The Cerrado biome is a biodiversity hotspot with a rich biota, and intense anthropogenic pressures. Despite its importance, it is still poorly understood how insects occupy different spatial ...dimensions of the landscape.
We investigated how the beta diversity of plants influences the beta diversity of nymphalids at the regional‐scale (gallery forest vs. savannah) and local‐scale (transects). We expected greater beta‐diversity in nymphalid assemblages in gallery forests given the heterogeneity of plants and canopy structure.
We sampled nymphalids in each habitat monthly for 1 year and observed 3459 individuals from 62 species. Nymphalidae abundance was significantly higher in the understory than in the canopy. Specifically, only 18% of the individuals were captured in the canopy of gallery forests compared to 11% in savannah canopies. Species richness was higher in gallery forests (55 species) compared to savannahs (34 species).
Savannah transects were very similar in plant species composition and butterfly assemblages within the understory and canopy, whereas the species composition of plants and butterflies in gallery forests was highly heterogeneous which is consistent with the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis.
Gallery forests are spatially more complex, which probably results in higher niche availability that may contribute to reduce the community saturation and help to maintain greater beta diversity in these habitats.
The Cerrado biome has different habitat types ranging from grasslands to forests. In the present study, we have investigated how spatial heterogeneity influences the beta diversity of Nymphalidae species.
Nymphalidae species composition has changed from understory to canopy in gallery forests. Moreover, beta diversity of both plants and nymphalids were greater in gallery forest than in savannah transects.
Gallery forests are spatially more complex, which probably reflects in higher niche availability that may contribute to reduce community saturation, thus maintaining greater beta diversity in this habitat.
Habitat heterogeneity affects species distribution, and a better understanding of this relationship can inform biodiversity conservation. To understand how habitat heterogeneity affects multiple ...dimensions of biodiversity, we sampled fruit-feeding butterflies within savannah woodlands and gallery forests from July 2012 to June 2013 in the Cerrado. A total of 3459 individuals representing 56 species were collected, with 32 found in savannah and 51 in gallery forest. In addition to taxonomic diversity, gallery forests host higher functional (Gower = 0.72) and phylogenetic diversity (Faith’s PD = 641.5) compared to savannahs (Gower = 0.61; Faith = 416.1, respectively). Within gallery forests, butterfly assemblages exhibited higher functional diversity in the understory (Gower = 0.8) than in the canopy (Gower = 0.6). Similarly, phylogenetic diversity was higher in understory (PD = 573.9) compared to canopy (PD = 391.9) within the savannah. Species with smaller bodies (CWMsize = 27.8), broader diet breadth (CWMdiet = 2642), and defense-related traits (CWMeyespots = 65% of the assemblage), tended to be found in gallery forests compared to savannah woodland (CWMsize = 29.4; CWMdiet = 1527; CWMeyespots = 35% of the assemblage), respectively. Gallery forests are marked by more stable and less severe microclimate, reinforcing their pivotal role as a climatic refuge for most species, with a particular emphasis on smaller, desiccation-prone species. Furthermore, habitat heterogeneity may provide new ecological niches, which contribute to the high butterfly diversity in the Cerrado biome. Gallery forests offer favorable conditions for a higher proportion of butterfly assemblages, whereas savannah woodlands host distinct functional groups, including larger-bodied, camouflaged, and dietary specialist species. In light of this, we strongly advocate for the preservation of the gallery forest-savannah ecotone, in order to promote the coexistence of diverse butterfly lineages and functional groups.
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•Forests have higher diversity of fruit-feeding butterflies compared to savannahs.•Shaded and cooler gallery forests favored the presence of small-bodied butterflies.•Lower plant richness within Savannahs favored the presence of diet specialists.•Gallery forests play a vital role in buffering temperature and humidity extremes.•Conserving habitat heterogeneity is crucial for preserving Cerrado’s biodiversity.
Introduction
Body-size covaries with many species’ traits, with implications for population and ecosystem-level patterns. Body size and seasonality of a species may covary if, for certain body sizes ...and optimal resource availability, meet the larger energy requirements of large-bodied species, are restricted to a narrow temporal window.
Aim/methods
Here, we examine the relationship between body size and seasonality of fruit-feeding butterflies in the Cerrado, as well as its association with larval diet breadth and synchrony with fruit phenology.
Results
Relative to smaller-bodied clades, the adults within larger clades were less abundant, more generalized in their larval diet-breadth, more seasonal, and synchronized with fruit phenology.
Discussion
Body-size covaries with species traits that are sensitive to anthropogenic drivers. In the Cerrado realm, Brazil, larger-bodied butterflies tend to be more temporally specialized and more synchronized with food plants—therefore, more vulnerable to climate-driven changes in phenology (i.e., fruiting season).
Implications for insect conservation
To account for climate driven changes in synchrony with resources in the Cerrado, conservation should continue to focus on preserving habitat, especially corridors between savannah and gallery forests, so that resources are diverse and sufficiently abundant to sustain populations. Results from our study suggest that to conserve larger-bodied nymphalids, habitat restoration projects should prioritize seed sources that will maximize interaction diversity. This may not only be achieved by planting a diversity of native host plants but also cultivars that offset seasonal changes in the timing of flushing or fruiting.
We investigated the influence of burning frequency and timing on the abundance and diversity of cursorial arachnids in the cerrado (savannah of central Brazil). Five areas were subjected to different ...burning regimes. In each area, 40 pitfall traps were installed. The arachnids were sampled for three days each month from April 2007 to October 2008. Abundance was higher in the control area than in areas subjected to any fire regime. Species richness was similar in all areas. The evenness was lower in the control area. The areas subject to fires had significantly higher diversity than the control area. Although it was not possible to rank areas according to their diversity, areas burned in the middle of the dry season tended to have higher diversity than areas burned at the beginning or end of this season, indicating that the time at which fire occurs may be more important than the frequency of burning for the diversity of cursorial arachnids in the Brazilian cerrado.
Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is crucial to the host immune response against fungi, such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans, but its importance in Cryptococcus ...gattii infection is unknown. Our study aimed to understand the role of TLR9 during the course of experimental C. gattii infection in vivo, considering that the cryptococcal DNA interaction with the receptor could contribute to host immunity even in an extremely susceptible model. We inoculated C57BL/6 (WT) and TLR9 knock-out (TLR9
) mice intratracheally with 10
C. gattii yeast cells. TLR9
mice had a higher mortality rate compared to WT mice and more yeast cells that had abnormal size, known as titan cells, in the lungs. TLR9
mice also had a greater number of CFUs in the spleen and brain than WT mice, in addition to having lower levels of IFN-γ and IL-17 in the lung. With these markers of aggressive cryptococcosis, we can state that TLR9
mice are more susceptible to C. gattii, probably due to a mechanism associated with the decrease of a Th1 and Th17-type immune response that promotes the formation of titan cells in the lungs. Therefore, our results indicate the participation of TLR9 in murine resistance to C. gattii infection.
Cryptococcus gattii is a worldwide-distributed basidiomycetous yeast that can infect immunocompetent hosts. However, little is known about the mechanisms involved in the disease. The innate immune ...response is essential to the control of infections by microorganisms. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is an innate immune receptor, classically described as a non-methylated DNA recognizer and associated with bacteria, protozoa and opportunistic mycosis infection models. Previously, our group showed that TLR9-/- mice were more susceptible to C. gattii after 21 days of infection. However, some questions about the innate immunity involving TLR9 response against C. gattii remain unknown. In order to investigate the systemic cryptococcal infection, we evaluated C57BL/6 mice and C57BL/6 TLR9-/- after intratracheal infection with 104C. gattii yeasts for 21 days. Our data evidenced that TLR9-/- was more susceptible to C. gattii. TLR9-/- mice had hypereosinophilia in pulmonary mixed cellular infiltrate, severe bronchiolitis and vasculitis and type 2 alveolar cell hyperplasia. In addition, TLR9-/- mice developed severe pulmonary fibrosis and areas with strongly birefringent fibers. Together, our results corroborate the hypothesis that TLR9 is important to support the Th1/Th17 response against C. gattii infection in the murine experimental model.
is an obligatory intracellular protozoan parasite, and it is the etiological agent of Chagas' disease that is endemic in the Americas. In addition to humans, a wide spectrum of mammals can be ...infected by
, including dogs. Dogs develop acute and chronic disease, similar to human infection.
can infect almost all cell types and after cell invasion, the metacyclics trypomastigotes localize in the cytoplasm, where they transform into amastigotes, the replicative form of
in mammals. After amastigote multiplication and differentiation, parasites lyse host cells and spread through the body by blood circulation. In this work, we evaluated the
ability of
to infect a canine macrophage cell line DH82 compared with RAW264.7, a murine tissue culture macrophage. Our results have shown that the
is able to infect, replicate and differentiate in DH82 cell line. We observed that following treatment with LPS and IFN-γ DH82 cells were more resistant to infection and that resistance was not related reactive oxygen species production in our system. In this study, we also found that DH82 cells became more susceptible to
infection when cocultured with apoptotic cells. The analysis of cytokine production has showed elevated levels of the TGF-β, IL-10, and TNF-α produced by
-infected canine macrophages. Additionally, we demonstrated a reduced expression of the MHC class II and CD80 by infected DH82 cell line.
Leishmaniasis is an anthropozoonotic disease, and dogs are considered the main urban reservoir of the parasite. Macrophages, the target cells of
Leishmania sp
., play an important role during ...infection. Although dogs have a major importance in the epidemiology of the disease, the majority of the current knowledge about
Leishmania
–macrophage interaction comes from murine experimental models. To assess whether the canine macrophage strain DH82 is an accurate model for the study of
Leishmania
interaction, we compared its infection by two species of
Leishmania
(
Leishmania infantum
and
L. amazonensis
) with the murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7). Our results demonstrated that
L. amazonensis
survival was around 40% at 24 h of infection inside both macrophage cell lines; however, a reduction of 4.3 times in
L. amazonensis
infection at 48 h post-infection in RAW 264.7 macrophages was observed. The survival index of
L. infantum
in DH82 canine macrophages was around 3 times higher than that in RAW264.7 murine cells at 24 and 48 h post-infection; however, at 48 h a reduction in both macrophages was observed. Surprisingly at 24 h post-infection, NO and ROS production by DH82 canine cells stimulated with LPS or menadione or during
Leishmania
infection was minor compared to murine RAW264.7. However, basal arginase activity was higher in DH82 cells when compared to murine RAW264.7 cells. Analysis of the cytokines showed that these macrophages present a different response profile.
L. infantum
induced IL-12, and
L. amazonensis
induced IL-10 in both cell lines. However,
L. infantum and L. amazonensis
also induced TGF-β in RAW 264.7. CD86 and MHC expression showed that
L. amazonensis
modulated them in both cell lines. Conversely, the parasite load profile did not show significant difference between both macrophage cell lines after 48 h of infection, which suggests that other mechanisms of
Leishmania
control could be involved in DH82 cells.
Athene cunicularia is a cosmopolitan owl, their nest is present in bare soil. A. cunicularia regurgitates the non-digest material, and the analysis of this material allow an accurate investigation of ...their diet in a non-invasive way. This study described the temporal variation on the diet content of this owl in two season (dry and rain season). The samples were collected in two climatic periods (dry: May to June and wet: December to January) and were stored in zip bags previously tagged with all sample information. The diet contend was identified as morphotypes. It was verified 80 individuals distributed in five taxonomic groups. In general insects contributes with 80% of A. cunicularia diet (Coleoptera-56%; Battaria: 22%). Insect consumption was higher in wet season (92%) and lower in the dry season (67%), period that this owl uses small vertebrates (12%) and tenebios larvae (8%) as well. A tradeoff between the abundance and the nutritional value of each item is an important factor to explain the temporal variation in the A. cunicularia diet. The climatic factors influence the fauna and it is evidenced in the diet analysis. On the dry season, period of lower insect abundance, others items were used by this owl.
Athene cunicularia es un ave cosmopolita, nidifican en suelos inclinados y sin vegetación. Al alimentarse regurgita el contenido no digerido en pelotas denominadas egagrópilas. El análisis de las egagrópilas es un método no invasivo y permite establecer la dieta de manera eficiente. Objetivo: Este estudio investiga la variación en la dieta de la A. cunicularia en dos estaciones climáticas (seca: may-jun/17 y lluviosa: diez/16-ene/17). Materiales y Métodos: Las egagrópilas recolectadas fueron almacenadas en bolsas plásticas y llevadas al laboratorio para clasificar el contenido. Resultados: Se encontraron 80 individuos, distribuidos en cinco categorías taxonómicas. Los insectos contribuyen con aproximadamente el 80% de la dieta (Coleópteros: 56% y Blattaria 22%.), variando del 67% en la época seca al 92% en la época lluviosa. Los ítems poco frecuentes como pequeños vertebrados (12%) y larvas de Tenébrio (8%) ocurrieron en mayor número y se restringieron a la estación seca, respectivamente. Conclusión: Un balance entre abundancia y contenido nutricional ofrecido por estos insectos es un potencial factor para el estándar observado. Las estaciones climáticas influencian las distribuciones de las especies animales y esto se hace evidente en la dieta de ese búho. La menor disponibilidad de insectos durante el período seco contribuí en el aumento en la utilización de los demás ítems alimentarios verificados en esa estación.
Athene cunicularia é uma ave cosmopolita, nidificam em solos inclinados e sem vegetação. Ao alimentar-se regurgitam o conteúdo não diferido em pelotas denominadas egagrópilas. A análise das egagrópilas é um método não invasivo e permite estabelecer a dieta de maneira eficiente. Objetivo: Este estudo investiga a variação na dieta de A. cunicularia em duas estações climáticas (seca:mai-jun/17 e chuvosa:dez/16 e jan/17). Materiais e Métodos: As egagrópilas coletadas foram armazenadas em sacos plásticos e levados ao laboratório para triagem do conteúdo. Resultados: Foram encontrados 80 indivíduos, distribuídos em cinco categorias taxonômica. Os insetos contribuem com aproximadamente 80% da dieta (Coleópteros: 56% e Blattaria 22%.), variando de 67% na época seca à 92% na época chuvosa. Itens pouco frequentes como pequenos vertebrados (12%) e larvas de Tenébrio (8%) ocorreram em maior número e foram restritos à estação seca, respectivamente. Conclusão: Um balanço entre abundância e teor nutricional oferecido por esses insetos é um potencial fator para o padrão observado. As estações climáticas influenciam as distribuições das espécies animais e isso se torna evidente na dieta dessa coruja. A menor disponibilidade de insetos durante o período seco contribui para o aumento na utilização dos demais itens alimentares verificados nessa estação.
DNA barcoding and environmental DNA (eDNA) represent significant advances for biomonitoring the world's biodiversity and its threats. However, these methods are highly dependent on the presence of ...species sequences on molecular databases. Brazil is one of the world's largest and most biologically diverse countries. However, many knowledge gaps still exist for describing, identifying, and monitoring of mammalian biodiversity using molecular methods. We aimed to unravel the patterns of the presence of Brazilian mammal species on molecular databases to improve our understanding of how effectively it would be to monitor them using DNA barcoding and environmental DNA, and contribute to mammalian conservation. We foundt many gaps in molecular databases, with many taxa being poorly represented, particularly from Amazonia, the order Lagomorpha, and arboreal, gomivorous, near extinct, and illegally traded species. Moreover, our analyses revealed that species description year was the most important factor determining the probability of a species to being sequenced. Primates are the group with the highest number of species considered a priority for sequencing due to their high level of combined threats. We highlight where investments are needed to fill knowledge gaps and increase the representativity of species on molecular databases to enable a better monitoring ability of Brazilian mammals encompassing different traits using DNA barcoding and environmental DNA.
•Only 62.19% of Brazilian mammal spp. have COI sequences on BOLD.•The Amazon Forest had the highest proportion of missing species sequences.•Description year and IUCN category best predict species sequenced for COI.•Forty five Brazilian mammal species have been listed as priorities to be sequenced.
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