Mapping and characterization of vegetation units by means of Landsat imagery and management recommendations for the Pantanal of Mato Grosso (Brazil), north of Poconé

In the present study, remote sensing in the northern region of Poconé-MT was used to identify vegetation categories, which were then mapped and characterized. The goal in generating the map was to provide information needed to support sustainable use and to formulate conservation policies. Vegetation units were identified and classified using digital images that were taken in 1990 by the Landsat Thematic Mapperc Satellite and then processed using ERDAS software. First, the vegetation classes were systematically defined. In a preliminary interpretation of the image data, Landsat-TM bands that allowed the best visual differentiation of these classes were selected and the image was georeferenced. Routes for trips to the study area to collect truth data (training samples) for further supervised classification were then determined. These data were subsequently classified according to The System of Classification of Brazilian Vegetation (VELLOSO et al. 1991), which has been used in other physiognomic maps of the Pantanal, in order to make our results comparable to those from other mappings. In addition, some modifications of this system were made due to the particular characteristics of the Pantanal and the scale used for this map. Six classes and 16 subclasses were defined for part I of the vegetation map of Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil, specifically, the area north of Poconé. A distinction was made between the vegetation units of the Paraguayan Depression and those of the Pantanal due to the different characteristics of the vegetation from these two regions, and particularly the role played by inundation. The phytoecological region savanna (cerrado) covers a large part of the total area (53.05%) and consists of five sub-classes. Two forest classeswere identified: seasonal semideciduous forest and seasonal deciduous forest. These two phytoecological classes occupied 16.21 % of the total mapped area; 14.45% of the area has been strongly modified by humans (agriculture, pasture, gold mine, and construction); 0.80% is covered during the dry season by perennial water bodies. Based upon ground truth data and regional field experience, ten eco-zones are proposed and suggestions for sustainable management and conservation measures are discussed

Exploring the Event-Related Potentials' Time Course of Associative Recognition in Autism

Behavioral data on episodic recollection in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) point limited relational memory functioning. However, the involvement of successive memory processes in the profile of episodic memory in ASD needs more study. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERP) to investigate the time course of episodic recollection with an associative recognition paradigm with picture pairs. Twenty-two participants with ASD and 32 with typical development (TD), all right-handed, were included. Behavioral results confirmed difficulties in correctly recognizing identical pairs in the ASD relative to TD group. We found an unexpected amplitude decrement on the P2 (220-270 msec) and FN400 (350-470 msec) potentials, suggesting diminished priming and familiarity effects in the ASD relative to TD group. However, ERP data revealed that the recognition of associative information relies on the same electrophysiological process (old/new effect in the 600-700-msec late positive component) in ASD participants as in TD ones, with a parietal extension in the ASD group. These results suggest that the electrophysiological processes of associative recognition are qualitatively similar in individuals with and without ASD but may differ quantitatively. This difference may be driven by the reduced early processing of picture pairs that may in turn lead to their diminished integration into the semantic memory system, being partially compensated by a greater involvement of associative memory during the recollection process. Other studies would be useful to go further in identifying these cognitive processes involved in atypical recognition in ASD and their neural substrates. LAY SUMMARY: We identified diminished performance on the associative recognition of picture pairs in adolescents and young adults with autism when compared to typical development. Electrophysiological data revealed qualitative similarities but quantitative differences between-group, with diminished priming and familiarity processes partially compensated by an enhanced parietal recollection process

Riverhood: political ecologies of socionature commoning and translocal struggles for water justice

Mega-damming, pollution and depletion endanger rivers worldwide. Meanwhile, modernist imaginaries of ordering ‘unruly waters and humans’ have become cornerstones of hydraulic-bureaucratic and capitalist development. They separate hydro/social worlds, sideline river-commons cultures, and deepen socio-environmental injustices. But myriad new water justice movements (NWJMs) proliferate: rooted, disruptive, transdisciplinary, multi-scalar coalitions that deploy alternative river–society ontologies, bridge South–North divides, and translate river-enlivening practices from local to global and vice-versa. This paper's framework conceptualizes ‘riverhood’ to engage with NWJMs and river commoning initiatives. We suggest four interrelated ontologies, situating river socionatures as arenas of material, social and symbolic co-production: ‘river-as-ecosociety’, ‘river-as-territory’, ‘river-as-subject’, and ‘river-as-movement’

The role of organisms in hyporheic processes : gaps in current knowledge, needs for future research and applications

Fifty years after the hyporheic zone was first defined (Orghidan, 1959), there are still gaps in the knowledge regarding the role of biodiversity in hyporheic processes. First, some methodological questions remained unanswered regarding the interactions between biodiversity and physical processes, both for the study of habitat characteristics and interactions at different scales. Furthermore, many questions remain to be addressed to help inform our understanding of invertebrate community dynamics, especially regarding the trophic niches of organisms, the functional groups present within sediment, and their temporal changes. Understanding microbial community dynamics would require investigations about their relationship with the physical characteristics of the sediment, their diversity, their relationship with metabolic pathways, their inter- actions with invertebrates, and their response to environmental stress. Another fundamental research question is that of the importance of the hyporheic zone in the global metabolism of the river, which must be explored in relation to organic matter recycling, the effects of disturbances, and the degradation of contaminants. Finally, the application of this knowledge requires the development of methods for the estimation of hydro- logical exchanges, especially for the management of sediment clogging, the optimization of self-purification, and the integration of climate change in environmental policies. The development of descriptors of hyporheic zone health and of new metrology is also crucial to include specific targets in water policies for the long-term management of the system and a clear evaluation of restoration strategies