East Face Research Articles

Exploring the potential of historical images for the investigation of glacier changes: the case of Belvedere Glacier, Italian Alps

Historical images dispersed in various archives can be instrumental in documenting processes connected to glacier changes in mountains. A series of more than 29 engravings and photographs of the Monte Rosa east face have been found covering the period since 1789. Some images were produced by a combination of photography and engraving, a common approach before practical techniques for printing halftone images were introduced. Using a repeat photography approach, the present study documents the changes in the extent and debris cover of the Belvedere Glacier. Based on visual comparison of images, it appears that the debris cover of the lower part of the glacier developed mainly during the period of the 1860s–1880s. Furthermore, the image series documents the evolution of the terminus both in terms of elevation and shape, as well as a breach in lateral moraine which could be dated back to the end of the 19th century, well before the reported glacier lake outburst flood in 1904.

Design and performance analysis of a net-zero energy building in Owerri, Nigeria

Building cooling load depends on heat gains from the outside environment. Appropriate orientation and masonry materials play vital roles in the reduction of overall thermal loads buildings. A net-zero energy building performance has been analyzed in order to ascertain the optimum orientation and wall material properties, under the climatic conditions of Owerri, Nigeria. Standard cooling load estimation techniques were employed for the determination of the diurnal interior load variations in a building incorporating renewable energy as the major energy source, and compared with the situation in a conventionally powered building. The results show a 19.28% reduction in the building’s cooling load when brick masonry was used for the wall construction. It was observed that a higher heat gain occurred when the building faced the East-West direction than when it was oriented in the North-South direction. Significant diurnal cooling loads variation as a result of radiation through the windows was also observed, with the east facing windows contributing significantly higher loads during the morning hours while the west facing windows contributed higher amounts in the evening. The economic analysis of the net-zero energy building showed an 11.63% reduction in energy cost compared to the conventional building, with a 7-year payback period for the use of Solar PV systems. Therefore, the concept of net-zero energy building will not only help in energy conservation, but also in cost savings, and the reduction of carbon footprint in the built environment.

18-years of high-Alpine rock wall monitoring using terrestrial laser scanning at the Tour Ronde east face, Mont-Blanc massif

Since the end of the 20th century, each decade has been warmer than the previous one in the European Alps. As a consequence, Alpine rock walls are generally facing high rockfall activity, likely due to permafrost degradation. We use a unique terrestrial laser scanning derived rockfall catalog over 18 years (2005–2022) compared with photographs (1859–2022) to quantify the evolution of the east face of Tour Ronde (3440–3792 m a.s.l.) in the Mont-Blanc massif (western European Alps) that is permafrost-affected. Overall, 210 rockfalls were identified, from 1 to 15 500 m3. Forty-five events were >100 m3 while cumulated volume of events <10 m3 represents <1% of the fallen rocks. The rockfall magnitude-frequency distribution of the overall inventory follows a power law, with a mean exponent b of 0.44 ± 0.03, characterizing a high contribution of large rockfalls. The depth of failure ranges from a few centimeters to more than 20 m while 95% of the rockfalls depth is <5 m, highlighting the role of the active layer. The mean rock wall erosion rate is 18.3 ± 0.2 mm yr−1 for the 2005–2022 period and ranks in the top range of reported values in the Alps. It has greatly increased between the periods 2006–2014 and 2016–2022, probably in relation to a series of summer heat waves. The exceptional erosion rate of 2015 is driven by one large rockfall in August. Since 2006, an ice apron that covered 16 100 m2 has now almost vanished, and the surface of the glacier du Géant at the rock wall foot has lowered by several tens of meters. The retreat of these two ice masses contributed to the rock wall instability as more than 35% of the rockfall volume detached from the deglaciated surfaces.

Wasta and Democratic Attitudes in the Middle East

Abstract The Middle East faces ongoing challenges in democratization and in corruption. This article examines the influence of wasta – a Middle Eastern form of clientelism – on citizens’ political attitudes. Although wasta is situated between citizen services and corruption, many citizens view wasta as corrupt. Using Arab Barometer survey data, this article shows that the widespread use of wasta in the Middle East makes citizens less satisfied with their current largely non-democratic governments. Wasta also increases their interest in democracy as an egalitarian alternative regime structure. Wasta users, however, are protective of the personal advantages that wasta networks afford them. Widespread wasta thus represents a challenge to democratization.

Multiple light signaling pathways control solar tracking in sunflowers.

Sunflowers are famous for their ability to track the sun throughout the day and then reorient at night to face east the following morning. This occurs by differential growth patterns, with the east sides of stems growing more during the day and the west sides of stems growing more at night. This process, termed heliotropism, is generally believed to be a specialized form of phototropism; however, the underlying mechanism is unknown. To better understand heliotropism, we compared gene expression patterns in plants undergoing phototropism in a controlled environment and in plants initiating and maintaining heliotropic growth in the field. We found the expected transcriptome signatures of phototropin-mediated phototropism in sunflower stems bending towards monochromatic blue light. Surprisingly, the expression patterns of these phototropism-regulated genes are quite different in heliotropic plants. Most genes rapidly induced during phototropism display only minor differences in expression across solar tracking stems. However, some genes that are both rapidly induced during phototropism and are implicated in growth responses to foliar shade are rapidly induced on the west sides of stems at the onset of heliotropism, suggesting a possible role for red light photoreceptors in solar tracking. To test the involvement of different photoreceptor signaling pathways in heliotropism, we modulated the light environment of plants initiating solar tracking. We found that depletion of either red and far-red light or blue light did not hinder the initiation or maintenance of heliotropism in the field. Together, our results suggest that the transcriptional regulation of heliotropism is distinct from phototropin-mediated phototropism and likely involves inputs from multiple light signaling pathways.

Productive Façade Placement Determines Building Thermal Comfort and Food Security

Background: The high density of buildings in urban areas faces higher temperature pressures with the reduced greenspace area that can absorb greenhouse gases and be a shade. Efforts to minimize temperature pressure are approached using productive green facades using food plants. This study aims to gain thermal comfort by placing productive facades and as an occupants' food security effort. Methods: Several artificial buildings equipped with productive facades were provided in field trials. Productive facades are pumpkin (Cucubita pepo) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L). The research method analyzes the diurnal behavior of temperature and humidity on both productive facade surfaces. Thermal comfort performance was assessed for east and west-facing sunlight. Results: The microclimatic conditions in the field experiment fluctuated; however, the variation supported the growth of the two crops. The pumpkin facade facing east and west produces a cooling effect of as much as 2.30oC, while the sweet potato facade can cause warming and cooling effects of as much as 0.40oC. Morphologically, the pumpkin facade gives a cooling effect more than the sweet potato facade. The two characteristics of pumpkin facades reveal that they can be superior in implementation on both sides of the building and their use in providing additional food for occupants. Conclusions: The placement of the façade facing east and west for certain types of food crops determines the cooling effect of the building.

Rainy season and crop calendars comparison between past (1950–2018) and future (2030–2100) in Madagascar

AbstractThis paper analyzes rainfall data to characterize the rainy season and define rice and maize crop calendars for current and future conditions in Madagascar. The daily rainfall data are taken from observational climate records and climate model simulations from the CMIP6 under the SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios. Rainy season characteristics are calibrated to fit rice and maize crop growth stages. The comparison between the past (1950–2018) and the future (2030–2100) highlights changes in the onset and cessation dates, which happen later and earlier, respectively. This causes the reduction of the rainy season duration, which affects the rice and maize crop calendars, especially its sowing or seeding periods. The worst (best) case is mainly observed in the southeast (southwest). On the one hand, the southwestern region may need to adapt to grow rice and maize crops with short or medium crop cycles in the future. In the Highland or Central land, the length of the sowing or seeding period increases. On the other hand, the North and East face a significant reduction in the length of the sowing or seeding period. Rice endures more than maize. Growing rice crops twice a year may not be possible in the future. But rather, we observe minor changes in the West. Our analysis suggests the imperative necessity to advise smallholder farmers to rely on short crop cycle varieties of rice and maize crops. Predominantly, the harvesting period is postponed. It is recommended to carefully consider our results for the definition of food policies.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION BILOZERSKA CULTURE’, BURIED ON THE BURIAL GROUND NEAR KAIRY VILLAGE

The anthropological material from the burial ground of the Bilozerska Culture near the village of Kairy on the left bank of the Lower Dnieper, came from 53 burials.&#x0D; The male group is characterized, on average, by a long, narrow, high, dolihocranial cranium. The forehead is wide, the angle of inclination of the frontal bone is average. The width and height of the face are average. According to the upper face index, it belongs to the mesen category. The face is mesognathous, its horizontal profiling is sharp. The orbits are medium wide and low, the nose is high. The bridge of the nose is high. The bones of the nose stand out well.&#x0D; The female series from the burial ground near the village of Kairy is characterized by a long, medium-wide, high, dolihocranial cranium. The forehead is medium wide, the angle of inclination of the frontal bone is on the border between medium and large values. The width and height of the face is average. According to the upper face index, it belongs to the category of mesen, but with a tendency to leptene. The horizontal profiling of the face is sharp. The total facial angle indicates mesognathia. The orbits are medium wide and low in absolute size, they are mesoconch according to the orbital index. The height of the nose is on the border between medium and high, it is medium wide both in absolute dimensions and in terms of the nasal index. The bridge of the nose is high. The nasal bones protrude moderately.&#x0D; The introduction into the scientific circulation of preliminary information about the anthropological material from the Belozersky Culture’s burial site of Kairy well illustrates the heterogeneity of the population.&#x0D; The male and female groups from Kairy show morphological and statistical similarity to the population from the burial ground of the Bilozerska Culture near the village of Shyroke. The men’s series from Kairy shows a closeness to the collective series of Zrubna Culture of Ukraine (Left Bank). This may indicate in favor of the fact that men from this population were dominated by a biological component that could well connect them with the earlier population of the territory of Ukraine. Women’s groups from Kairy and Shiroke demonstrate a significant statistical difference from women of the Zrubna and Babinska Cultures.&#x0D; Male and female parts of the population were formed from slightly different components. One of them was associated with Zrubna Culture’s groups in Ukraine. The other component may have come from a culture that is not represented by craniological material, but whose population was morphologically close to a number of the European groups of Bronze Age: Łużycka, Unetice, and certain groups of the circle of the Corded Ware Culture.&#x0D; At the cemetery, a correlation was observed between the placement of skeletons in the grave on the right or left sides with the gender of the buried. 19 female skeletons were lying in a crouched position on their left side and facing west, and 2 women were in a crouched position on their right side facing east. 15 male skeletons were buried in a crouched position on the right side facing east, and 5 on the left side facing west. In the Kairy cemetery, children from the age of 1 were also buried in positions on different sides. The position of the dead facing east or west may reflect the idea of the different location of their forefathers homeland.&#x0D; Female burials contain more grave goods. Most of the bronze items are the decorations, which are concentrated in half of women’s burials and a third of children’s burials. The highest concentration of pots is also recorded in the graves of women, besides, the pots from women’s burials are more diverse in shape. In children’s graves, the number of pots varies from 1 to 3, in the burials of children of the first year of life there are no vessels.

Feasibility of Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Integrated With Building Facade, a Case Study in Thimphu

Based on energy simulations, the annual energy demand of the DHI office is estimated to be 3,739 kWh. The total energy includes heating, lighting, and equipment energy requirements. The thermal energy demand of the office is 2,240 kWh and the combined lighting and equipment energy is 1,499 kWh. A radiation analysis of the front of the office is carried out to determine which facade received the most solar radiation. The annual global solar radiation received on building facade are 2.6 kWh/m^2, 2.4 kWh/m^2 and 2.3 kWh/m^2 on south, west and east facing facade respectively. Accordingly, the radiation results concluded that the south-facing facade is the most promising facade, followed by the west-facing facade and the east-facing facade. The proposed STC system, designed to maintain hot water temperature of 55°C, and simulations indicate that it would generate 2,440 kilowatt-hours of heating energy per year. This thermal energy would be sufficient to meet the space heating energy needs of the DHI office. Finally, the possibility of installing photovoltaic (PV) panels on the west-facing facade area 26 m^2 was simulated, suggesting the potential of 2,016 kWh of energy, which could replace the total lighting loads of 1,499 kWh currently received from grid supply.

ЦИВІЛІЗАЦІЙНІ ДЕТЕРМІНАНТИ ТА ІСТОРИЧНІ ВИКЛИКИ СТАБІЛЬНОСТІ НА БЛИЗЬКОМУ СХОДІ

The article examines the civilizational determinants of the formation of a new configuration of forces in the Middle East and examines the historical challenges that shaped its stability, taking into account key historical events, cultural factors, and regional dynamics of modern development trends in the region. The strategic location of the Middle East and the interest of the countries of the world in it, which is determined by the rich natural resources and religious traditions that formed the vectors of modern development, are substantiated. It is argued that despite its rich heritage and enormous potential, the Middle East has also witnessed constant challenges to its stability, leading to conflict, political upheaval and socio-economic inequality. The main challenges affecting the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East have been identified. Based on the set goal, in the process of researching the historical, institutional and conceptual foundations of the formation, formation and development of the Middle East, a civilizational approach was applied, since this region has a number of common civilizational features, dialectical and abstract-logical methods, methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization. The historical retrospective of the development of the Middle East is considered. The historical obstacles that shaped the instability of the Middle Eastern civilization due to significant historical events, religious beliefs, geopolitical interests and regional dynamics of modern trends in this region are studied. The historical problems that the Middle East faces in ensuring stability in the region, and which lead to aggravation of conflicts, protests, and socio-economic inequality, are established. Further perspectives of research should be aimed at deepening the social and economic problems that arise in the Middle East region under the influence of civilizational determinants.

Boat paint and epoxy fragments - Leading contributors of microplastic pollution in surface waters of a protected Andaman bay

Plastic pollution is a growing concern even in India's remotest oceanic islands. To understand the extent of the problem in relatively undisturbed areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, we nested a microplastic survey within a year-long meroplankton study in the protected bay of the Lohabarrack salt water crocodile sanctuary, that lies on the less populated west coast of South Andaman Island. Surveys recovered microplastics year-round, in 299 out of 300 samples. The average microplastic density in the protected bay was 0.45 ± 0.32 particles per m3. Densities were highest during the monsoon, peaking at 2.34 particles per m3. Marine coating fragments (boat paint and epoxy, 58%) dominated the plastic debris composition year-round, while fibre only amounted to 15%. Marine coating fragments were most frequently encountered during the pre-monsoon, while fibres and other miscellaneous debris grew in abundance during the monsoon and post-monsoon months. Marine coating fragments were eaten by arrow worms, gastropods, appendicularians and Lucifer shrimp, and constituted 7% of the arrow worm diet. Microplastic density and composition found in this west facing protected bay was in stark contrast to the previously published observations from the east facing, human dominated Port Blair bay, providing clear indication of sources and potential mitigation strategies. This is the first year-long record of ocean plastics from the Andaman Islands, India and it provides evidence of pollution by boat paint and epoxy particles, an often-overlooked component of microplastic pollution.

Maximum energy yield of PV surfaces in France and Italy from climate based equations for optimum tilt at different azimuth angles

In the present paper, the problem of the determination of yearly maximum energy producibility in terms of optimum tilt angle for solar surfaces is addressed with reference to 216 locations in France and Italy. Original correlations are proposed to calculate the optimal surface slope as a correction parameter to be applied to the local latitude angle. The correction factor formulas are based on local climate conditions and have been inferred from local monthly insolation data (12-year global and diffuse irradiance, PV-GIS-SARAH platform). An optimization problem is solved aimed at maximizing the yearly collectable energy by a sloped surface, in a range of azimuth values (from South Facing to East Facing), for all the selected locations. Different equation forms have been investigated and compact and accurate formulas have been developed able to provide the optimal tilt as a function of latitude, surface azimuth and clearness parameters. The accuracy of the proposed formulas resulted in a correlation coefficient with respect to the “exact” tilt angles higher than 0.93 for azimuth angles till 60°. Proposed formulas allow up to a 4% increase in collectable solar energy, corresponding, as an example, to a virtual increase in PV module efficiency from 21% to 21.8%.

Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Face Rapid Climate Change

Observational and modeling studies identify the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East as a prominent climate change hotspot associated with weather extremes that have major impacts on society.

Finding Bat Roosts along Cliffs: Using Rock Climbing Surveys to Identify Roosting Habitat of Bats

When white-nose syndrome arrived in eastern North America, bat colonies declined at an alarming rate and the large-scale mortality events were obvious at caves and mines. However, there is concern that the disease and its impacts will be more difficult to detect in western North America where there are fewer winter roosts with thousands of bats. Thus, documenting and responding to precipitous declines will be more challenging. To allow population-level monitoring, western biologists and land managers need to expand search efforts for colonies. One roosting resource that is under-sampled is cliffs, and although we know bats roost along cliffs, biologists know little about roost-site characteristics or the colonies that reside there. Two methods of identifying bat roosts along cliff systems are to collaborate with rock-climbing citizen scientists who report bat encounters, and another is to conduct rock-climbing surveys for bats. We conducted acoustic surveys, thermal videography, and climber-based surveys along the Front Range of northern Colorado, USA, to find bats and describe their roosting habitat. We climbed 48 routes and located two roosts, and received an additional citizen-science record of a third roost. Bats use cracks that were east facing and approximately 12 m above the ground. Climber-based surveys can locate bats and roosting habitat along cliffs, and identify large colonies to be monitored. Targeting climber-based surveys in areas with recreational-climbing citizen-science records may increase the likelihood of finding bat roosts and bat colonies.

Association of Altitude and Solar Radiation to Understand Coffee Quality

The consumer market has a strong tendency to consume specialty coffees, making it essential to understand the influence of environmental conditions, such as solar radiation and altitude, on coffee quality. This study aimed to analyze the physical and sensory quality of Arabica coffee as a function of different altitudes and incident solar radiation on the coffee tree. The study was carried out in the city of Manhuaçu-MG, Brazil. Three altitudes (950, 1050 and 1150 m above mean sea level) and two sides of coffee exposure to solar radiation (east face: morning sun and west face: afternoon sun) were studied in two post-harvest processing (natural and peeled cherry). Sensory attributes, granulometry and occurrence of coffee defects were evaluated, in order to verify if there was variation in the physical and sensorial characteristics of the coffee. It was found that at an altitude of 1150mamsl, on the exposed face of the plant that received the afternoon sun, there was the formation of better-quality coffee, when compared to the face that received the morning sun. On the other hand, at lower altitudes, coffees from the face of the plant exposed to the morning sun showed a greater association with physical and sensory quality parameters.

Orientation Characteristics of Sasak Traditional House (Bale Tani) in Limbungan Hamlet, East Lombok Regency

Traditional settlements are very synonymous with the customs and cultural traditions of the people in each region. Traditional settlements essentially and generally have rules for the pattern and arrangement of houses in settlements that follow the rules of local culture and existing traditions, one of which is in terms of orientation in home settlements. The pattern of the house's orientation is also found in the settlements in Limbungan Hamlet, but the orientation of the Sasak tribe in this village has a very diverse characteristic. Limbungan hamlet is a settlement located on contoured soil conditions and in a very high hilly area. The settlement pattern in this hamlet is generally symmetrical, forming settlement groups that follow the contours of the settlement. The purpose of this research is to be able to know and be able to explain the characteristics of the orientation of the traditional house of the Sasak tribe (bale tani) in the Limbungan hamlet, which has a traditional house orientation direction based on the approach of customary rules and traditions of the indigenous people or local communities. The research methodology used is a descriptive analysis qualitative method approach by conducting a comparative analysis technique on the traditional settlement group of the Sasak Tribe. The results of research on these settlements can show that there is a basis that the emergence of the orientation of the Sasak tribe is related to the concept of house orientation facing east. The house's orientation is good, namely the direction facing east and west, and strongly against the direction facing south and north. The east direction of the traditional house considers the topographical conditions of the placement of the house. Houses in hilly topography will generally always be oriented towards the high ground and face east, especially Limbungan is always at the foot of Mount Rinjani

The global distribution and morphologic characteristics of fan-shaped sedimentary landforms on Mars

Fan-shaped sedimentary landforms on Mars are important geomorphic markers of past water flow and characterizing the distribution and morphology of these features can yield insights into the planet's climatic evolution. We present a new database of 1501 martian fan-shaped sedimentary landforms that builds upon previous surveys and uses Context Camera images. This comprehensive global survey includes both alluvial fans and putative deltas, which we term scarp-fronted fan deposits (SFDs), across the entire martian surface. We classified each fan-shaped landforms based on their morphology as alluvial fans, channelized SFDs, smooth SFDs, and terraced SFDs. Martian alluvial fans are highly concentrated in the high southern tropical latitudes while SFDs are more common near the equator. Both alluvial fans and SFDs are found at lower elevations than Late Noachian to Early Hesperian valley networks, suggesting a climatic change in the locations of stable liquid water. Alluvial fans within impact craters are preferentially located on north, south, and east facing slopes, and are concentrated near the location of highest rim topographic relief; together these observations support orographically-influenced precipitation and snowmelt as a runoff source. For every fan in the database we collected morphologic data, which we compare with terrestrial alluvial fans. Relationships between alluvial fan catchment and fan morphology vary little across the martian surface, suggesting relatively similar processes. Although stratigraphic evidence of a deltaic deposition is lacking, previously conducted experiments along with the depositional basins of the channelized and terraced SFDs generally support deltaic formation. Crater counts indicate that many alluvial fans are within Hesperian and Amazonian impact craters, indicating that significant fluvial erosion occurred during Mars' relatively recent history.

East-facing Helianthus annuus has maximal number and mass of kernel-filled seeds: Seed traits versus head orientation.

After anthesis, the majority of mature sunflower (Helianthus annuus) inflorescences face constantly East, which direction ensures maximal light energy absorbed by the inflorescences in regions where afternoons are on average cloudier than mornings. Several theories have tried to explain the function(s) of this eastward orientation. Their common assumption is that eastward facing has certain advantages for sunflowers. In sunflower plantations, the capitulum of many plants can also face North, South, or upward. Large deviations from the conducive East direction can decrease the plant's reproductive fitness. A larger mass and number of seeds, for example, can guarantee safer seed germination and better early development of more offspring. Thus, our hypothesis was that the East facing of sunflower inflorescences ensures a larger seed number and mass compared to disoriented inflorescences. This idea was tested in a sunflower plantation, where we compared the number and mass of seeds in plants, the inflorescences of which were naturally or artificially oriented northward, eastward, southward, westward, or upward. Our study tested head diameter, seed weight, and seed number in a normal agronomic field setting being different from earlier investigations. The other difference was that we tested five head orientations and only East showed significantly increased seed weight and number. Using radiational computations, we showed that East facing ensures more absorbed light energy than other orientations, except upward. This finding can be one of the reasons for the maximal seed number and mass in East-facing sunflower capitula. Although upward-facing horizontal inflorescences absorbed maximal light energy, they had the fewest and lightest seeds probably because of the larger temperature and humidity as well as the too much sunlight, all three factors impairing the normal seed development. This study is the first that compares the seed traits of all head orientations of Helianthus annuus and proposes that the absorbed radiation could play a major role in the maximal seed number and mass of east-facing heads.

THE EFFECT OF METHYL EUGENOL FROM Ocimum minimum ON THE STICKY TRAP TO THE DIRECTION AND DAILY ACTIVITY OF FRUIT FLIES (Bactrocera spp.)

The fruit fly Bactrocera spp. is a major pest in the horticulture. It caused several important commodities to rot and fall which lead into large loss, or even crop failure. The research objective was to obtain information regarding the activity of fruit fly during night and day and the most attractive direction of sticky trap to trap the fruit flies. The research consisted of 3 activities, namely (1) analysis of active ingredient of Ocimum plant, (2) study on the effect of ocimum sticky traps on the direction of fruit flies, and (3) study on the effect ocimum sticky traps on the daily activity of fruit flies. The study on the effect of time and direction of trap consisted of 4 treatments (North, South, East and West) and 6 replications. A sticky trap contained methyl eugenol as active ingredient, smeared on a yellow plastic surface measuring 10 × 20 cm and attached to 2 m high wooden poles, each facing East and West, as well as North and South (as opposed to one wood). Observations were made every hour starting from 03:00 am to 07:00 pm (until there was no fruit flies get trapped in each treatment). The results showed that sticky trap used contain Ocimum oil containing 76% of methyl eugenol used as an attractant for fruit flies. Fruit flies active during the day where the highest/peak activity of the fruit flies population occured at around 07:00 am. The direction of trap to East and West catched more fruit flies number than to North and South.

BEETLE ASSEMBLAGE COMPOSITION (COLEOPTERA) ACROSS THE BORBOREMA PLATEAU IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to compare soil beetle (Coleoptera) species composition between two sites on the Borborema Plateau in Northeastern Brazil. We collected 483 individuals belonging to 23 Coleoptera families and 75 species/morphospecies. On the east face of the Borborema Plateau (Areia-PB) we collected a total of 332 individuals representing 58 species/morphospecies and 21 families. On the west face (Cabaceiras-PB) we collected 151 individuals representing 24 species/morphospecies and eight families. Among the 75 total species/morphospecies collected, 51 occurred exclusively on the eastern face of the plateau and 17 occurred exclusively on the west face. Only seven morphospecies were sampled in both areas. The marked difference in beetle assemblage species composition between the west and east sides of the Borborema Plateau suggests that the positioning and climatic variations maintain and promote high levels of beetle diversity in northeastern Brazil.