segunda-feira, 30 de junho de 2014

Journals: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz

Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz

- Qualis CAPES: B1 (Biodiversidade, Ciências Biológicas I), B2 (Ciências Biológicas II e III).
- Taxa de Publicação: Não há.
- Idiomas: Inglês.
- Disponibilidade: Acesso gratuito a todos os artigos na home page.
- Submissão: On-line, pelo sistema ScholarOne Manuscripts, com acesso na home page.

Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz é um periódico internacional gratuito e de acesso livre que publica investigações originais de todo o mundo em todos os campos da medicina tropical, parasitologia médica e microbiologia. O periódico aprecia particularmente pesquisas originais básicas e aplicadas em bioquímica, imunologia, biologia molecular e celular, farmacologia e genética, relacionados a estes campos. Comunicações breves e notas técnicas também são consideradas.

Embora seja um periódico mais ligado a medicina, pode ser uma fonte de bons estudos com mamíferos, basicamente no que se refere à medicina e parasitologia (e.g. endo- e ecto-parasitas).

sábado, 28 de junho de 2014

Patterns of arboreal and terrestrial space use by non-volant small mammals in an Araucaria forest of southern Brazil

ABREU, M.S.L.; OLIVEIRA, L.R. 2014. Patterns of arboreal and terrestrial space use by non-volant small mammals in an Araucaria forest of southern Brazil. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 86(2):807-819.

Abstract. Despite the advances in the techniques for researching arboreal small mammals, detailed ecological data, such as habitat use patterns, are practically nonexistent for many species. Using 150 live-traps installed on the ground, understory (1.0-5.0m) and canopy (>5.0m) we investigated patterns of arboreal and terrestrial space use by small mammals in an Araucaria Forest in southern Brazil (29º29’08’’S; 50º12’26’’W). We also measured 19 microhabitat variables that could potentially influence the abundance of such mammals on each trap station. The results indicated that Akodon montensis and A. serrensis were mainly terrestrial. Delomys dorsalis was also terrestrial, but it also used understory (17.24% of captures). Juliomys sp. and Gracilinanus microtarsus were the most arboreal small mammals recorded. A. montensis was associated with dense vegetation, while A. serrensis selected positively opened areas. Juliomys sp. and G. microtarsus were associated to microhabitat variables related to the access and movement within the canopy. Moreover, bromeliads on arboreal layer were an important factor for these two arboreal species. This is the first study to report microhabitat associations by Juliomys sp. and A. serrensis, and we demonstrated that vertical stratification and microhabitat use were both synergic mechanisms to determine habitat use by small mammals on the Araucaria Forest of southern Brazil.

sábado, 21 de junho de 2014

Revision of the systematic status of Patagonian and Pampean gray foxes (Canidae: Lycalopex griseus and L. gymnocercus) using 3D geometric morphometrics

PREVOSTI, F.J.; SEGURA, V.; CASSINI, G.; MARTIN, G.M. 2013. Revision of the systematic status of Patagonian and Pampean gray foxes (Canidae: Lycalopex griseus and L. gymnocercus) using 3D geometric morphometrics. Mastozoología Neotropical 20(2):289-300.

Abstract. Argentinean “zorros de campo” are currently included in two species: Lycalopex griseus and L. gymnocercus. Lycalopex gymnocercus lives in northern Patagonia and in most of central and northern Argentina. Lycalopex griseus is smaller and lives in Patagonia and throughout western Argentina. A previous traditional morphometric study using cranio-dental measurements considered both forms to be the same species, showing clinal reduction in size from northeastern to southwestern Argentina. Here we tested the synonymy of these foxes and the existence of clinal variation using a large sample and geometric morphometric methods. Our results rejected the separation of these foxes in two different species and confirmed, based on cranium and mandible size and shape that they belong to the same species. Also, we show there is a clinal variation in size that has an allometric component in cranial and mandibular shape, which accounts for the differences between these foxes.

domingo, 15 de junho de 2014

Journals: Check List

Check List

- Abreviatura: Check List.
- Qualis CAPES: B3 (Biodiversidade), C (Ciências Biológicas II e III).
- Taxa de Publicação: Não há.
- Idiomas: Inglês.
- Disponibilidade: Acesso livre a todos os artigos no site.
- Submissão: Por e-mail direto ao Editor-Chefe.

Check List é um periódico on-line bimestral, dedicado a publicar listas de espécies e notas sobre distribuição geográfica de qualquer táxon. Estes relatos têm sido tradicionalmente negligenciados e considerados “muito básicos” ou “sem significância relevante” para publicação em outros fóruns. Entretanto, nós reconhecemos que estes dados são essenciais para estudos de biogeografia, e proporcionam uma base para a conservação da biodiversidade como um todo. O primeiro passo para se tomar medidas conservacionistas efetivas é manter registros da distribuição das espécies. Check List foi criado para atender a esta necessidade publicando artigos sobre estes importantes inventários.

Os artigos submetidos ao periódico Check List não tem limite de caracteres ou tamanho, são livres de custo, e os artigos são disponibilizados em formato pdf de alta resolução.

sábado, 14 de junho de 2014

Evaluation of GPS collar performance by stationary tests and fitting on free-ranging Japanese black bears

YAMAZAKI, K.; KASAI, S.; KOIKE, S.; GOTO, Y.; KOZAKAI, C.; FURUBAYASHI, K. 2008. Evaluation of GPS collar performance by stationary tests and fitting on free-ranging Japanese black bears. Mammal Study 33:131-142.

Abstract. We evaluated the performance of two GPS collars as a tool for studying Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) in the Kanto region, Japan. Collars were placed at five stationary points to test the effects of GPS antenna orientation and degree of canopy closure on the fix rate and the positional error, and collars were deployed on 16 free-ranging bears to examine the fix rate and the effects of fix interval on fix rate. In the stationary tests, the proportions of no fix and of 2D fix (vs. 3D fix) increased as canopy closure increased and antenna orientation was further from vertical; at an antenna angle =90° from the vertical and canopy closure of 76.2–79.1%, the fix rate was <50%. The positional error for 3D fixes (ranged from 6.84 to 16.43 m) was significantly lower than that for 2D fixes (ranged from 30.74 to 43.45 m), and the positional error for both was affected by canopy closure and GPS antenna angle. An expected multipath effect on positional errors by rain was not statistically significant. Mean fix rates on collared bears ranged from 23.6% to 56.4% and were significantly lower than those in the stationary test. The fix rates at 5-min intervals were significantly higher than those at 4-hr intervals. Although our tests revealed some limitations and biases, GPS collar appears suitable for studying the movement and behavior of the bears.

sábado, 7 de junho de 2014

Use of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes to study the feering ecology of small coastal cetacean populations in southern Brazil

HARDT, F.A.S.; CREMER, M.J.; JUNIOR, A.J.T.; BELLANTE, A.; BUFFA, G.; BUSCAINO, G.; MAZZOLA, S.; BARRETO, A.S.; MARTINELLI, L.A.; ZUPPI, G.M. 2013. Use of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes to study the feering ecology of small coastal cetacean populations in southern Brazil. Biota Neotropica 13(4):90-98.

Abstract: Samples from individuals of the populations of Sotalia guianensis (Guiana) and Pontoporia blainvillei (Franciscana) dolphins living in the Babitonga Bay estuary (26° 28’ S/48° 50’ W), and samples from individuals of a second population of P. blainvillei from a nearshore area (26° 38’ S/48° 41’ W), were collected and analyzed along with their prey between 2000 and 2006, to determine the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios and to verify differences in their feeding ecology. No differences were found in the median ð15N values of Guiana (15.2‰) and Franciscana (15.9‰) dolphins living in Babitonga Bay, nor of nearshore Franciscana (15.0‰) individuals, suggesting no variation in the trophic level of these populations. However, the lack of more information on the isotopic compositions of their putative prey in the nearshore areas prevents the ability to draw definitive conclusions on this issue. The estuarine Franciscana and Guiana dolphin populations presented mean ð13C values of approximately –15.7‰, which were not statistically different from nearshore Franciscana individuals (–14.8‰). Based on stomach content analyses of these species from a previous study, it was reported that there was little overlap in the diet of estuarine Franciscanas and Guiana dolphins. However, based on the similarity of the ð13C values between these two species and of their putative prey, it appears that in fact there is an overlap in the diet of these two species. Based solely on stable isotope analysis, it was not possible to differentiate between estuarine and nearshore Franciscana populations, making it difficult to conclude whether captured nearshore specimens were indeed yearlong residents of these areas. Finally, this study suggests that Franciscana and Guiana dolphin populations are sharing the same resources, mostly L. brevis, D. rhombeus, and S. rastrifer. Therefore, the combination of resource sharing and commercial exploitation of their prey makes these two cetacean species vulnerable.