Pantanal Wetland Research Articles

Avaliação multidimensional do desempenho de uma amostra de fazendas de pecuária do Pantanal sob a ótica de modelos de análise envoltória de dados

ABSTRACT: Beef cattle ranching is the main economic activity in the Brazilian Pantanal, undertaken in an extensive manner, mostly in natural environments and dynamic in space and time. The ongoing monitoring, assessment, and performance improvement are key aspects of the search for sustainable use of natural resources in beef cattle ranches, as these ranches are the management units in the Pantanal. In this paper we proposed a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to assess the performance of fourteen beef cattle ranches in the Pantanal wetland as a case study, considering financial, productive, and environmental sustainability dimensions. We modeled each dimension separately and calculated an overall performance score. We also fit fractional regression models to study the influence of potential covariates on the performance scores. The methodological approach proposed here proved to be adequate for the case study, as the results are in line with the expectations of decision-makers regarding the performance of the ranches. The overall performance analysis was influenced by the proportion of higher quality native forage resources, which depends on the dynamics and on the spatial-temporal variation of the landscapes. Therefore, overall performance requires adaptive management of ranches based on diversity conservation, which benefits the multifunctionality of products and services.

Drosophila nasuta (Diptera, Drosophilidae) in Brazil: a decade of invasion and occupation of more than half of the country.

As a result of human activities and natural dispersal, exotic species can be brought to new areas, where they become established and spread, becoming invaders. These species are responsible for the loss of biodiversity and cause ecosystemic harm throughout the world. In this paper, we report the rapid, broad geographic expansion of the invasive fly Drosophila nasuta in Brazil. An 84% increase was found in its area of occupation in the country compared to previous studies. The present data reveal its arrival to the Pantanal wetlands in a location more than one thousand kilometers from the closest previous record in the Cerrado biome. We present the first record of D. nasuta in the Atlantic Forest in the states of Paraíba and Bahia. We report its introduction in the Amazon Forest in the state of Amazonas approximately 700 kilometers from previous records. The relative abundance of D. nasuta in this biome increased fivefold in comparison to a previous study. In the first decade of invasion in Brazil, D. nasuta has already colonized more than half of the country. The present data reveal its invasive potential and underscore the importance of following up the possible negative effects of this biological invasion.

New records from the western distribution for Cabassous tatouay (Cingulata: Chlamyphoridae) and the first occurrence record for the Pantanal wetland biome

New records from the western distribution for Cabassous tatouay (Cingulata: Chlamyphoridae) and the first occurrence record for the Pantanal wetland biome

Brucellosis in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland: threat to animal production and wildlife conservation.

This review was performed to gather knowledge about brucellosis in livestock and wildlife in the Brazilian Pantanal, a biome with a huge biodiversity and extensive livestock production. Following the preferred reporting items for narrative review guidelines and using the terms "Brucella" and "Pantanal," we explored the PubMed, SciELO, Jstor, Science Direct, and Scholar Google databases. Information on host species, diagnostic test, number of positive animals, and positivity rates were acquired. Articles dating from 1998 to 2022 registered 14 studies including cattle, dogs, and the following wildlife species: Ozotoceros bezoarticus, Sus scrofa, Tayassu peccari, Nasua nasua, Cerdocyon thous, Panthera onca, Dasypus novemcintus, Cabassous unicinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Priodontes maximus, Myrmecophaga tridactyla and Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris. Brucella occurrence in cattle was demonstrated through the serological confirmatory test 2-mercaptoetanol. Molecular diagnosis detected Brucella abortus in dogs, smooth Brucella in O. beoarticus, and Brucella spp. in T. peccari. Cattle may have a pivotal importance in maintenance and spreading of Brucella spp. due to their high population density, environmental contamination from abortion of infected cows, and eventual excretion of B. abortus S19 strain from vaccinated heifers. The occurrence of Brucella spp. in O. bezoarticus and T. peccari represent a risk for wildlife conservation. These data indicate that Brucella spp. are enzootic in the Pantanal wetland, sustained by a reservoir system including domestic and wild mammals. Due to marked seasonality and large populations of wildlife species sharing same environments with livestock, brucellosis acquires great complexity in Pantanal and, therefore, must be analyzed considering both animal production and conservation.

Wildfires disproportionately affected jaguars in the Pantanal

The Pantanal wetland harbours the second largest population of jaguars in the world. Alongside climate and land-use changes, the recent mega-fires in the Pantanal may pose a threat to the jaguars’ long-term survival. To put these growing threats into perspective, we addressed the reach and intensity of fires that have affected jaguar conservation in the Pantanal ecoregion over the last 16 years. The 2020 fires were the most severe in the annual series, burned 31% of the Pantanal and affected 45% of the estimated jaguar population (87% of these in Brazil); 79% of the home range areas, and 54% of the protected areas within home ranges. Fires consumed core habitats and injured several jaguars, the Pantanal’s apex predator. Displacement, hunger, dehydration, territorial defence, and lower fecundity are among the impacts that may affect the abundance of the species. These impacts are likely to affect other less mobile species and, therefore, the ecological stability of the region. A solution to prevent the recurrence of mega-fires lies in combating the anthropogenic causes that intensify drought conditions, such as implementing actions to protect springs, increasing the number and area of protected areas, regulating fire use, and allocating fire brigades before dry seasons.

Microplastics in sediments of the Pantanal Wetlands, Brazil

Microplastics (<5 mm) can have negative and deleterious environmental effects. However, the scarce information on the levels of microplastics and the factors underlying their input in wetlands, limits the understating of the vulnerability of these ecosystems to microplastics. To contribute closing this important information gap, the concentration (items/m−2), size and the variables related to the distribution of microplastics in fluvial sediments of the Cuiabá River, a tributary of the Pantanal, the world largest flooded Savanna and a UNESCO World Heritage were investigated. The mean microplastic level was 576.8 ± 577.8 items/m−2 of sediments which were mainly fragments (309.0 ± 319.6 items/m−2) and fibers (267.8 ± 339.9 items/m−2). The maximum level was 1938.8 items/m−2 found in the urban stretch of the sister cities of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande, the largest urban agglomeration in the study area. Unexpectedly, the composition of the microplastic with highest average level (240.7 ± 310.4 items/m−2), a blue synthetic fiber, could not be unequivocally determined by RAMAN spectrometry. Its complex composition includes Pb, Li and Nb, suggesting it may derive from electronic waste. Polypropylene (159.2 ± 133.4 items/m−2) and Polyvinyl Chloride (104.6 ± 217.2 items/m−2) were the second and third polymers with higher average levels. The average size of microplastics particles in sampling sites ranged from 0.18 mm to 1.74 mm. Microplastic concentration was positively related to urban areas. Similarly, microplastics particles size decreased with distance from urban areas. These results suggest that urban areas along the Cuiabá River, with poor waste management, are a major source of microplastic pollution in the Pantanal floodplain and that electronic waste might contribute significantly to this contamination. This study highlights the importance of adequate waste management in cities to limit microplastic contamination in areas of ecological importance, such as the Pantanal.

Bushfire, prescribed burning, and non‐human protection

AbstractUnprecedented bushfire activity is increasing around the world. A catastrophic bushfire event in the Australian summer of 2019–2020 burned over 18 million hectares. The Australian bushfires were just one set of events among many across the globe. Cumulatively, the losses are extraordinary: from losing over a quarter of the Pantanal wetland in South America to California’s Sierra Nevada and losses in the Amazon Forest. Bushfire destruction means a concomitant loss of biological diversity. Increased fire activity and frequency can adversely affect adaptive capacities of flora and fauna. Accordingly, across the globe, fire management practices and mitigation strategies are under increased scrutiny. In this article, we consider the extent to which one fire suppression strategy, prescribed burning, takes account of non‐human considerations. Our examination of policy settings provides policymakers with a way to account for non‐human interests. Our focus is Australia, specifically relating to one national park within New South Wales. Across the world, fire containment strategies must be reassessed to decipher how well non‐human considerations are placed to withstand changing fire regimes. With likely increases in bush and wildfire activity across the globe, associated with Anthropocentric climate change, there is an urgent need to account for non‐human interests in prescribed burning policies and regulations.

Net carbon dioxide exchange in a hyperseasonal cattle pasture in the northern Pantanal wetland of Brazil

The Pantanal is the largest seasonal wetland in the world with a landscape that consists of a mosaic of permanent aquatic habitats, and floodable and non-floodable savannas, pastures and forests. Drought events are expected to occur more frequently in the Pantanal biome under future climate conditions, but the effects of land management and hydrological extremes on pastures have been poorly studied at spatial scales relevant to local livestock. In this study, we measured CO2C fluxes using eddy covariance over a hydrological year on pastures within a cattle farm in the Brazilian Pantanal that experienced seasonal flooding. Our measurements show that seasonally flooded pastures were large emitters of CO2C, contributing 337 g CO2C m−2 year−1 to the atmosphere. During flooding, when the soils were anaerobic, and soil O2 was close to zero, the flooded pasture was a net sink of -18 g CO2C m−2, while during the aerobic phase (soil O2 > 15%) the pasture was a significant CO2 source to the atmosphere (301 g CO2C m−2). Transitions to and from anaerobic conditions corresponded to 54 g CO2C m−2. Our results indicate that the seasonally flooded cattle pastures in the Brazilian Pantanal may be an important regional source of CO2C for the atmosphere. Better management, and use of drought resistant grasses, may be a way to improve soil C stocks and limit emissions, especially as global climate change is anticipated to increase heating and drying for the Pantanal biome.

Temporal and spatial patterns of fire activity in three biomes of Brazil

The trade-off between conservation of natural resources and agribusiness expansion is a constant challenge in Brazil. The fires used to promote agricultural expansion increased in the last decades. While studies linking annual fire occurrence and rainfall seasonality are common, the relationship between fires, land use, and land cover remains understudied. Here, we investigated the frequency of the fires and performed a trend analysis for monthly, seasonal, and annual fires in three different biomes: Cerrado, Pantanal, and Atlantic Forest. We used burned area and integrated models in distinct scales (interannual, intraseasonal, and monthly) using Probability Density Functions (PDFs). The best fitting was found for Generalized Extreme Values (GEV) distribution at all three biomes from the several PDFs tested. We found the most fire in the Pantanal (wetlands), followed by Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna) and Atlantic Forest (Semideciduous Forest). Our findings indicated that land use and land cover trends changed over the years. There was a strong correlation between fire and agricultural areas, with increasing trends pointing to land conversion to agricultural areas in all biomes. The high probability of fire indicates that expanding agricultural areas through the conversion of natural biomes impacts several natural ecosystems, transforming land cover and land use. This land conversion is promoting more fires each year.

Effect of 45 full-scale WWTPs on tropical receiving water bodies in Brazil by partial least squares-discriminant analysis

Abstract Treated wastewater may affect water quality and thereby significantly alter physicochemical and biological water quality parameters. The impact of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) on receiving water bodies is a multivariate problem. In this study, we investigated the effect of 45 full-scale WWTPs on tropical receiving water bodies in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. Most of the Pantanal wetland area lies within Mato Grosso do Sul State, thus representing a region of great hydrological relevance. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was employed to discriminate samples collected at four WWTPs monitoring sites: influent, final effluent, upstream, and downstream of the discharges. The model demonstrated excellent accuracy when discriminating the influent from the effluent samples, but poor accuracy when discriminating upstream and downstream samples, indicating the high dilution capacity of the receiving water bodies as a critical factor in the water resources management. The results demonstrate the great potential of the methodology for better water resources management, which can be used in even more complex WWTP databases, allowing the assessment of effluent disposals' impacts in detail. It is recommended to use this methodology in water-limited regions to determine the effect of disposals in areas with different characteristics.

Fire and flood: How the Pantanal ant communities respond to multiple disturbances?

Disturbances are key events in ecological systems, strongly impacting biological communities. This study disentangles the effects of a chronic (flood) and acute (fire) disturbance to determine their interactive effects on ant species richness and composition at different temporal scales. For this, we sampled ground-dwelling ants with pitfall traps on native grasslands in the Pantanal wetland, one of the world's largest floodplains. We sampled ants ten days (short-term), one year (medium-term), and four years (long-term) after fire and at varying elevations (a surrogate for the time that these areas remain flooded). We found that fire was the dominant factor in determining ant community patterns in flooded areas. In the short-term, fire substantially changed species composition and increased species richness. However, these effects decreased at one year and disappeared after four years, demonstrating the ant community’s resilience. Elevation and, consequently, flooding, did not influence any measured parameter, indicating that the ant species are adapted to colonize other areas rapidly or survive in such flooded habitats. Our results suggest that Pantanal ant communities can recover from acute fire disturbances after some years. However, increasing fire frequency caused by global climatic changes and recent Brazilian environmental policy misconducts would probably compromise the observed resilience.

Pedogenesis of soils with accumulation of organic carbon in the subsurface horizons in a saline lake in the Pantanal wetland of Nhecolândia, Brazil

The Nhecolândia region is formed by sandy sediments, coming mainly from the Taquari river basin, with soil sodification and the accumulation of organic matter in the subsurface being the main pedogenic processes observed in this environment. This research aimed to study the genesis of soils with spodic features in the subsurface horizons in an alkaline environment in the saline lagoons of the Pantanal of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Three trenches were excavated, and the soils were morphologically described and classified according to Brazilian Soil of Classification System in Espodossolos and WRB in Arenosols. In addition, deformed samples from all soil horizons were sampled and used in physical, chemical, mineralogical and micromorphological analyses. In all profiles, the sandy texture predominates (sand ≥879 g kg−1) the colors vary from light olive-brown on the surface horizons to grayish-brown-very dark on the subsurface horizons, with hues ranging from 2.5Y to 5Y. In the profiles, the occurrence of the E horizon was observed, followed by the subsurface horizon with cementation, forming ortstein. The profiles showed high pH values (6.8–10.2), electrical conductivity (EC) > 4 dS m−1, and high saturation for Na+ (up to 60.6%), characterizing them as saline-sodic soils. In the soils around the saline lagoon, it was observed the accumulation of Fe (Fe2O3), Al (Al2O3) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the horizons with spodic features. Among the humic substances, the humin fraction presented the highest levels, mainly in the B horizons, with variations from 0.1 to 6.2 g kg−1. In the thin sheets, coatings and fillings were observed, consisting of organo-ferruginous colloidal material of brown to opaque color with monomorphic characteristics, covering and binding the quartz grains. Alkaline soil conditions in saline lakes contribute to the dissolution of clay minerals and surface organic matter, and later, to the dispersion of dissolved organic compounds together with Al2O3, Fe2O3, and amorphous silica, forming subsurface horizons rich in organic matter, Al, neoformed clay minerals and ortstein cemented horizons.

Study of the Impact of sanitary decisions over water quality using Bayesian Belief Networks in Upper Pantanal Wetland Basin – Brazil

Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) modeling the water quality has become popular due to advances in computational techniques. For this instance, BBN is a useful tool to modeling the relationship between water quality data and population or urbanization parameters on a watershed scale. This method can combine primary water quality data and decision parameters and help scientists and decision-makers analyze several scenarios on a watershed, including the effect of scale. This paper aims to analyze and discuss the application of Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) on the relationship between watershed water quality and sanitary management indicators, studying a case on the Pantanal Wetland tributary watershed. Two scales BBN were constructed using ten years of water quality and sewage management datasets. Both BBNs were responsive and sensitive to water quality parameters. The Total Nitrogen and E. coli were de most essential parameters to simulate changes in water quality scenarios. The simulated scenarios showed structural limitations about the Pantanal Wetland Cities' sanitary system in the present study. We strongly recommend a review of the goals of sanitary structure and services and alert to the risk of a sanitary crisis in Pantanal Wetland.

Paleosols record dry and humid paleoenvironments during the Upper Pleistocene in the Brazilian Pantanal

Information on Quaternary landscapes and paleoenvironmental changes in the interior of Brazil are scarce. One of such areas, particularly sensitive to these variations, is the modern tropical Pantanal wetland, whose alluvial deposits record paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes during the late Quaternary. Based on detailed pedological and sedimentological descriptions, stimulated optical luminescence dating and analytical data we described a well-exposed sedimentary succession that crops out in slope terraces of the Aquidauana River, located in the southern area of the Pantanal. We interpret environmental changes that have occurred since the beginning of the Upper Pleistocene, and which affected sedimentation and biogeochemical processes. Basal deposits comprise cross-stratified sands, which record active fluvial sedimentation from ∼106 to ∼70 ka, a period of probable increased river discharge. Fluvial channel facies are overlaid by pedogeneized floodplain deposits, in which we recognized a pedocomplex composed of a sequence of three late Pleistocene truncated paleosol profiles and a Holocene soil profile. The two lower paleosols are Vertisols with mottling, slickensides, rhizolites and septarian glaebules of carbonate. These characteristics indicate prolonged drought periods under semi-arid to arid climates ca. ∼70 and ∼30 ka. The upper paleosol profile is a Planosol (Ultisol) with block structure, waxiness, iron glaebules, and manganese films, pointing to prevailing humid climates during the terminal Pleistocene (since ∼30 ka). Covering this truncated Planosol is a layer of fine to medium-grained Holocene sands, with development of a horizon A of an Arenosol (Entisol). These paleoenvironmental changes correlate with regional changes in precipitation deduced from speleothems in nearby plateaus and in southeastern Brazilian sites.

Bartonella machadoae sp. nov. isolated from wild rodents in the Pantanal wetland

It has been estimated that 75% of emerging infectious diseases comprise zoonoses, whose majority have free-living animals as reservoirs and are mainly transmitted by arthropod vectors. Although rodents represent important Bartonella reservoirs, there are few studies on the genotypic characterization of Bartonella species commonly found in this taxon and from different Brazilian biomes. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the occurrence, isolate and molecularly, morphologically and phenotypically characterize a new Bartonella species infecting free-living rodents sampled in the Brazilian Pantanal, the largest wetland in South America. For this purpose, 129 free-living rodents (79 Thrichomys fosteri, 4 Clyomys laticeps, and Oecomys mamorae) were captured. While blood samples were collected from 57 T. fosteri, 4 C. laticeps and 32 O. mamorae; spleen samples were collected from 22 T. fosteri and 14 O. mamorae. Blood and spleen samples were submitted to a qPCR for Bartonella spp. targeting the nuoG gene, using DNA samples extracted directly from blood/spleen, after passage in pre-enrichment liquid culture, and from colonies obtained from solid culture on chocolate agar. Combining all techniques, occurrence of 24.8% for Bartonella sp. was found among the sampled rodents. One Bartonella isolate (strain 56A) obtained from a T. fosteri’s blood sample was closely related to the Bartonella vinsonii complex and selected for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) hybrid approach using Illumina NovaSeq and Nanopore sequencing platforms. This strain exhibits a circular 2.7 Mbp genome with an average C+G content of 39% and encoding to 2239 genes. In the phylogenomics based on 291 shared protein-coding genes, this strain was positioned in a unique clade, closely related to Bartonella vinsonii subsp. vinsonii, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and B. visonii subsp. arupensis. An Average Nucleotide Identity of 85% was found between the obtained isolate and Bartonella species belonging to B. vinsonii complex. These findings supported the separation of this strain, now formally named as Bartonella machadoae sp. nov., from the Bartonella vinsonii complex. In addition, Bartonella machadoae sp. nov. was characterized by capnophilic, microaerophilic and aerobic small rods with absence of pili and flagella. Phylogenetic and distance analyses based on five concatenated molecular markers suggest that Bartonella machadoae may parasite rodents from different Brazilian biomes. In conclusion, we described biochemical, phenotypic and genomic characteristics of Bartonella machadoae nov. sp. isolated from blood samples of T. fosteri rodents from the Brazilian Pantanal.

Distribution limits, natural history and conservation status of the poorly known Peruvian gracile mouse opossum (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae)

ABSTRACT The Peruvian gracile mouse opossum (Gracilinanus peruanus) is known from scattered localities. Very little information is available on its natural history, habitat requirements and geographic distribution. Also, its conservation status has never been evaluated. We provide a new hypothesis on its distribution limits using species distribution models (SDM), and evaluate for the first time the conservation status of the species. The SDM suggested high suitability for G. peruanus in the Brazilian Shield, indicating continuous suitable areas for the species between the disjunct areas of western Brazil and Bolivia/Peru. Voucher records show that Teles Pires River is not a geographic barrier and the eastern limits still need to be delimited. To the south, the species appears to be limited by the Pantanal wetlands and the Chaco biome, and to the west by the Andes mountains. We suggest that G. peruanus should be globally classified as ‘Least Concern.’ Nevertheless, the species may be considered as Near Threatened in a near future in Brazil, mainly because it occurs in an area with high rates of deforestation and habitat loss in the Cerrado of western Brazil, thus reinforcing the importance of protecting gallery forests to forest dweller species.

Long-term analysis of aquatic macrophyte diversity and structure in the Paraguay river ecological corridor, Brazilian Pantanal wetland

Spatial and temporal variation in limnological variables, as well as local changes in the hydrological pattern, may affect inundation hydrology and alter biotic interactions and functional diversity of aquatic macrophyte communities in the Pantanal. The objectives of this research in the floodplain along the Paraguay River were to: 1) examine changes in the diversity of aquatic macrophyte communities over a ten-year period based on surveys taken in 2008 and 2018; and 2) evaluate the possible indirect relation of changes in rainfall patterns, which in turn affect lateral hydrological connectivity and limnological variables that directly affect the composition and productivity of the aquatic macrophyte community. Comparison of data taken in 2008 and 2018 revealed a change in the timing and a reduction in the number of rainy days. These changes in rainfall patterns coincided with limnological changes, including increases in transparency, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonium, nitrate, total nitrogen, orthophosphate, and total phosphorus, as well as decreases in water temperature and connectivity. Species richness of aquatic macrophyte communities in three ecological zones of the Paraguay River floodplain increased between 2008 and 2018, with increases in emergent grasses, emergent non-grasses, and amphibious life forms, showing a trend that favors species that are more adapted to drought conditions. The seasonal pattern of inundation and desiccation, as well as dissolved oxygen and temperature, where correlated with macrophytes communities variations. The colonization and expansion of rooted emergent macrophytes over this period could be a response to local anthropogenic activities, hydrological trends, or may reflect interannual rainfall variability.

A Brief History of Giant Viruses' Studies in Brazilian Biomes.

Almost two decades after the isolation of the first amoebal giant viruses, indubitably the discovery of these entities has deeply affected the current scientific knowledge on the virosphere. Much has been uncovered since then: viruses can now acknowledge complex genomes and huge particle sizes, integrating remarkable evolutionary relationships that date as early as the emergence of life on the planet. This year, a decade has passed since the first studies on giant viruses in the Brazilian territory, and since then biomes of rare beauty and biodiversity (Amazon, Atlantic forest, Pantanal wetlands, Cerrado savannas) have been explored in the search for giant viruses. From those unique biomes, novel viral entities were found, revealing never before seen genomes and virion structures. To celebrate this, here we bring together the context, inspirations, and the major contributions of independent Brazilian research groups to summarize the accumulated knowledge about the diversity and the exceptionality of some of the giant viruses found in Brazil.

Lightning patterns in the Pantanal: Untangling natural and anthropogenic-induced wildfires

The identification of fire causes and characteristics is of fundamental importance to better understand fire regimes and drivers. Particularly for Brazil, there is a gap in the quantification of lightning-caused fires. Accordingly, this work is a novel probabilistic assessment of the spatial-temporal patterns of lightning-ignited wildfires in the Pantanal wetland. Here, remote sensing information such as VIIRS active fires, MODIS burned area (BA) and STARNET lightning observations from 2012 to 2017, were combined to estimate the location, number of scars and amount of BA associated with atmospheric discharges on a seasonal basis. The highest lightning activity occurs during summer (December–February), and the lowest during winter (June–August). Conversely, the highest fire activity occurred during spring (September–November) and the lowest during autumn (March–May). Our analysis revealed low evidence of an association between fires and lightning, suggesting that human-related activities are the main source of ignitions. Weak evidence of natural-caused fire occurrence is conveyed by the low spatial-temporal match of lightning and fire throughout the studied period. Natural-caused fires accounted for only 5% of the annual total scars and 83.8% of the BA was human-caused. Most of the fires with extension larger than 1000 ha were not related to lighting. Lightning-fires seem an important element of the summer fire regime given that around half of the total BA during this season may be originated by lightning. By contrast, in the rest of the year the lightning-fires represent a minor percentage of the fire activity in the region. The density of lightning-ignited fires varies considerably, being higher in the north part of the Pantanal. This work provides a basis for a better understanding of lightning-related fire outbreaks in tropical ecosystems, particularly wetlands, which is fundamental to improve region-based strategies for land management actions, ecological studies and modeling climatic and anthropogenic drivers of wildfires.

Ecosystem Services from Ecological Agroforestry in Brazil: A Systematic Map of Scientific Evidence

(1) Brazil has great potential to expand the area under agroforestry, and thereby simultaneously enhance multiple ecosystem services. However, divergent interests are currently polarized between drastic environmental deregulation and public resource allocation to chemical-intensive land use versus conservation and sustainable agriculture. This highlights an urgent need for a comprehensive overview of the evidence of the benefits to society generated by agroforestry across Brazil. (2) We present a systematic map of the scientific evidence related to the effects of agroforestry on ecosystem services in Brazil. (3) Reviewing 158 peer-reviewed articles, published in international scientific journals (database: Web of Science), we identified a disproportionate emphasis on the Atlantic Forest. Very little research has been published on the Cerrado savanna, Pampa grasslands and Pantanal wetlands. Regulating services were much more frequently studied (85%) than provisioning (13%), while cultural services represent a major gap. A consistent positive effect of agroforestry was demonstrated for soil quality, habitat and food provisioning. Trade-offs were demonstrated for soils and habitats. (4) Our analysis identifies high-priority gaps given their critical importance for human well-being which should be filled: agroforestry effects on water provision and regulation. Moreover, they should assess other ES such as erosion control, flood protection and pest control to enable a more reliable inference about trade-offs.