Central Amazon Research Articles

Stock assessment and population parameters for Triportheus spp. and Pellona flavipinnis in floodplain lakes, central of Amazon, Brazil

It is essential to provide data on fish stocks, especially those that appeared more recently on fishing landings. The present study estimated growth, mortality and evaluated the fish stock of Triportheus albus, Triportheus angulatus, Triportheus auratus, and Pellona flavipinnis in floodplain lakes in central Amazon, Manaus (AM), Brazil. Samplings were carried out monthly between 2006 and 2007 and bimonthly until 2008 using gillnets. We evaluated the growth parameters (L∞, k, t0, t_achor, Ø, A0.95), natural, total, and fishing mortality, exploitation rate, and yield per recruit. The results showed T. auratus had the lowest estimated current fishing mortality pressure, while T. angulatus and T. albus had the highest fishing mortality pressure. It indicates that T. angulatus and T. albus are heavily exploited commercially. Considering current fishing mortality, T. angulatus and T. albus presented values above the maximum sustainable yield, indicating that these species are being exploited in an unsustainable way. This was the first time these fisheries stocks were evaluated. Despite the data being from a few years ago, these values are the only available and may be the baseline for the fisheries management plans.

Energy balance closure and evapotranspiration hysteresis in central Amazon under contrasting conditions during the GoAmazon project in 2014 and 2015

The Amazon region stands out as Earth's largest and most prominent terrestrial convective center, significantly influencing precipitation patterns through the substantial net radiation at the Earth's surface (Rn). This radiation is further divided into sensible heat (H) and latent heat (LE) fluxes, underscoring the critical need to investigate the intricate exchanges of energy between ecosystems and the atmosphere while also scrutinizing the closure of the energy balance (EBC). Such studies are of paramount importance for gaining a comprehensive understanding of natural process dynamics. This research was undertaken to refine our comprehension of the temporal variability of energy fluxes, energy balance closure, and the phenomenon of evapotranspiration (ET) hysteresis in relation to key atmospheric variables, namely, Rn, air temperature, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), within the central Amazon region. This investigation spanned a typical year (2014) and accounted for the influence of an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event (2015). The findings illuminated that LE constituted the predominant component of the energy balance in both years, comprising approximately 70% of the total energy flux, except during the dry season of 2015 when H took precedence, accounting for 55% of the total energy exchange due to the ENSO event. The EBC exhibited an underestimation of turbulent fluxes (H + LE) of around 24% relative to the available energy (Rn - G). A more robust closure was observed during the dry period of 2015, reaching 82%, suggesting heightened uncertainty in LE estimates. In the context of ET, clockwise hysteresis loops were observed concerning air temperature and VPD. The relationship between ET and Rn displayed a linear response to solar radiation, with the intensity of ET hysteresis becoming more pronounced when correlated with air temperature and VPD.

Climate change in the Central Amazon and its impacts on frog populations.

Frog population declines have already been observed in the central Amazon even for common species that are considered not to be in danger of extinction. The Amazon is close to its limit of tolerated deforestation, and parts of the forest have already been modified by climate change, which raises questions about how the fauna in these areas would adapt to climate changes by the middle and the end of this century. In this study we used population density data on seven species of Amazonian frogs and analyzed the relationship between the activity of these species and temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity. We also used the least-squares method with logarithmic models to assess whether climate change projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) would be an indicator of the population dynamics of these species. Our results suggest that even common species may be may experience population declines and extinction in the next decades due to climate changes.

Phylogeographic inference for Bichromomyia flaviscutellata sensu stricto (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phebotominae) from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, based on the 3' region of the COI gene.

Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (Mangabeira, 1942) sensu stricto (Diptera: Psychodidae) has been recognized as the main vector of Leishmania amazonensis in the Brazilian Amazon. For this reason, it is of paramount importance to understand the distribution of genetic diversity of populations of this vector, particularly the genetic structure and gene flow, for its management and control efforts. This study investigated the phylogeographic structure of five B. flaviscutellata s.s. populations from the central Brazilian Amazon region by analyzing 1,141 bp fragment of the 3' region of the COI gene. A total of 85 specimens of B. flaviscutellata s.s. were sequenced from Manaus (14), Rio Preto da Eva (10), Pitinga (14), Novo Airão (21), and Autazes (26); all in the state of Amazonas. The dataset yielded 59 haplotypes, most of them connected to each other in the main network. There were high levels of intrapopulation genetic variability (h = 0.945 ± 0.035 - 0.978 ± 0.054). The genetic distance values among populations varied from moderate (0.0873) to very high (0.3535), and all comparisons were significant, as well as the hierarchical analysis (ΦST = 0.2145). In contrast, these comparisons revealed a high number of shared sites (Ss = 6-34) and no difference in fixed sites (Sf = 0) among populations indicating absence of historical isolation. The Mantel test indicated that 67.92% (r = 0.6792; P = 0.06) of the genetic structure observed in B. flaviscutellata s.s. cannot be explained by the isolation-by-distance (IBD) model. This genetic structure, weakly explained by the IBD, may be due mainly by the forest habitat fragmentation and the low dispersal (flight) capacity of sand flies. Both factors could lead to population fragmentation and isolation, which promote genetic differentiation. Taken together, these findings suggest that the genetic structure observed in the studied populations of B. flaviscutellata s.s. is likely generated by microevolutionary processes acting at the population level at the present time and, therefore, evolutionary lineages were not recognized among the populations analyzed.

Microplastic contamination in bathing areas in the Central Amazon, Itacoatiara, Brazil.

Due to the visible abundance of plastic improperly disposed of in the environment, the number of investigations has increased worldwide in different water bodies and biota. Despite this, studies of contamination by microplastics in freshwater environments in the Amazon are scarce. This study investigated microplastic contamination in sediment samples of bathing areas in the Central Amazon, in Itacoatiara, Amazonas, Brazil. A total of 202 microplastic particles were recorded in the five investigated areas that are used for recreation. These results indicate no significant difference in the number of microplastic particles among the establishments; however, the size of the microplastic particles differed significantly between the establishments. Both blue and red microplastic particles were recorded, with blue particles being the most abundant. The microplastic particles were in the form of fibers and fragments. The number of microplastic particles was significantly different between the areas within and adjacent to the bathing areas, though the size of the microplastic particles was not significantly different in the areas within and adjacent to the bathing areas. There was no significant correlation in the establishments in regard to their frequency of use and contamination (number of microplastic particles). This is the first study that indicates the anthropogenic impacts associated with microplastic contamination in recreation areas within the Amazon Forest, an area considered by the world to be of vital importance for conservation. The results of this study indicate that microplastics are present in these bathing areas of the Central Amazon and that contamination in areas used for recreation may be significantly higher than in areas not used for this purpose.

Unveiling hidden diversity of Oecomys (Rodentia: Cricetidae) from Brazilian Central Amazonia: description of a new species and new lineages

The arboreal rice rat of the genus Oecomys Thomas, 1906 is one of the most speciose genera of the subfamily Sigmodontinae, with 19 species currently recognized and occurring from eastern Panama to northern Argentina, Paraguay, and in northern, central and eastern Brazil. Herein we describe a new species using an integrative approach based on molecular, morphological, and morphometric data. We used in our assessment recently collected specimens from the states of Pará and Rondônia, one of the most deforested regions in Brazil. We examined 51 specimens of Oecomys from museum collections including name-bearing types from most of the distributional range of the genus. We also sequenced 32 specimens of Oecomys, and for the molecular analyses, we used the mitochondrial marker Cytochrome b and the nuclear marker intron 7 of β-fibrinogen. Our mitochondrial marker results recovered a strongly supported clade composed of two divergent clades (3.78%), one including lineages of O. bicolor and O. cleberi, and the other clade representing the new species. The topology of concatenated mitochondrial and nuclear data also recovered Oecomys sp. nov. as a sister lineage of the O. bicolor and O. cleberi clade. Also, both markers recovered new lineages from the O. bicolor and O. cleberi species group. The new species can be discriminated from other Oecomys species by pelage colour and craniodental characters, such as absent or small mastoid fenestra, and the presence of alisphenoid strut, small subsquamosal fenestra, presence of sphenopalatine vacuities, and presence of accessory loph of M1 and M2 paracones. The new species occurs exclusively in the Rondônia centre of endemism, delimited by the rivers Amazon to the north, Tapajós to the east, and Madeira to the west. The description of this new Oecomys increases the diversity, and also contributes to elevate Amazonian Sigmodontinae species richness and endemism in this still poorly known biome. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:7477D37A-4D02-443F-B0FB-149379BEDE92

The effectiveness of ichthyochoric dispersal in forested wetlands of the Amazon depends on the species of fish and its size

The interaction between fish and plants in Amazon floodplain is fundamental for the maintenance of frugivorous fish and tree communities. The viability of seeds after passing through the digestive tract of fish is a central factor for seed dispersal since it can influence colonization and regeneration of these environments. Our study investigated the seed dispersal by frugivorous fish in a flooded forest in the Central Amazon. We also evaluated the seed germination speed after passage of the digestive tract of fish and how the size of fish and the seeds can influence the dispersion of tree seeds in floodplains. A total of 5,012 seeds from 49 plant species were found in the digestive tracts of 11 frugivorous fish species. The length and weight of the frugivorous fish were positively related to the size of seeds in the digestive tract. The germination of the seeds removed from the fish varied between species. The passage of the seeds of the different plant species through the digestive tracts of the fish did not significantly increase the germination speed. Considering the anthropogenic pressures present in these environments, we can expect that a reduction in body size for some species of fish, due to overexploitation, may have negative consequences for some tree species that are dispersed mainly via ichthyochory.

Water Typology in the Amazon: Close Correlation with the Hydrogeochemistry of River Basins

A study on the typology of Amazonian waters was developed in the North Geographic Region of Brazil, considering a set of historical data from 1995 to 2022. The objective was to discuss and point out which environmental parameters are considered preponderant within the classification criteria of Amazonian waters. Historical data on temperature, density, pH, conductivity, oxygen, transparency, light attenuation, turbidity, color, total and dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity, CaCO3, BOD, COD, main cations and anions, iron, C, N and P fractions, silicate, trace elements (Al, Cu, Zn and Mn) and chlorophyll a were analyzed. The analysis comprised water samples from the National Hydrometeorological Network (Sub-Basins 10 to 19), with a total of 36 basins, including tributaries, lakes and adjacent streams. The historical series was statistically analyzed through the techniques of Cluster, Principal component analysis (PCA), Piper Diagram and image interpolation by the ordinary kriging method. The results indicated a strong seasonal trend, with an evident distinction between the flood and ebb periods. The typology of white, black and clear waters was also evidenced, this last group being an intermediate class to the others, due to the physical-chemical standards. The PCA highlighted the parameters conductivity, pH, calcium, bicarbonate and Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) (Factor 1), and turbidity and alkalinity (Factor 2) as preponderant in the water classification. The ionic balance demonstrated that the white waters stood out for the highest concentrations of calcium and magnesium. The results suggest a pattern of calcic waters oscillating towards sodic and carbonated waters, with a subgroup in the northern eastern region of seasonally sodic-chlorinated waters, due to the influence of ocean tides. Image interpolation suggested a predominance of white waters in the western southern zone (Western Amazon) and white waters transitioning to clear waters in the eastern zone (Eastern Amazon). The analysis also showed a predominant strip of black and clear waters in the northern zone, and a strip of white waters in the central Amazon.

Beta diversity and microhabitat use of ant assemblages in a white-sand vegetation gradient in central Amazonia

Beta diversity and microhabitat use of ant assemblages in a white-sand vegetation gradient in central Amazonia

Reevaluation of Rhipidomys emiliae (J.A. Allen 1916) and description of a new Rhipidomys (Rodentia: Cricetidae) species from Amazonia and Cerrado.

We present the revalidation of the sigmodontinae rodent species R. emiliae, as well as the description of a new species for the genus Rhipidomys. The maximum likelihood analysis recovers R. emiliae as sister species of the clade with Rhipidomys sp. nov. and R. ipukensis, with high bootstrap values. Comparisons between these species based on the external, cranial, and dental morphology identified several unique characters in Rhipidomys sp. nov., including more grayish brown color of the dorsal coat, subsquamosal fenestra wide and long, angular process ends in the same position of the end of condyloid process, conspicuous protostyle and enterostyle. We describe a new karyotype (2n = 44 and FN = 64) for the genus and, based on an integrative analysis together with morphology and molecular phylogeny, assign it to R. emiliae, and assign the karyotype with 2n = 44 and FN = 52 to Rhipidomys sp. nov.. The analysis integrating data indicated that R. emiliae has a geographic distribution restricted to the lowlands of eastern Amazonia, whereas Rhipidomys sp. nov. occurs in the central Amazonia and Cerrado. The data showed that some Rhipidomys species have its distribution currently limited by rivers, as Rhipidomys sp. nov. occurring west of the Araguaia-Tocantins interfluve, R. emiliae east of the Tocantins River, and R. ipukensis between the Tocantins and Araguaia rivers. This work, in addition to revealing a still unknown biodiversity describing a species, brings a new understanding to the genus, and shows how integrating different markers helps in the correct association between the nominal form and the karyotype.

Canopy gaps and associated losses of biomass – combining UAV imagery and field data in a central Amazon forest

Abstract. Understanding mechanisms of tree mortality and the dynamics of associated canopy gaps is relevant for robust estimates of carbon balance in forests. We combined monthly RGB images acquired from an unoccupied aerial vehicle with field surveys to identify gaps in an 18 ha plot installed in an old-growth central Amazon forest. We measured the size and shape of gaps and analyzed their temporal variation and correlation with rainfall over a period of 28 months. We further described associated modes of tree mortality (i.e., snapping, uprooting and standing dead) and branch fall and quantified associated losses of biomass. In total, we detected 32 gaps either in the images or field ranging in area from 9 to 835 m2. Relatively small gaps (< 39 m2) opened by branch fall were the most frequent (11 gaps). Out of 18 gaps for which both field and image data were available, three could not be detected remotely. Gaps observed in the field but not captured on the imagery were relatively small and mainly formed by the fall of branches from live and standing dead trees. Our data show that ∼ 17 % of the tree-mortality and branch-fall events only affected the lower canopy and the understory of the forest and are likely neglected by top-of-the-canopy assessments. Regardless of the detection method, the size distribution was best described by a lognormal function for gaps starting from the smallest detected size (9 and 10 m2 for field and imagery data, respectively), and the Weibull and Power functions for gaps larger than 25 m2. Properly assessing associated confidence intervals requires larger sample sizes. Repeated field measurements reveal that gap area does not differ significantly among modes of tree mortality or branch fall in central Amazon forests, with the last contributing the least to biomass loss. Predicting mechanisms of gap formation based on associated area and biomass loss remains challenging, which highlights the need for larger datasets. The rate of gap area formation was positively correlated with the frequency of extreme rainfall events, which may be related to a higher frequency of storms propagating extreme rain and wind gusts. While remote sensing has proven to be an accurate and precise method for mapping gaps compared to field data (i.e., ground truth), it is important to note that our sample size was relatively small. Therefore, the extrapolation of these results beyond our study region and landscape shall be made cautiously. Apart from improving landscape assessments of carbon balance, regional information on gap dynamics and associated mechanisms of formation are fundamental to address forest responses to altered disturbance regimes resulting from climate change.

Effects of the river breeze on the transport of gases in Central Amazonia

River breezes occur regularly along the Amazonia river but little is known about their effects on air pollution. During the first week of August 2014, river breeze events were observed on two days on the banks of the Negro River, central Amazonia. The WRF-Chem model was used to analyze this period to understand the formation mechanism and the influence of the river breeze on the transport of pollutants such as ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO). We show that the river breeze occurred due to a reduction of the easterly winds associated with the cooling of the waters of the Negro River. The river breeze was responsible for inhibiting the transport of pollutants to the East, increasing its concentrations while breeze circulation is observed, as well as a re-circulation of these gases on the riverbank where the breeze was associated. The strongest breeze occurred in a forest region which maintained the highest concentrations of CO and O3 on the East bank of the Negro River. In the Urban region, the breeze was less intense and had a shorter duration, however, it was still able to maintain higher concentrations of CO and O3 in the western region of the city of Manaus, which is a predominantly residential region and therefore, the population of this region lives in a more polluted environment during the occurrence of breezes.

Expressive fluxes over Amazon floodplain revealed by 2D hydrodynamic modelling

Water fluxes in the Amazon River floodplain affect hydrodynamic and ecological processes from local to global scales, but they remain poorly understood due to difficult accessibility and limited data. We characterized the hydrodynamics of eight floodplain units of the central Amazon River (40000 km2) using the 2D hydraulic model HEC-RAS. High resolution modelling (∼400 m) improved the representation of river and floodplain discharge, water surface elevation (77 cm accuracy) and flood extent (∼80% - high water period, ∼52% - low water period) compared to past modelling studies. Our results show that floodplain flows during floods are very intense with upstream inflow and downstream outflow of the floodplain units. These gross flows are much larger than the net flows, with values of up to 20% of the Amazon River discharge and residence time around 6 days during floods (several months during low water period). Water extent did not show strong interannual variability during floods as the volume stored in the floodplain did, possibly due to topographic constraints. Significant hysteresis in flood extent and volume, and active and storage zones on the floodplain highlight the complexity of floodplain hydrodynamics. Extreme floods strongly impacted the onset and duration of the flood by up to one month and, consequently on duration of high water renewal period with the river. Our characterization is important to assess the effects of extreme floods on riverine communities, understand nutrient and sediment variations in the floodplain, and characterize the export of water, sediment, and carbon flux to the ocean from the world's largest hydrological system.

Kleptoparasitism attempt on a greater grison (Galictis vittata) by a white hawk (Pseudastur albicollis) in the Brazilian Amazon

ABSTRACT Facultative kleptoparasites face the risk of trying to steal food resources from competitors. This type of interaction is little known, but anecdotal observations indicate that birds of prey may take advantage of their accurate sight to detect the best opportunities for kleptoparasitism. We recorded a camera trap video of an attempt of kleptoparasitism by the white hawk, Pseudastur albicollis, that tried to steal food from a greater grison, Galictis vittata, in a recently selectively-logged forest site in central Brazilian Amazonia. The attempt was unsuccessful as the greater grison responded aggressively to the attack. The event occurred in a linear clearing, which may have increased the bird’s ability to detect its potential host. Kleptoparasitic interactions are difficult to detect in forest environments. Recording opportunistic kleptoparasitic interactions in tropical forests may not only depend on the increasing use of camera traps, but also on habitat conditions that facilitate the detection of potential hosts.

Cultural aspects for adaptation to the climate change impacts on the Ecosystem Services in a case study of Central Amazon

Climate adaptation tends to face resistance or produce adverse effects, if it is tested only on the generalist scientific models, ignoring its effects on the culture, values, and worldviews of local communities. This article investigates how climate change has threatened the livelihood and cultural dimensions of peri-urban communities in the Central Amazon. The analysis is based on the cultural theory of risk in climate adaptation and its relationships to local Ecosystem Services (ES). In this case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents of three municipalities in the Metropolitan Area of Manaus-Brazil. Given that their diet used to be heavily based on native food, the results show how Amazonian communities are adapting their eating habits in response to climate and environmental changes to the ES decline in the category of food security (i.e., in the class of provisioning ES). In addition, these services have relevant cultural value (i.e., cultural services). The ES reduction influences adaptation strategies amid the dismantling of current environmental policies. As a result, these communities began to adopt industrialized means of production and consumption, such as adopting products derived from cattle, whose production is the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil. Therefore, the studied case demonstrates how climate adaptation may pressure and erode local cultures, when these following the logic of globalized urbanization.

Conservation implications of tourism and stress for Amazonian caimans

AbstractEcotourism is a strategy for biodiversity conservation, but it involves possible negative effects on animal health and welfare. Large predators such as crocodilians are one of the great public attractions sought after for tourist interactions. Interactions with wild animals and humans can hyperstimulate the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis in the short term, in the case of crocodilians showing an increased corticosterone level, which is indicative of physiological stress. Between September and December 2019, we simulated interactions between tourists and Amazonian crocodilians at Anavilhanas National Park in Central Amazonia, Brazil to evaluate the effects of handling and use of photographic flashes on black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) and spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) on circulating corticosterone and lactate. Corticosterone levels increased 1.7‐fold during handling and 2.7‐fold when exposed to photographic flashes in black caiman but not in spectacled caiman. Increased corticosterone concentrations in black caiman were characterized by an increase caused by handling and were more intense after flashes than in controls, but the combination of handling and flash had no effect. During handling in simulated tourist interactions, anaerobic respiration increased lactate in black caiman but not in spectacled caiman. The effect of simulated tourist interactions with Amazonian crocodilians was dependent on the handling and especially on flash use in black caiman. The results can assist management, conservation programs, and public policies, especially in programs based on tourism interaction with Amazonian crocodilians.

Sensitivity of Optical Satellites to Estimate Windthrow Tree-Mortality in a Central Amazon Forest

Windthrow (i.e., trees broken and uprooted by wind) is a major natural disturbance in Amazon forests. Images from medium-resolution optical satellites combined with extensive field data have allowed researchers to assess patterns of windthrow tree-mortality and to monitor forest recovery over decades of succession in different regions. Although satellites with high spatial-resolution have become available in the last decade, they have not yet been employed for the quantification of windthrow tree-mortality. Here, we address how increasing the spatial resolution of satellites affects plot-to-landscape estimates of windthrow tree-mortality. We combined forest inventory data with Landsat 8 (30 m pixel), Sentinel 2 (10 m), and WorldView 2 (2 m) imagery over an old-growth forest in the Central Amazon that was disturbed by a single windthrow event in November 2015. Remote sensing estimates of windthrow tree-mortality were produced from Spectral Mixture Analysis and evaluated with forest inventory data (i.e., ground true) by using Generalized Linear Models. Field measured windthrow tree-mortality (3 transects and 30 subplots) crossing the entire disturbance gradient was 26.9 ± 11.1% (mean ± 95% CI). Although the three satellites produced reliable and statistically similar estimates (from 26.5% to 30.3%, p < 0.001), Landsat 8 had the most accurate results and efficiently captured field-observed variations in windthrow tree-mortality across the entire gradient of disturbance (Sentinel 2 and WorldView 2 produced the second and third best results, respectively). As expected, mean-associated uncertainties decreased systematically with increasing spatial resolution (i.e., from Landsat 8 to Sentinel 2 and WorldView 2). However, the overall quality of model fits showed the opposite pattern. We suggest that this reflects the influence of a relatively minor disturbance, such as defoliation and crown damage, and the fast growth of natural regeneration, which were not measured in the field nor can be captured by coarser resolution imagery. Our results validate the reliability of Landsat imagery for assessing plot-to-landscape patterns of windthrow tree-mortality in dense and heterogeneous tropical forests. Satellites with high spatial resolution can improve estimates of windthrow severity by allowing the quantification of crown damage and mortality of lower canopy and understory trees. However, this requires the validation of remote sensing metrics using field data at compatible scales.

Aerial insectivorous bat responses to 30 years of forest insularization in a dam-created Amazonian archipelagic landscape

Mega dams result in habitat loss and fragmentation in lowland tropical forests, compromising the diversity and ecosystem functioning in remnant habitat islands. We investigated the structure of aerial insectivorous bat assemblages within insular forest patches created by a vast ∼30-year-old hydropower reservoir and adjacent mainland continuous forests in Central Amazonia. Bats were surveyed using passive bat recorders across 34 sites. We assessed bat assemblage responses to landscape insularization and estimated the contribution of assemblage-wide components of β-diversity. Additionally, we assessed the effects of local vegetation, and both patch and landscape variables on bat species diversity. Continuous forest sites in the mainland retained higher species richness and bat activity compared to islands, leading to divergent species composition between forest sites. Larger islands (>100 ha) and continuous forests tended to share a similar assemblage composition manly drive by species richness differences with a minor contribution of species replacements. Moreover, local vegetation structure, island size, and landscape edge area exerted significant effects on species richness, bat activity, and species composition, with small degraded islands and landscapes dominated by forest edges exhibiting pervasive species loss. Our study highlights the detrimental impacts of forest fragmentation induced by large dams on aerial insectivorous bat assemblages. If new dam projects are inevitable, we recommend the creation of extensive protected areas in land-bridge island systems and their adjacent continuous forests. Those protected sites can minimize the negative impacts of small islands, safeguarding forest quality for forest-dependent bats, which ensures the continuity of their ecosystem services.

The First Mitochondrial Genome of an Odonata Endemic to South America, Chalcopteryx rutilans (Rambur, 1842) (Odonata: Polythoridae), and Its Implications for the Phylogeny of the Zygoptera

Chalcopteryx rutilans Rambur, 1842 (Polythoridae, Odonata) is a species widely distributed in central Amazonia. Due to its sensitivity to environmental changes, it is a bioindicator species used to evaluate the environmental conditions of streams in federally protected areas. By sequencing C. rutilans mitogenome, we report the first whole mitogenome from the Polythoridae family and the first from an Odonata species endemic to South America. The entire mitogenome has 15,653 bp and contains 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and two rRNA genes. The nucleotide composition of the mitogenome is 42.7%, T: 25.5%, C: 19.4%, and G: 12.4%. The AT and GC skews of the mitogenome sequence were 0.249 and −0.220, respectively. C. rutilans was recovered as a sister to Pseudolestes mirabilis Kirby, 1900 (Pseudolestidae), demonstrating the absence of mitogenomes of species from multiple families in the current literature. Mitogenome data from this study will provide useful information for further studies on the phylogeny and conservation of Polythoridae.

Livelihood alterations and Indigenous Innovators in the Ecuadorian Amazon

This article approaches livelihood alterations in Indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon as means of adaptation and resistance to socio-environmental impacts brought along by the expansion of global capitalism. The cases comprise collective Indigenous endeavors in typically capitalist sectors - tourism and mining - illustrated by the experiences of Kichwa community tourism in Shiripuno in the central Amazon, and sustainable mining in the southern Amazonian Shuar community of Congüime (Kenkuim). The aim is to unravel these emerging livelihood strategies in relation to Indigenous ethno-cultural identity. Methodologically, we rely on comparative and ethnographic work in the field with Indigenous actors, and on a theoretical framework anchored in the concepts of innovators, cultural boundary changes (Fredrik Barth), social fields of force (William Roseberry), and intercultural regimes (Fernando Galindo and Xavier Albó). In both empirical cases - Indigenous-controlled tourism and mining - communities are framing their ethnic identity to engage with, and positively reposition themselves in relation to the wider society. We hold that these endeavors must be comprehended as highly innovative, and that indigeneity and cultural boundaries can be strengthened by socio-cultural changes toward livelihoods previously considered as “unauthentic” or “non-Indigenous”. We also argue that these new livelihood orientations have (purposely) altered gender relations within the communities in benefit of women. Additionally, our cases suggest that cultural strengthening and gender empowerment, among other positive outcomes, requires a nuanced apprehension of indigeneity as a partly floating concept and instrument gaining ground amid the increasing interconnectedness of ancient traditions and capitalist modernity.