Urban Forest Remnants Research Articles

New species and records of the treehopper genus Cyphonia (Hemiptera: Membracidae) from the northern Amazonia lowlands of Ecuador

Summary. We describe two new species of Cyphonia Laporte, 1832 from the Amazonia lowlands of Ecuador: Cyphonia dayuma Montalvo-Salazar & Karbaum n. sp. (♀) and C. kellyswingi Montalvo-Salazar & Torres n. sp. (♀). We also add two new records for Ecuador from an urban forest remnant in the Amazonia: Cyphonia clavigera (Fabricius, 1803) and C. longistyla Sakakibara, 1972. With this contribution, the number of known species of Cyphonia inhabiting Ecuador is elevated to seven. We lastly provide a key to the known Cyphonia species of Ecuador.

Two new species of the treehopper genus Enchenopa Amyot & Serville, 1843 (Hemiptera, Membracidae) from northwest Ecuador.

Enchenopa Amyot & Serville, 1843 is a diverse treehopper genus widespread across the New World. We describe two new Enchenopa species from northwest Ecuador: Enchenopagennyae sp. nov. from urban forest remnants at the foothills of the Andes cordillera and Enchenopachocoandina sp. nov. from secondary montane forests. Enchenopagennyae sp. nov. is placed in the E.biplaga species group and is distinguished by the sexual dimorphism of the pronotal horn and lateral carina shape, the straight metopidium, 2-4 accessory carinae and the whitish dorsal spot and subapical band. Enchenopachocoandina sp. nov. belongs to the E.andina species group and is diagnosed by its reddish central carina and posterior pronotal process apex, presence of an obtuse projection rather than an anterior horn, three or four irregular accessory carinae, and apical amber forewing patch. Illustrations, notes on natural history, and keys to species of the E.biplaga and E.andina species groups are also provided.

Vertical Stratification of Solitary Bees and Wasps in an Urban Forest from the Brazilian Amazon.

Solitary bees and wasps that nest in cavities in tree trunks are important components of terrestrial ecosystems, providing pollination services, and in the case of wasps, the regulation of their prey populations. However, little is known about the vertical strata where bees and wasps build their nests. This is especially the case of urban forest remnants in the Amazon, which is relevant in the context of the global crisis in insect losses. We investigated the existence of vertical stratification in the nesting of solitary bees and wasps in an urban forest in Rio Branco, state of Acre, in the western Brazilian Amazon. We focused on whether wood temperature, ants, and termites are predictors of bee and wasp nesting. We sampled bee and wasp nests in the forest using trap-nests made with wooden blocks containing cavities with three different diameters for twelve months. Trap-nests were installed randomly at three heights in the forest. We collected 145 nests of 25 species, belonging to 11 genera and 6 families. A higher number of nests and species were collected in the upper stratum of the forest, strengthening the hypothesis that there is vertical stratification in the assemblage of solitary bees and wasps. Wood surface temperature and termite attacks on trap-nests were significantly different between strata, which may explain the vertical stratification of bee and wasp assemblages. Considering the importance of these insects for tropical forest ecosystems, the conservation of structurally complex and stratified forests is of paramount importance to maintain the diversity of this insect group.

Entomological inferences highlight the risk of Leishmania transmission in the urban area of Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.

Entomological investigations were conducted for the first time in urban forest remnants of Porto Velho, state of Rondônia, Brazil, to explore the transmission dynamics of Leishmania. Sand fly collections were carried out at ten sites, encompassing both canopy and ground strata, from October to December 2021. A total of 1,671 sand flies were collected, representing 42 species within 12 genera. Nyssomyia Antunesi (n = 384) and Psychodopygus davisi (n = 111) were the most abundant species. Molecular analyses targeting the V7V8 region (18S gene) unveiled the presence of sequences 100% identical to Leishmania infantum in females of Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (1), Nyssomyia Antunesi complex (6), Nyssomyia umbratilis (1), Nyssomyia sp. (1), Psychodopygus ayrozai (1), Ps. davisi (3), Psychodopygus paraensis (1), and Sciopemyia sordellii (1). Sequences 100% similar to Trypanosoma minasense were found in two samples of the Nyssomyia Antunesi complex, and two samples of Sc. sordellii presented 100% identity to a Trypanosoma sp. strain, previously identified in this same sand fly in Rondônia. Sequencing of Cytb fragment suggested Homo sapiens, Dasypus novemcinctus and Tamandua tetradactyla as the blood source for distinct sand flies. The identification of sequences similar to L. infantum in sand flies collected in urban forest fragments is noteworthy, correlating with the recent local and regional occurrence of autochthonous cases of human visceral leishmaniasis. However, further studies are imperative to ascertain the presence of hosts/reservoirs and evaluate the risk of L. infantum transmission to humans.

Natural Regeneration and Conservation Status of the Tree Community of Forest Remnants in Urban Parks in Southern Brazil

Purpose: The study characterised the dynamics of the natural regeneration process of urban remnants in four Curitiba (PR, Brazil) urban parks, aiming to contribute to the green infrastructure management process in Araucaria Forest areas. Theoretical framework: Urban forests offer significant socio-environmental benefits, being relevant for maintaining ecosystem services for cities and their inhabitants. Studying the regeneration of forest remnants in urban environments is essential for analysing their conservation status. Method/design/approach: The floristic diversity, structure, and population dynamics of the shrub-regenerating component of urban forest remnants were studied through the analysis of phytosociological parameters and the similarity between the shrub-regenerating, and arboreal components was verified. Results and conclusion: Significant dissimilarity was found between the study areas' regenerating shrub and tree components. The forest remnant of the Municipal Zoo, located in a locality with greater integration of different green areas, showed the best conservation status and a more advanced process of forest succession. Research implications: The analysis of the natural regeneration of urban remnants serves as an essential diagnosis regarding their conservation status and the capacity of species to perpetuate in the place, in addition to inferring about the connectivity with other urban remnants, being of great importance for the planning of actions aimed at the management of urban forests. Originality value: Analyzing natural regeneration generates information on forest remnants' conservation status and resilience, which is essential for planning actions for urban forest management.

Seasonal and Periodical Assessment of the Abundance and Diversity of Epigaeic Invertebrates in an Urban Forest Remnant, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Urban Forest (UF) refers to a complex human-environment system encompassing urban and peri-urban vegetation such as gardens, rivers and coastal corridors, and uninhabited yards. Human beings benefit from a healthy UF in a variety of ways such as recreation, disasters management, and the lessening of the effects of environmental deterioration (caused by the ongoing anthropogenic activities) like air pollution and ozone concentration affecting many epigaeic fauna. Epigaeic Invertebrates (EIs) are above ground foraging or litter dwelling invertebrates carrying important roles in UFs ecosystems such as ecosystem engineers and pests’ natural enemies. The present study assessed the influence of dry and wet seasons and different periods of a day (morning, afternoon, and evening hours) towards the abundance and diversity of ground dwelling invertebrates around urban forest remnant in Dar es salaam city, Tanzania. Data collection used pitfall trap, baited traps, and dry leaf litter sifting methods. A total of 10,363 EIs individuals were collected with 133 morpho species, 87 families and 18 orders (Hymenoptera dominated by 71.4%). Wet season had significantly higher abundance (6,360 individuals with 121 morpho species) than dry season (4,003 individuals and 88 morpho species), possibly due to the higher availability of food resources during rainy times. However, quite unexpectedly dry season had higher species diversity, probably due to the over dominance of a very aggressive Formicidae species in wet season that displaced some intolerable species. Also, the overall variations of species diversity and abundance between morning, afternoon, and evening hours were significantly different but higher in the morning. This suggested that EIs were active at different times of the day but were more attracted to the morning sunshine and decreased as the land became hotter. This study depicts urban forests to be among world ecosystems with relatively high levels of EIs biodiversity and hence an urgent call for their conservation efforts before it is too late.

Estimation of the aboveground biomass and carbon sequestration in an urban forest remnant using aerial photogrammetry from a low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract. Penboon C, Supavetch S, Sirirueang K, Rinnamang S, Ladpala P, Kaewgrajang T, Meunpong P. 2023. Estimation of the aboveground biomass and carbon sequestration in an urban forest remnant using aerial photogrammetry from a low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Biodiversitas 24: 1908-1915. For low-income nations, a low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) offers an alternative to the traditional time-intensive forest survey that requires many resources. This study was conducted in the remnant forest with the dominant tree species, Dipterocarpus alatus Roxb., forming the upper canopy. Photogrammetry techniques with UAV images were used to obtain the Canopy Height Model (CHM). The results of tree height, individual tree detection, biomass, and carbon sequestration were compared between ground truthing and photogrammetry estimation. The large percentages of trees were automatically recognized. However, due to a closed forest canopy, some trees might have been left out from the actual count, leading to an undercounting of trees and an underestimation of the aboveground biomass (AGB). The photogrammetric dataset demonstrated a good tree height extraction accuracy and did not differ significantly from that determined by ground truthing (RMSE=2.59 m and 8.24%). The mean predicted height AGB from direct measurement was 24.76 tons ha-1, higher than those obtained from single- and multi-set photogrammetry, 5.41 and 17.99 tons ha-1, respectively. AGB and carbon sequestration estimated from photogrammetry were 72.66% of the ground truthing value. The accuracy of the photogrammetry results was acceptable and feasible for detecting individual tree heights, biomass, and carbon sequestration in the remnant forest. Overall, low-cost UAV could create a cost, time-efficient, and reasonably accurate local-scale forest inventory.

Urban Parks in Curitiba as Biodiversity Refuges of Montane Mixed Ombrophilous Forests

The assessment of the conservation status of urban forest remnants is essential for sustaining tree diversity in metropolitan cities. This study evaluated the composition and structure of forest remnants in four urban parks within the natural distribution of Montane Mixed Ombrophilous Forest in Curitiba (PR, Brazil). We allocated 66 plots of 100 m2 and recorded all trees with perimeters at breast height ≥ 15 cm. A total of 1256 individuals from 44 botanical families and 117 tree species were identified, of which three are alien species. Tree density ranged from 1670 to 2095 trees ha−1, while the density of standing dead trees varied between 90 and 188 trees ha−1. We experienced values for the Shannon diversity index between 3.00 and 3.52 nats ind−1, which are comparable to the values for other non-urban forest remnants. Non-pioneer species represented 84.6% of the tree community (99 spp.), and 76% were zoochoric species (89 spp.). The research findings feed the discussion on the need of specific and integrated measures for the management of the urban parks reserved to the conservation of tree diversity in a specific phytoecological formation, while considering aspects of climate change and historical anthropisation.

The Importance of Urban Green Spaces for Pollinating Insects: The Case of the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

The relative contribution of urban agriculture vs. urban forest remnants to the preservation of insect diversity in large cities, particularly in developing countries in the tropics, remains poorly documented. We assessed the distribution of pollinating insect orders in the densely-populated capital city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. From early January to late April 2018, a survey was conducted in 16 urban green sites, consisting of eight unexploited, private secondary forest remnants (Fo) and eight agroforestry plantations (Ag) embedded within the urban landscape. At each site, we relied on coloured pan traps as an efficient way to sample pollinating insects during three different 24 hour sampling sessions. Overall, we collected a total of 2,747 pollinating insects, belonging to six different orders (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Thysanoptera). Site area, site elevation, and percentage of built area within a 500 m radius had no significant influence on the total number of insects collected at each site. Insect order richness was significantly higher at Ag sites compared to Fo ones. Although it was not possible to identify all collected insects at the family or species level, we collected two Lepidopteran species of patrimonial interest, the Hispaniolan-endemic Zetides Swallowtail, Battus zetides, and the Jaeger's anetia, Anetia jaegeri, in our pan traps during the course of the survey. We discuss our results in relation to the value of urban green spaces for the conservation of pollinating insects and particular characteristics of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.

Attitudes and willingness of local communities towards natural urban forest conservation in a rapidly developing Southeast Asia city

Habitat fragmentation is a major threat to natural forests, causing unprecedented biodiversity loss and habitat destruction. To date, the social-economic factors affecting the conservation of fragmented urban forest remnants have been rarely investigated, particularly in the tropics. The objective of this study is to understand the attitudes and willingness to conserve natural urban forests in local communities living nearby. We interviewed 450 respondents living near three natural urban forests in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using a structured questionnaire. We found that the majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards natural urban forest conservation. Local communities had high willingness to conserve these natural urban forest patches. The main contributing factors to attitudes and willingness were the presence of forest patches in their neighbourhood, education level, and length of stay. The relationships between urban forests and humans are complex, as this study demonstrates. Regardless of patch size, the local communities were concerned about the conservation of natural urban forest patches and their ecological integrity. Our findings can inform policy-makers to support better planning of urban green spaces and biodiversity conservation, which are especially important for cities in low and middle income countries in the Global South.

Association between urbanization and the biotic integrity of urban forest remnants

Resumo A perturbação dos fragmentos de florestas tem reduzido a qualidade ambiental, serviços ecossistêmicos e atenuações climáticas nas cidades. O objetivo deste artigo foi analisar a qualidade dos fragmentos de floresta nativa próximos às áreas urbanas. Foram selecionados sete fragmentos, no Sudeste do Brasil, para análise em duas escalas espaciais: paisagem e fragmento. Estruturaram-se as análises combinando o diagnóstico da paisagem e a avaliação dos fragmentos analisados a partir da aplicação de um Índice de Integridade Biótica. Na escala da paisagem, os dados demostraram existir relação entre o tamanho do fragmento de floresta urbana e sua integridade biótica e relação inversamente proporcional entre integridade e razão perímetro/área. Na escala do fragmento, corroborou-se a hipótese deste artigo, demonstrando haver relação entre a qualidade dos fragmentos florestais urbanos com a proximidade da urbanização. O método mostrou-se um instrumento importante para elaboração de políticas públicas ambientais de planejamento e conservação de florestas urbanas.

Species Diversity and Abundance of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Urban Forest Fragments, Brazil

Urban Forest remnants are important for the persistence of flora and fauna species, being able to exploited by culicids that have different degrees of synanthropy and preference for distinct habitats. The objective was to evaluate the difference in diversity, abundance, richness and distribution of the Culicidae fauna in a remnant of urban forest. Collections of adult Culicidae using BG-Sentinel ® traps and dry ice as a source of CO 2 were carried out in four distinct sites an urban forest, in the municipality of Sabara, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Fifteen traps were installed weekly a month, between April/2011 and May/2012. Indexes (Shanon-Wiener diversity; Berger-Parker dominance; Bray-Curtis similarity and richness estimators) were used to compare the sampled locations. A total of 3,221 Culicidae belonging to 26 species of 10 genera were identified. The dominant species ( Culex quinquefasciatus, Limatus durhamii, Aedes albopictus, Haemagogus leucocelaenus, Chagasia fajardi and A. aegypti ) accumulated 95% of the total abundance of the collections. Eight (31 %) of the 26 species were found in the four collection sites; six (23 %) were present in three locations, four (15 %) in two areas and eight (31%) were found only in one of the collection sites. Differences were observed between abundance (GLM, ANOVA, p<0.05) and richness (ANOSIM, R=0.81, p<0.0001) between the sampled areas. Habitat fragmentation impacts on abundance, distribution and richness of Culicidae species in urban forest remnants. Ongoing monitoring can help to better understand and assess seasonal factors in the dynamics of species distribution among sampled areas.

Major insect groups show distinct responses to local and regional attributes of urban green spaces

Urban green spaces vary in their local and regional attributes, and this variation can have contrasting effects on the ability of urban green spaces to support biodiversity. Here we assess the response of four insect taxa to urban development in Sydney, Australia, using a multiscale approach. We sampled four insect orders (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera and Hymenoptera) at 19 sites and employed a) multivariate analyses to test the responses of insect communities to environmental management regimes, and b) generalised linear models to determine taxa responses to urban green spaces at local and regional scales. We hypothesised that environmental management regimes (forest, urban forest remnant, and recreational park) affected the species composition of insect communities but found no evidence to support this hypothesis. Only species composition of hemipteran communities responded at this scale, with assemblages in urban forest remnants distinct to those in forests and recreational parks. Conversely, site attributes at local and regional scales had distinct effects on each insect group. While species richness of all taxa was positively related to local flower species richness, they exhibited variable responses to regional attributes such as greenspace proportion and site area. The taxon-specific response to local and regional attributes of urban green spaces suggest that there is no silver-bullet for managing local or regional traits to promote diversity of major insect groups in urban areas. These results highlight the opportunities for managers and planners to develop unique and targeted taxon-specific interventions aiming to enhance urban insect diversity.

The relevance of urban agroforestry and urban remnant forest for avian diversity in a densely-populated developing country: The case of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Urban green spaces can contribute to conserve some of the original avian diversity in urbanized landscapes. However, the relative contribution of urban agriculture vs. urban forest remnants to the preservation of the avifauna in large cities, particularly in developing countries in the tropics, remains poorly documented. We assessed bird assemblages in the densely-populated capital city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. From early January to late April 2018, 10 censuses per site were conducted in 16 urban green sites, consisting of 8 unexploited, private forest patches and 8 agroforestry plantations, embedded within the urban landscape and ranging in size between 1 and 11 ha. Overall, 32 and 34 different bird species were recorded in forest patches and agroforestry sites, respectively, including two endemic species listed as vulnerable by IUCN, Corvus leucognaphalus and Amazona ventralis. There was a large overlap (85 %) in the composition of avian assemblages between urban agroforest sites and urban forest remnants. However, pairwise compositional dissimilarity increased with increasing distance between sites. Finally, both species richness and diversity in the 16 sites were negatively correlated with the percentage of built habitat in a 500-m radius around each site. We discuss our results in relation to the importance of small urban green spaces in countries suffering from high levels of deforestation and severe poverty.

Using high-density UAV-Lidar for deriving tree height of Araucaria Angustifolia in an Urban Atlantic Rain Forest

Urban forest remnants contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in urban areas. Hence, understanding the dynamics and the potential of urban forests as carbon pools is crucial to propose effective policies addressing the ecosystem services' maintenance. Remote sensing technologies such as Light detection and ranging (Lidar) are alternatives to acquire information on urban forests accurately. In this paper, we evaluate a UAV-Lidar system's potential to derive individual tree heights of Araucaria angustifolia trees in an Urban Atlantic Forest. Additionally, the influence of point density when deriving tree heights was assessed (2500, 1000, 500, 250, 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5 returns.m−2). The UAV-Lidar data was collected with the GatorEye Unmanned Flying Laboratory ‘Generation 2’. The UAV-Lidar-derived and field-based tree heights were compared by statistical analysis. Higher densities of points allowed a better description of tree profiles. Lower densities presented gaps in the Crown Height Model (CHM). The highest agreement between UAV-Lidar-derived and field-based tree heights (r = 0.73) was noticed when using 100 returns.m−2. The lowest rRMSE was observed for 50 returns.m−2 (8.35 %). There are no explicit differences in derived tree heights using 25 to 2500 returns.m−2. UAV-Lidar data presented satisfactory performance when deriving individual tree heights of Araucaria angustifolia trees.

Avaliação da estrutura da paisagem visando à conservação da biodiversidade em paisagem urbanizada

Considerando que a expansão urbana e o aumento das atividades antrópicas geram perda e fragmentação dos hábitats naturais, ameaçando a biodiversidade, a conservação dos remanescentes florestais urbanos é de extrema importância para a persistência de espécies de fauna e flora nativas. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a estrutura da paisagem de área urbanizada no bioma Mata Atlântica, utilizando técnicas de geoprocessamento e fundamentos de Ecologia de Paisagem, visando a fornecer subsídios à conservação florestal na paisagem urbana. Um mapa de uso e cobertura foi utilizado para quantificar a cobertura florestal e para avaliar a estrutura da paisagem. As métricas de paisagem quantificaram área (AREA), forma (SHAPE) e proximidade (NEAR) dos remanescentes florestais, fornecendo indicadores da estrutura da paisagem. A cobertura florestal representa 22,9% da área de estudo, sendo apenas 3,6% dos fragmentos maiores que 50 ha. A grande maioria dos fragmentos (83%) tem área menor que 10 ha. Apenas três remanescentes são maiores que 500 ha, sendo que o maior deles localiza-se na Floresta Nacional de Ipanema. A maioria dos fragmentos florestais (80%) localiza-se em propriedades particulares. A paisagem foi diagnosticada como altamente antropizada e fragmentada, porém com remanescentes próximos entre si (NEAR 50 m), potencializando a movimentação das espécies na matriz antrópica. Cenários de exclusão dos pequenos fragmentos demonstraram a fragilidade da matriz sem o apoio deles, pois os pequenos remanescentes contribuem para a conexão entre os maiores. O campo antrópico de vegetação pioneira é a segunda classe de uso de maior cobertura na área de estudo (20,4%), atrás somente da área urbanizada (25%). Ações para a manutenção da biodiversidade em paisagens antropizadas, como as da área de estudo, devem priorizar projetos de restauração de campos antrópicos, incentivos à conservação de remanescentes em propriedades particulares e a manutenção de pequenos fragmentos na paisagem, a fim de promover a conexão entre as grandes áreas florestais. Os planejamentos urbano e ambiental das cidades devem ser alinhados e baseados em estudos científicos sobre a espacialização da vegetação no ambiente urbano.

Impacts of the remnant sizes, forest types, and landscape patterns of surrounding areas on woody plant diversity of urban remnant forest patches

Remnant forests in urban areas are hotspots of urban biodiversity. However, the survival and integrity of many remnant forests are currently at risk. Better knowledge of the interactions between remnant forests and urban environments is urgently needed for guiding the conservation effort. In this study, we intend to answer the question: how do patch attributes and landscape patterns of surrounding environments affect the taxonomic diversity of woody plants in urban forest remnants? We surveyed the woody plant species in 240 sample plots in 54 remnant forest patches in Guiyang City, China. We analyzed the taxonomic diversity of woody plants and the effects of influencing factors using multi-level taxonomic diversity indicators and the generalized dissimilarity modeling. The results showed that shrubs had higher within-patch α-diversity than that of trees. However, adult trees had higher among-group β-diversity than those of shrubs and saplings/seedlings. The vegetation type of the patch had more influence than other factors on the compositional dissimilarity of adult trees and sapling/seedling among patches. The patch size had the highest impact on the compositional dissimilarity of shrubs. Besides, small patches had a higher rate of compositional turnover in all woody plants. The percentage of impervious surfaces in surrounding areas and the spatial distance from each other were the main influencing factors for adult trees and saplings/seedlings, respectively. Based on our results, we recommend that more attention should be paid to preserve the small remnant forest patches and protect sampling/seedlings to maintain the taxonomic diversity of urban remnant forests.

First record of Eumops perotis (Schinz, 1821) (Chiroptera,&amp;nbsp;Molossidae) from the Cerrado of Mato Grosso do Sul, Central-West&amp;nbsp;Brazil

The Greater Bonneted Bat, Eumops perotis (Schinz, 1821), is widely distributed in Brazil, but valid records of its occurrence&amp;nbsp;in Mato Grosso do Sul, Central-West Region, are still scarce and limited to the Pantanal portion of the state.&amp;nbsp;Here, we report the first record of E. perotis from the Cerrado portion of Mato Grosso do Sul, based on specimens&amp;nbsp;collected in an urban forest remnant in the municipality of Campo Grande. These specimens add to the records of E.&amp;nbsp;perotis in the Cerrado of the Central-West and fill gaps in the distribution of this species.

Invasive rabbits host immature Ixodes ticks at the urban-forest interface

Introduced wildlife may be important alternative hosts for generalist ticks that cause health issues for humans and companion animals in urban areas, but to date are rarely considered as part of the tick-host community compared to native wildlife. In Australia, European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, are a widespread and abundant invasive species common to a range of human-modified ecosystems. To understand the potential role of rabbits in the life cycle of Australian ticks, we investigated the seasonal abundance of all tick life stages (larva, nymph, and adult) on rabbits collected from pest control programs in two urban forest remnants in Sydney, Australia. We also recorded whether larvae, nymphs, and adults were attached to the head, body, or limbs of rabbits to reveal patterns of tick attachment. Of the 2426 Ixodes ticks collected from 42 rabbits, larvae were by far the most abundant life stage (2360), peaking in abundance in autumn, while small numbers of nymphs (62) and adults (4) were present in winter and summer respectively. Larvae were found all over the body, whereas adults and nymphs were predominantly attached to the head, suggesting that the mature life stages use the host landscape differently, or that adults or nymphs may be groomed off the body. The most abundant tick species, as determined by morphology and DNA sequencing, was Ixodes holocyclus, a generalist tick responsible for significant human and companion animal health concerns in Australia. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding the role of introduced wildlife in tick dynamics particularly in novel ecosystems where non-native hosts may be more abundant than native hosts.

Anthropic interferences in the nutritional status of tree species growing in urban and peri-urban Atlantic forest remnants

This study was conducted with the purpose to evaluate the hypothesis that the air pollution deposition in the remaining Brazilian Atlantic Forest surrounded by diversified land uses, has altered the nutritional status of its tree species. The leaf concentrations of macronutrients and micronutrients were determined to estimate Concentration Factors – CF (plant/soil concentration ratios) and leaf nutrient ratios (N/P, N/K, N/Ca, N/Mg, N/S, S/K, S/Ca, S/Mg) of the most abundant tree species found in four remnants at the Metropolitan Region of Campinas, SE Brazil: Cosmopolis, Holambra, Paulínia and Campinas. The leaf samplings occurred during three dry and wet seasons. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) determined if CF for nutrients and ratios varied between forest remnants and seasons. Variations in CF values indicated that the nutritional status of the forest remnants is defined by both physical/chemical soil attributes and atmospheric deposition. The clay soils of the Campinas forest appeared to provide the highest buffering capacity against acidic deposition and nutritional imbalances induced by the anthropic activities. The air pollution emissions from diversified land uses has increased the CF medians above a reliable baseline of the nutritional plant/soil relationship in the forest remnants studied. Agriculture activities seemed to be responsible for increasing P, K, Ca, and Mg depositions; industries for N, S and Mn depositions; soil resuspension for Ca, Fe and Mg. Considering these sources, Paulínia and Campinas seemed to be the most and least forest remnants affected by air pollution, respectively.