Atlantic Forest Biome Research Articles

Breeding biology of the Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta) in non-protected areas in the Brazilian Cerrado

The Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta) is one of the three species of the family Anhimidae occurring in South America. It is widely distributed in the Amazon, the Cerrado, and the Atlantic Forest biomes, but detailed studies on its biology are lacking. The objective of this study was to examine aspects of the breeding of A. cornuta in the Brazilian Cerrado. Evidences of breeding birds were obtained through a search for records (photographs) in the WikiAves database in November 2019. Documented records (n = 46) of breeding birds were obtained by citizens between 2009 and 2019 in 30 municipalities. Nests with eggs (n = 15) were found mainly in marshes and grassy areas, often adjacent to the water surface. They had 2–5 white eggs and were found in two periods of the year—one comprising mainly the dry season, and the other, the rainy season. Other records (n = 31) involved families with young birds. The periods of occurrence of yellow young were highly overlapped with those of eggs. More developed young with downy plumage were found throughout the year. Young with plumage similar to that of adults (juveniles) were eventually found. Records accompanied by comments provided by citizens indicated that nests and young are cared by both parents. It was observed that birds can breed successfully outside full protected conservation areas. This study suggests that marshes should be considered a major habitat for the conservation of A. cornuta in the Brazilian Cerrado.

English

The jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is considered one of the most versatile trees and is used from wood production to traditional medicine. In traditional medicine, leaves are used to treat asthma, wounds and abscesses, and prevent ringworm infection. Several biological activities have been documented for jackfruit extracts confirming its popular use; however, its in vitro cytotoxicity and anti-herpesvirus activity are rarely discussed. The objective of this study was to explore the in vitro anti-herpesviral potential of A. heterophyllus leaf extracts at non-cytotoxic levels. Leaves were obtained from specimens located in the Atlantic forest biome. Dried and fresh ethanolic, methanolic and hexanic leaf extracts were obtained from the partition of a crude ethanolic extract. The cytotoxicity was performed on erythrocyte and kidney cell lines. The antiviral test was against equine, suid, and bovine herpesviruses. The contents of phenolic compounds were established from methanolic leaf extracts. Fresh leaf extracts did not show toxicity to erythrocytes in any concentration tested; however, dry leaf extracts showed >10% of hemolysis at ≥200 µg/ml. The maximum non-cytotoxic concentrations for Vero and MDBK cells ranged from 7.8 to 125 µg/ml. The content of phenolic compounds was 22.02% higher in fresh leaf than in dry leaf methanolic extracts. Methanolic extracts showed antiviral activity against BoHV-1 (PI of 99.20%) and SuHV-1 (PI of 94.38%). A. heterophyllus fresh and dry leaf extracts are remarkable as anti-herpesviruses and candidates to proceed for in vivo tests. Key words: Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., Jackfruit tree, antiviral activity, kidney cell-line, erythrocyte, medicinal plant.

A Coleção de Formicidae do Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau (CPDC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brasil

Criada em 1990, a Coleção de Formicidae do Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau (CPDC) conta atualmente com cerca de 500.000 espécimes, em geral montados a seco, correspondendo a aproximadamente 4.000 espécies nominais e morfoespécies. Além da coleção geral, existe uma pequena coleção de tipos e uma biblioteca de pesquisa no âmbito do Laboratório de Mirmecologia. O laboratório é multi-institucional e a curadoria da CPDC está hoje dividida entre J.H.C. Delabie (Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau/Comissão Executiva de Plano da Lavoura Cacaueira – CEPEC/CEPLAC e Universidade Estadual Santa Cruz - UESC) e A. Arnhold (Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia - UFSB). O bioma Mata Atlântica, sobretudo da Bahia e do Espírito Santo, está particularmente bem representado, com séries de amostras provenientes de florestas, manguezais, cacauais, sistemas agroflorestais, pastagens e outros cultivos regionais. A coleção contribui também na conservação de muito material biológico brasileiro da região amazônica, do Cerrado, da Caatinga e de outros países da região neotropical, assim como de outras regiões biogeográficas. A dinâmica de incorporação do material biológico na coleção é detalhada ao longo do texto, assim como as perspectivas de desenvolvimento das futuras ações previstas em torno da Coleção CPDC, em parcerias com a UESC e a UFSB.

Estudos do crescimento urbano no município de Ihota – SC no período de 1999 – 2019

O estudo foi realizado no município de Ilhota, Santa Catarina. Ilhota foi colonizada por imigrantes belgas por volta de 1841 somente em 21 de junho de 1958, Ilhota deixou de ser distrito de Itajaí e passou a ser município, conforme a Lei 348. O objetivo é quantificar de crescimento urbano no município de Ilhota, através de técnicas de geoprocessamento. Para esta quantificação, foram obtidas duas imagens na plataforma Earth Explorer da UCGS dos satélites Landsat-5, uma datada do ano de 1999, e a outra Landsat-8, datada em 2019. O processamento das imagens selecionadas foi efetuado no software Qgis, bandas multiespectrais naturais simuladas, nas combinações R5, G4 e B3 para a imagem de 1999 e R6, G5 e B4 para a imagem de 2019. A classificação do uso e ocupação do solo foi por meio do complemento Dzetsaka Plugin, em cinco classes: vegetação arbórea, vegetação rasteira, solo exposto, urbanização e água. Ao analisar o uso e ocupação dos solos na área de estudo, observou-se que no ano de 1999, 83,57% da área estava coberta por vegetação arbórea e rasteira, decorrido 20 anos, 2019, a mesma cobertura passa a ocupar 73,35%, significando a degradação do bioma Mata Atlântica, na qual se enquadra o município de Ilhota.

Sugarcane decision-making support using Eta Model precipitation forecasts

Agricultural activity is largely influenced by climatic conditions. Rainfall is essential for crop production, and precipitation events also interfere with soil preparation, planting, application of pesticides and harvesting. Weather forecast models are tools to facilitate decision making for agricultural activities, hence high accuracy is desired. Farmers often criticize the accuracy of weather forecasts, which sometimes fail to predict precipitation events, leading to yield loss and environmental harm. In this study, precipitation forecasts of the Eta Model were evaluated for 28 of Brazil’s most productive sugarcane areas, considering a grid of 15 × 15 km. Using a combination of different indicators of forecast success, observed and forecasted daily precipitation data were compared for consecutive days of all 10-day periods in a course of 6 years (2005–2010). Skill scores and performance diagrams based on the indicators were used to evaluate the goodness and robustness of the model forecasts. The Eta Model forecasts showed overall accuracies ranging between 55 and 71% for the Atlantic forest biomes (located North-West and South-East of Sao Paulo) and the Cerrado biomes (located in the Goias State and in the Center-North Sao Paulo State), respectively. The forecasts were most reliable for up to 4 days, showing an accuracy of 60%. Forecasts for periods of more than 4 days had an average accuracy of 40–50%. The probability of detecting rainfall correctly was the strongest characteristic of Eta Model, with more than 70% hits.

Sustainable Recovery of the Taquari River Riparian Forest: Public Ministry in the Defense of Collective Interests

Riparian forest, an Area of Permanent Preservation, has suffered anthropic pressure for decades, which makes its recovery imperative. To preserve it, the Constitution has established the responsibility of the Public Prosecutor's Office to ensure diffuse environmental rights. Therefore, under the 1965 Forest Code, the Program for the Sustainable Development of Riparian Forest of Taquari River (PRSMCRT in the Portuguese acronym) was implemented in 14 marginal municipalities, whose areas are part of the Atlantic Forest Biome supported by methodology which was developed for it observing the regional characteristics and coordinated by the Public Ministry of the Rio Grande do Sul State (MPRS). This paper uses a qualitative approach with bibliographic research and analysis of the documents. It is exploratory in its objectives, descriptive about the methodology referred and purposeful in the end, because shows the results of the documentary analysis carried out by the Civil Inquiry that covered the Program and records the methodology developed by UNIVATES for the recovery the riparian area, which served as a basis for combining the required environmental protection, albeit in a smaller area than the legally foreseen in that time, with the constitutional right to property. Results show the recovery of riparian zones after the MPRS and counties work defending the collective rights. The other hand, researches need to be developed in the riparian zone of Taquari river to verify the efficient of the methodology which was created and applied in the PRSMCRT, especially about ecosystem services. Regardless of that, it is possible to replicate the global idea elsewhere.

CARBON STOCK IN FRAGMENTS OF THE BRAZILIAN ATLANTIC FOREST THROUGH VEGETATION INDEXES

Today, the fragmentation of the Atlantic Forest represents a limiting factor for the survival of several species and for the maintenance of the biodiversity and functionality of this ecosystem. Despite this, the Atlantic Forest has a great capacity for resilience and carbon stock, which justifies its successive self-regeneration and vigor. Understanding this ability to stockpile carbon is extremely important to assist in the conservation actions of forest remnants. In this perspective, the spectral calculation of CO2Flux translates the integration of the photochemical reflectance index (PRI and SPRI) that spectrally reproduces the efficiency of the use of light in photosynthesis and in turn the NDVI that spectrally describes the vigor of the vegetation synthetically active. One circumstance to be considered is that the CO2Flux methodology is not destructive, that is, it is not necessary to cut trees to estimate aspects related to carbon stock. In addition to the bibliographic research, to perform the spectral calculation methodology of CO2Flux, images of the Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 Satellite scans of the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 of the Environmental Protection Area of Guadalupe, in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, were acquired, and through these was calculated the Vegetation Indexes: NDVI, PRI and SPRI and finally the CO2Flux thus translating the carbon stock on site. The results of the calculations can be seen through the maps and graphs, generated in the QuantumGis software and Statistical Language R, the potential of the Carbon Stock for the Guadalupe EPA in the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 corresponding to an area of 30231ha, 30876ha, 29515ha, 29997ha and 28811ha - respectively. Thus showing not only the carbon stock on site and effectiveness of the CO2Flux methodology to estimate the carbon stock, but also showing the increase in deforestation of the Atlantic Forest as a consequence of disordered urban occupation and selective deforestation. It is concluded the indispensability of making use of the methodology of spectral calculation of Carbon Stock and also of technologies such as Remote Sensing with the purpose of quantifying carbon sequestration from vegetation indexes in the Atlantic Forest, not only in the EPA of Guadalupe-PE as in all the native vegetation of the Preserved Atlantic Forest Biome of Brazil and the world.

Fruiting and quality attributes of cambui (Myrciaria floribunda (West ex Willd.) O. Berg in the Atlantic Forest of northeast Brazil

Cambuizeiro is a fruit native to the Atlantic Forest biome that has potential for ornamental use and for human consumption, either raw or processed, due to the organoleptic characteristics of its fruits. Accordingly, the study objective was to evaluate the fruiting periods and quality attributes of two types of cambuizeiros, differentiated by fruit color. The plants studied were from a natural population from the Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros Experimental Station, in the municipality of Itaporanga d’Ajuda, state of Sergipe, Brazil. A total of 20 plants, 14 with orange and six with purple fruit, seven days after anthesis (DAA), were evaluated weekly during fruiting. After harvest, the fruits were evaluated for weight, length, width, number of seeds, pH, soluble solids (SS), total titratable acidity (TTA) and vitamin C content. There was heterogeneity in the ripening of the two cambuizeiro types. The highest peak of ripening occurred at 63 DAA (83.2% of orange and 68.3% of purple fruits). The purple fruits had superior physical attributes. However, the pulp of the orange colored fruits had a higher TTA content. Both types of fruits have potential characteristics for commercial exploration and use.

Leptoceroidea (Insecta: Trichoptera: Integripalpia) from Serra do Caparaó,Southeast Brazil, including a new species of Atanatolica Mosely (Leptoceridae).

Serra do Caparaó is an impressive mountain range between the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, Southeast Brazil, inserted within the Atlantic Forest biome, and has a mosaic vegetation composed mainly by Dense Ombrophilous Forest and rupicolous vegetation of high-altitude grasslands. This study contributes to increasing the knowledge on the Leptoceroidea fauna of the Serra do Caparaó. Herein, we describe and illustrate a new species of Leptoceridae, Atanatolica bandeira sp. nov. and provide additional data on the richness and distribution of Leptoceroidea from Parque Nacional do Caparaó and surrounding areas. The distribution of some species is expanded. Fourteen and four species are recorded for the first time from Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais states, respectively.

Encounter rate and behavior of Alouatta guariba clamitans in the Ilha Grande State Park, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil

Alouatta guariba clamitansCabrera, 1940 is an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest that occurs from south Bahia, Brazil, extending south to the province of Misiones, Argentina. In Rio de Janeiro state, the species was classified as threatened, indicating that attention is needed for the conservation of this taxon. Additionally, an outbreak of yellow fever spread throughout the southeastern states of Brazil from January 2017 until March 2018 seriously threatening Rio de Janeiro populations of the species. Herein, we aimed to provide the first estimates ofA. g. clamitansencounter rate, density, and population size in the Ilha Grande State Park (PEIG), which is part of the Atlantic Forest biome of Brazil. Data were collected in two different periods, the first between December 2003 and May 2005, and the second from August 2009 to May 2010, and information on encounter rates and behavior was collected to better understand aspects of species' ecology. The estimated encounter rate in the first period through the distance sampling method was 0.04 ± 0.01 individuals per kilometer. Nine groups were recorded in the second period of the study, with 47 individuals along 3 km. Our estimates of encounter rate, density and population size were low and reinforces the need to initiate species monitoring and assess the impact that yellow fever outbreaks may have on PEIG populations. The results presented here can be a starting point to support future strategic actions for the species, to measure impacts and to the management of the species, and for a conservation program.

Soil physical changes induced by sugarcane cultivation in the Atlantic Forest biome, northeastern Brazil

In northeastern Brazil, the sugarcane expansion has occurred historically over the Atlantic Forest biome. However, little is known about the physical process and changes induced by sugarcane cultivation in this biome. Thus, a field study was conducted to evaluate changes induced by sugarcane cultivation on soil physical properties, processes and functions in the Atlantic Forest biome. For that, soil samples were collected at three sites in northeastern Brazil: AF – Atlantic Forest, SCratoon – successive sugarcane ratoon cultivation and SCtill – tilled soil for sugarcane replanting. Quantitative and semi-quantitative soil properties [i.e. bulk density, soil penetration resistance (SPR), water-stable aggregates, soil organic carbon (C), pore size distribution and Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) scores] were examined. In addition, four critical soil functions were evaluated by a soil physical quality index (SPQI). Atlantic Forest soil presented the greatest soil physical quality (i.e. lower bulk density, higher porosity, soil C and soil aggregate stability), functioning, according to SPQI, at 88% of its full capacity. However, SPR under AF was significantly higher than SCratoon and SCtill. Soil tillage reduced SPR in SCtill compared to the area under successive sugarcane cultivation (SCratoon). The results revealed that the high SPR in AF and SCratoon areas occurred without soil volume variation (i.e. no compaction) in relation to the SCtill, indicating that these soils are susceptible to hardening induced by C bonds and thixotropy processes. Soil tillage for sugarcane replanting resulted in immediate improvements on physical conditions for root growth by decreasing SPR; however, soil disturbance increases its susceptibility to degradation by reducing water-stable soil aggregate, organic C and aeration pores. Thus, sugarcane cultivation declined the performance of soil physical functions to 72 and 67% of its full capacity in SCtill and SCratoon, respectively. Finally, best management practices to reduce soil disturbance and increase C should be prioritised, as well as minimising the mechanisms responsible by soil hardening in order to reduce soil physical degradation and improve the environment for root growth in sugarcane fields.

Vulnerability of small forest patches to fire in the Paraiba do Sul River Valley, southeast Brazil: Implications for restoration of the Atlantic Forest biome

The Atlantic Forest biome, a biodiversity hotspot historically threatened by deforestation and human disturbance, has recently seen a net gain in native forest cover due to changes in land use, enactment of new laws, and substantial investment in restoration. Like many South American and global ecosystems, the Atlantic Forest biome has also experienced an increase in area burned by wildfire largely due to human ignitions, which threatens these gains. Our objective was to understand the vulnerability of protected areas and small patches of neotropical forest to fire in the Paraíba do Sul River Valley, Brazil, a region within the Atlantic Forest biome. Our modeled fire behavior and growth was calibrated to the observed fire size record and simulated fire perimeters that varied from 1-ha to more than 2250-ha. We found a strong positive correlation between pasture area and burn probability, and a negative correlation between burn probability and forest cover, reinforcing the role of pastures in fire ignition and transmission to forest edges and small fragmented patches. While most tropical forest patches (85%) were less than 10 ha, these forest patches only comprised a small portion (10%) of the total forest cover but were most vulnerable to fire exposure. The variables most influential on burn probability were patch size and distance to edge. Specifically, fires were most frequent in patches less than 100-ha in size and relatively absent in patches greater than 1000-ha. Likewise, fires occurred within 180-m of forest patch edges and exposure was minimal deeper into forest patches. Exposure was highest in stands with canopy-cover less than 20%, and then declined monotonically until 90%, after which burn probability was minimal. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between fire and landscape patterns are strongly contingent in Atlantic Forest landscape, where degraded tropical forests are often comprised of small forest patches, large patch edges, and low canopy cover, all of which increase the vulnerability of tropical forest to burning in Southeast Atlantic forest. Continued management of fire is critical to preserving the recovery and securing investments in reforestation in the Atlantic Forest biome.

Physical and chemical attributes of soil on gully erosion in the Atlantic forest biome

Soil is a fundamental natural resource for subsistence and development of humanity, exploited mainly for agriculture. Agricultural practices, though, are improperly performed, compromising edaphic conditions and favoring erosive processes, which mainly culminate in the loss of soil and nutrients. Water erosion represents the main form of soil degradation, given that the impact of raindrops on the soil results in the detachment of particles, a process favored by factors such as climate, relief, soil vegetation and use and occupation. The objective of the study was to classify four gullies based on their evolutionary turns and to judge the physical-chemical classifications of the soil at the internal and external faces of the gullies. The morphology of the gullies was classified by aerial images generated by drones. The gullies were mapped using Google Earth images from 2016. The qualitative assessment was performed using the digital field-elevation curvature (MDESC) model with field validation. Deformed samples were collected at depths of 0-10 and 10-20 cm, while non-deformed samples were collected at depths of 0.0-0.10 cm to evaluate their chemical and physical attributes. A nonparametric 5% Kruskal-Wallis statistical analysis was performed on the resulting data. The chemical and physical attributes of the soil differed according to the evolutionary stage of the surfaces (internal and external) at depths of 0 to 10 cm, while the faces showed differences in depth of 10 to 20 cm.

Spatial and temporal structure of diversity and demographic dynamics along a successional gradient of tropical forests in southern Brazil.

Analysis of the structure, diversity, and demographic dynamics of tree assemblages in tropical forests is especially important in order to evaluate local and regional successional trajectories.We conducted a long‐term study to investigate how the structure, species richness, and diversity of secondary tropical forests change over time. Trees (DBH ≥ 5 cm) in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil were sampled twice during a 10‐year period (2007 and 2017) in six stands (1 ha each) that varied in age from their last disturbance (25, 60, 75, 90, and more than 100 years). We compared forest structure (abundance and basal area), species richness, alpha diversity, demographic rates (mortality, recruitment, and loss or gain in basal area), species composition, spatial beta diversity, and temporal beta diversity (based on turnover and nestedness indices) among stand ages and study years.Demographic rates recorded in a 10‐year interval indicate a rapid and dynamic process of species substitution and structural changes. Structural recovery occurred faster than beta diversity and species composition recovery. The successional gradient showed a pattern of species trade‐off over time, with less spatial dissimilarity and faster demographic rates in younger stands. As stands grow older, they show larger spatial turnover of species than younger stands, making them more stochastic in relation to species composition. Stands appear to split chronologically to some extent, but not across a straightforward linear axis, reflecting stochastic changes, providing evidence for the formation of a nonequilibrium community. Policy implications. These results reiterate the complexity and variability in forest succession and serve as a reference for the evaluation and monitoring of local management and conservation actions and for defining regional strategies that consider the diversity of local successional trajectories to evaluate the effectiveness of restoration measures in secondary forests of the Atlantic Forest biome.

Spatially explicit modeling of land use and land cover in the State of Rio de Janeiro-Brazil

The identification of the types of land use and land cover (LULC) can be one of the first requirements to monitor and evaluate the flow of environmental dynamics, due to the accelerated process of changes in terrestrial space, causing environmental and socioeconomic impacts. The region chosen for this study is an area of high biodiversity and has within its geographical limit the second largest city in the Southeast region of Brazil. The objective of this work was to parameterize a model of LULC, which comprises the State of Rio de Janeiro inserted in the Atlantic Forest Biome. For that, it was necessary to calibrate and validate the simulations, in the period between 2010 and 2016, respectively. The LuccME (Land Use and Cover Change Modeling Environmental) model was adopted, which identified the process of LULC changes, and made it possible to project future scenarios for 2020 and 2030, being optimistic and pessimistic. The study indicated the trend in pessimistic growth scenarios in areas that previously had forest in pastures and urban growth, with a low rate of native vegetation area. This is a warning for public and private sector management about territorial planning, for that in the future the population will suffer from the scarcity of natural resources. In the optimistic scenarios, the changes in vegetation are shows more intensely, since in the areas that were undergoing the process of restoration and reforestation, they recover to the point of changing from pasture to forest. In both scenarios, agriculture remained in the most productive and productive areas, with no significant increases or loss of area. Therefore, the use of this model allows the evaluate to have more consistent of environmental estimates, which can be used in different areas of knowledge.

Diet of tadpoles for five anuran species of northeast Brazil

In this study, the diet of tadpoles of five anuran species was described. The species were collected from either lotic or lentic environments in Caatinga and the Atlantic Forest biome of northeast Brazil. The diet of these tadpoles consisted of algae, protozoa, plants, fungi and animals. Diatoms were the most important items within the diet of Leptodactylus natalensis. Trachelomonas, diatoms, Phacus and Scenedesmus were the most important items comprising the diet of Leptodactylus cf. macrosternum. Trachelomonas, Oscillatoria and Scenedesmus were the most important items comprising the diet of Pithecophus nordestinus. Diatoms and Scenodesmus were the most important items of the diet for Rhinella jimi. For Scinax x-signatus, diatoms (Atlantic Forest population), Oscillatoria, undetermined filament and pollen (Caatinga population) were the most important items consumed. Scinax x-signatus and L. natalensis from Atlantic Forest, and L. cf. macrosternum and P. nordestinus from Caatinga had diets that were the most similar. The diversity of items found in the diets of species considered may be attributed to mechanisms used by tadpoles to obtain food, which favour the acquisition of suspended materials that are highly available in the environment. We discuss the possible effects of the relationship between algae and tadpoles and the importance of recording larvae diets to better understand the dynamics of the aquatic environment and the trophic ecology of tadpoles.

Synopsis of Urtica (Urticaceae) in Brazil

In this work is given a taxonomic synopsis of the Urtica species (Urticaceae) occurring in Brazil. Urtica is the largest genus of Urticeae tribe and occurs frequently in humid places, at interior or forest margin, but mainly near human habitations and pastures. Brazil has a wide geographical distribution, founded mainly in Atlantic Forest biome. About its characters, Urtica species have herbaceous habit, presence of glandular stinging trichomes and opposite leaves. For this work, around 800 herbarium materials were analyzed, including types and prototypes, as well as observation of wild populations in the field. Herbarium labels, literature and cultivated specimens were the main information source for distribution, ecology and taxonomic notes. Four species of Urtica were recognized for Brazil: Urtica circularis (Hicken) Soraru, U. dioica Linnaeus, U. spathulata Smith, U. urens Linnaeus, for which descriptions, identification key, comments about taxonomy, ecological observations and geographical distribution are presented.

APPLICATIONS OF SAR DATA TO ESTIMATE FOREST BIOPHYSICAL VARIABLES IN BRAZIL

ABSTRACT The use of SAR images has been highlighted in scientific research focused on forest data collection worldwide. Thus, the present work aimed at gathering studies turned to the application of SAR images to obtain biophysical variables of forests in Brazil. Based on studies published in recognized databases, a growing amount of publications over time was observed with more focus on researches made mainly in Amazonian biome, followed by planted forests with eucalyptus destined to wood production. Most works were made based on airborne radar data, followed by ALOS/PALSAR and JERS-1 orbital data. It is remarkable the scientific knowledge produced using radar data from Brazilian forests, demonstrating that this technology is an other tool for studies and applications in Forestry Sciences that can assist in the country’s forestry management. Nevertheless, the need of studies on the several forest typologies across Brazil was evidenced, along with the lack of research related to radar use to estimate biophysical variables in caatinga and Atlantic Forest biomes.

Water Security Assessment of Groundwater Quality in an Anthropized Rural Area from the Atlantic Forest Biome in Brazil

The exploitation of natural resources has grown mainly due to the high rate of population growth that changed over time around the planet. Water is one of the most needed resources essential for survival. Despite all the efforts made to improve water security, an environmental impact related to anthropogenic influence remains of great concern, which is the alteration of surface and groundwater quality. In many regions around the world, there is limited or no access to rural and urban water supply while there is a need to improve sanitation facilities. This work evaluated the spatial distribution of groundwater and surface water quality as well as their changes in wet and dry seasons of the tropical climate in the Atlantic Forest Biome. The study area is under anthropogenic influence, which is in the municipality of Igarassú, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The analysis of the raw water was based on Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater, as referenced in the Brazilian Ministry of Health Consolidation Ordinance that sets standards for drinking water. The temporal analyses indicated a variation on water quality from the wet to the dry seasons, whereas the spatial results revealed deviations from the Brazilian’s Water Supply Standards for some physicochemical parameters. There was an increase in the values of some parameters during the wet season in some hydrological compartments. The anthropized rural area from the Atlantic Forest Biome is affecting the water quality. It is, therefore, necessary to develop environmental policies and put them into practice by implementing engineering projects that guarantee proper treatment for raw water in order to bring the water quality back to a good status in this region.

<p><strong>Untangling the type collection and recircunscription of <em>Pseudolaelia corcovadensis:</em> a threatened orchid species from Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest</strong></p>

Understanding the composition of the type specimen of Pseudolaelia corcovadensis is very important for establishing its taxonomic circumscription. This specimen, originally collected on the Morro do Corcovado in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, within the Atlantic Forest biome, were mixed with those of another species of Pseudolaelia. A careful study of the specimens has made it possible to propose the lectotypification of P. corcovadensis and determine the identity of the mixed specimen, which corresponds to P. vellozicola, a similar species. The morphological description and geographical distribution, now more restricted, are presented for P. corcovadensis, and the range of P. vellozicola is established as more extensive than previously understood.