Climate change poses a critical threat to the Pantanal, the largest wetland in the world. Models indicate an increase in the frequency of extreme precipitation events and extended periods of drought. ...These changes can amplify consequences for Pantanal's ecological functioning, which has already experienced intensive human modification of its hydrological system and environmental health. The present study analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamics of rainfall and resulting extremes in the Brazilian area of the Upper Paraguay River Basin (UPRB) along with a co-evaluation of the global Sea Surface Temperature data (SST). The predicted results indicate that wet extreme precipitation events will become more frequent in the highlands, while severe and prolonged droughts triggered by warming SSTs in the Northern Hemisphere (North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans) will affect the Pantanal. The linear relations between precipitation with SST of very specific oceanic regions and even from specific oceanic indexes obtained in the present study significantly improve the forecasting capacity, mainly from a resulting reduction to two months of the lead-time between SST warming to concomitant precipitation impacts, and by explaining 80% of Pantanal´s precipitation variation from major oceanic indexes (e.g., ENSO, PDO, NAO, ATL3). Current SST trends will result in inter- and intra-annual flooding dynamic alterations, drastically affecting the Pantanal ecosystem functioning, with consequences for wildlife diversity and distribution. Regarding the foreseeable global climate and land use change scenarios, the results from the present study provide solid evidence that can be used at different decision-making levels (from local to global) for identifying the most appropriate management practices and effectively achieving sustainability of the anthropic activity occurring in the Pantanal.
The Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil, is famous for its luxurious plant and animal life. We combine a literature review with recent work and show that species diversity is large but that most major ...plant and animal groups contain a large number of not wetland-specific species that depend on permanently terrestrial habitats within the Pantanal, or are restricted to dry areas during the low water period. These species occur also in the neighbouring biomes of Cerrado, Amazon Forest or Chaco. Until now, very few endemic species have been described, however, there are large populations of species in the Pantanal that are considered rare or endangered in South America. The number of trees adapted to long term flooding is low in comparison with the Amazon River floodplain. We hypothesize that the reason for the lack of local endemisms and the occurrence of a large number of species with a large ecological amplitude is the climatic instability of the region of the Pantanal, which suffered severe drought during glacial periods. The instability of the actual climate, which is characterized by multi-annual wet and dry periods, has a strong impact on distribution, community structure and population size of many plant and animal species and hinders spatial segregation of populations. The dependence of the system on the flood pulse makes the Pantanal very vulnerable to human induced changes in hydrology and the predicted changes in global climate.PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
In studies of avian diversity, many different methods have been applied. Since methodological approaches may affect research results, the choice of a given methodology must be consistent with the ...scientific objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate how different methodologies with their intrinsic limitations help detect and monitor birds to evaluate how they complement each other in the survey of species. Three different assessment methods, mist nets, point counts, and autonomous acoustic recordings were used to serve this purpose in a study of different Pantanal habitats, such as savannas and forests. The point counts detected more species (126 species) than the two other methods autonomous acoustic recordings (113 species) and mist nets (79 species). We observed significant differences in the number of species detected by mist nets and the other two methods. Each survey method identified exclusive species. When comparing habitats, all three methods showed significant differences in bird species composition. Savannas were richer in bird species than forests, and replacement was the main driver responsible for the differences in beta diversity between the habitats. The three methodologies, when applied together, proved to be complementary in avian species detection.
Fire might occur under natural conditions in the Pantanal of Brazil; however, with climate change, severe periods of drought potentiated the devasting fires in 2020, resulting in substantial wildlife ...loss. Considering that mammal communities are strongly affected by fire and habitat alterations, the aim of this study was to evaluate possible differences in mammal diversity and the number of records before and one year after the fire in one region of the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil (Parque SESC Baía das Pedras – PSBP). The data collection was performed using camera trapping between 2015 and 2017 and 2021, together with visual field observations in PSBP. We observed that the mammal assemblage composition was similar before and one year after the fire. Four species were more or less frequent in burned areas than in unburned ones. Since the fire was controlled in this area, avoiding its total destruction, and the species that fled from the surrounding areas, which were completely burnt, might be using PSBP as a refuge while the vegetation recovers elsewhere. Therefore, the PSBP might have contributed to protecting mammal species after the fire and maintaining and conserving biodiversity on a regional scale in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil.
This study focuses on incubation parameters, egg morphometrics, and body mass development, hatching, and behavioral adaptations to heat stress within a colony of freshwater-breeding Black Skimmers ...(Rynchops niger) located in the private nature reserve of Serviço Social do Comércio (SESC) in the northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Temperatures of nest, eggs, and surface substratum, as well as the development of embryos, were surveyed using thermal imaging, a method allowing digital recording from a distance and in a fraction of the time of traditional measuring techniques. The mean egg dimensions (n = 71) were 4.48 (± 0.13) × 3.27 (± 0.07) cm; the mean mass at hatching was 24.3 (± 1.9) g, with a significant decrease over incubation time. The mean surface temperature of eggs varied from 30.9℃ to 39.7℃, while the sand surface temperature was 20℃ at 06:00 h, rising to 47.7℃ at 11:00 h. There was a significant increase (7%) in egg surface temperature throughout incubation. Incubation-bout durations (n = 2108) were correlated with the microclimatic conditions of the substratum, becoming shorter with increasing sand-surface temperature around midday. Egg hatching lasted one day, and siblings hatched no more than 24 h apart. The mean body mass on Day 1 after hatching was 16.8 (± 1.6) g (n = 6). Three days after hatching, chicks moved to new sand depressions provided by parents near the original nest, where they remained motionless or tried to hide under riparian vegetation. The single chick that fledged had a growth rate of K = 0.117 and a t₁₀₋₉₀ value of 37.3 days. On Day 7, dorsal pintail feathers and primaries appeared, which were open on Day 15. After 14 days, the chick was able to regulate its body temperature, and no more feeding by parental birds during the daytime was observed. On Day 21, the immature plumage was fully developed. Fledging was completed on Day 27. Our study demonstrates that thermal imaging is a useful method of surveying egg and embryo development in the Black Skimmer, reducing nest disturbance and observation efforts.
Four new species, namely Heilus rosadonetoi Lira, De Sousa & Marques sp. nov., Heilus christinae Lira, De Sousa & Marques sp. nov., Heilus vanini Lira, De Sousa & Marques sp. nov., and Heilus obrieni ...Lira, De Sousa & Marques sp. nov., are described from Brazil. The new species are illustrated with habitus photographs and drawings of male and female genitalia. The present study expands the diversity of the genus Heilus to include 22 species in the Neotropical region, with the highest number of species (16 species) distributed in Brazil.
ABSTRACT The total phenol concentration present in Vochysia divergens Pohl. (Vochysiaceae) leaves in the Pantanal was analyzed. Work was carried out between September/2012 and June/2013 which is made ...up by the dry season (September/2012), the beginning of the rising water (December/2012), the high water (March/2013) followed by the receding water period (June/2013). For the purpose of the research fifteen trees were selected, five from each sample area. The phenolic content in the leaves was obtained from the samples which were dried, steeped with ethanol: water and centrifuged. The extract was used to determine the concentration of total phenols using the Folin-Ciocalteu spectrometric method. There was no difference among the sampling areas; however the values were different in relation to seasonal periods. The lowest concentration was recorded in the dry season (young leaves) increasing gradually at the beginning of the rising water, with higher levels at the end of high water and receding water season. The highest concentration of phenols occurred during the receding water period (end of the life cycle of V. divergens leaves), followed by high and rising water periods. The increase in phenol concentration is associated with the Pantanal flood cycle, and related to the phenology of the V. divergens leaves.
RESUMO Analisou-se a concentração de fenóis totais presentes nas folhas de Vochysia divergens Pohl. (Vochysiaceae) na região norte do Pantanal, coletadas entre setembro de 2012 e junho de 2013, compreendendo o período de seca (setembro/2012), o começo do período de inundação (dezembro/2012), período de cheia (março/2013) seguido pela vazante (junho/2013). Para a coleta foram selecionadas 15 árvores, cinco em cada área amostral. A concentração de fenóis nas folhas foi obtida com as amostras secas à 40ºC, maceradas com etanol: água e centrifugada. O extrato foi usado para determinação da concentração de fenóis totais utilizando-se o método espectrométrico de Folin-Ciocalteu. Não houve diferença entre as áreas amostrais, entretanto os valores foram diferentes em relação aos períodos sazonais. A menor concentração foi registrada no período da seca (folhas jovens) aumentando gradativamente no início do período de enchente com maiores níveis no final do período de inundação. A maior concentração de fenóis ocorreu durante a vazante (final do ciclo de vida das folhas de V. divergens), seguida pela cheia e enchente. O aumento na concentração de fenóis, provavelmente, está associado ao ciclo de inundações do Pantanal, e relacionado com a fenologia das folhas de V. divergens.
Seasonality significantly affects environmental changes in the Pantanal, especially during wet and dry periods. Inundation and drought impact the onset of flowering and fruiting and the occurrence of ...insects. Because such resources may vary across seasons, it is expected that avian functional diversity also changes. We examine how functional diversity changed over time, as measured by functional richness and functional divergence. For functional richness, we observed a functionally overdispersed bird community over the seasons, whereas for functional divergence, two different patterns were found: (1) functionally overdispersed bird communities during the wet and receding seasons and (2) functionally clustered avian communities in the dry and rising seasons. The diversity of functional groups did not significantly vary across the seasons, as expected, but varied between forests and savannas. The environment has restricted resources in certain seasons, benefiting species with specific functional characteristics, however, bird species in the Pantanal are often generalists adapted to using a wide variety of food resources. Although the habitat turnover rate is an important factor that influences bird species composition across seasons, the changes in species composition still allowed the maintenance of certain functional characteristics, contributing to conservation of the existing functional groups in the ecosystem.
Habitat heterogeneity in the Pantanal results from flood dynamics and vegetation characteristics. Considering that these impacts affect landbird nesting conditions and food resource availability, ...species turnover and richness should respond to them. We conducted this study in the northeastern Pantanal, in two dominant habitats, savanna and forest, covering two annual cycles. The objectives were: (1) evaluation of trophic structure, (2) analyses of species dissimilarity patterns, and (3) investigation of whether seasonal changes in the flood regime and/or vegetation characteristics drive these patterns. We used mist nests to acquire data on bird species composition, abundance, and guilds. Insectivore and omnivore species were the predominant guilds. The bird community showed very high overall dissimilarity, with a Jaccard Index of 0.86, with 86% attributed to species replacement and 14% to species nestednesss. This high dissimilarity reflects the reduced number of shared species, mainly between some savannas and forests (12%). Our analyses also showed that habitat characteristics, specifically the differences in vegetation structure and composition, mostly explained the species turnover. Flood seasonality was also an important driver of bird community spatial variability, in which dissimilarities in species composition increased from the terrestrial to the aquatic phases, with the wettest phase being the most dissimilar.
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