Bat diversity from an area of coastal Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil

We characterize the bat fauna of forested sites in the municipality of Domingos Martins, Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil, and update the list of bat species of the state. We conducted a rapid inventory using ground-level mist nets (27,000 m²·h effort) and occasional roost searching, which resulted in a list of 23 species belonging to Phyllostomidae (18 species), Vespertilionidae (3), and Molossidae (2). We report the first record of Molossops neglectus Williams & Genoways, 1980 and Myotis lavali Moratelli, Peracchi, Dias & Oliveira, 2011 from Espírito Santo, bringing the total number of confirmed species in the state to 86. The molossid Nyctinomops laticaudatus (É. Geoffroy, 1805) was exclusively recorded in its diurnal roost in rocky outcrops. Our study fills knowledge gaps in the distribution of bat species in southeastern Brazil, and more specifically in the highly diverse coastal Atlantic Forest of Espírito Santo. These data reinforce the importance of continuously inventorying and documenting bats in the Neotropics.

Cross-species Transcriptomes Reveal Species-specific and Shared Molecular Adaptations for Plants Development on Iron-rich Rocky Outcrops Soils

BackgroundCanga is the Brazilian term for the savanna-like vegetation harboring several endemic species on iron-rich rocky outcrops, usually considered for mining activities. Parkia platycephala Benth. and Stryphnodendron pulcherrimum (Willd.) Hochr. naturally occur in the cangas of Serra dos Carajás (eastern Amazonia, Brazil) and the surrounding forest, indicating high phenotypic plasticity. The morphological and physiological mechanisms of the plants’ establishment in the canga environment are well studied, but the molecular adaptative responses are still unknown. We aimed to identify molecular mechanisms that allow the establishment of these plants in the canga environment.ResultsPlants were grown in canga and forest substrates collected in the Carajás Mineral Province. RNA was extracted from pooled leaf tissue, and RNA-seq paired-end reads were assembled into representative transcriptomes for P. platycephala and S. pulcherrimum containing 31,728 and 31,311 primary transcripts, respectively. We identified both species-specific and core molecular responses in plants grown in the canga substrate using differential expression analyses. In the species-specific analysis, we identified 1,112 and 838 differentially expressed genes for P. platycephala and S. pulcherrimum, respectively. Enrichment analyses showed unique biological processes and metabolic pathways affected for each species. Comparative differential expression analysis was based on shared single-copy orthologs. The overall pattern of ortholog expression was species-specific. Even so, almost 300 altered genes were identified between plants in canga and forest substrates, responding the same way in both species. The genes were functionally associated with the response to light stimulus and the circadian rhythm pathway.ConclusionsPlants possess species-specific adaptative responses to cope with the substrates. Our results also suggest that plants adapted to both canga and forest environments can adjust the circadian rhythm in a substrate-dependent manner. The circadian clock gene modulation might be a central mechanism regulating the plants’ development in the canga substrate in the studied legume species. The mechanism may be shared as a common mechanism to abiotic stress compensation in other native species.

A new species of Homonota (Squamata: Gekkota: Phyllodactylidae) from Paraguay

The 12 recognized species of the genus Homonota are geographically restricted to central and southern South America in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The phylogenetic relationships within the genus are well known where three groups are identified, each of them containing four species: the whitii group (Homonota darwinii, H. williamsii, H. whitii, and H. andicola), the borellii group (H. borellii, H. taragui, H. rupicola, and H. uruguayensis) and the horrida group (H. horrida, H. underwoodi, H. septentrionalis, and H. marthae). During fieldwork in Paraguay, we found a specimen of Homonota with unique morphological and geographical traits. Thus, we performed a comparative morphological analysis against specimens housed in different Paraguayan collections. Additionally, we performed a DNA analysis of our specimen to assess its relationships within the genus. Results suggest that this specimen represents a new species of the Homonota horrida group based on molecular and morphological evidence. The new species is characterized by a robust body, 10 longitudinal rows of strongly keeled scales separated by one or two granular scales, square-shaped mental scales, small postmental scales, one or two rows of rectangular scales in the upper eye scales, rostral scale divided, edge of auditory meatus serrated posteriorly, and black and brown background coloration with one white vertebral line and seven white transverse bands. The new species is restricted to Paraguarí Department, characterized by herbaceous grasslands with rocky outcrops.

Population expansion and genetic structure in Cephalocereus nizandensis (Cactaceae), a microendemic cactus of rocky outcrops of the Tehuantepec basin, Mexico

Background and aims – Cephalocereus nizandensis is a microendemic columnar cactus that grows isolated in xerophytic enclaves associated with rocky outcrops in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in the south of Mexico. Its demographic history and genetic structure were assessed to determine the main events that shaped its current restricted distribution.Material and methods – Chloroplast intergenic sequences of 40 individuals and inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) of 45 individuals from four isolated populations were used to estimate haplotypic and nucleotide diversity, using expected heterozygosity and the Shannon index. AMOVA, population pair-wise FST, and Bayesian clustering analyses were performed to explore the genetic structure. Demographic history was estimated with neutrality tests, mismatch distribution analysis, and Bayesian skyline plots. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence times were determined using a median joining network and a Bayesian molecular clock.Key results – C. nizandensis has a high diversity and moderate genetic differentiation. The lowest elevation locality was found to be the most genetically distinct. The species has undergone a process of population expansion that began 150,000 years ago and has remained without evidence of a population contraction in the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene (11,700 years ago).Conclusions – C. nizandensis presents moderate but significant genetic differentiation, which may be due to an early divergence of its populations. Currently observed levels of genetic diversity are the result of historical maintenance of high population sizes and a population expansion approximately in the last 150,000 years, which was sustained independently of the climatic fluctuations of the Early Quaternary, due in part to the stability of the rocky habitat.

Checklist of benthic algae from beaches and rocky outcrops on the northeast coast of Pará state, Brazilian Amazonia

ABSTRACT We present a checklist with 23 taxa of the benthic phycological flora on three beaches on the northeast coast of Pará state, in the Brazilian Amazon, a rarely surveyed area for algae. Collections were made on substrates like rocky outcrops at Salinópolis municipality, and on trunks, branches and pneumatophores of Laguncularia racemosa and artificial substrates at Marapanim municipality. Despite the limited geographic scale of the sampling, we provide ten new citations for the benthic, marine and estuarine algal taxa of the Pará state coast: six Chlorophyta (Bryopsis pennata, Cladophora coelothrix, C. conferta, Gayralia brasiliensis, Pseudorhizoclonium africanum and Ulva chaetomorphoides), two Rhodophyta (Caloglossa confusa, Centroceras gasparrinii), one Ochrophyta (Bachelotia antillarum) and one Cyanophyta (Coleofasciculus chthonoplastes).

Payment for environmental services to promote land aptitude.

Payments for environmental services (PES) consist of a way of promoting conservation by providing a financial reward to landowners. We propose an approach to determine the potential of a region for implementing PES based on the land potential for agriculture. PES is a powerful mechanism able to contribute for at least ten United Nations sustainable development goals. The study area consists of the headwaters of two important basins in Brazil: the Doce and the Jequitinhonha rivers. The potential for agricultural use was determined based on lithology, soil class, and slope of the terrain layers. The land use was classified using Sentinel images between August 2019 and March 2020. The potential of environmental services were mapped overlapping the land use, the protected areas, and the potential for agricultural. We found that 42.9% of the land have low potential; 31.6% have moderate potential, 23.6% have high potential and 1.9% have very high agricultural. Native vegetation and rocky outcrops accounted together for 75% of the area. Pasture occupies another 22.3%, urban area 1.38%, mining 0.83% and agriculture 0.04%. We found that 87.3% of the land classified as low agricultural potential are still covered by native vegetation or rocky outcrops, and are natural candidates to enter a PES program. Livestock farming or agriculture developed in low potential areas are candidates for land retirement and restoration. The livestock farming is the dominant economic activity in the region, with annualized present value of US$ 106.77 per hectare, and should be the reference for the annual payment for natural areas included in a PES program. The annual budget for the PES program implementation aiming at the preservation of the current natural vegetation is US$ 10.8 millions.

Diversidade Florística dos Afloramentos Rochosos da Reserva Biológica de Pedra Talhada, Quebrangulo, Alagoas

Os afloramentos rochosos ocorrem principalmente em regiões de climas áridos e são reconhecidos por apresentarem uma flora altamente especializada, com altos níveis de diversidade e endemismo. O objetivo do estudo foi realizar um levantamento florístico em ambientes de afloramentos rochosos visando registrar a diversidade local e contribuir para a ampliação do conhecimento da flora brasileira. O estudo foi desenvolvido nos afloramentos rochosos conhecidos popularmente como Pedra Talhada, Três Lagoas e dos Bois, todos localizados na Reserva Biológica de Pedra Talhada no município de Quebrangulo, Alagoas. Coletas mensais foram realizadas durante dois anos (2013 - 2014). Para a identificação dos táxons foram consultadas bibliografias especializadas, guias e sítios de imagens, além de especialistas. Na Rebio de Pedra Talhada foram identificadas 160 espécies de angiospermas pertencentes a 132 gêneros e 60 famílias. Nas três áreas estudadas predomina o estrato herbáceo-arbustivo (77,3%), no entanto, diferem quanto a riqueza e composição florística. As famílias com maior representatividade foram Orchidaceae (13 spp.), Rubiaceae (12 spp.) e Asteraceae (11 spp.). São indicadas 15 novas ocorrências para Alagoas; cinco para o domínio Mata Atlântica e um novo registro para a região Nordeste do Brasil. Floristic Diversity of the Rocky Outcrops in the Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve, Quebrangulo, Alagoas ABSTRACTThe rocky outcrops occur mainly in regions with arid climates and are recognized for having a highly specialized flora, with high levels of diversity and endemism. The aim of the study was to carry out a floristic survey in rocky outcrop environments in order to register the local diversity and contribute to the expansion of knowledge of Brazilian flora. The study was carried out on rocky outcrops popularly known as Pedra Talhada, Três Lagoas and dos Bois, all located in the Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve in the municipality of Quebrangulo, Alagoas. Monthly collections were carried out for two years (2013 - 2014). For the taxa identification, specialized bibliographies, guides and image sites were consulted, in addition to specialists. In Rebio de Pedra Talhada, 160 species of angiosperms belonging to 132 genera and 60 families were identified. In the three areas studied, the herbaceous-shrub stratum predominates (77.3%), however, they differ in terms of richness and floristic composition. The most representative families were Orchidaceae (13 spp.), Rubiaceae (12 spp.) and Asteraceae (11 spp.). 15 new occurrences are indicated for Alagoas; five for the Atlantic Forest domain and a new record for the Northeast region of Brazil.Keywords: Angiosperms, Atlantic Forest, new occurrences, Northeast of Brazil.