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The actions required for biodiversity conservation depend on species responses to habitat loss, which may be either neutral, linear, or non-linear. Here, we tested how taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of aquatic insects, dragonflies, frogs, and terrestrial mammals, as well as their species composition respond to forest cover loss. We hypothesized that taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity would respond nonlinearly (thresholds) to forest cover loss. Our findings do not support the current idea that a single threshold value of forest cover loss is applicable across tropical regions, or that some biodiversity facets are consistently more sensitive than others across different taxa. Species compositional responses to forest cover loss showed general patterns with thresholds between 30-50%. These results highlight the importance to consider multiple biodiversity facets when assessing the effects of forest cover loss on biological communities.

The consumption of fruits and floral resources, as core or complementary food items, occurs in 75% of phyllostomid species. If phylogenetically related bat species have similar plant species in their diets, then it is expected that vegetal resources composition influences the phylogenetic structure of phyllostomid assemblages. We ask here if the phylogenetic structure of phyllostomid assemblages is associated with vegetation structure and resources. Our results showed that proportions of plant sources consumed by phyllostomids in the Pantanal wetland have phylogenetic signal, and that variation of the available vegetal resources influences the phylogenetic structure of phyllostomid assemblages. Considering the availability of their principal food resources, the two major phyllostomid clades (Phyllostominae and Stenodermatinae) responded in opposite ways to the vegetal resources gradient, formed by plant species with distinct adaptations to inundation. Our results indicate that the use of different habitats based on variation of vegetal resources is the main driver of phylogenetic structure of phyllostomid assemblages in the Pantanal wetland. O consumo de frutos e de recursos florais como itens principais ou complementares da dieta ocorre em 75% das espécies de filostomídeos. Se morcegos filogeneticamente mais próximos apresentam maior similaridade de espécies de plantas em suas dietas, espera-se que a composição de recursos vegetais influencie a estrutura filogenética das comunidades de filostomídeos. Perguntamos neste estudo se as comunidades de filostomídeos são filogeneticamente estruturadas em resposta à variação da disponibilidade de recursos e da estrutura da vegetação. Os resultados mostraram que a porcentagem de recursos vegetais consumidos pelos filostomídeos no Pantanal apresenta sinal filogenético, e que a variação da composição dos recursos disponíveis influencia a estrutura filogenética das comunidades. Em resposta à disponibilidade de seus principais recursos alimentares, os dois principais clados de filostomídeos (Phyllostominae e Stenodermatinae) respondem de forma oposta ao gradiente de composição de recursos vegetais, formado por espécies de plantas com diferentes adaptações à inundação. Nossos resultados indicam que o uso de diferentes hábitats, baseado na variação dos recursos vegetais, é o principal direcionador da estrutura filogenética das comunidades de filostomídeos no Pantanal.

The necessity to create national to global-scale biodiversity monitoring systems as part of assessing progress toward biodiversity agendas presents a challenge for signatory countries. This is a brief review of ongoing Brazilian national initiatives that would allow the construction of a general biomonitoring network scheme in protected areas; with additional focus on linking independent monitoring schemes. We discuss some key aspects needed to include monitoring schemes under a single framework that will lead to better evaluation of pressure–state–response indicators for managing biodiversity at several scales; and we point out the potential of embracing citizen science and participatory monitoring to quantify some aspects within those schemes. © 2018 Associação Brasileira de Ciência Ecológica e Conservação

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T16:53:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-08-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Latitudinal patterns of diversity are one of the most striking large-scale biological phenomena and several hypotheses have been proposed to explain them. Using data from literature-surveys we investigated how phylogenetic patterns in microorganisms, plants, and, metazoans communities differ between the tropical and temperate regions and then explored possible ecological and evolutionary process that could shape such patterns. Using the Net Relatedness Index, we analyzed data from 1486 biological communities, collected in 32 articles that considered the phylogenetic structure of biological communities. We found a pattern of phylogenetic clustering in both regions for microorganisms, while for plants we found phylogenetic clustering in temperate regions and phylogenetic overdispersion in the tropics. We did not detect a clear pattern of clustering or overdispersion in tropical or temperate regions in metazoans. From these patterns we explore different ecological and evolutionary processes that have shaped these communities over space and time. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Departamento de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Federal de São Carlos Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Biodiversidade Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) UMR 6554 CNRS LETG-Angers Université d'Angers Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Biodiversidade Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) FAPESP: #2014/24532-4 FAPESP: #2016/14611-0 FAPESP: LSSM #2015/25316-6 FAPESP: RCP #2014/20924-5 FAPESP: VSS #2013/20540-0

Caiman yacare embryos were collected and subjected to the bone cleared and Alizarin staining to analyze the ontogenic patterns of the skeletal ossification of the pelvic girdle and members. Ossification of C. yacare pelvis begins at 36 days of incubation. The femur, tibia and fibula present simultaneous stain retention at 30 days. It has four tarsal bones, the calcaneus, the talus, distal III and distal IV. Their ossification starts with the calcaneus from the 40th day of incubation, followed by the talus. At 54 days, the distal tarsal IV is conspicuous, as is the outline of the distal III. Each foot has five metatarsi (MT) and 13 phalanges (phalangeal formula 2:3:4:4). Ossification of the metatarsi begins at 36 days and follows the sequence MTI=MTII=MTIII=MTIV>MTV. The first phalanges begin the ossification process on the 36th day and continue up to the last day of incubation. The sequence of ossification of the proximal phalanges is PPI=PPII=PPIII>PPIV, while that of the medial phalanges is MPII> MPpIII>MDpIII>MPpIV>MDpIV and that of the distal phalanges is DPI>DPII>DPIII>DPIV, and the ontogenic pattern of the bones of the pelvic girdle and members of C. yacare differs from that of other reptiles, albeit with a few similarities. Key words: Alizarin, morphology, ossification, pantanal caiman, reptiles.