State University of Santa Cruz

About: State University of Santa Cruz is a education organization based out in Ilhéus, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Species richness. The organization has 3266 authors who have published 4642 publications receiving 51876 citations. The organization is also known as: Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz.

Habitats shape taxonomic and functional composition of Neotropical ant assemblages

Abstract: Determining assembly rules of co-occurring species persists as a fundamental goal in community ecology. At local scales, the relative importance of environmental filtering vs. competitive exclusion remains a subject of debate. In this study, we assessed the relative importance of habitat filtering and competition in structuring understory ant communities in tropical forests of French Guiana. Leaf-litter ants were collected using pitfall and Winkler traps across swamp, slope and plateau forests near Saul, French Guiana. We used a combination of univariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate trait response of ants to habitat characteristics. Null model analyses were used to investigate the effects of habitat filtering and competitive interactions on community assembly at the scale of assemblages and sampling points, respectively. Swamp forests presented a much lower taxonomic and functional richness compared to slope and plateau forests. Furthermore, marked differences in taxonomic and functional composition were observed between swamp forests and slope or plateau forests. We found weak evidence for competitive exclusion based on null models. Nevertheless, the contrasting trait composition observed between habitats revealed differences in the ecological attributes of the species in the different forest habitats. Our analyses suggest that competitive interactions may not play an important role in structuring leaf-litter ant assemblages locally. Rather, habitats are responsible for driving both taxonomic and functional composition of ant communities.

Essential oils composition of four Piper species from Brazil

Abstract: The Piper L. genus has a great variety of commercially, pharmacologically and biologically interesting species. The present study focused on essential oils extracted by means of the hydrodistillation from dry leaves of Piper cernuum, Piper glabratum, Piper hispidum and Piper madeiranum. The species supplied essential oil contents of between 0.5% and 0.8%. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses revealed that the majority of components were -elemene (11.6%) and epi-cubebol (13.1%) for P. cernuum; -caryophyllene (14.6%) and longiborneol (12.0%) for P. glabratum; -pinene (12.0%), khusimene (12.1%) and -cadinene (13.2%) for P. hispidum; -caryophyllene (11.2%) and germacrene D-4-ol (11.1%) for P. madeiranum. The test carried out on the essential oils concerning the Artemia salina L. produced the following values for LC50 200.03 μg/mL (P. cernuum), 45.21 μg/mL (P. glabratum), 404.80 μg/mL (P. hispidum) and 49.64 μg/mL (P. madeiranum).

Systematics of South American snail-eating snakes (Serpentes, Dipsadini), with the description of five new species from Ecuador and Peru.

Abstract: A molecular phylogeny of the Neotropical snail-eating snakes (tribe Dipsadini) is presented including 43 (24 for the first time) of the 77 species, sampled for both nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Morphological and phylogenetic support was found for four new species of Dipsas and one of Sibon, which are described here based on their unique combination of molecular, meristic, and color pattern characteristics. Sibynomorphus is designated as a junior subjective synonym of Dipsas. Dipsas latifrontalis and D. palmeri are resurrected from the synonymy of D. peruana. Dipsas latifasciata is transferred from the synonymy of D. peruana to the synonymy of D. palmeri. A new name, D. jamespetersi, is erected for the taxon currently known as Sibynomorphus petersi. Re-descriptions of D. latifrontalis and D. peruana are presented, as well as the first photographic voucher of an adult specimen of D. latifrontalis, along with photographs of all known Ecuadorian Dipsadini species. The first country record of D. variegata in Ecuador is provided and D. oligozonata removed from the list of Peruvian herpetofauna. With these changes, the number of Dipsadini reported in Ecuador increases to 22, 18 species of Dipsas and four of Sibon.

Composition and spatial distribution of the benthic macrofauna in the Cachoeira River estuary, Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract: We analyzed the composition and spatial distribution of macrobenthos in the Cachoeira River estuary, Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil. Samples were taken bimonthly from...