Growing at the limit: Reef growth sensitivity to climate and oceanographic changes in the South Western Atlantic

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordWhilst the impacts of climatic and oceanographic change on lower latitude reefs are increasingly well documented, our understanding of how reef-building has fluctuated in higher latitude settings remains limited. Here, we explore the timing and longevity of reef-building through the mid- to late Holocene in the most southerly known reef (24°S) in the Western Atlantic. Reef core data show that reef growth was driven by a single coral species, Madracis decactis, and occurred over two phases since ~6000 calibrated (cal.) yr B.P.. These records further indicate that there was a clear growth hiatus from ~5500 to 2500 cal. yr B.P., and that there is no evidence of reef accretion on the Queimada Grande Reef (QGR) over the past 2000 yrs. It thus presently exists as a submerged senescent structure colonized largely by non-reef building organisms. Integration of these growth data with those from sites further north (18°S and 21°S) suggests that Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), South Westerlies Winds (SWW) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability and shifts during the Holocene drove changes in the position of the Brazil-Falklands/Malvinas Confluence (BFMC), and that this has had a strong regional influence on the timing and longevity of reef growth. Our results add new evidence to the idea that reef growth in marginal settings can rapidly turn-on or -off according to regional environmental changes, and thus are of relevance for predicting high latitude reef growth potential under climate change.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)razilian Research Council (CNPq

New insights into the distribution and conservation status of the Golden-White Tassel-Ear Marmoset Mico chrysoleucos (Primates, Callitrichidae)

Among the 13 Mico species recognized by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, six are listed as "Data Deficient". The geographic range of most of the Mico species has been estimated from only a few records. We report new localities and the geographic extension of Mico chrysoleucos. In addition, we confirmed the presence of the species in two distinct protected areas. We modeled the habitat suitability of M. chrysoleucos using the maximum entropy method and including new records obtained by the authors in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. From the total area of occurrence calculated for the species, 22.8% is covered by protected areas and indigenous lands. The annual mean deforestation rate estimated between 2000 and 2015 was 2.95%, and the total area deforested by 2015 was 3354 km2 or 8.6% of the total distribution limits of the species. The habitat lost between 2000 and 2015 was 3.2% (1131 km2 ) of the total potential distribution, while the habitat loss area legally protected was 31 km2, and the habitat loss in settlements was equal to 691 km2. Our results extend the geographic distribution of the species about 100 km farther south, with the Maracanã River being a possible geographic barrier for the species. The significantly low rate of habitat loss inside protected areas and indigenous land, when compared to unprotected areas, points out the importance of these areas to M. chrysoleucos conservation. The species is relatively wide-ranging, legally protected, and resilient to regional anthropic threats. However, the hydroelectric schemes and the improvement of the road system in southern Amazonia pose an imminent threat to the species

The inventory of geological heritage of the state of São Paulo, Brazil: Methodological basis, results and perspectives

An inventory of geological sites based on solid and clear criteria is a first step for any geoconservation strategy. This paper describes the method used in the geoheritage inventory of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and presents its main results. This inventory developed by the geoscientific community aimed to identify geosites with scientific value in the whole state, using a systematic approach. All 142 geosites representative of 11 geological frameworks were characterised and quantitatively evaluated according to their scientific value and risk of degradation, in order to establish priorities for their future management. An online database of the inventory is under construction, which will be available to be easily consulted and updated by the geoscientific community. All data were made available to the State Geological Institute as the backbone for the implementation of a future state geoconservation strategy.The authors acknowledge the Science Without Borders Programme, Process 075/2012, which supported this study and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Process 2011/17261-6. We also thanks C. Mazoca for his help with maps and figures.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Genetic structure of drone congregation areas of Africanized honeybees in southern Brazil

As yet, certain aspects of the Africanization process are not well understood, for example, the reproductive behavior of African and European honeybees and how the first Africanized swarms were formed and spread. Drone congregation areas (DCAs) are the ideal place to study honeybee reproduction under natural conditions since hundreds of drones from various colonies gather together in the same geographical area for mating. In the present study, we assessed the genetic structure of seven drone congregations and four commercial European-derived and Africanized apiaries in southern Brazil, employing seven microsatellite loci for this purpose. We also estimated the number of mother-colonies that drones of a specific DCA originated from. Pairwise comparison failed to reveal any population sub-structuring among the DCAs, thus indicating low mutual genetic differentiation. We also observed high genetic similarity between colonies of commercial apiaries and DCAs, besides a slight contribution from a European-derived apiary to a DCA formed nearby. Africanized DCAs seem to have a somewhat different genetic structure when compared to the European