadas foram capazes de se estabelecer nas áreas de restauração

Analysis of progressive muscle relaxation on psychophysiological variables in basketball athletes

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a progressive muscle relaxation program on psychological (stress levels, anxiety, and mood states) and physiological (blood pressure and heart rate) variables in basketball athletes. Fifty-nine basketball players, aged 14 to 19 years, and members of Bauru Basket team, were recruited for this study and grouped into control group (CG, n = 30) and intervention group (IG, n = 29). The participants were evaluated, before and after the intervention, by the following means: Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), to measure the pre-competitive anxiety state, i.e., how anxious each athlete felt just before the competition; Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS), an instrument for early detection of overtraining syndrome; Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport), to identify the extent to which each athlete was physically or mentally stressed and the athlete’s current capability for recovery; Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ), specifically developed for athletes. The IG athletes participated in 12 progressive muscle relaxation sessions, a practice for tensing or tightening a specific muscle until an ideal state of relaxation is reached. Each participant had blood pressure and heart rate measured before and after every session. The CG athletes were evaluated similarly to those in the IG but without relaxation. The results showed statistically significant differences in cognitive anxiety (p = 0.039) and specific stress (p = 0.016) between CG and IG before the intervention; in addition, a significant heart rate decrease (p < 0.01) between IG and CG was noted.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio