Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae, Bokermannohyla lucianae (Napoli and Pimenta, 2003): distribution extension and geographic distribution map

The geographic distribution of Bokermannohyla lucianae, know only from its type locality in the municipality of Una, is extended 60 km south and 60 km south-west with two new localities in southern Bahia. The species seems to be restricted to remnants of primary and secondary Atlantic Rainforest patches in a small area of southern Bahia.

Chromosomal analysis of Physalaemus kroyeriAnd Physalaemus cicada(Anura, Leptodactylidae)

CAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOAll the species of Physalaemus Fitzinger, 1826 karyotyped up until now have been classified as 2n = 22. The species of the P. cuvieri group analyzed by C-banding present a block of heterochromatin in the interstitial region of the short arm of pair 5. Physalaemus cicada Bokermann, 1966 has been considered to be a member of the P. cuvieri species group, although its interspecific phylogenetic relationships remain unknown. The PcP190 satellite DNA has been mapped on the chromosomes of most of the species of the P. cuvieri group. For two species, P. cicada and P. kroyeri (Reinhardt & Lutken, 1862), however, only the chromosome number and morphology are known. Given this, the objective of the present study was to analyze the chromosomes of P. cicada and P. kroyeri, primarily by C-banding and PcP190 mapping. The results indicate that P. kroyeri and P. cicada have similar karyotypes, which were typical of Physalaemus. In both species, the NORs are located on the long arm of pair 8, and the C-banding indicated that, among other features, P. kroyeri has the interstitial band on chromosome 5, which is however absent in P. cicada. Even so, a number of telomeric bands were observed in P. cicada. The mapping of the PcP190 satellite DNA highlighted areas of the centromeric region of the chromosomes of pair 1 in both species, although in P. kroyeri, heteromorphism was also observed in pair 3. The cytogenetic evidence does not support the inclusion of P. cicada in the P. cuvieri group. In the case of P. kroyeri, the interstitial band on pair 5 is consistent with the existence of a cytogenetic synapomorphy in the P. cuvieri species group.All the species ofPhysalaemusFitzinger, 1826 karyotyped up until now have been classified as 2n = 22. The species of theP. cuvierigroup analyzed by C-banding present a block of heterochromatin in the interstitial region of the short arm of pair 5.Physalae102311323CAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOsem informação2010/11300-7620163/2008-

Diversity and habitat use of snakes from the coastal Atlantic rainforest in northeastern Bahia, Brazil

The north coast of Bahia comprises a 220 km long region within the Atlantic rainforest ecoregion. Studies focusing on snake communities are still scarce in this part of the state of Bahia. In this study, we assess snake diversity at nine locations, including habitat use and activity patterns. The sites were surveyed for three years, and four museum collections were visited to compile additional data. We obtained information on 50 species from 774 specimens. While the snake fauna at Instituto da Mata contained the greatest richness with 15 observed species, the snake fauna at Imbassaí exhibited the greatest snake diversity due to a lower dominance. The estimated species richness of the region might be as many as 55 species. Snakes occurred mainly in the restinga ecosystem (N = 27), followed by ombrophilous forest (N = 25), and consisted mainly of terrestrial species. The restinga dry forest is home to most species, however some are restricted to habitats in other vegetation types related to their biology. The snake assemblage on the north coast of Bahia is similar to others in the Atlantic rainforest and Caatinga domain in northeastern Brazil

Aparasphenodon brunoi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 (Anura: Hylidae): distribution extension and geographic distribution map for Bahia state, Brazil

The casque-headed frog Aparasphenodon brunoi is recorded for the first time in the municipalities of Ilhéus and Igrapiúna, southern region of Bahia state, northeastern Brazil. The new record of A. brunoi in the municipality of Igrapiúna, represents an increase of its known geographic distribution of approximately 150 km north from its nearest locality (airline), in municipality of Una, state of Bahia, representing now the northernmost known record for this species

Type III secretion inhibitors for the management of bacterial plant diseases

The identification of chemical compounds that prevent and combat bacterial diseases is fundamental for crop production. Bacterial virulence inhibitors are a promising alternative to classical control treatments, because they have a low environmental impact and are less likely to generate bacterial resistance. The major virulence determinant of most animal and plant bacterial pathogens is the type III secretion system (T3SS). In this work, we screened nine plant extracts and 12 isolated compounds including molecules effective against human pathogens for their capacity to inhibit the T3SS of plant pathogens and for their applicability as virulence inhibitors for crop protection. The screen was performed using a luminescent reporter system developed in the model pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum. Five synthetic molecules, one natural product and two plant extracts were found to down‐regulate T3SS transcription, most through the inhibition of the regulator hrpB. In addition, for three of the molecules, corresponding to salicylidene acylhydrazide derivatives, the inhibitory effect caused a dramatic decrease in the secretion capacity, which was translated into impaired plant responses. These candidate virulence inhibitors were then tested for their ability to protect plants. We demonstrated that salicylidene acylhydrazides can limit R. solanacearum multiplication in planta and protect tomato plants from bacterial speck caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Our work validates the efficiency of transcription reporters to discover compounds or natural product extracts that can be potentially applied to prevent bacterial plant diseases

Ecological Connectivity for Amphibians Under Climate Change

Campos, F. S., Lourenço-de-Moraes, R., Ruas, D. S., Mira-Mendes, C. V., Franch, M., Llorente, G. A., ... Cabral, P. (2019). Searching for Networks: Ecological Connectivity for Amphibians Under Climate Change. Environmental Management, 65(1), 46-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-019-01240-0Ecological connectivity depends on key elements within the landscape, which can support ecological fluxes, species richness and long-term viability of a biological community. Landscape planning requires clear aims and quantitative approaches to identify which key elements can reinforce the spatial coherence of protected areas design. We aim to explore the probability of the ecological connectivity of forest remnants and amphibian species distributions for current and future climate scenarios across the Central Corridor of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Integrating amphibian conservation, climate change and ecological corridors, we design a landscape ranking based on graph and circuit theories. To identify the sensitivity of connected areas to climate-dependent changes, we use the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate by means of simulations for 2080–2100, representing a moderated emission scenario within an optimistic context. Our findings indicate that more than 70% of forest connectivity loss by climate change may drastically reduce amphibian dispersal in this region. We show that high amphibian turnover rates tend to be greater in the north-eastern edges of the corridor across ensembles of forecasts. Our spatial analysis reveals a general pattern of low-conductance areas in landscape surface, yet with some well-connected patches suggesting potential ecological corridors. Atlantic Forest reserves are expected to be less effective in a near future. For improved conservation outcomes, we recommend some landscape paths with low resistance values across space and time. We highlight the importance of maintaining forest remnants in the southern Bahia region by drafting a blueprint for functional biodiversity corridors.authorsversionpublishe

El estudio de las tolerancias térmicas para el examen de hipótesis biogeográficas y de la vulnerabilidad de los organismos ante el calentamiento global. Ejemplos en anfíbios

Agencia Española de Cooperación y Desarrollo (AECID) A/016892/08, A/023032/09 y AP/038788/11Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España CGL2009-1276-C02-02 y CGL2008-04814-C02-02Ministerio de Educación y Cultura de España. Beca posdoctoral MEC2007-0944Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España. Beca FPI BES-2010-032912Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia de Portugal (FCT). Beca SFRH/BD/60271/200

High Levels of Diversity Uncovered in a Widespread Nominal Taxon: Continental Phylogeography of the Neotropical Tree Frog

Species distributed across vast continental areas and across major biomes provide unique model systems for studies of biotic diversification, yet also constitute daunting financial, logistic and political challenges for data collection across such regions. The tree frog Dendropsophus minutus (Anura: Hylidae) is a nominal species, continentally distributed in South America, that may represent a complex of multiple species, each with a more limited distribution. To understand the spatial pattern of molecular diversity throughout the range of this species complex, we obtained DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and the 16S rhibosomal gene (16S) for 407 samples of D. minutus and closely related species distributed across eleven countries, effectively comprising the entire range of the group. We performed phylogenetic and spatially explicit phylogeographic analyses to assess the genetic structure of lineages and infer ancestral areas. We found 43 statistically supported, deep mitochondrial lineages, several of which may represent currently unrecognized distinct species. One major clade, containing 25 divergent lineages, includes samples from the type locality of D. minutus. We defined that clade as the D. minutus complex. The remaining lineages together with the D. minutus complex constitute the D. minutus species group. Historical analyses support an Amazonian origin for the D. minutus species group with a subsequent dispersal to eastern Brazil where the D. minutus complex originated. According to our dataset, a total of eight mtDNA lineages have ranges >100,000 km2. One of them occupies an area of almost one million km2 encompassing multiple biomes. Our results, at a spatial scale and resolution unprecedented for a Neotropical vertebrate, confirm that widespread amphibian species occur in lowland South America, yet at the same time a large proportion of cryptic diversity still remains to be discovered