Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Influence of the cotton and silastic seton on the distance of the anal sphincter cables after fistulotomy in rats

Rationale: Fistulotomy is a procedure widely used in the treatment of anal fistulas but is associated with varying degrees of fecal incontinence that could be minimized by previous use of sedentum, and the material used may influence the outcome. Purpouse: To compare cotton and silastic used as setons in the spacing of the sphincter cables of rats subjected to fistulotomy. Method: Thirty Wistar rats were used, which after 30 days of fistula production were distributed in: Control Group (GC): the steel wire was removed, followed by fistulotomy; Cotton Group (GA) and Silastic Group (GS), in which were applied cotton and silastic setons respectively for 30 days when fistulotomy was performed; after seven days, euthanasia and removal of the specimens were performed for histological study, and the results were submitted to statistical assessment using Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric test, establishing a significance level of p  0.05). Conclusion: The silastic seton prior to fistulotomy caused less detachment of the muscular cables and less local inflammatory process. Resumo: Racional: A fistulotomia é um procedimento muito utilizado no tratamento das fístulas anais mas está associado a graus variáveis de incontinência fecal que poderia ser minimizado pelo uso prévio de sedenho, sendo que o material utilizado pode ter influência no resultado. Objetivo: Comparar os fios de algodão e sonda de silastic utilizados como sedenhos no afastamento dos cabos musculares do esfíncter anal de ratos submetidos a fistulotomia. Método: Utilizou-se 30 ratos Wistar, que após 30 dias da confecção da fístula foram distribuídos em: Grupo Controle (GC): foi retirado o fio de aço seguido por fistulotomia; Grupo Algodão (GA) e Grupo Silastic (GS), nos quais aplicou-se sedenho de algodão e silastic respectivamente por 30 dias quando foi realizada fistulotomia; após sete dias realizou-se eutanásia e remoção dos espécimes para estudo histológico, sendo os resultados submetidos a tratamento estatístico pelo teste não-paramétrico de Kruskal–Wallis, estabelecendo-se como significante p  0,05). Conclusão: O sedenho de silastic previamente à fistulotomia causou menor afastamento dos cabos musculares e menor processo inflamatório local. Keywords: Rectal fistula, Cotton, Silastic, Fistulotomy, Fecal incontinence, Palavras-chave: Fistula retal, Fio de algodão, Silastic, Fistulotomia, Incontinência feca

Atitude religiosa e sentido da vida: um estudo correlacional

This research has investigated the meaning of life (Viktor Frankl) and the religious attitude. According to logotherapy, religiousness does not necessarily mean the choice for a specific religion, but it can be one of the possible ways for man to find the meaning in life. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between the meaning of life and the religious attitude in a transversal and correlational manner. The sample was composed of 300 participants, male and female. 37% men and 63% women, 42 years old average. The instruments were Crumbauch and Maholick’s Life Purpose Test (PIL-Test) and Aquino’s Religiousness/ Spirituality Attitude Scale. The results showed positive correlations between religious attitude and existential realization, religious attitude and age, existential despair and existential emptiness, and existential realization and age, as well as negative correlations between religious attitude and existential despair, religious attitude and existential emptiness, existential despair and existential realization, and existential emptiness and existential realization. It was observed that the religious attitude is a way to find the meaning of life, as well as an element to avoid existential emptiness and existential despair.A presente pesquisa abordou o sentido da vida (Viktor Frankl) e a atitude religiosa. Para a logoterapia, a religiosidade não significa necessariamente a opção por uma crença religiosa, mas pode ser uma das possíveis maneiras de o homem encontrar sentido para a vida. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a relação entre o sentido de vida e a atitude religiosa de forma transversal e correlacional. A amostra foi composta por 300 sujeitos de ambos os sexos, 37% homens e 63% mulheres, com idade média de 42 anos. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Teste Propósito de Vida (PIL-Test), de James C. Crumbauch e Leonard T. Maholick, e a Escala de Atitude Religiosa/Espiritualidade, de Aquino. Os resultados apontam correlações positivas entre a atitude religiosa e a realização existencial, a atitude religiosa e a idade, o desespero existencial e o vazio existencial e a realização existencial e a idade, havendo também correlações negativas entre a atitude religiosa e o desespero existencial, a atitude religiosa e o vazio existencial, o desespero existencial e a realização existencial e o vazio existencial e a realização existencial. Concluiu-se que a atitude religiosa é uma forma de encontro de sentido de vida bem como um elemento de prevenção do vazio existencial e do desespero existencial.La presente pesquisa abordó el sentido de la vida (Viktor Frankl) y la aptitud religiosa. Para la logoterapia, la religiosidad no significa necesariamente la opción por una creencia religiosa, pero puede ser una de las posibles maneras del hombre de encontrar sentido para la vida. El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la relación entre el sentido de vida y la actitud religiosa de forma transversal y correlativa. La muestra fue compuesta por 300 sujetos de ambos los sexos, 37% hombres y 63% mujeres, con edad Media de 42 años. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron la Prueba Propósito de Vida (PIL-Test), de James C. Crumbauch y Leonard T. Maholick, y la Escala de Actitud Religiosa/Espiritualidad, de Aquino. Los resultados señalan correlaciones positivas entre la actitud religiosa y la realización existencial, la actitud religiosa y la edad, la desesperación existencial y el vacío existencial y la realización existencial y la edad, habiendo también correlaciones negativas entre la actitud religiosa y la desesperación existencial, la actitud religiosa y el vacío existencial, la desesperación existencial y la realización existencial y el vacío existencial y la realización existencial. Se concluyó que la actitud religiosa es una forma de encuentro de sentido de vida así como un elemento de prevención del vacío existencial y de la desesperación existencial

Atitude religiosa e sentido da vida: um estudo correlacional

A presente pesquisa abordou o sentido da vida (Viktor Frankl) e a atitude religiosa. Para a logoterapia, a religiosidade não significa necessariamente a opção por uma crença religiosa, mas pode ser uma das possíveis maneiras de o homem encontrar sentido para a vida. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a relação entre o sentido de vida e a atitude religiosa de forma transversal e correlacional. A amostra foi composta por 300 sujeitos de ambos os sexos, 37% homens e 63% mulheres, com idade média de 42 anos. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Teste Propósito de Vida (PIL-Test), de James C. Crumbauch e Leonard T. Maholick, e a Escala de Atitude Religiosa/Espiritualidade, de Aquino. Os resultados apontam correlações positivas entre a atitude religiosa e a realização existencial, a atitude religiosa e a idade, o desespero existencial e o vazio existencial e a realização existencial e a idade, havendo também correlações negativas entre a atitude religiosa e o desespero existencial, a atitude religiosa e o vazio existencial, o desespero existencial e a realização existencial e o vazio existencial e a realização existencial. Concluiu-se que a atitude religiosa é uma forma de encontro de sentido de vida bem como um elemento de prevenção do vazio existencial e do desespero existencial

ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS: a data set of bird morphological traits from the Atlantic forests of South America

Scientists have long been trying to understand why the Neotropical region holds the highest diversity of birds on Earth. Recently, there has been increased interest in morphological variation between and within species, and in how climate, topography, and anthropogenic pressures may explain and affect phenotypic variation. Because morphological data are not always available for many species at the local or regional scale, we are limited in our understanding of intra- and interspecies spatial morphological variation. Here, we present the ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS, a data set that includes measurements of up to 44 morphological traits in 67,197 bird records from 2,790 populations distributed throughout the Atlantic forests of South America. This data set comprises information, compiled over two centuries (1820–2018), for 711 bird species, which represent 80% of all known bird diversity in the Atlantic Forest. Among the most commonly reported traits are sex (n = 65,717), age (n = 63,852), body mass (n = 58,768), flight molt presence (n = 44,941), molt presence (n = 44,847), body molt presence (n = 44,606), tail length (n = 43,005), reproductive stage (n = 42,588), bill length (n = 37,409), body length (n = 28,394), right wing length (n = 21,950), tarsus length (n = 20,342), and wing length (n = 18,071). The most frequently recorded species are Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 1,837), Turdus albicollis (n = 1,658), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 1,468), Turdus leucomelas (n = 1,436), and Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 1,384). The species recorded in the greatest number of sampling localities are Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 243), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 242), Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 210), Platyrinchus mystaceus (n = 208), and Turdus rufiventris (n = 191). ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS (ABT) is the most comprehensive data set on measurements of bird morphological traits found in a biodiversity hotspot; it provides data for basic and applied research at multiple scales, from individual to community, and from the local to the macroecological perspectives. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or teaching and educational activities. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS

Scientists have long been trying to understand why the Neotropical region holds the highest diversity of birds on Earth. Recently, there has been increased interest in morphological variation between and within species, and in how climate, topography, and anthropogenic pressures may explain and affect phenotypic variation. Because morphological data are not always available for many species at the local or regional scale, we are limited in our understanding of intra- and interspecies spatial morphological variation. Here, we present the ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS, a data set that includes measurements of up to 44 morphological traits in 67,197 bird records from 2,790 populations distributed throughout the Atlantic forests of South America. This data set comprises information, compiled over two centuries (1820–2018), for 711 bird species, which represent 80% of all known bird diversity in the Atlantic Forest. Among the most commonly reported traits are sex (n = 65,717), age (n = 63,852), body mass (n = 58,768), flight molt presence (n = 44,941), molt presence (n = 44,847), body molt presence (n = 44,606), tail length (n = 43,005), reproductive stage (n = 42,588), bill length (n = 37,409), body length (n = 28,394), right wing length (n = 21,950), tarsus length (n = 20,342), and wing length (n = 18,071). The most frequently recorded species are Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 1,837), Turdus albicollis (n = 1,658), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 1,468), Turdus leucomelas (n = 1,436), and Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 1,384). The species recorded in the greatest number of sampling localities are Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 243), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 242), Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 210), Platyrinchus mystaceus (n = 208), and Turdus rufiventris (n = 191). ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS (ABT) is the most comprehensive data set on measurements of bird morphological traits found in a biodiversity hotspot; it provides data for basic and applied research at multiple scales, from individual to community, and from the local to the macroecological perspectives. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or teaching and educational activities. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

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