Linking plant phenology to conservation biology

Phenology has achieved a prominent position in current scenarios of global change research given its role inmonitoring and predicting the timing of recurrent life cycle events. However, the implications of phenology to environmental conservation and management remain poorly explored. Here,we present the first explicit appraisal of howphenology-amultidisciplinary science encompassing biometeorology, ecology, and evolutionary biology- can make a key contribution to contemporary conservation biology. We focus on shifts in plant phenology induced by global change, their impacts on species diversity and plant-animal interactions in the tropics, and how conservation efforts could be enhanced in relation to plant resource organization. We identify the effects of phenological changes and mismatches in the maintenance and conservation of mutualistic interactions, and examine how phenological research can contribute to evaluate, manage and mitigate the consequences of land-use change and other natural and anthropogenic disturbances, such as fire, exotic and invasive species. Wealso identify cutting-edge tools that can improve the spatial and temporal coverage of phenological monitoring, from satellites to drones and digital cameras. We highlight the role of historical information in recovering long-term phenological time series, and track climate-related shifts in tropical systems. Finally, we propose a set of measures to boost the contribution of phenology to conservation science.Weadvocate the inclusion of phenology into predictive models integrating evolutionary history to identify species groups that are either resilient or sensitive to future climate-change scenarios, and understand how phenological m ismatches can affect community dynamics, ecosystem services, and conservation over time

Low frequency of TERT promoter mutations in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).

Somatic mutations in the promoter region of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene, mainly at positions c. − 124 and c. − 146 bp, are frequent in several human cancers; yet its presence in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) has not been reported to date. Herein, we searched for the presence and clinicopathological association of TERT promoter mutations in genomic DNA from 130 bona fide GISTs. We found TERT promoter mutations in 3.8% (5/130) of GISTs. The c. − 124C4T mutation was the most common event, present in 2.3% (3/130), and the c. − 146C4T mutation in 1.5% (2/130) of GISTs. No significant association was observed between TERT promoter mutation and patient’s clinicopathological features. The present study establishes the low frequency (4%) of TERT promoter mutations in GISTs. Further studies are required to confirm our findings and to elucidate the hypothetical biological and clinical impact of TERT promoter mutation in GIST pathogenesis.This project was partially supported by Barretos Cancer Hospital internal research funds (PAIP) and CNPq Universal Grant (476192/2013-7) to RMR. NCC is a recipient of an FAPESP Doctoral Fellowship (2013/25787-3). Further funding from the project ‘Microenvironment, metabolism and cancer’ that was partially supported by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2—O Novo Norte) under the Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN) and the Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER). IPATIMUP is an Associate Laboratory of the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education that is partially supported by the FCT

Data standardization of plant–pollinator interactions

Background: Animal pollination is an important ecosystem function and service, ensuring both the integrity of natural systems and human well-being. Although many knowledge shortfalls remain, some high-quality data sets on biological interactions are now available. The development and adoption of standards for biodiversity data and metadata has promoted great advances in biological data sharing and aggregation, supporting large-scale studies and science-based public policies. However, these standards are currently not suitable to fully support interaction data sharing. Results: Here we present a vocabulary of terms and a data model for sharing plant–pollinator interactions data based on the Darwin Core standard. The vocabulary introduces 48 new terms targeting several aspects of plant–pollinator interactions and can be used to capture information from different approaches and scales. Additionally, we provide solutions for data serialization using RDF, XML, and DwC-Archives and recommendations of existing controlled vocabularies for some of the terms. Our contribution supports open access to standardized data on plant–pollinator interactions. Conclusions: The adoption of the vocabulary would facilitate data sharing to support studies ranging from the spatial and temporal distribution of interactions to the taxonomic, phenological, functional, and phylogenetic aspects of plant–pollinator interactions. We expect to fill data and knowledge gaps, thus further enabling scientific research on the ecology and evolution of plant–pollinator communities, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and the development of public policies. The proposed data model is flexible and can be adapted for sharing other types of interactions data by developing discipline-specific vocabularies of termsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

APICULTURA E RESPONSABILIDADE SOCIAL: DESAFIOS DA PRODUÇÃO E DIFICULDADES EM ADOTAR PRÁTICAS SOCIAL E AMBIENTALMENTE RESPONSÁVEIS

RESUMOO artigo objetiva identificar a percepção e as dificuldades que os produtores têm em adotar práticas mais responsáveis social e ambientalmente. Utilizou-se de método qualitativo, com entrevista semiestruturada com cinco das seis pessoas que participam da Associação de Apicultores. Nesse sentido, a pesquisa utilizou a análise categorial temática, com o desmembramento em categorias conforme os temas que emergem do texto identificando o que eles têm em comum, dividida em quatro categorias temáticas: 3.1 - Perfil dos entrevistados; 3.2 - Determinação da criação de abelhas e da produção do mel; 3.3 - Conhecimento da atividade e importância da associação; 3.4 - Comercialização e responsabilidade social e ambiental. A responsabilidade social em relação ao mel foi evidenciada como um diferencial no produto concentrado nas preocupações com o meio ambiente, influenciando as tomadas de decisões dos apicultores em seus negócios, bem como no comprometimento para a melhoria da qualidade de vida e bem-estar social. Os resultados da pesquisa também demonstraram que a apicultura é uma atividade lucrativa. No entanto, se percebeu que, em decorrência dos associados não estarem bem organizados, têm dificuldades em comercializar seus produtos

Moenkhausia restricta, a new species from the upper Rio Negro, Amazon basin, northwestern Brazil (Characiformes: Characidae)

Soares, Nathália C., Benine, Ricardo C. (2019): Moenkhausia restricta, a new species from the upper Rio Negro, Amazon basin, northwestern Brazil (Characiformes: Characidae). Zootaxa 4700 (4): 487-493, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4700.4.

Nisina: um conservante natural para alimentos

O crescente interesse por alimentos processados e que ainda mantenham as suas características mais próximas do natural tem incentivado pesquisadores a buscar associações de tecnologias para conservar os alimentos com qualidade e segurança alimentar. Algumas bactérias ácido Táticas, como Lactococcus lactis NIOZRS, 6F3, NCFB894, ATCC11454, N8, NIZ022186, produzem as bacteriocinas ou peptideos antibacterianos, que retardam ou inibem o crescimento de outras bactérias. A bacteriocina nisina, que é naturalmente produzida em vários alimentos fermentados, vem sendo consumida por humanos há séculos. A nisina tem seu uso aprovado em alimentos em mais de 50 países, e, em 1988, o FDA concedeu-lhe o status de GRAS ("Generally Recognized As Safe"). Esta revisão mostra avanços nos estudos da bioquímica, genética, resistência e modo de ação, além da aplicabilidade desse peptídeo em alimentos. Estudos têm mostrado a baixa toxicidade da nisina e sua alta eficiência como conservante em alimentos. O uso da nisina em alimentos pode ser na forma de imersão do produto em uma solução que a contém ou ela pode ser incorporada nas embalagens ativas que, ao serem usadas no acondicionamento do produto será liberada de forma controlada para a sua superficie.The increasing interest processed foods that maintain its fresh characteristic has encouraged in producer to look for new technologies to preserve food with quality and microbiological safety. Some lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactococcus !octís NIOZRS, GP 3, NCFBS94, ATCCI 1454, N8, NIZOZZISG produce bacteriocins or antibacterial peptídes that kill or inhibit the growth of other bacteria. The peptide nisin is produced naturally in several fermented foods, and has been consumed by humans for centuries. It is approved for foodstuff use in more than 50 countries. In 1988, the FDA considered aísin with status of GRAS (”Generally Recognized as Safe"). This review outlines some advances in the studies of the biochemistry, genetics, resistance and mechanism of action besides the applicability of peptide as an additive in food. Research has show the low toxicity of nisina and its high efficiency as a food preservativo. Nisin can be Sprayed on the product surface or incorporated into the active packaging that will release it to the food surfac

Resource use by two electric fishes (Gymnotiformes) of the National Forest Saracá-Taquera, Oriximiná, Pará

ABSTRACT Fishes of the order Gymnotiformes have high diversity of oral and head morphology, which suggests trophic specializations within each clade. The aim of this study was to describe resource use patterns by two fish species (Gymnorhamphichthys rondoni and Gymnotus coropinae) in the National Forest Saracá-Taquera, Oriximiná - Pará, analyzing microhabitat use, diet composition, feeding strategies, niche breadth and niche overlap. Stomach contents of 101 individuals (41 G. rondoni and 60 G. coropinae), sampled in 23 headwater streams were analyzed and volume of food items was quantified to characterize their feeding ecology. Gymnorhamphichthys rondoni was captured mainly on sandy bottoms, whereas G. coropinae in crevices. Both species had a zoobenthivorous diet and consumed predominantly Sediment/Detritus and Diptera larvae, but also included allochthonous prey in their diet. These species had high niche overlap, with small variations related to the higher consumption of Ceratopogonidae larvae by G. rondoni and of Chironomidae larvae by G. coropinae. Both species had a generalist feeding strategy, but G. coropinae had a broader niche breadth. Our results demonstrate that G. rondoni and G. coropinae occupy different microhabitats but rely on similar food resources