Hunting and Use of Wildlife Species in the Semi-Arid Region of Brazil

This article investigates the socio-cultural and ecological aspects associated with the hunting of wild animals by the inhabitants of the Cruz village, State of Alagoas. The data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and informal conversations. A total of 23 species was indicated as a game, with mammals being preferred by the population. Among the techniques of capture, the hunting of persecution with dog and hunting with a shotgun stands out, in addition to the shuttlecock, used to reach the birds with small stones. Four forms of animal use were recorded: food, medicine, pets, and control. Despite being indicated as one of the main causes of the reduction of wildlife, hunting is strongly related to the socio-cultural aspects of the Brazilian semi-arid populations. Thus, proposals for the management of wildlife resources in traditional communities must take into account the needs of these populations

Spectrum of Pollen Stored by Melipona mandacaia (Smith, 1863) (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini) in an Urban Arid Landscape

The objective of this study was to identify the species of pollen supplying plants that constitute the trophic niche of Melipona mandacaia in an urban area in the Caatinga domain (a tropical arid landscape). The collection of pollen in the colonies was carried out every 15 days, from October 2014 to September 2015. The pollen was removed directly from the storage pots in three distinct colonies. A total of 24 samples were analyzed and compared with the reference pollen collection, pollen catalogs and specialized literature. For the quantitative analysis, at least 1000 pollen grains per sample were identified. A total of 39 pollen types were identified, distributed in 17 botanical families, being one an indeterminate type. The most represented family was the Fabaceae (n = 16). The most frequent types were Leucaena leucocephala, Mimosa pudica and Melochia sp. There was a significant positive correlation between temperature and the number of pollen types throughout the study. Relative humidity and rainfall were abiotic variables that did not present a significant correlation. The rarefaction curve showed that probably most of the pollen types collected by the bees studied were sampled, since the accumulation curve showed a progressive tendency to stabilization, indicating that there was sample adequacy of the pollen types. The analysis of similarity revealed a high sharing of pollen sources between colonies

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora