Protected areas Azevedo-Santos, Valter M.; Frederico, Renata G.; Fagundes, Camila K. ...
Diversity & distributions,
03/2019, Letnik:
25, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Brazil has a variety of aquatic ecosystems and rich freshwater biodiversity, but these components have been constantly damaged by the expansion of unsustainable activities. An array of different ...conservation strategies is needed, especially the creation of protected areas (PAs, hereafter). However, Brazil’s PAs are biased towards terrestrial ecosystems and we argue that current PAs have limited efficacy in the protection of freshwater biodiversity. New PAs should better consider aquatic environments, covering entire basins, rivers and other freshwater habitats. We recommend ways to implement these PAs and provide guidance to avoid social impacts. Freshwater systems in Brazil provide essential goods and services but these ecosystems are being rapidly degraded and will be lost if not adequately protected.
AIM: We used chelonian distribution data to (1) predict suitable areas of the occurrence for freshwater turtle species using species distribution models and (2) evaluate whether these species are ...protected by the current network of protected areas (PAs). LOCATION: The Brazilian Amazon. METHODS: We generated predictions of suitable areas for chelonian occurrence based on BIOCLIM, SVM, GLM and maximum entropy modelling procedures. We used maximum entropy to run the gap analysis and compared the effectiveness of three kinds of protected areas with different levels of protection: (1) integral protection areas (IPA) only; (2) integral protection areas + sustainable use areas (IPA+SUA); and (3) integral protection areas + sustainable use areas + indigenous lands (IPA + SUA + IL). RESULTS: We identified only one full gap species, Mesoclemmys nasuta, whose distribution is not included in any PAs. Other chelonian species have at least a portion of their distribution included in PAs. Some protected species and partial gap species occur in areas with high rates of deforestation. Considering PAs with the highest level of protection (IPA), only Rhinoclemmys punctularia and Kinosternon scorpioides achieve their conservation targets. In the IPA + SUA scenario, conservation targets of some species with small range sizes are not achieved. When all PA types were considered (IPA + SUA + IL), only two species fail to achieve their conservation targets, Acanthochelys macrocephala and M. nasuta. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Despite the large number of PAs in the Brazilian Amazon, IPAs alone are not sufficient for capturing suitable areas for freshwater turtles. The inclusion of SUA and IL is crucial for achieving coverage targets for most species. However, chelonians may be overharvested in SUAs and ILs, due to their importance as a food resource. Areas that have high turtle richness next to existing PAs and the needs of traditional cultures should be considered in management planning for freshwater turtles.
There is a long history of exploitation of the South American river turtle Podocnemis expansa. Conservation efforts for this species started in the 1960s but best practices were not established, and ...population trends and the number of nesting females protected remained unknown. In 2014 we formed a working group to discuss conservation strategies and to compile population data across the species’ range. We analysed the spatial pattern of its abundance in relation to human and natural factors using multiple regression analyses. We found that > 85 conservation programmes are protecting 147,000 nesting females, primarily in Brazil. The top six sites harbour > 100,000 females and should be prioritized for conservation action. Abundance declines with latitude and we found no evidence of human pressure on current turtle abundance patterns. It is presently not possible to estimate the global population trend because the species is not monitored continuously across the Amazon basin. The number of females is increasing at some localities and decreasing at others. However, the current size of the protected population is well below the historical population size estimated from past levels of human consumption, which demonstrates the need for concerted global conservation action. The data and management recommendations compiled here provide the basis for a regional monitoring programme among South American countries.
The Amazon Basin features a vast network of healthy, free‐flowing rivers, which provides habitat for the most biodiverse freshwater fauna of any basin globally. However, existing and future ...infrastructure developments, including dams, threaten its integrity by diminishing river connectivity, altering flows, or changing sediment regimes, which can impact freshwater species. In this study, we assess critical rivers that need to be maintained as freshwater connectivity corridors (FCCs) for selective freshwater species—long‐distance migratory fishes and turtles (both with migrations >500 km) and river dolphins. We define FCCs as river stretches of uninterrupted river connectivity that provide important riverine and floodplain habitat for long‐distance migratory and other species and that maintain associated ecosystem functions. We assessed more than 340,000 km of river, beginning with an assessment of the connectivity status of all rivers and then combining river status with models of occurrence of key species to map where FCCs occur and how they could be affected under a scenario of proposed dams. We identified that in 2019, 16 of 26 very long (>1000 km) rivers are free‐flowing but only 9 would remain free‐flowing if all proposed dams are built. Among long and very long rivers (>500 km), 93 are considered FCCs. Under the future scenario, one‐fifth (18) of these long and very long FCCs—those that are of critical importance for long‐distance migrants and dolphins—would lose their FCC status, including the Amazon, the Negro, Marañón, Napo, Ucayali, Preto do Igapó Açu, Beni, and Uraricoera rivers. To avoid impacts of poorly sited infrastructure, we advocate for energy and water resources planning at the basin scale that evaluates alternative development options and limits development that will impact on FCCs. The results also highlight where corridors could be designated as protected from future fragmentation.
Freshwater connectivity corridors of the Amazon Basin are critical to maintain river services and biodiversity. Among rivers >500 km in length, there are currently 93 freshwater connectivity corridors (FCCs) that are either free‐flowing or of good connectivity status; one‐fifth of these FCCs would lose their free‐flowing status with buildout of proposed hydropower dams. Early basin‐wide planning, which includes information on freshwater species and ecosystems and avoids FCCs, examines alternative options for meeting energy or water resources needs, and sites needed infrastructure in the least harmful locations, is necessary.
The matamatas (Chelus fimbriata and the recently described Chelus orinocensis) are the largest species in the family Chelidae, easily identified by their distinct morphological characteristics. The ...matamatas have a wide distribution in South America, occurring in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, and Venezuela, as well as Trinidad and Tobago. However, there are many gaps in the knowledge of its distribution. The objective of this study was to present new records of occurrence for the C. fimbriata species complex and describe the area of distribution. We compiled data from published papers, databases in museums and other scientific collections, and research institutes and conservation organizations. From these data we mapped the species distribution, considering 3 types of river drainages based on water color in the Amazon Basin. We added 182 new records in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, demonstrating that the C. fimbriata species complex has a wide distribution, totaling 6,907,551 km2 across all 3 river types. Most records were concentrated in areas lower than 200 m above sea level.
The loss of forest cover has been considered to be an important factor in the decline of turtle populations. We used Species Distribution Models (SDM) to identify the potential distribution areas of ...several turtle species in the Brazilian Amazon and to calculate amount of area possibly lost to deforestation (vulnerability). We then used the software Zonation to prioritize areas for turtle conservation. We assigned higher conservation weight to terrestrial, semi-aquatic and threatened turtles and forced the exclusion of deforested areas. Different scenarios were run to assess the effectiveness of PAs in protecting turtles. Priority areas for turtle conservation are located in central-northern Amazon. These regions usually do not encompass high deforestation areas. Areas that turtles are most vulnerable to deforestation are located in central-northeastern Amazon, but only three species lost more potential distribution area to current and predicted deforestation than the percentage of total deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Phrynops geoffroanus, Podocnemis unifilis, Mesoclemmys gibba and Kinosternon scorpioides had a highest proportion of their potential distribution area lost due to deforestation. Many priority sites for turtle conservation are located outside of PAs, even when considering only the top 17% of priority sites. Although we did not explicitly take into consideration the social importance of turtles as a food resource in our analysis, our results highlight the most important regions for investing in conservation of turtles in the Brazilian Amazon. These results have significant practical implications for conservation.
•Many priority sites for turtle conservation are located outside of Protected Areas.•Priority areas for turtle conservation are located in central-northern Amazon.•Priority areas usually do not encompass high deforestation regions.•Three species lose more potential distribution area than the total deforestation rate.
Diet of Iheringichthys labrosus (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae) in the Ibicuí River, Southern Brazil Fagundes, Camila K.(Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Campus Universitário, Faixa de Camobi Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal); Behr, Everton R.(Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Centro de Educação Superior Norte do Rio Grande do Sul Departamento de Zootecnia); Kotzian, Carla B.(Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Campus Universitário Departamento de Biologia)
Iheringia. Série Zoologia,
03/2008, Letnik:
98, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The diet of the benthic-feeding fish Iheringichthys labrosus (Lütken, 1874) was analyzed. Samples were taken bimonthly from December 1999 to January 2002, in three sites of the Ibicuí River, a ...tributary of Uruguay River basin (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). In each sampling point the specimens were collected in lentic and lotic environments. Gillnets and trammel nets were examined every 6 hours (6h, 12h, 18h and 24h). Diet description was based on the frequency of occurrence and the volume of each food item to obtain the Alimentary Index (IAi). The average stomach fullness was adopted to detect variations in the feeding activity according to the season, the circadian rhythm and the environment. Chironomids were the most important food item, followed by mollusks, and feeding activity was highest in summer, during daylight (6h and 12h), and in the lotic environment of the second sampling point.
A biologia alimentar de Iheringichthys labrosus (Lütken, 1874) foi estudada através de exemplares coletados bimestralmente em três pontos do rio Ibicuí, um afluente da bacia do rio Uruguai, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, de dezembro de 1999 a janeiro de 2002. Em cada ponto foram amostrados ambientes lênticos e lóticos, sendo as redes de espera e feiticeiras revisadas a cada 6 horas (6, 12, 18 e 24hs). A descrição da dieta foi baseada na combinação da freqüência de ocorrência e volume de cada item alimentar para obtenção do índice de importância alimentar (IAi). Variações na tomada do alimento quanto à sazonalidade, ritmo circadiano e ambientes foram verificadas através do grau de repleção médio. Os Chironomidae constituíram a principal fonte alimentar da espécie, seguidos pelos moluscos. A maior atividade alimentar foi verificada no verão no período diurno (6 e 12h) no ambiente lótico do segundo ponto de coleta.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) has one of the highest incidence and mortality rates among cancers, yet differential diagnostics are still needed. Several intestinal stem cell markers have been found to be ...associated with CRC and might have a prognostic and predictive significance. SOX2 and SOX3 are members of the SOX (SRY-related HMG-box) family of transcription factors involved in regulation of embryonic development and cell fate. The objective of this study was to evaluate gene expression of SOX2 and SOX3 in 2 distinct colorectal carcinoma cell lines: HCT-116 and HT-29. HCT-116 is a cell line from adult male colorectal carcinoma, and HT-29 is a cell line from a 44 year-old female colorectal adenocarcinoma. HCT-116 and HT-29 cells, and the control cell line HEK (embryonic kidney), were seeded into 12-well plates (50,000 cells per well) and maintained in standard growth medium. After cells reached 80 to 90% confluency, cells were washed with sterile PBS and total mRNA isolated using Trizol® reagent. Total mRNA was DNAse treated, and RT-qRTPCR was performed to quantify SOX2 and SOX3 mRNA expression, using S26 mRNA expression as normalizer. Results demonstrated SOX3 higher expression in HCT cells compared with HEK cells (3.16 fold change), and no detectable expression of SOX3 in HT-29. In addition, SOX2 mRNA expression was higher in HCT-116 cells when compared with HEK cells (4.55 fold change), and with HT-29 cells (6.45 fold change). Results support the hypothesis that SOX2 and SOX3 may have prognostic and predictive significance in CRC tissue samples.
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