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Long-term-ecological-research (LTER) faces many challenges, including the difficulty of obtaining long-term funding, changes in research questions and sampling designs, keeping researchers collecting standardized data for many years, impediments to interactions with local people, and the difficulty of integrating the needs of local decision makers with "big science". These issues result in a lack of universally accepted guidelines as to how research should be done and integrated among LTER sites. Here we discuss how the RAPELD (standardized field infrastructure system), can help deal with these issues as a complementary technique in LTER studies, allowing comparisons across landscapes and ecosystems and reducing sampling costs. RAPELD uses local surveys to understand broad spatial and temporal patterns while enhancing decision-making and training of researchers, local indigenous groups and traditional communities. Sampling of ecological data can be carried out by different researchers through standardized protocols, resulting in spatial data that can be used to answer temporal questions, and allow new questions to be investigated. Results can also be integrated into existing biodiversity networks. Integrated systems are the most efficient way to save resources, maximize results, and accumulate information that can be used in the face of the unknown unknowns upon which our future depends.

For more than three decades, major efforts in sampling and analyzing tree diversity in South America have focused almost exclusively on trees with stems of at least 10 and 2.5 cm diameter, showing highest species diversity in the wetter western and northern Amazon forests. By contrast, little attention has been paid to patterns and drivers of diversity in the largest canopy and emergent trees, which is surprising given these have dominant ecological functions. Here, we use a machine learning approach to quantify the importance of environmental factors and apply it to generate spatial predictions of the species diversity of all trees (dbh ≥ 10 cm) and for very large trees (dbh ≥ 70 cm) using data from 243 forest plots (108,450 trees and 2832 species) distributed across different forest types and biogeographic regions of the Brazilian Amazon. The diversity of large trees and of all trees was significantly associated with three environmental factors, but in contrasting ways across regions and forest types. Environmental variables associated with disturbances, for example, the lightning flash rate and wind speed, as well as the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation, tend to govern the diversity of large trees. Upland rainforests in the Guiana Shield and Roraima regions had a high diversity of large trees. By contrast, variables associated with resources tend to govern tree diversity in general. Places such as the province of Imeri and the northern portion of the province of Madeira stand out for their high diversity of species in general. Climatic and topographic stability and functional adaptation mechanisms promote ideal conditions for species diversity. Finally, we mapped general patterns of tree species diversity in the Brazilian Amazon, which differ substantially depending on size class., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The Cerrado domain and its biodiversity has suffered several anthropogenic influences. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of biotic and anthropic variables on the mammal community in a protected area in the Cerrado-Caatinga ecotone. For this we sampled the mammals using camera traps (4,072 days/trap) for 16 months. We used generalized mixed linear models (GLMM) with model selection via Akaike's Information Criteria corrected for small sample size (AICc) to assess the influence of variables on richness, abundance and functional groups of mammals. We made a total of 663 photographic records of 16 species of medium and large mammals. The richness and number of mammals was negatively influenced by the distance to human settlements while carnivores were not affected by any of the variables evaluated, herbivores and generalists were more common in areas closer from human habitation. Despite the presence of large areas of native vegetation, our results show that there is a dominance of common and generalist species. The protected area is vulnerable to different sources of human pressure and the design and implementation of a management plan can be a key tool for protecting biodiversity and regulating the use of natural resources by local communities.

The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data. The number of species for the most numerous orders are as follows: Characiformes (1289), Siluriformes (1384), Cichliformes (354), Cyprinodontiformes (245), and Gymnotiformes (135). The most recorded species was the characid Astyanax fasciatus (4696 records). We registered 116,802 distribution records for native species, compared to 1802 distribution records for nonnative species. The main aim of the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set was to make these occurrence and abundance data accessible for international researchers to develop ecological and macroecological studies, from local to regional scales, with focal fish species, families, or orders. We anticipate that the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set will be valuable for studies on a wide range of ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, fishery pressure, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of species invasion and climate change. There are no copyright restrictions on the data, and please cite this data paper when using the data in publications., (© 2022 The Ecological Society of America.)

Concerning water resources, several ordinances and legislation determine standards and conditions for the discharge of effluents into water bodies. However, several contaminants are not covered by these guidelines due to little knowledge of their long-term effects and because they are found in low concentrations. These contaminants are called emergent and this category includes drugs, such as anti-inflammatory drugs. The electrocoagulation process associated with advanced oxidation comes up as an alternative to conventional effluent treatment processes, and the objective of this study was to evaluate this process using scrap iron as sacrificial electrodes in the treatment of synthetic effluents containing ibuprofen. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify the drug in synthetic effluents. The Central Rotational Composite Design 2 4 was used in an experimental design, considering independent variables the concentration of contaminants, applied current, the concentration of the primary oxidizing agent H 2 O 2 , and the reaction time. The optimized conditions determined by statistical analysis were drug concentration of 5 mg L -1 , H 2 O 2 concentration of 200 mg L -1 , current of 5 A, and 150 min. The removals obtained under these conditions were higher than 92% in the aqueous phase, showing that electrocoagulation peroxidation technique has the potential to treat contaminants such as drugs present in effluents and waters., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

The production of sustainable catalytic supports for palladium nanoparticles is always desired, even more so through the recovery of biomass residues. In this sense, two different solids were investigated - chitosan/cellulose film and corn stem biochar - as catalytic supports of palladium nanoparticles. The solids were carefully characterized and tested in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction, a typical cross-coupling reaction. The developed catalytic systems proved to be efficient and sustainable, promoted the formation of target products very well, and demanded green reactants under environmentally appropriate conditions. With the results shown in the manuscript, it is expected to contribute to the valorization of biomass and agro-industrial residues in the development of new catalysts for the chemical industry., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The Amazon forest has the highest biodiversity on Earth. However, information on Amazonian vertebrate diversity is still deficient and scattered across the published, peer-reviewed, and gray literature and in unpublished raw data. Camera traps are an effective non-invasive method of surveying vertebrates, applicable to different scales of time and space. In this study, we organized and standardized camera trap records from different Amazon regions to compile the most extensive data set of inventories of mammal, bird, and reptile species ever assembled for the area. The complete data set comprises 154,123 records of 317 species (185 birds, 119 mammals, and 13 reptiles) gathered from surveys from the Amazonian portion of eight countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela). The most frequently recorded species per taxa were: mammals: Cuniculus paca (11,907 records); birds: Pauxi tuberosa (3713 records); and reptiles: Tupinambis teguixin (716 records). The information detailed in this data paper opens up opportunities for new ecological studies at different spatial and temporal scales, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change, and other human-mediated defaunation processes in one of the most important and threatened tropical environments in the world. The data set is not copyright restricted; please cite this data paper when using its data in publications and we also request that researchers and educators inform us of how they are using these data., (© 2022 The Authors. Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.)

The indigo blue dye is widely used in the textile industry, specifically in jeans dyeing, the effluents of which, rich in organic pollutants with recalcitrant characteristics, end up causing several environmental impacts, requiring efficient treatments. Several pieces of research have been conducted in search of effective treatment methods, among which is electrocoagulation. This treatment consists of an electrochemical process that generates its own coagulant by applying an electric current on metallic electrodes, bypassing the use of other chemical products. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential use of iron slag in the electrocoagulation of a synthetic effluent containing commercial indigo blue dye and the effluent from a textile factory. The quantified parameters were color, turbidity, pH, electrical conductivity, sludge generation, phenol removal, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total organic carbon (TOC). The electrocoagulation treatment presented a good efficiency in removing the analyzed parameters, obtaining average removal in the synthetic effluent of 85% of color and 100% of phenol after 25 min of electrolysis. For the effluent from the textile factory, average reductions of 80% of color reaching 177.54 mg Pt CoL -1 , 91% of turbidity reaching 93.83 NTU (nephelometric turbidity unit), 100% of phenol, 55% of COD with a final concentration of 298.8 mg O 2 L -1 , and 73% of TOC with a final concentration of 56.21 mg L -1 , in 60 min of electrolysis. The reduced time for removal of color and phenolic compounds in synthetic effluent demonstrates the complexity of treating the real effluent since to obtain removals of the same order a 60-min period of electrolysis was necessary. The results obtained demonstrate the potential of using iron slag as an electrode in the electrocoagulation process in order to reuse industrial waste and reduce costs in the treatment and disposal of solid waste. Thus, the slag can be seen as an alternative material to be used in electrocoagulation processes for the treatment of effluents from the textile industry under the experimental conditions presented, its only limitation being the fact that it is a waste and therefore does not have a standardization in the amounts of iron present in the alternative electrodes., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of an advanced oxidation system based on UV radiation and UV/H 2 O 2 for degradation of TCS and IBU in synthetic effluent. The assays occurred in a 2-L reactor, protected from external light and equipped with a UV lamp ( λ  = 254 nm). The effect of contaminant concentration, fractions of chemical species present, and mineralization were evaluated. In the UV/ H 2 O 2 system, different concentrations of H 2 O 2 were studied for oxidation of the contaminants. The kinetic experiments took place between 75 and 270 min of UV irradiation. The results showed > 99% oxidation of TCS in the direct photolysis system at pH 9.4 after 12 min. The degradation of IBU in the UV/H 2 O 2 system, when 10 mg L -1 of H 2 O 2 was used, was 97.39% oxidation. We obtained k' values of 0.189 min -1 for TCS when its highest oxidation occurred and k' values of 0.0219 min -1 for IBU. The system was not able to completely mineralize the contaminants, presenting high values of TOC and COD after treatment, thus suggesting the occurrence of phototransformation., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11270-022-05583-z., Competing Interests: Competing InterestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.)

The diversity of endotherms and ectotherms may be differently affected by ambient temperature and net primary productivity (NPP). Additionally, little is known about how these drivers affect the diversity of guilds of different trophic levels. We assessed the relative role of temperature and NPP in multitrophic guilds of ectothermic (arthropods: ants, ground beetles, spiders, and harvestmen) and endothermic (large mammals) animals along a tropical elevational gradient. We sampled arthropods at eight elevation belts and large mammals at 14 elevation belts in Atlantic rainforest (ranging from 600 to 2450 m.a.s.l.) of Itatiaia National Park, Southeast Brazil. Overall arthropod species richness was more associated with temperature than overall large-mammal species richness, while the latter was more associated with NPP. When separated into trophic guilds, we found that the species richness associated with NPP increased across arthropod trophic levels from herbivores to predators. Conversely, although NPP influenced large-mammal herbivore species richness, its effects did not seem to accumulate across large-mammal trophic levels since the species richness of large-mammal omnivores was more associated with temperature and none of the variables we studied influenced large-mammal predators. We suggest that thermal physiological differences between ectotherms and endotherms are responsible for the way in which arthropods and large mammals interact with or are constrained by the environment. Furthermore, the inconsistency regarding the role of temperature and NPP on species richness across multitrophic guilds of ectotherms and endotherms could indicate that thermal physiological differences might also interfere with energy use and flux in the food web., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Liquid effluents from various dyeing industries often have a high concentration of dyes that diffuse into river systems and can be toxic and non-degradable in the environment. In this study, the potential of the use of timbaúva seed husks in the preparation of four adsorbents tested in the removal of methylene blue was analyzed: in natura, chemically activated material (q max = 1.24 ± 0.04 mg g -1 ), carbonized (q max = 1.96 ± 0.03 mg g -1 ), and activated carbon (q max = 1.983 ± 0.04 mg g -1 ). The adsorbents were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and CHN elemental analysis to assist in the proposed dye adsorption mechanism in the adsorbents tested. In the adjustment of the kinetic parameters, the pseudo-second order model was predominant by the statistical analysis of the ARE and R 2 . The carbonized samples were better adjusted to Langmuir isotherms. The removal efficiency of the methylene blue dye in aqueous solutions at the concentrations and conditions studied was 86.78%. The coal from the seed husks of timbaúva has shown excellent performance in adsorption of the methylene blue dye and, therefore, can have technological application.

Xenarthrans-anteaters, sloths, and armadillos-have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data., (© 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of America.)

This work aimed to produce ethyl esters from Chlorella vulgaris microalgae biomass, using an immobilized enzymatic catalyst associated with pressurized fluid (propane) by direct transesterification. In order to optimize the ethyl conversion, different temperatures (46.7-68.1 °C) and pressures (59.5-200.5 bar) were applied a central composite design rotational (CCDR) obtaining the high conversion (74.39%) at 50 °C and 180 bar. The molar ratio also was investigated showing conversions ~ 90% using a molar ratio of 1:24 (oil:ethanol). From the best transesterification conditions, 50 °C, 180 bar, 20% enzymatic concentration, and 1:24 oil:ethanol molar ratio were obtained with success 98.9% conversion in 7 h of reaction. The enzyme reuse maintained its activity for three successive cycles. Thus, this simple process was effective to convert microalgal biomass into ethyl ester by direct transesterification and demonstrate high yields.

This work reports the transesterification of soybean oil with ethanol using a commercial immobilized lipase, Novozym 435, under the influence of ultrasound irradiation, in a solvent-free s. The experiments were performed in an ultrasonic water bath, following a sequence of experimental designs to evaluate the effects of temperature, enzyme and water concentrations, oil to ethanol molar ratio and output irradiation power on the reaction yield. Besides, a kinetic study varying the substrates molar ratio and enzyme concentration was also carried out. Results show that ultrasound-assisted lipase-catalyzed transesterification of soybean oil with ethanol in solvent-free system might be a potential alternative route to conventional alkali-catalyzed and/or traditional enzymatic methods, as high reaction yields (~78 wt%) were obtained at mild irradiation power supply (~132 W), and temperature (63 °C) in a relatively short reaction time, 1 h. Additionally, a study regarding the enzyme reuse was carried out at the experimental condition that afforded the best reaction yield.

Commercial inulinase from Aspergillus niger was immobilized in montmorillonite and then treated in pressurized propane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Firstly, the effects of system pressure, exposure time, and depressurization rate, using propane and LPG, on enzymatic activity were evaluated through central composite design 2³. Residual activities of 145.1 and 148.5% were observed for LPG (30 bar, 6 h, and depressurization rate of 20 bar min⁻¹) and propane (270 bar, 1 h, and depressurization rate of 100 bar min⁻¹), respectively. The catalysts treated at these conditions in both fluids were then used for the production of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) using sucrose and inulin as substrates in aqueous and organic systems. The main objective of this step was to evaluate the yield and productivity in FOS, using alternatives for enhancing enzyme activity by means of pressurized fluids and also using low-cost supports for enzyme immobilization, aiming at obtaining a stable biocatalyst to be used for synthesis reactions. Yields of 18% were achieved using sucrose as substrate in aqueous medium, showing the potential of this procedure, hence suggesting a further optimization step to increase the process yield.

Roadkills are amongst the most significant biodiversity impacts, although little is known about the factors which influence the roadkill of neotropical birds. Hence, the objective was to evaluate differences in roadkill richness and rates for neotropical birds according to the seasons of the year and habitat types associated with roads. The data was collected along two federal highways, in southern Brazil. We identified 57 roadkilled species, for a mean roadkill rate of 0.06 ind./km/day (Min.=0.009; Max.=0.47). Our results demonstrate that richness and roadkill rates change according to seasonality and habitat types. Roadkills were concentrated in rice fields and wetlands, intensifying both in richness and rates during the summer and autumn. Nearby areas have similar roadkill rates, independent of habitat types. This probably occurs due to the movement of several species seeking food and shelter. Juvenile dispersion, harvest and grain transportation periods, as well as flight and foraging behaviors over road lanes seem to be related to the increasing roadkill occurrences and richness regarding more abundant species. However, given the elevated number of occasionally roadkilled species (more than 70% with N<5), we believe that highway surface and traffic act as physical barriers which inhibit the movement of many species which either present occasional roadkills or none at all., (Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Road-killed mammals, birds, and reptiles were collected weekly from highways in southern Brazil in 2002 and 2005. The objective was to assess variation in estimates of road-kill impacts on species richness produced by different sampling efforts, and to provide information to aid in the experimental design of future sampling. Richness observed in weekly samples was compared with sampling for different periods. In each period, the list of road-killed species was evaluated based on estimates the community structure derived from weekly samplings, and by the presence of the ten species most subject to road mortality, and also of threatened species. Weekly samples were sufficient only for reptiles and mammals, considered separately. Richness estimated from the biweekly samples was equal to that found in the weekly samples, and gave satisfactory results for sampling the most abundant and threatened species. The ten most affected species showed constant road-mortality rates, independent of sampling interval, and also maintained their dominance structure. Birds required greater sampling effort. When the composition of road-killed species varies seasonally, it is necessary to take biweekly samples for a minimum of one year. Weekly or more-frequent sampling for periods longer than two years is necessary to provide a reliable estimate of total species richness.