Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gabriel S. Hofmann, Manoel F. Cardoso, Ruy J. V. Alves, Eliseu J. Weber, Alexandre A. Barbosa, Peter M. de Toledo, Francisco B. Pontual, Leandro de O. Salles, Heinrich Hasenack, Jose L. P. Cordeiro, Francisco E. Aquino, Luiz F. B. de Oliveira
Summary: The study revealed that the Brazilian Cerrado has experienced significant warming trends over the past few decades, with relative humidity decreasing by approximately 15%, potentially leading to a reduction in nocturnal dewfall and impacting the survival of many plants and animals. These climate changes could have a high impact on biodiversity and potentially cause ecosystems to collapse.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Paula Prado Siqueira, Paulo Tarso S. Oliveira, Danielle Bressiani, Antonio A. Meira Neto, Dulce B. B. Rodrigues
Summary: This study assessed the impact of soil and water conservation practices and riparian reforestation on water availability in a Brazilian Cerrado basin under climate change scenarios. Despite an increase in forest areas and evapotranspiration, there was a decrease in surface runoff and baseflow, indicating that these practices did not necessarily enhance water availability as expected.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Jose Darlon Nascimento Alves, Aristides Ribeiro, Yhasmin Paiva Rody, Rodolfo Araujo Loos, Kevin Brown Hall
Summary: As Brazil expands its agricultural and livestock production, significant changes in carbon and water vapor fluxes are expected in the Cerrado region. This study conducted eddy covariance research in pasture areas in the Brazilian Cerrado, finding that pastures act as important carbon sinks and can maintain evapotranspiration even under water deficit conditions.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kleve Freddy Ferreira Canteral, Maria Elisa Vicentini, Wanderson Benerval de Lucena, Mario Luiz Teixeira de Moraes, Rafael Montanari, Antonio Sergio Ferraudo, Nelson Jose Peruzzi, Newton La Scala Jr, Alan Rodrigo Panosso
Summary: Soil CO2 emission is uncertain due to spatial and temporal variability. This study compares five machine learning models to predict CO2 emission in reforested areas. The best model, random forest, accurately predicts soil respiration and can help identify greenhouse gas sources and sinks.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Geraldo Aclecio Melo, Ilka Nacif Abreu, Maira Baista de Oliveira, Ilara Gabriela Frasson Budzinski, Lucinelia Vieira Silva, Marcio Antonio Silva Pimenta, Thomas Moritz
Summary: Drought is a major limiting factor for plant species distribution and productivity. In the Brazilian Cerrado, vegetation has adapted to seasonal climates with strategies such as fructan accumulation in roots during the rainy season and physiological adaptations in leaves. The study also suggests the importance of tissue water status and reserve storage for long-term drought survival, as well as osmoregulation and oxidative protection for short-term drought adaptation.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wharley Pereira dos Santos, Cesar Avanzi Junior, Marcelo Ribeiro Viola, Sin Chan Chou, Salvador Francisco Acuna-Guzman, Lucas Machado Pontes, Nilton Curi
Summary: The impact of global climate change on agricultural production, specifically due to rainfall patterns, is significant. It is projected that rainfall erosivity in the Tocantins-Araguaia river basin in Brazil may decrease in the coming decades, leading to potential water scarcity for agriculture. Soil conservation practices should take into account the value of rainfall erosivity.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Luciano Procopio, Cristine Barreto
Summary: The diverse microbiota in Cerrado soils, including bacteria, archaea, and fungi, are influenced by acidic soil and seasonal variations. Agricultural expansion, human impacts, and wildfires can alter soil microbiota, affecting biogeochemical processes.
JOURNAL OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Matthew Owen Moreira, Carlos Fonseca, Danny Rojas
Summary: Climate change will have a negative impact on high-mountain species, especially reptiles, as it may result in the loss of suitable climatic niches and even local extinctions. It is important to identify high-risk species and implement conservation measures to protect them.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Glauber das Neves, Joao Paulo Sena-Souza, Fabio Luis de Souza Santos, Edson Eyji Sano, Gabriela Bielefeld Nardoto, Antonio Felipe Couto Junior
Summary: The study developed a spatial model of soil 613C in the Cerrado region based on multiple linear regression analysis, showing higher values in the south and lower values in the north. Soil 613C serves as a proxy indicator of vegetation history at the landscape scale for the Central Brazilian savanna, despite some regions where the model could not estimate.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Miguel Molina-Borja, Martha L. Bohorquez-Alonso
Summary: In this study, the researchers conducted a review on the morphology, behavior, and evolution of lizards from the genus Gallotia in the Canary Islands. They found that sexual dimorphism exists in all species of this genus, with males having larger body sizes and more conspicuous coloration. The researchers also analyzed the behavior patterns of certain endangered lizard species and found that detailed behavioral analyses were useful for their management and training.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lesley H. Thorne, Eleanor Heywood, Nathan O. Hirtle
Summary: This study used stranding data to examine the distribution and relative abundance changes of odontocetes in the Northeast and Southeast United States. The results showed that odontocetes are shifting poleward at a faster rate than predicted by climate velocity. The changes in odontocete community were more apparent in the Northeast than in the Southeast, highlighting the importance of regional warming. The findings suggest marked changes to the distribution of cetaceans under continued warming.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Valter Barbosa dos Santos, Aline Moreno Ferreira dos Santos, Jose Reinaldo da Silva Cabral de Moraes, Igor Cristian de Oliveira Vieira, Glauco de Souza Rolim
Summary: Different machine learning models were evaluated for predicting soybean productivity in advance, with random forest algorithm achieving the highest precision and accuracy while SVM_RBF showed the lowest performance. The predicted yield values by the models were within the expected range for the region.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tiago N. P. dos Reis, Vivian Ribeiro, Rachael D. Garrett, Tobias Kuemmerle, Philippe Rufin, Vinicius Guidotti, Pedro C. Amaral, Patrick Meyfroidt
Summary: The global trade of agricultural commodities has significant social-ecological impacts, but the factors determining trading relationships between supply chain actors and producing regions remain unclear. Understanding supply chain stickiness is crucial for understanding relationships, assessing interventions, and planning trade flows.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Julia Brusso Rossi, Anderson Ruhoff, Ayan Santos Fleischmann, Leonardo Laipelt
Summary: This study analyzed remote sensing data on vegetation, climate, and hydrological indices to understand drought propagation and patterns in the Amazon, Pampa, and Cerrado biomes of Brazil. The findings showed that drought events in the Amazon and Pampa biomes followed a sequence of meteorological and agricultural droughts, while the Cerrado biome was primarily affected by hydrological drought. The 2015 Amazon drought exhibited different characteristics compared to the 2010 drought, with higher precipitation anomalies and lower evapotranspiration anomalies. Therefore, drought propagation varies across different Brazilian biomes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dayane Gomes Oliveira, Marcia Eugenia Amaral Carvalho, Higor Ferreira Silva, Alcindo Sousa Brignoni, Leticia Rigonato Lima, Liliane Santos Camargos, Lucas Anjos Souza
Summary: The study found that the tree species Lonchocarpus cultratus can withstand high concentrations of lead in soil, accumulating the metal mainly in roots but showing no reduction in biomass. The plants demonstrate a high tolerance to lead, with low translocation from roots to shoots to avoid damage to photosynthetic tissues, while also showing increases in leaf area and root length under lead exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biology
Afonso Santiago de Oliveira Meneses, Bruno Alessandro Augusto Pena Correa, Mateus de Alencar Ramos Fernandes, Bruno Eduardo Pires de Camargos Lopes, Nathalie Kaladinsky Citeli, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao
Summary: Interactions between vertebrates and invertebrates, specifically frogs and spiders, at similar trophic levels can influence community diversity. Research shows that spiders are increasingly preying on frogs, with a preference for smaller frogs ranging from 15 to 25 mm in body size. This predator-prey relationship is often determined by the size of the animals involved, with larger frogs being avoided by spiders. Future studies on spider-frog predation events should provide more information on prey/predator sizes, identification, antipredator strategies, capture and ingestion times, anuran stage, and habitat characteristics.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Rafael F. Magalhaes, Priscila Lemes, Marcus Thadeu T. Santos, Rafael M. Mol, Elisa K. S. Ramos, Caroline B. Oswald, Tiago L. Pezzuti, Fabricio R. Santos, Reuber A. Brandao, Paulo C. A. Garcia
Summary: The study found evidence of introgressive hybridization between two endemic leaf frogs in the campo rupestre ecosystem, occurring around 300,000 years ago, with potential environmental niche overlap dating back to approximately 787,000 years ago. These results contradict the expectation of reduced hybridization, suggesting climatic fluctuation rather than stability for the two species. Further investigation is needed to explore the implications of these findings on the reduced hybridization hypothesis, particularly in relation to animals.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Nathalie Citeli, Julia Klaczko, Anderson Kennedy Soares De-Lima, Mariana De-Carvalho, Pedro M. Sales Nunes, Paulo Passos, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao
Summary: This study focuses on the morphology, intraspecific variation, and distribution of South American watersnake species. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the researchers improved the taxonomic recognition of the species and provided insights into ontogenetic color changes, allometry, sexual dimorphism, and conservation status. The study also found that the distribution of H. danieli is affected by anthropic impacts.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Afonso Santiago de Oliveira Meneses, Nathalie Kaladinsky Citeli, Ana Lucia Costa Prudente, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao
Summary: Atractus potschi, a small snake endemic to Brazil, is found in the Northeastern Atlantic Rain Forest and Caatinga biomes in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, and Sergipe. In this study, we have expanded its distribution range by 270 km from the nearest previous record. This is also the first occurrence on the left bank of the Sao Francisco River.
ACTA BIOLOGICA COLOMBIANA
(2022)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Rogerio B. Miranda, Julia Klaczko, Joao F. R. Tonini, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao
Summary: Lizards have developed a wide range of defense traits to increase their chances of survival against a variety of predators. Using a phylogenetic approach, the evolutionary processes behind these defense traits in Neotropical lizards were tracked. Trivial observations of animal behaviors, including those from social networks and citizen science pages, are important for understanding and documenting ethological events in detail.
ETHOLOGY ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Carlos E. R. Candido, Ana C. H. Del-Prette, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao
Summary: This study describes the reproductive behavior of the Cerrado endemic Pithecopus oreades in a high-altitude stream in Central Brazil. The species reproduces during the rainy season, constructing nests on folded leaves. Males are territorial and defend their territory through vocalizations and physical combats.
STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yuri Botelho Salmona, Eraldo Aparecido Trondoli Matricardi, David Lewis Skole, Joao Flavio Andrade Silva, Osmar de Araujo Coelho Filho, Marcos Antonio Pedlowski, James Matos Sampaio, Leidi Cahola Ramirez Castrillon, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao, Andrea Leme da Silva, Saulo Aires de Souza
Summary: In this study, the impacts of land use and climate changes on river flows in the Cerrado biome, Brazil, were assessed using field and secondary data from 1985 to 2018. Future deforestation and climate scenarios up to 2050 were projected, and their impacts on surface water were predicted. The study found that large-scale deforestation for irrigated agricultural production had a more significant impact on river flows than climate changes. It was estimated that deforestation and climate changes led to a decrease of 8.7% and 6.7% in streamflow, respectively. The combined effects of land use and land cover changes and climate changes resulted in a total reduction of -19,718 m(3)/s in surface water within the Cerrado watersheds. By assuming current deforestation rates, it was predicted that there would be a total water reduction of 23,653 m(3)/s by 2050, equivalent to a decrease of 33.9% in river flows in the region.
Review
Ecology
Eugenia K. L. Batista, Jose E. C. Figueira, Ricardo R. C. Solar, Cristiano S. de Azevedo, Marina V. Beirao, Christian N. Berlinck, Reuber A. Brandao, Flavio S. de Castro, Henrique C. Costa, Lilian M. Costa, Rodrigo M. Feitosa, Andre V. L. Freitas, Guilherme H. S. Freitas, Conrado A. B. Galdino, Jose E. Santos Junior, Felipe S. Leite, Leonardo Lopes, Sandra Ludwig, Maria C. do Nascimento, Daniel Negreiros, Yumi Oki, Henrique Paprocki, Lucas N. Perillo, Fernando A. Perini, Fernando M. Resende, Augusto H. B. Rosa, Luiz F. F. Salvador Jr, Larissa M. Silva, Luis F. Silveira, Og DeSouza, Emerson M. Vieira, Geraldo Wilson Fernandes
Summary: Recent studies suggest that changes in fire regimes pose a significant threat to global biodiversity in the 21st century. To accurately identify species most at risk from fire, it is important to consider their physiological, ecological, and evolutionary traits along with their local fire exposure. A framework was developed to assess vulnerability to fire-induced stress in the Brazilian savanna, incorporating exposure (frequency, extent, and magnitude of fire) and sensitivity (biological, physiological, and behavioral traits). The Fire Vulnerability Index (FVI) categorizes species into four groups based on their vulnerability, from extremely vulnerable to least vulnerable, highlighting the need for a broader assessment method considering both traits and local fire exposure.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jennifer A. Luedtke, Janice Chanson, Kelsey Neam, Louise Hobin, Adriano O. Maciel, Alessandro Catenazzi, Amael Borzee, Amir Hamidy, Anchalee Aowphol, Anderson Jean, Angel Sosa-Bartuano, Ansel G. Fong, Anslem de Silva, Antoine Fouquet, Ariadne Angulo, Artem A. Kidov, Arturo Munoz Saravia, Arvin C. Diesmos, Atsushi Tominaga, Biraj Shrestha, Brian Gratwicke, Burhan Tjaturadi, Carlos C. Martinez Rivera, Carlos R. Vasquez Almazan, Celsa Senaris, S. R. Chandramouli, Christine Strussmann, Claudia Fabiola Cortez Fernandez, Claudio Azat, Conrad J. Hoskin, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Damion L. Whyte, David J. Gower, Deanna H. Olson, Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia, Diego Jose Santana, Elizah Nagombi, Elnaz Najafi-Majd, Evan S. H. Quah, Federico Bolanos, Feng Xie, Francisco Brusquetti, Francisco S. Alvarez, Franco Andreone, Frank Glaw, Franklin Enrique Castaneda, Fred Kraus, Gabriela Parra-Olea, Gerardo Chaves, Guido F. Medina-Rangel, Gustavo Gonzalez-Duran, H. Mauricio Ortega-Andrade, Ibere F. Machado, Indraneil Das, Iuri Ribeiro Dias, J. Nicolas Urbina-Cardona, Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailovic, Jian-Huan Yang, Jiang Jianping, Jigme Tshelthrim Wangyal, Jodi J. L. Rowley, John Measey, Karthikeyan Vasudevan, Kin Onn Chan, Kotambylu Vasudeva Gururaja, Kristiina Ovaska, Lauren C. Warr, Luis Canseco-Marquez, Luis Felipe Toledo, Luis M. Diaz, M. Monirul H. Khan, Madhava Meegaskumbura, Manuel E. Acevedo, Marcelo Felgueiras Napoli, Marcos A. Ponce, Marcos Vaira, Margarita Lampo, Mario H. Yanez-Munoz, Mark D. Scherz, Mark-Oliver Rodel, Masafumi Matsui, Maxon Fildor, Mirza D. Kusrini, Mohammad Firoz Ahmed, Muhammad Rais, N'Goran G. Kouame, Nieves Garcia, Nono Legrand Gonwouo, Patricia A. Burrowes, Paul Y. Imbun, Philipp Wagner, Philippe J. R. Kok, Rafael L. Joglar, Renoir J. Auguste, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao, Roberto Ibanez, Rudolf von May, S. Blair Hedges, S. D. Biju, S. R. Ganesh, Sally Wren, Sandeep Das, Sandra V. Flechas, Sara L. Ashpole, Silvia J. Robleto-Hernandez, Simon P. Loader, Sixto J. Inchaustegui, Sonali Garg, Soumphthone Phimmachak, Stephen J. Richards, Tahar Slimani, Tamara Osborne-Naikatini, Tatianne P. F. Abreu-Jardim, Thais H. Condez, Thiago R. De Carvalho, Timothy P. Cutajar, Todd W. Pierson, Truong Q. Nguyen, Ugur Kaya, Zhiyong Yuan, Barney Long, Penny Langhammer, Simon N. Stuart
Summary: The second Global Amphibian Assessment reveals that amphibians, especially salamanders in the Neotropics, are the most threatened vertebrate class, with 40.7% of species globally threatened. The deteriorating status of amphibians is predominantly driven by climate change, disease, and habitat loss.
Article
Zoology
Isabella Parreira, Pedro Caldas Kimura, Luis Felipe Carvalho Lima, Marco Antonio de Freitas, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao
Summary: In this study, we report the foraging behavior of the vine snake Chironius brazili while hunting on the large hylid frog Bokermannohyla pseudopseudis on rocky surfaces in open habitats. The snakes were able to locate frogs when they were basking over rock surfaces close to rivers or searching for them on rock crevices. We suggest that the scansorial habits and swimming abilities of Chironius species in rocky montane habitats enable them to feed on these large hylids.
STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Katyuscia Araujo-Vieira, Ana Carolina C. Lourenco, Joao Victor A. Lacerda, Mariana L. Lyra, Boris L. Blotto, Santiago R. Ron, Diego Baldo, Martin O. Pereyra, Angela M. Suarez-Mayorga, Delio Baeta, Rodrigo Barbosa Ferreira, Cesar L. Barrio-Amoros, Claudio Borteiro, Reuber A. Brandao, Cinthia A. Brasileiro, Maureen A. Donnelly, Marcos J. M. Dubeux, Jorn Kohler, Francisco Kolenc, Felipe Sa Fortes Leite, Natan M. Maciel, Ivan Nunes, Victor G. D. Orrico, Pedro Peloso, Tiago L. Pezzuti, Steffen Reichle, Fernando J. M. Rojas-Runjaic, Helio R. Da Silva, Marcelo J. Sturaro, Jose A. Langone, Paulo C. A. Garcia, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, Darrel R. Frost, Ward C. Wheeler, Taran Grant, Jose P. Pombal, Celio F. B. Haddad, Julian Faivovich
Summary: Scinax is a genus of Neotropical treefrogs with the most species diversity. It consists of 129 recognized species divided into two major clades, the S. catharinae and S. ruber clades. The relationships within and among these clades and their species groups are poorly understood. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted using genetic and phenotypic data, resulting in the partitioning of Scinax into three genera and the recognition of 13 species groups in the S. ruber clade and seven species groups in the S. catharinae clade. The study also identified 57 candidate species, highlighting the incomplete understanding of the diversity of this treefrog clade.
SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rogerio Benevides Miranda, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao, Kyle O'Connell, Guarino Rinaldi Colli, Joao F. R. Tonini, R. Alexander Pyron
Summary: Contrasting environmental conditions across geographic space might promote divergent selection, making adaptation to local biotic and abiotic conditions necessary for populations to survive. The study focused on Gymnodactylus amarali populations on rapidly created artificial islands, using genotyping-by-sequence (GBS) and redundancy analyses (RDA) to investigate genotype-environment associations (GEA). The results showed the presence of distinct genetic lineages and significant association between genetic variation and environmental factors.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Tarcilla Valtuille, Flavio K. Ubaid, Renata Beco, Reuber A. Brandao
Summary: This study investigated the diet of Penelope jacucaca and found that it primarily feeds on fruits, flowers, and leaves. The number of seeds in its fecal samples showed a negative correlation with seed mass, indicating dietary flexibility. The study also suggested that fragmentation may affect the nutritional value of its diet and that the absence of the species could have negative implications for the survival of certain plant species.
ETHOLOGY ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Beatriz Diogo Vasconcelos, Reuber Albuquerque Brandao
Summary: This study reports the predation of Tamandua tetradactyla by Caiman latirostris in an old cattle dam in the Serra da Bodoquena National Park, Brazil. The record is relevant for understanding the ecology of Caiman latirostris.
NORTH-WESTERN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leonardo P. Fraga, Samara Maciel, Barbara Q. C. Zimbres, Paulla J. Carvalho, Reuber A. Brandao, Clarisse R. Rocha
Summary: This study investigates the effects of land-use patterns on animal roadkill events. The research found that roadkill events were more frequent around protected areas, and different animal species and seasons also had varying effects on animal mortality.
ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS
(2022)