Amazon Biome Research Articles

Costs and effectiveness of public and private fire management programs in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado

There is a noted lack of information on the effectiveness of investments in forest fire management in Brazil. Here, we quantify the budget expenditures of one private and one public fire-management program. We then compare burned areas within conservation units (CUs) and private rural properties (PPs) with and without investments in fire management in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado biomes. Investments in fire management in CUs total US$ 0.51 ha−1 yr−1 in the Amazon and US$ 5.32 ha−1 yr−1 in the Cerrado. Roughly, 94% of the public investment in fire management in CUs is only assigned to suppression activities, although seven CUs in Cerrado have undertaken innovative Integrated Fire Management (IFM) that includes prevention practices. Cerrado CUs with brigades for fire suppression have reduced burned area by 12%, on average, compared with CUs without brigades. Further, CUs that also included prevention practices as part of IFM reduced burned areas by an additional 6% from CUs with only fire suppression practices. Investments in both fire prevention and suppression on private lands amounted to US$ 15.89 ha−1 yr−1. We identify a reduction of 50%, on average, in burned areas after PPs joined the fire mitigation program of Aliança da Terra. In face of increasingly disruptive wildfires alongside finite financial resources, we call for the need of a mix of cost-effective private and public fire management programs with strong emphasis on prevention practices.

Epidemiology, species composition and genetic diversity of tetra- and octonucleated Entamoeba spp. in different Brazilian biomes

BackgroundEntamoeba species harbored by humans have different degrees of pathogenicity. The present study explores the intra- and interspecific diversity, phylogenetic relationships, prevalence and distribution of tetra- and octonucleated cyst-producing Entamoeba in different Brazilian regions.MethodsCross-sectional studies were performed to collect fecal samples (n = 1728) and sociodemographic data in communities located in four Brazilian biomes: Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Cerrado, and Amazon. Fecal samples were subjected to molecular analysis by partial small subunit ribosomal DNA sequencing (SSU rDNA) and phylogenetic analysis.ResultsLight microscopy analysis revealed that tetranucleated cysts were found in all the studied biomes. The highest positivity rates were observed in the age group 6–10 years (23.21%). For octonucleated cysts, positivity rates ranged from 1 to 55.1%. Sixty SSU rDNA Entamoeba sequences were obtained, and four different species were identified: the octonucleated E. coli, and the tetranucleated E. histolytica, E. dispar, and E. hartmanni. Novel haplotypes (n = 32) were characterized; however, new ribosomal lineages were not identified. The Entamoeba coli ST1 subtype predominated in Atlantic Forest and Caatinga, and the ST2 subtype was predominant in the Amazon biome. E. histolytica was detected only in the Amazon biome. In phylogenetic trees, sequences were grouped in two groups, the first containing uni- and tetranucleated and the second containing uni- and octonucleated cyst-producing Entamoeba species. Molecular diversity indexes revealed a high interspecific diversity for tetra- and octonucleated Entamoeba spp. (H ± SD = 0.9625 ± 0.0126). The intraspecific diversity varied according to species or subtype: E. dispar and E. histolytica showed lower diversity than E. coli subtypes ST1 and ST2 and E. hartmanni.ConclusionsTetra- and octonucleated cyst-producing Entamoeba are endemic in the studied communities; E. histolytica was found in a low proportion and only in the Amazon biome. With regard to E. coli, subtype ST2 was predominant in the Amazon biome. The molecular epidemiology of Entamoeba spp. is a field to be further explored and provides information with important implications for public health.Graphical

AMAZON PEATLANDS IN PERIL: A WARNING FOR GLOBAL WARMING

The Amazon rainforest has been the target of several attacks, such as the massive increase in deforestation and fire outbreaks. The Amazon biome is not only composed of forest ecosystems, but also of an important carbon stock system called Peatland, which contains ca. 1 to 8 billion tons of carbon in its plants and soil. If burned, this peculiar ecosystem is likely to release tons of greenhouse gases, which may aggravate global warming. Therefore, our objective is to alert and anticipate problems associated with deforestation and fires in Peatland that, if not contained, may difficult global warming controlling, and the achievement of goals set in the Paris Agreement (which Brazil is a signatory).

The impact of drought on soil moisture trends across Brazilian biomes

Abstract. Over the past decade, Brazil has experienced severe droughts across its territory, with important implications for soil moisture dynamics. Soil moisture variability has a direct impact on agriculture, water security and ecosystem services. Nevertheless, there is currently little information on how soil moisture across different biomes responds to drought. In this study, we used satellite soil moisture data from the European Space Agency, from 2009 to 2015, to analyze differences in soil moisture responses to drought for each biome of Brazil: Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pampa and Pantanal. We found an overall soil moisture decline of −0.5 % yr−1 (p<0.01) at the national level. At the biome level, Caatinga presented the most severe soil moisture decline (−4.4 % yr−1), whereas the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes showed no significant trend. The Amazon biome showed no trend but had a sharp reduction of soil moisture from 2013 to 2015. In contrast, the Pampa and Pantanal biomes presented a positive trend (1.6 % yr−1 and 4.3 % yr−1, respectively). These trends are consistent with vegetation productivity trends across each biome. This information provides insights into drought risk reduction and soil conservation activities to minimize the impact of drought in the most vulnerable biomes. Furthermore, improving our understanding of soil moisture trends during periods of drought is crucial to enhance the national drought early warning system and develop customized strategies for adaptation to climate change in each biome.

Land-use change and its impact on physical and mechanical properties of Archaeological Black Earth in the Amazon rainforest

The intense pressure of anthropic actions to change the use and management can promote the degradation of anthropogenic soils with high natural fertility and high content of organic matter such as the Archaeological Black Earths of the Brazilian Amazon. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the impact of land use and occupation in the Amazon biome on the physical and mechanical properties of Archaeological Black Earth. The research was carried out in the municipality of Novo Aripuanã, in the south of Amazonas State (Brazil), in a Chromic, Pretic, Acrisol with native forest, pasture, and pigeon pea. The soil properties of bulk density, mean weighted diameter, soil resistance to penetration, macroporosity, microporosity, particle size distribution (sand, silt, and clay), water-dispersible clay, flocculation index, total organic carbon, and preconsolidation pressure were assessed in the 0.0–0.1 and 0.1–0.2 m soil layers. Archaeological black earth under native forest showed better soil structural properties such as greater macroporosity and lower bulk density and resistance to penetration. The conversion to other uses promotes soil compaction and increases the resistance to compression. However, the greatest negative impacts on soil properties occurred when the land-use change was for pasture than for pigeon pea. The pigeon pea crop promoted the increase of soil total organic carbon in the 0.0–0.1 m layer. The soil mechanical behavior showed a greater load-bearing capacity in the native forest area for the surface layer than the subsurface layer. The preconsolidation pressure allowed to determine that the pasture land-use has a greater occurrence of compaction and might suffer additional compaction if the applied pressures on the soil during grazing are larger than the higher limit of the confidence interval of load-bearing capacity models when compared to the pigeon pea land-use.

Carotenoid and phenolic compound profiles of cooked pulps of orange and yellow peach palm fruits (Bactris gasipaes) from the Brazilian Amazonia

Peach palm fruits are native from the Amazonia biome and available as different varieties with distinct colour of the fruit peel. Although peach palm fruits have been known to exhibit high bioactive compound content, the carotenoid profile of some varieties, but not all, was reported, while the phenolic compounds of all varieties remain unknown until now. In our study, the carotenoid and phenolic compound profiles were scrutinized for the first time in cooked pulps of orange and yellow peach palm fruits by HPLC-DAD-MS. The major carotenoid in pulps of both orange and yellow peach palm fruits was β-carotene (20% and 24%, respectively), and lutein accounted for 14% in the yellow variety, which may explain the colour difference between the fruits. Both pulps of peach palm fruits presented the same phenolic compounds profile, mostly composed by di-C-glycosyl flavones, with schaftoside the major compound in yellow (45%) and orange (32%) varieties, while vicenin-2 was detected at high relative concentration (21%) in the pulp of orange peach palm fruits, in contrast to 6% found in the yellow fruits. Therefore, orange and yellow peach palm fruits exhibited a promising composition of bioactive compounds for the research and development of high-quality derived food products with claimed health benefits.

Evaluation of a rapid detection method of Salmonella in comparison with the culture method and microbiological quality in fish from the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract Microbiological safety of fish is a concern of consumers, industries and regulatory agencies worldwide. Among the pathogenic microorganisms, Salmonella spp. is one of the main agents of foodborne diseases and should be absent in animal products. Rapid and accurate identification of pathogens in the supply chain is important for both quality assurance and tracking infectious agents within the chain. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the equivalence of two rapid detection tests, as alternative methods to the conventional Salmonella detection method, as well as to verify the microbiological quality parameters of two commercially important fish species in the Amazon biome. The plate count of aerobic bacteria ranged from 7.76 x 104 to 8.71 x 107 CFU.g-1 for mesophiles and 1.70 x 106 to 4.27 x 108 CFU.g-1 for psychrotrophic whereas the maximum for this group of microorganisms in fresh fish is 106 CFU.g-1. Regarding the Staphylococcus count, the two species presented variations between 1.35 x 104 to 1.51 x 105 CFU.g-1. This represents unsatisfactory conditions of handling, storage and conservation of fish species. The immunoenzymatic and molecular methods have been shown to be reliable, fast and effective in the detection of Salmonella and for its high index of agreement with the conventional detection method. We also emphasize the convenience of multiplex PCR application due to the high sensitivity, specificity, speed and accuracy of Salmonella detection.

Geochemical signatures and natural background values of rare earth elements in soils of Brazilian Amazon.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are generally defined as a homogenous group of elements with similar physical-chemical properties, encompassing Y and Sc and the lanthanides elements series. Natural REEs contents in soils depend on the parent material, the soil genesis processes and can be gradually added to the soil by anthropogenic activities. The REEs have been considered emerging pollutants in several countries, so the establishment of regulatory guidelines is necessary to avoid environmental contamination. In Brazil, REE soils data are restricted to some regions, and knowledge about them in the Amazon soils is scarce, although this biome covers more than 40% of the Brazilian territory. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the REE content in soils of two hydrographic basins (Solimões and Rio Negro) of the Amazon biome, establish their Quality Reference Values (QRV) and to investigate the existence of enrichment of REEs in urban soils. The ΣREE(Y+Sc) content of Solimões surface samples was 109.28mgkg-1 and the ΣREE(Y+Sc) content in the subsurface samples was 94.11mgkg-1. In soils of Rio Negro basin, the ΣREE(Y+Sc) was 43.95 15mgkg-1 surface samples and 38.40mgkg-1 in subsurface samples. The ΣREE(Y+Sc) in urban topsoils samples was 38.62mgkg-1. The REEs contents pattern in three studied areas are influenced in different amplitude by natural soil properties. The REEs content in urban topsoils were slightly higher than the Rio Negro pristine soils, but the ecological risk was low. QRVs recommend for Solimões soils ranged from 0.01 (Lu) to 145.6mgkg-1 (Ce) and for Rio Negro soils ranged from 0.05 (Lu) to 15.8mgkg-1 (Ce).

Avifauna of the upper Purus River: relevant records for an area lacking ornithological surveys

Birds are the best-known vertebrate group, although many localities in the world are considered to be knowledge gaps. This is the case of many little-known environments in the Amazon biome, the world’s largest tropical forest. Here, we present a survey of birds in the upper Purus basin, comprising the municipalities of Manoel Urbano and Feijó in the Brazilian state of Acre, and Boca do Acre and Pauini in the state of Amazonas. In this region, poorly-studied habitats, such as open rainforest dominated by palms or bamboo, still predominate. We recorded 452 bird species during 45 field trips between May and July in 2016, and June to August in 2017. Twenty-four of these species are associated with bamboo habitat, 28 are endemic to the southwestern Amazon basin, and seven are threatened with extinction. This high diversity is typical of the western Amazon basin, one of the richest regions in the world in the number of species, due to the heterogeneity of the local environments. The data presented here highlight the importance of the region for the conservation of birds, including species typical of the western Amazon, some of which are still poorly-known.

Relationship between Land Property Security and Brazilian Amazon Deforestation in the Mato Grosso State during the Period 2013–2018

This research examines the relations between forest decrease and legal property security in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The study area encompasses 133,090.4 km2 of the Amazonian biome, belonging to the Brazilian Legal Amazon, located at the arc of deforestation where agriculture and cattle ranching compete with the native vegetation cover. Cadastral monitoring and certification of productive land plots are Brazil’s public policies to implement to tackle these environmental challenges. In this context, we crossed the Land Management System (SIGEF) dataset launched in 2013 from the National Institute for Agrarian Reform and the Amazon Deforestation Monitoring Program (PRODES) dataset from the Brazilian National Institute of Space Research (INPE). The analysis considered the 2013–2018 period with public and private land plots and evaluated the differences in smallholders and large landowners’ deforesting behavior. The results demonstrate that the primacy of certified properties was in private land (94%), with a small portion of the public land (6%). Most properties have <80% forest coverage on certification, corresponding to 85% on private properties and 95% on public properties. This fact is important because environmental legislation in the Amazon region establishes a legal reserve of 80% in forest areas. The results show that the smaller the property, the greater the percentage of proportional deforestation in the certification. In the biennium, considering before and after certification, a proportion of 8% of private properties and 28% of public properties with vegetation cover had deforestation. The results demonstrate the tendency for smaller properties to deforest proportionally more than larger ones. The annual difference series in properties registered in 2015 demonstrates that the highest deforestation occurrence was in the year of certification in private properties and the subsequent year in public properties. The SIGEF system is relatively new, requiring more time to establish a consolidated trend. The combination of property rights and effective compliance with environmental legislation allows the conservation of the forest. However, it is essential to improve inspection. Land ownership inserts the owner into a system of rules to properly use natural resources, constituting a legal instrument to guide human action.

Ground-dwelling ant diversity in Amazonian secondary forests and neighboring pastures

The expansion of livestock farming is one of the main causes of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Intensive land use for beef production can cause changes, affecting native fauna composition and species richness. Ants are important organism of soil biota in tropical forests, mainly for their ecological attributes and their remarkable abundance. We investigated the effects of habitat loss by livestock farming on the richness and composition of ground-dwelling ants in the Brazilian Amazon. Ants were captured in five areas of secondary forests and pastures using pitfall traps for 48 h. Our results showed that the ant richness did not differ between habitats (p = 0.89). However, the species composition was different, resulting in two segregated clusters: one formed by forest areas and one by those of pasture. An indicator species analysis underscored the occurrence of three species that can be considered typical of the secondary forest, while a subset of four species from pasture, which probably tolerate land-use disturbance by livestock farming. Our results suggest the importance of maintaining secondary forests for biodiversity conservation and that livestock farming directly affects the taxonomic composition of ant species in the Amazonian biome.

The 2008 map of consolidated rural areas in the Brazilian Legal Amazon state of Mato Grosso: Accuracy assessment and implications for the environmental regularization of rural properties

Accurate land use mapping in the Amazon is crucial to support the implementation of environmental policies. The new Brazilian Forest Code published in 2012 defines a “consolidated rural area” (CRA) as an area within a rural property and occupied by humans prior to July 22, 2008. Environmental infractions that occurred before that date are granted amnesty and landowners are exempted from the obligation to restore the degraded areas. To assess the compliance of rural property owners with the environmental legislation, the Brazilian government created the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), for mandatory electronic self-declaration of all rural private properties. The successful implementation of the CAR relies on the accurate mapping of CRA before the reference date of July 2008. The objective of the present paper is to assess the accuracy of the 2008 map of consolidated rural areas (CRA2008) that is the result of a fruitful collaboration between a non-governmental organization (NGO), a state administration and academic institutions. The CRA2008 map was produced by photo-interpretation of high resolution remote sensing images and validated after comparison with 90 aerial photographs. The validation metrics (overall accuracy = 0.926, Kappa index = 0.851 and F-score = 0.924) confirmed the reliability of the CRA2008 map. Most errors identified were due to imprecision at the edges between CRA and native vegetation because of different spatial resolutions of the CRA2008 and the aerial photographs. Consequently, the results were slightly lower (although still high; Kappa = 0.835) in the Amazon biome where landscapes are more fragmented. Finally, in a context of severe criticisms expressed by national government leaders towards Brazilian research institutions and NGOs, our results clearly demonstrate the benefits of combining institutional efforts and of working in synergy to produce relevant information with the aim of ensuring the implementation of public environmental policies and thereby improving land use sustainability in the Amazon.

Isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis from Maranhão biomes with potential insecticidal action against Aedes aegypti larvae (Diptera, Culicidae)

Entomopathogenic agents are viable and effective options due to their selective action against insects but benign effects on humans and the environment. The most promising entomopathogens include subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which are widely used for the biological control of insects, including mosquito vectors of human pathogens. The efficacy of B. thuringiensis toxicity has led to the search for new potentially toxic isolates in different regions of the world. Therefore, soil samples from the Amazon, Cerrado and Caatinga biomes of the state of Maranhão were evaluated for their potential larvicidal action against Aedes aegypti. The isolates with high toxicity to mosquito larvae, as detected by bioassays, were subjected to histological evaluation under a light microscope to identify the genes potentially responsible for the toxicity. Additionally, the toxic effects of these isolates on the intestinal epithelium were assessed. In the new B. thuringiensis isolates toxic to A. aegypti larvae, cry and cyt genes were amplified at different frequencies, with cry4, cyt1, cry32, cry10 and cry11 being the most frequent (33-55%) among those investigated. These genes encode specific proteins toxic to dipterans and may explain the severe morphological changes in the intestine of A. aegypti larvae caused by the toxins of the isolates.

Implications of climate change for the distribution of the water opossum (Chironectes minimus): habitat loss and conservation opportunities

Climate change is expected to impact the geographic distribution of marsupial species in the near future and this impact is likely to be accentuated for the more specialist species. The water opossum (Chironectes minimus) is the only semiaquatic marsupial in the world and is considered naturally rare throughout its geographical range. In the present study, we use ecological niche modeling (ENM) to predict the potential impacts of climate change on the geographic distribution of water opossum throughout Neotropical Region at the end of twenty-first century. We assess the vulnerability of this species by calculating its biotic velocity and identifying potential areas for the conservation of the water opossum based on the changes in climatically stable areas over time. These areas were also compared with the availability of remnant forest in the future. The area of potential distribution of the water opossum is projected to decrease 22% in the future. Water opossum populations will be more vulnerable to climate change in central Brazil, toward the southern extreme, and in some regions of the Amazon biome. In the future, C. minimus may be unable to colonize some areas in southern South America and in Mexico. Climatically stable areas are found in Central America, northwestern and coastal areas in northern South America, and southeastern Brazil, however, most of these areas will not have remnant forest in the future. Climatically stable areas with remnant forest areas are an opportunity for the development of effective long-term conservation measures for C. minimus.

Comparative Analysis of the Global Forest/Non-Forest Maps Derived from SAR and Optical Sensors. Case Studies from Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado Biomes

Global-scale forest/non-forest (FNF) maps are of crucial importance for applications like biomass estimation and deforestation monitoring. Global FNF maps based on optical remote sensing data have been produced by the wall-to-wall satellite image analyses or sampling strategies. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) also made available their global FNF maps based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. This paper attempted to answer the following scientific question: how comparable are the FNF products derived from optical and SAR data? As test sites we selected the Amazon (tropical rainforest) and Cerrado (tropical savanna) biomes, the two largest Brazilian biomes. Forest estimations from 2015 derived from TanDEM-X (X band; HH polarization) and ALOS-2 (L band; HV polarization) SAR data, as well as forest cover information derived from Landsat 8 optical data were compared with each other at the municipality and image sampling levels. The optical-based forest estimations considered in this study were derived from the MapBiomas project, a Brazilian multi-institutional project to map land use and land cover (LULC) classes of an entire country based on historical time series of Landsat data. In addition to the existing forest maps, a set of 1619 Landsat 8 RGB color composites was used to generate new independent comparison data composed of circular areas with 5-km diameter, which were visually interpreted after image segmentation. The Spearman rank correlation estimated the correlation among the data sets and the paired Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon tested the hypothesis that the data sets are statistically equal. Results showed that forest maps derived from SAR and optical satellites are statistically different regardless of biome or scale of study (municipality or image sampling), except for the Cerrado´s forest estimations derived from TanDEM-X and ALOS-2. Nevertheless, the percentage of pixels classified as forest or non-forest by both SAR sensors were 90% and 80% for the Amazon and Cerrado biome, respectively, indicating an overall good agreement.

Prostaglandin F2? as ovulatory stimulus in dairy cows and buffaloes raised in the Amazon biome

This study evaluated the effect of a prostaglandin F2? (PGF) analogue as an ovulatory stimulus in dairy cows and buffaloes raised in the Amazon biome. To this end, three experiments were performed in the state of Rondônia, located in the Amazon biome. In Experiment 1, 22 lactating dairy buffaloes received 2 mg of intramuscular (I.M.) estradiol benzoate (EB) on day 0 and an intravaginal progesterone-releasing device (CIDR) from day 0 to day 9 of the protocol. On days 8 and 9, all cows were given 500 ?g of I.M. d-cloprostenol (PGF analogue). On day 10, buffaloes were divided into two groups to receive 500 ?g of PGF (PGF group, n = 8) or no treatment (CTL group, n = 14), respectively. In Experiment 2, 16 lactating crossbred dairy cows (Holstein x Gir) received 2 mg of EB on day 0 and a CIDR insert from day 0 to day 8. On days 7 and 8, all cows were given 500 ?g of d-cloprostenol. On day 9, cows were divided into two groups to receive 500 ?g of d-cloprostenol (PGF group, n = 8) or no treatment (CTL group, n = 8), respectively. In Experiment 3, 16 lactating crossbred dairy cows (Holstein x Gir) were handled and treated similarly as in Experiment 2, although cows did not receive d-cloprostenol on day 8. Single-point outcome variables were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), while proportions with dichotomous outcomes were analyzed with the chi-square test. In Experiment 1, there was no difference (P = 0.30) in the ovulation rate between groups, and, on average, 68% of the buffaloes ovulated. Moreover, the treatment did not affect the interval to ovulation (P = 0.61) nor the diameter of the preovulatory follicle (P = 0.47). As for Experiment 2, only one cow, from the PG group, did not ovulate. There were no differences between the CTL and PG groups (P = 0.69) in the moment of ovulation, which occurred in average 82 h after CIDR removal. Finally, in Experiment 3, cows treated with PGF ovulated earlier than those in the CTL group (62.5 ± 5.8 and 94.5 ± 13.5 h, respectively; P = 0.05). Collectively, these results suggest that PGF hastens ovulation in lactating dairy cows, whereas no effect was observed in dairy buffaloes.

Herbage accumulation, canopy structure and tiller morphology of marandu palisadegrass growing in open pasture and in silvopasture

Silvopasture is an alternative to open pasture (OP), but the effect of trees on understory grass canopy structure and tiller morphology is not well defined. Our objective was to compare herbage accumulation, canopy structure, and tiller morphology of Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf. cv. Marandu (palisadegrass) growing in OP or in silvopasture with Eucalyptus urograndis (hybrid of E. grandis W. Hill ex Maiden and E. urophylla S. T. Blake), in the Amazon biome. From October 2015 to September 2016, all experimental units were stocked continuously with beef cattle using a variable stocking rate to maintain a palisadegrass canopy height of 30 cm. The trees were planted in triple-row groves (3.0 m between trees, 3.5 m between rows), with 30 m between groves, totaling 270 trees ha−1. The herbage accumulation (HA) was similar among systems (averaging 12.1 Mg ha−1 year−1). The silvopasture decreased herbage mass (HM) 24% and herbage bulk density (HBD) by 20% compared with OP. Tiller leaf area was 18% greater in the silvopasture. Total number of leaves (4.95 ± 0.26), and live leaves tiller−1 (3.25 ± 0.14) were not affected by system or system × season interaction. In a silvopasture, palisadegrass maintained leaf area index, number of total, live and dead leaves, tiller weight, internode length and stem length similar to the OP. Under moderate shade, especially at 4-m distance from the edge row of trees, palisadegrass enhanced the area of each leaf while the number of live leaves tiller−1 and tiller density decreased in order to maintain productivity. Silvopasture has potential as an alternative system for livestock production in the Brazilian Amazon Biome.

New records of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) from Amapá state, Brazil

Abstract: The Odonata Order comprises one of the largest groups of aquatic insects, 7,000 species are described worldwide, with approximately 860 species registered in Brazil, around 14% of the global fauna known to date. However, there are still great gaps in the knowledge of Odonata fauna in many areas of Brazil. This study aims to present the results of the survey of Odonata species sampled in three counties in the state of Amapá. The state is located in the north of the country, inserted in the Amazon Biome. Odonata were caught between January and December 2018, with 472 specimens being sampled, belonging to seven families, 36 genera and 53 species. In total, 27 of the species found during the study correspond to new records for the state of Amapá. Due to the lack of information on the diversity of the Odonata order in Amapá, the list of species presented should serve as input for new studies contributing to the knowledge of the order in the state.

The water footprint of beef cattle in the amazon region, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Food production and water scarcity, both in constant growth and intrinsically linked, are subjects of great relevance in current studies in several areas of knowledge. The impacts generated by the production of beef are at the center of major environmental debates, especially the consumption of water for the production and development of the livestock production chain. This research analyzed the use of water resources in the production of beef in the Amazon biome. The water footprint for beef cattle was of 13,074 L.kg-1 compared to a world average of 21,829 L.kg-1. Based on the data obtained it was possible to demonstrate that the presence and operationalization of this production chain in the Amazon is more efficient from the water point of view than in the other locations reported in the literature.

Impacts of agrarian reform on land use in the biomes of the Midwest region of Brazil between 2004 and 2014.

Brazil's Midwest is composed of four biomes: the Cerrado, predominant in the region; the Pantanal, the largest wetland in the world; the Amazon, which occupies part of Mato Grosso; and the Atlantic Forest. The objective of this study was to identify the evolution of occupation and use of land in the rural settlements of the Brazilian Midwest depending on the biome of location. A total of 54 settlements distributed in the four biomes of the region were analyzed using direct observation and Landsat images from the years 2004 and 2014. Using the software QGIS 2.8 Wien, the vegetation indices NDVI and NDWI were used to classify agricultural, pasture and forest areas by biome. Native vegetation is declining in most of the analyzed settlements and pastures, for milk production, occupied the largest area. Between 2004 and 2014, pasture areas expanded to the detriment of forests. Although they have the highest percentage of environmental preservation areas, the settlements we analyzed in the Amazon biome do not comply with legislation. Part of the forest in these settlements was transformed into areas of bushy cerrado. However, there was an increase in forests in the settlements of the Atlantic Forest biome.