Anthropic Use Research Articles

Uso del suelo y estado de conservación de la vegetación leñosa del monte en el noreste patagónico

Natural systems are often managed for production and provision of environmental services. The main use of semiarid ecosystems of Northeastern Patagonia is grazing by livestock in rangelands. Native vegetation is a shrubby-grassland steppe with isolated groups of trees. In this work we study the relationships between compositional and structural aspects of vegetation and the anthropic use of the Patagonian Monte. Communities were characterized by ecological parameters such as richness, cover, Shannon Wiener’s diversity index (H’) and Importance Value Index (IVI). Sites with similar covers of high and low strata and sites dominated by high shrubby strata presented higher values of Shannon index, greater cover and lower cattle stock. Besides, these sites had higher cover of perennial herbs. Presence of different woody strata provides more cover to the soil and enhances the forage availability in the Monte of the northeastern of Rio Negro.https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.18.28.3.0.471

The fate of microplastics in an Italian Wastewater Treatment Plant

The emerged threat of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems is posing a new challenges in environmental management, in particular the civil Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) which can act both as collectors of MPs from anthropic use and as a source to natural environments. In this study, MP fate was investigated in one of the biggest WWTPs of Northern Italy, built at the beginning of the 2000s and which serves a population equivalent of about 1,200,000, by evaluating their presence at the inlet (IN), the removal efficiency after the settler (SET) and at the outlet (OUT), and their transfer to sludge. Samples were collected in three days of a week and plastic debris was characterized in terms of shape, size and polymer composition using the Fourier Transform Infrared Microscope System (μFT-IR). The number of detected MPs was 2.5 ± 0.3 MPs/L in the IN, 0.9 ± 0.3 MPs/L after the SET and 0.4 ± 0.1 MPs/L in the OUT, indicating a total removal efficiency of 84%. However, considering that this WWTP treats about 400,000,000 L wastewaters/day, the potential release of MPs to the receiving aquatic system would be approximately 160,000,000 MPs/day, mainly polyesters (35%) and polyamide (17%). Furthermore, a great amount of MPs removed from wastewater was detected in the recycled activated sludge, with 113 ± 57 MPs/g sludge dry weight, corresponding to about 3,400,000,000 MPs deposited in the 30 tons of sludge daily produced by this WWTP. Given the possible re-use of WWTP sludge in fertilizers for agriculture, our results highlight that WWTPs could represent a potential source of MPs also to agroecosystems.

Assessing modern river sediment discharge to the ocean using satellite gravimetry

Recent acceleration of sand extraction for anthropic use threatens the sustainability of this major resource. However, continental erosion and river transport, which produce sand and sediment in general, lack quantification at the global scale. Here, we develop a new geodetic method to infer the sediment discharge to ocean of the world’s largest rivers. It combines the spatial distribution of modern sedimentation zones with new high-resolution (~170 km) data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission launched in 2002. We obtain sediment discharges consistent with in situ measurements for the Amazon, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Changjiang, Indus, and Magdalena rivers. This new approach enables to quantitatively monitor the contemporary erosion of continental basins drained by rivers with large sediment discharges and paves the way toward a better understanding of how natural and anthropic changes influence landscape dynamics.

Terraces and landscape in Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico: Micromorphological indicators

In the semi-arid Mixteca Alta, Mexico, complex societies developed sophisticated terrace systems to control erosion and improve rain-fed agriculture. Knowledge regarding the agricultural systems has been crucial in understanding landscape construction through cultivation and social complexity. In this study six sequences on terrace systems were investigated. The samples were analyzed for bulk chemical, textural and micromorphological observations. Soils developed on terraces of the Yanhuitlán river (sequences Y04 and Y05) were dated, respectively, 5,300, 2,700 and 1,100 cal BP, suggesting a possible anthropic use since the early Formative period. These soils are composed of microstratified fine sediments of local origin, reflecting low energy during their deposition; they are weakly structured and developed in anoxic conditions due to saturation during terrace flooding. However, in these soils, a mixture of silt particles and charcoal fragments suggests the influence of anthropic use. On the other hand, sequences Y01 and Y02 are Pleistocene soils developed in an anoxic environment of a swampy landscape; their vertic properties may be related to dry seasonal periods. Knowledge of landscape genesis contributes to the assessment of anthropic impact in the area.

Sustainable Production of Food and Bioenergy: Techno- economic and Environmental Assessment of Sugarcane Ethanol and Livestock Integration

Despite their advantages when replacing fossil fuels, biofuels have faced some concerns related to their expansion within the so-called “food vs. bioenergy” debate. This debate relies on the premise that the use of food crops and/or the increase of land use for bioenergy production would affect food availability and price. Nevertheless, it is worth to mention that livestock production is the largest anthropic use of land resources worldwide. In Brazil, livestock production mainly consists of extensive management with low technology level, which results in a low average productivity. The intensification of this system would release pasture areas to expand cropland for biofuels production. In this way, the integration of sugarcane ethanol and livestock production would allow taking advantage of the synergies between both systems; for instance, using sugarcane agroindustrial residues as animal feed ingredients in feedlot systems. In addition, ethanol production from lignocellulosic feedstock (second-generation process) is also a possible solution towards a productive land use, since a larger amount of biofuels can be produced per crop area. This work focuses on the sustainability assessment of a first- and second-generation (1G2G) ethanol facility that produces animal feed using sugarcane by-products integrated to livestock production in feedlots. The Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery (VSB) – a computer framework that simulates the entire production chain and assesses the sustainability impacts of different biorefinery alternatives/routes – was used in this work. This paper indicates that the integration of a future 1G2G sugarcane mill with intensive livestock system may be a feasible alternative. Regarding the economic performance, verticalization of a mill with intensive livestock is preferable when compared to extensive cattle production. Integrated scenarios also have environmental advantages, such as the production of more outputs using the same area, as well as more efficient technologies that may represent lower emissions. In addition, this paper revealed that it is possible to sustainably produce biofuels without displacing food crops or livestock production, which otherwise could advance, for example, in forest areas.

Identificação de áreas potenciais para criação de unidades de conservação no Vale do Rio Piquirí, Paraná

In Brazil, Conservation Units are considered important instruments for institutionalizing nature conservation actions. Several aspects should be considered in the choice of new areas for creation of these, as environmental, social and economic elements. In this perspective, it is discussed the importance of considering, within the environmental aspect, geoecological criteria when choosing and delimiting new areas, mainly considering the conservation of soils, water and vegetation. Based on this discussion, specific criteria were applied to identify potential areas on the creation of new conservation units in five municipalities in the state of Paraná. The methodology followed studies already existing in the literature and the results were organized through representative figures. The final analysis of the discussion and application, demonstrates that the indicated areas present potential in terms of nature conservation, and that this potential is directly linked to attempts to conserve areas that are threatened by anthropic use and occupation.

MAPPING AND VEGETATION COVER INDEX FROM CÁCERES CITY, MATO GROSSO STATE (MT), BRAZIL

Analyzing the urban space related to its own growth allows to identify the identification of the dynamics of the natural elements and the way the intensified anthropic action shapes and at the same time degrades the landscape, which in the present study is the Pantanal biome. The objective of this study is to use high resolution images and vegetation cover indexes to analyze the urban expansion of Cáceres/MT, and to generate financial support for municipal planning and management. For the execution of this research, remote sensing images and a Geographic Information System (GIS) were used, as well as demographic census data. The urban expansion contributed to the removal of 19.62% of the vegetation and to the increase of 15.28% of anthropic use. The Caceres Vegetation Cover Index is high, with vegetation percentages above 30% occurring in 74.42% of the neighborhoods. From the date of the study on the Index of Vegetation Cover for Inhabitant (ICVH) decreased by 37.20%, remained at 32.55% and increased by 30.25%. It was concluded that an increase in the use of urban space contributed to the reduction of vegetation, as well as the decrease of the population associated to the vegetation of the neighborhoods influenced on the decrease of the ICVH

GIS-BASED DETECTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF PATCH-BOUNDARY PATTERNS FOR IDENTIFYING LANDSCAPE MOSAICS

The study of boundaries between patches allows us to understand the complexity of landscape interactions, especially those involved in the anthropic use of natural resources, which is a common source of environmental problems when harnessing landscape services. The study of the relationships between those two elements makes it possible to identify distinct homogeneous environmental areas in which the same ecological interactions occur. These areas are the mosaics that make up a landscape. This paper presents a GIS-based procedure to identify and quantify the boundaries of land use/cover patches and to record those data in matrices of patches by boundaries. These matrices, by means of a multivariate analysis, allow us to recognize landscape mosaics. This semi-automated procedure contributes to making the concept of landscape mosaics operative and enabling its application to landscape management. To exemplify its possibilities, we tested three alternatives for quantifying boundary measures: presence/absence, frequency and length. They each describe interactions with different details and provide different nuances in interpretations of landscape organization. In the study case, the frequency data provided a more easily understandable interpretation of the mosaic identification and characterization of landscape heterogeneity because these data are less conditioned by the spatial distribution, size or length of rare boundaries. Irrespective of the boundary measure used, a large central mosaic is always identified, highlighting the influence of landscape homogeneity and fragmentation on mosaic identification and the robustness of the tested procedure.

Diversidad de Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) en distintos ambientes de un agroecosistema del sudeste bonaerense, Argentina

The coleopteran of the family Carabidae conform a large part of the soil biodiversity from agroecosystems, hence they are good model organism to study the composition and structure of communities. The aims of this contribution were to: a) analyze the diversity of Carabidae (species richness, activity, composition and structure of assemblages) in environments with different anthropic use; b) know the association of Carabidae species with herbaceous vegetation; c) analyze the proportion of species according to their specialisation to habitat requirements, capacity of dispersion in relation to wing dimorphism and sinanthropism, and d) identify typical species of different environments and e) record the presence of larvae. The study was conducted in an agroecosystem from Laguna Nahuel Ruca (37°37’04’’ S - 57°25’16’’ W). We selected different sampling environments: three forest environments, three open environments and a mixed environment; all of them were sampled monthly with pitfall traps during one year. We made a ranking to measure the degree of human modification of each environment. Higher values of species richness were recorded in forest environments. Carabidae assemblages differed according to habitat structure. We identify typical species of open environments as well as forest environments. The proportion of macropterous and synanthropic species tended to be higher in open environments, while there was no difference in the proportion of eurytopic species. Ten species of Carabidae were associated with families Convolvulaceae, Apiaceae and Fabaceae in spring. Seven species of larvae were recorded mainly in forest environments during summer. We concluded that land use and the structure of environment influence the local biodiversity of Carabidae. https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.17.27.2.0.232

AGROFORESTRY AS A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REGULARIZATION OF RURAL CONSOLIDATED OCCUPATIONS

ABSTRACT The great expectation about the New Forest Code consisted in reducing the hermeneutics distortions and increasing legal certainty for farmers. However, the new legislation raised more uncertainties and discussions, mainly because it consolidates the anthropic use and allows of low-impact activities in areas that should, by law, be kept untouched. This study aimed to survey and to describe the legislation related to protected areas on the rural area (APP and RL), to analyze the consolidated forms of use, occupation and low impact activities that can be developed in these areas, and to propose sustainable technical alternatives for interventions in the areas already consolidated and their recovery. The text is based on literature and documents, elaborated on the survey and study of legal aspects about protected areas in rural properties of Brazil and the main low-impact farming techniques, highlighting the agroforestry systems as an alternative of consolidated occupations in environmental protection areas. The text provides in an organized way the main aspects of the legislation on such areas and describes the sustainable activities allowed in APP and RL according to the flexibility of the new Forest Code.

CADASTRO AMBIENTAL RURAL E AVALIAÇÃO COMPARATIVA ENTRE O ANTIGO E ATUAL CÓDIGO FLORESTAL FEDERAL EM UM IMÓVEL

This study aimed to carry out the rural environmental registration and benchmarking between Law No. 4771 of October 15, 1965 (old Forest Code) and Law No. 12651 of May 25, 2012 (current Forest Code). The study area constitutes a property, located in the north of the Rio Grande do Sul state, ith an area of 49.77 hectares, representing 2.48 tax modules. Identified were 14 classes of use and land cover, which were divided into two classes, the anthropic use and natural use. Use areas were found restricted in springs, river banks and plated for the two laws. Areas edge plated found to the old forestry code and areas of restricted use for the current forest code. The use of data crossing and land cover and PPAs showed some flexibility in relation to the current forest code which extinguishes 7.11 hectares in PPAs, 14.22% of the total area. In the property 3.91 hectares belonged to areas of anthropic use and 3.17 hectares of natural areas use. The application of the transitional rules and new concepts covered by Law No. 12,651/12 may contribute to this effect.

AVALIAÇÃO DA COBERTURA FLORESTAL NA PAISAGEM DE MATA ATLÂNTICA NO ANO DE 2010, NA REGIÃO DE OURO PRETO - MG

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, avaliar o estado de conservação atual da paisagem na região de Ouro Preto, Ouro Branco e Mariana, MG, correspondendo à áreas situadas no alto das bacias dos rios das Velhas, do Carmo, Gualaxo do Sul e ribeirão da Colônia. A região possui diferentes Unidades de Conservação (UCs), localizadas no domínio fitogeográfico da Mata Atlântica. Utilizaram-se imagens RapidEye AG (jun/2010) com 5 m de resolução espacial. A classificação do uso do solo para obtenção das métricas da paisagem foi dividida em três classes: Floresta Estacional Semidecidual Montana, Vegetação natural 2 e Uso Antrópico. Os resultados apontaram que a área de estudo encontra-se bem preservada, principalmente dentro das UCs, onde se localizam os grandes fragmentos, principais para a conservação; as formações naturais presentes na área de estudos corresponderam a 87,08%; as métricas mostraram que a distância média entre os fragmentos (262) é 72,18 m; a forma e o efeito de bordas nos fragmentos apresentaram-se adversas à preservação da biodiversidade; fortes pressões antrópicas: área urbana, solo exposto, minerações etc., estão presentes em maior intensidade fora da Zona de Amortecimento (ZA) do Parque Estadual do Itacolomi; pontos vulneráveis à conservação encontram-se, em grande parte, próximos às áreas de pastoreio e de mineração, com destaque para as áreas de campo das UCs de Ouro Branco e de pastoreio dentro da APA Estadual Cachoeira das Andorinhas.

Diversity of Mucorales in natural and degraded semi-arid soils

Mucorales comprises fungi commonly isolated from soil, herbivore dung, and plant debris. Surveys in the semi-arid northeastern region of Brazil revealed 20 species of Mucorales, although this does not reflect the potential richness of these fungi in the Caatinga, the main domain of the region. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the richness, diversity, frequency, and distribution of Mucorales from natural and degraded semi-arid soils of the Catimbau National Park, Pernambuco State, Brazil, and to provide a taxonomic key for the species found in the studied soils. Six samplings were performed in three natural areas with the following vegetation types: Carrasco, Sandy Caatinga, and Caatinga s.s., as well as in an area of Caatinga s.s. under anthropic use. Thirteen taxa of Absidia, Cunninghamella, Gongronella, Lichtheimia, Mucor, Rhizopus, and Syncephalastrum were identified. Both richness and diversity were distinct among vegetation types. Rhizopus microsporus was the most common species. Soils from Carrasco exhibited a highest diversity and richness. The anthropic effects explain the low richness and diversity found on Caatinga s.s. Two species were reported for the first time in the Caatinga domain and a new species of Absidia was recorded.

Predator Agents and Leporid Accumulations: the Case of Terrasses de la Riera dels Canyars (Gavà, Barcelona, Spain)

Terrasses de la Riera dels Canyars (Gava, Barcelona, Spain) is an Upper Pleistocene fluvial deposit dated to 39.6 cal. ka BP with a few Aurignacian stone tools. Faunal remains recovered in this site contained, apart from large mammals, an important assemblage of leporid remains. This taxon (especially the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus) is very abundant in most Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic sites in the Iberian Peninsula. For this reason, it has been proposed that this kind of small prey must have played a key role for human prehistoric communities. Since a considerable group of non-human predators can contribute in the formation of this kind of assemblages, identification of different taphonomic signatures produced by other predators must be implemented. Based on actualistic studies carried out on modern leporid remains produced by nocturnal and diurnal raptors, terrestrial carnivores, and humans, diagnostic taphonomic indicators of different predators were identified. In this paper, the patterns observed for these predators are applied to the taphonomical analysis of archaeological leporid remains from level middle lutitic unit (MLU) of Terrasses de la Riera dels Canyars in order to understand the origin of the accumulation. The study was carried out based on the analysis of the age of death, anatomical representation, degree of breakage and digestion, types of fractures, cut marks, tooth and beak marks, and burnt marks. Our results suggest that small terrestrial carnivores (probably Iberian lynx) were the main responsible agent for the leporid accumulations at Terrasses de la Riera dels Canyars with a very sporadic and punctual activity of humans. Canyars moves away from other coetaneous Mediterranean Iberian sites where the anthropic systematic use of small prey beginning in the Early Upper Paleolithic has been described.

Español

The biosiliceous microfossil record has a high preservation degree in different natural and cultural contexts. For that reason, the study of phytoliths and other siliceous microremains may contribute both to infer environmental conditions of local plant communities that surrounded an archaeological site, and to identify plant species with anthropic use. We analized phytoliths and other siliceous microremains from a profile of Tres Cerros 1 archaeological site (LTC1, Las Moras Island, Victoria Department, Entre Ríos, Argentina) and other collected samples from particular features observed during excavation of the site. The bio-siliceous microfossil analysis revealed elements related to both wild plant resources from the present phytogeographic unit, and cultural plant management of species related to Arecaceae, Cucurbitaceae, and Poaceae (subfamilies Maideae and Oryzoideae). The bio-siliceous microfossil record of the LTC1 profile has a clear change between baseline and the top of the anthropic depositional unit, which can be correlated with different activities during the construction process of the mound, which took place between ca. 1000 - 500 years 14C BP.

Qualidade de Organossolo sob diferentes usos antrópicos em áreas de preservação permanente no Distrito Federal

O uso e a ocupação das terras devem ser planejados de forma racional a fim de evitar impactos ambientais negativos nos recursos naturais, particularmente em áreas ambientalmente protegidas por lei. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar atributos de qualidade dos solos em áreas de preservação permanente da Microbacia do Ribeirão do Gama, Distrito Federal, Brasil, para verificar o efeito do uso antrópico. Foram avaliados atributos físicos, químicos e biológicos de qualidade de organossolos em cinco áreas de uso e ocupação diversificada das terras: três áreas cultivadas (hortaliças, eucalipto e mandioca) e duas áreas preservadas (pastagem nativa e mata de galeria). As amostras de solo foram coletadas nas camadas de 0-10 e 10-20 cm. Os dados obtidos pelas análises físicas, químicas e biológicas dos solos foram avaliados estatisticamente por meio do software Sisvar 4.6. Os resultados obtidos mostraram influência dos usos e ocupações diferentes das terras em relação aos atributos de qualidade dos solos. O manejo dos solos adotado nessas áreas foi considerado o principal fator de alteração dos atributos físicos, químicos e biológicos, destacando-se a compactação dos solos sob áreas de vegetação nativa e diminuição da matéria orgânica nos solos em sistemas cultivados.

Anthropic land use and vegetation dynamics in mountain areas of Cavargna Valley (Lepontine Alps, Lombardy, N-Italy) during the Holocene

Anthropic land use and vegetation dynamics in mountain areas of Cavargna Valley (Lepontine Alps, Lombardy, N-Italy) during the Holocene

Heavy metals accumulation in the subterranean rodentCtenomys talarum(Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) from areas with different risk of contamination

The objective of this work was to determine the concentrations of four heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Fe and Cu) in muscle and liver from the solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum from natural dunes, cultivated area and military area with the purpose of assessing their levels and their possible effect on the biology of this small mammal. Only Pb in tissues of C. talarum from the agricultural zone indicates a risk of toxic effects on the organism. Overall concentrations of heavy metals in soils and tissues of C. talarum from all areas are consistent with lightly polluted habitats, although the increments observed in areas under anthropic use suggest for the possibility that carrying out these human activities for long periods of time, or in an intensive way, could exert an evident impact on ecosystems.

Dinámica de materia orgánica en el Parque Natural El Hon­do de Elche-Crevillente (España)

The space-temporary organic carbon variability was studied in soils from Na­ture Reserve El Hondo in relation with its time evolution and with the vegetation covers. At the same time, the possible changes produced along the time associ­ated with the use and management of the territory were analyzed. The results re­vealed significant differences between su­perficial covers and periods of sampling (ANOVA p<0.05). The great diversity of covers and the anthropic use manifested the great space-temporary differences in the organic carbon content of these soils and the possibilities of sequestration of carbon in different soils present at the same environment.

Differences in the diversity of oribatid mite communities in forests and agrosystems lands

A field study was conducted in the province of Burgos (Castile, NW of Spain) to assess the role and influence of the different anthropic use of soil on the oribatid mite communities (Acari, Oribatida). Soil samples from 20 representative soil sites of the Castilian upland steppes, with cultured, pastureland or forest soil uses, were taken in spring and autumn 2000. Thereafter, soil samples were analysed in terms of their mesofaunal biodiversity, measured using the real and relative diversity of the oribatid mite communities. Collected individuals were identified to species level, being altogether 111 Oribatid species. Results from communities' ordination analysis showed clear gradients based on community variables. One of these was defined by plots with high values of diversity and species richness which correspond to the less anthropic natural soils, mainly oak forest. In contrast, the most anthropic agrosystems soils, including extensive cereal crops, most of them receiving only mineral fertilisation or having human management, were placed in opposite gradients. Differences in biodiversity between crop lands and natural soils were also confirmed by ANOVA. The seasonality, measured in terms of difference between spring and autumn plots, played a minimum role in explaining differences of diversity. Nevertheless autumn diversity values were slightly higher than those of spring, except for crops.