Vertical distribution of epiphytic bryophytes in Atlantic Forest fragments in northeastern Brazil

This study was conducted to measure the biodiversity of scorpion species in the remnants of the Brazilian northeastern Atlantic Forest, an important center of biodiversity and endemism. Collections were performed in twelve forest fragments in Sirinhaém municipality, Pernambuco State, through active searches at night by using UV lamps between 19:00h and 21:00h during the new moon phase in December 2012 and January 2013. A total of 1,125 specimens from two genera and five species were collected: Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893; Ananteris mauryi Lourenço, 1982; Tityus brazilae Eickstedt & Lourenço, 1984; Tityus neglectus Mello-Leitão, 1932; and Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876), all belonging to the family Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837. The most abundant species was T. pusillus (90.7%), followed by A. mauryi (7.1%). Tityus brazilae, T. neglectus, and T. stigmurus together represented less than 3% of the individuals sampled.

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Helminths infecting Dryadosaura nordestina (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from Atlantic Forest, northeastern Brazil

Helminthologia ◽

10.2478/helm-2018-0026 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 286-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A. A. M. Teixeira ◽

R. J. Silva ◽

S. V. Brito ◽

D. A. Teles ◽

J. A. Araujo-Filho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Helminth Infection ◽

First Record ◽

Botanical Garden ◽

Helminth Fauna ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Northeast Brazil ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Intensity Of Infection ◽

Parasite Abundance

Abstract We analyzed the patterns of infection by helminths in populations of the Gymnophthalmidae lizard Dryadosaura nordestina from three Atlantic Forest fragments in Northeast Brazil. Prevalence and mean intensity of infection by location showed the following results: ARIE Mata de Goiamunduba (60.8 % and 10.4 ± 8), RPPN Engenho Gargaú (83.3 % and 20.8 ± 19.7) and Benjamim Maranhão Botanical Garden (70.4 % and 7.78 ± 5.8). We provide the first records of helminth infection for the lizard D. nordestina, in which three species of nematodes, Aplectana sp., Cosmocerca sp. and Physaloptera lutzi and one trematode Haplometroides odhneri were recovered. Trematodes of the genus Haplometroides were previously known as parasites only in snake and amphisbaenian hosts in South America. Now, our study provides the first record of a species belonging to this genus parasitizing lizards. In conclusion, our study shows that D. nordestina have a depleted helminth fauna (three species at maximum), similar to other studies with lizards of this family in Brazil and that its parasite abundance is related to host snout-vent length, but not to the sex.

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Analysis of the reproductive stage and ovarian histomorphometry of Dermanura cinerea (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in an Atlantic Forest fragment of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil

Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/1678-5150-pvb-4934 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 167-174 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nivaldo B. Lima Junior ◽

Maria J.G. Arandas ◽

Fabricya R. Silva ◽

Erivaldo A. Antonio ◽

Francisco C.A. Aguiar Júnior ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Ovarian Follicle ◽

Optical Microscope ◽

Reproductive Period ◽

Reproductive Stage ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Histomorphometric Analysis ◽

Forest Fragment

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to analyze the reproductive stage, histology and morphometry of the ovary of Dermanura cinerea in an Atlantic Forest fragments in the Biological Reserve of Saltinho, Pernambuco, Brazil. Adult females were captured monthly by mist net, during two consecutive nights from June/2014 to November/2015. The meteorological data were provided by the National Institute of Meteorology and grouped together with the reproductive data, in six periods: period I (June to August/2014), period II (September to November/2014), period III (December/2014 to February/2015), period IV (March to May/2015), period V (June to August/2015) and period VI (September to November/2015). The females were classified according to their reproductive stages in: Inactive, pregnant, lactating and postlactating. Among the 25 females caught, 10 inactive females were selected for the histomorphometric analysis of the ovaries and then they were euthanized. After that, the specimens had their ovaries removed, fixed, processed and included in Paraplast. The organs were cut and stained by Hematoxylin - Eosin and the histological slides produced were submitted to the appropriate optical microscope analysis. Each type of ovarian follicle was estimated according to the histological characteristics evidenced for other mammals. In the morphometric analysis, it was considered: The area of the ovary (measured in square millimeter), Quantification of different types of ovarian follicles (unilaminar and multilaminar primary follicles, antral and matures) and corpus luteum, as well as the area of each by those different follicles (measured in square micrometer) The results indicated that 16 females were inactive, 5 were lactating, 4 were pregnant and no post-lactating. The histological analysis revealed that the ovaries of D. cinerea exhibit characteristics, structures and cellular types similar to other mammals. The morphometric data of the study area were statistically evaluated using the Student’s t-test. Therefore, ovarian histomorphometric analysis are very important to infer with greater certainty about the reproduction of a species. Thus, it was observed that females of D. cinerea exhibit two reproductive peaks, that is, they can give birth either at the end of dry periods or from the beginning to the middle of the rainy season. The main feature observed in the ovary of this species, found in the Atlantic Forest area of the state of Pernambuco, is the preparation of the ovarian cortex to ovulate in months of high rainfall throughout the year. Therefore, this species tries to adjust its reproductive period with the variations of the environmental conditions, so that the reproduction might occur during the period more favorable for the maintenance of their offspring.

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Effects of climate and forest structure on palms, bromeliads and bamboos in Atlantic Forest fragments of Northeastern Brazil

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/1519-6984.00815 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 76 (4) ◽

pp. 834-844 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

R. R. Hilário ◽

J. J. Toledo

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forests ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Forest Structure ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Anthropogenic Pressure ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Plant Groups ◽

Precipitation Seasonality ◽

Palm Species

Abstract Palms, bromeliads and bamboos are key elements of tropical forests and understanding the effects of climate, anthropogenic pressure and forest structure on these groups is crucial to forecast structural changes in tropical forests. Therefore, we investigated the effects of these factors on the abundance of these groups in 22 Atlantic forest fragments of Northeastern Brazil. Abundance of bromeliads and bamboos were assessed through indexes. Palms were counted within a radius of 20 m. We also obtained measures of vegetation structure, fragment size, annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality and human population density. We tested the effects of these predictors on plant groups using path analysis. Palm abundance was higher in taller forests with larger trees, closed canopy and sparse understory, which may be a result of the presence of seed dispersers and specific attributes of local palm species. Bromeliads were negatively affected by both annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality, what may reflect adaptations of these plants to use water efficiently, but also the need to capture water in a regular basis. Bamboos were not related to any predictor variable. As climate and forest structure affected the abundance of bromeliads and palms, human-induced climatic changes and disturbances in forest structure may modify the abundance of these groups. In addition, soil properties and direct measurements of human disturbance should be used in future studies in order to improve the predictability of models about plant groups in Northeastern Atlantic Forest.

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Home Range, Diet, and Activity Patterns of Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in Very Small and Isolated Fragments of the Atlantic Forest of Northeastern Brazil

International Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1155/2015/685816 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Herbert Leonardo Nascimento Pinheiro ◽

Antonio Rossano Mendes Pontes

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Daily Path Length ◽

Common Marmosets ◽

Ad Libitum ◽

The Impact

We evaluate the impact of very small and isolated forest fragments on the common marmosets home range, diet, and activity patterns, in the northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Three groups were studied in three forest fragments, from January to October 2010, totaling 360 hours of observations and 1,080 field-hours. Systematic observations were recorded using Instantaneous Scan Sampling, and a checklist of the items exploited was built throughad libitumobservations. We recorded location of the groups and calculated home range. We recorded 11,639 scans and 236ad libitumfeeding records. 83.4% (n=10) of food items were plant species, the only animal protein was from insects (n=2; 16.6%), and the diet was based almost exclusively on gums. Mean home range was 5.5 ha, mean daily path length was 1,167 meters, and no differences were detected between seasons. Resting dominated their activity budget and varied between seasons. Common marmosets survived in this environment through a remarkable increase in their exploitation of tree gums (up to 98% of their feeding bouts) to compensate for the lack of food, in home ranges slightly larger than in the literature. Thus, they travelled and foraged less than expected and rested more since food was easily obtained.

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Seed predation by rodents and safe sites for large-seeded trees in a fragment of the Brazilian Atlantic forest

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842009000400003 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 763-771 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

SRR. Pinto ◽

AMM. Santos ◽

M. Tabarelli

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Seed Predation ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Small Rodent ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Small Rodents ◽

Seed Predator ◽

Safe Sites ◽

Adult Trees

Seed predation by small rodents is an emerging theme in the ecology of modified landscapes. Here we investigate the role played by the small rodent Oryzomys oniscus as a seed predator of large-seeded trees in a large remnant of the Atlantic forest - the Coimbra forest (3,500 ha), Alagoas state, northeastern Brazil. O. oniscus was captured and identified by setting twenty 500 m long transects, each one composed of 25 traps 20 m apart. This procedure resulted in 483 trap-nights set during a 20-mo period. We used 692 seeds (>15 mm length) from ten local large-seeded tree species for the seed predation trials that basically consisted of three treatments: one seed on the ground freely accessed by vertebrates (unprotected seed), one seed totally protected by an exclosure, and one partially-protected seed (exclosure just for medium-sized and large vertebrates). O. oniscus was captured throughout the Coimbra forest including forest edges (76 captures) and interior areas (67), and this small rodent was responsible for all seed predation visually documented inside exclosures. A 24 hours period of seed exposition permitted elevated rates of seed removal and predation. Seeds were much more removed/predated beneath fruiting trees, but rates varied according to the level of seed protection - 26.3% of predation among partially-protected versus 19.2% among unprotected seeds. Seeds suffered higher levels of seed predation/removal at the forest edge as well (up to 90%). In both habitats, most seeds (>84%) remained intact beneath trees without fruits, regardless of the level of seed protection. Our results suggest that O. oniscus may operate as an effective large-seed predator in forest fragments, in which adult trees without fruits constitute low resource spots and thereby provide, at least temporarily, safe sites for large seeds.

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