Despite the importance of bees in the functioning of natural and anthropogenic ecosystems,
human or anthropogenic actions such as fire, edge effects and climate change have harmed
bee fauna worldwide, including in the Amazon. The intensity of fire and edge effects
determine the magnitude of impacts, which manifest as cascading effects on the plant
community, consequently affecting the bee fauna. There is a lack of knowledge about the
reestablishment capacity of bee communities in natural areas that have been burned and
affected by edge effects. In this research, we evaluated the edge effect in combination with the
legacy of burning after 14 years under different fire regimes (control, annual and triennial) on
forest structure and on the diversity and abundance of bees in controlled burning areas in
southern Amazonia. Surprisingly, the annual burning treatment presented higher species
richness (61) than the triennial burning (53) and control (48). Vegetation cover was the factor
that favored richness. The composition of bees changed with distance from the edge and with
derived cover, favoring the presence of different species between distances. Despite the
disturbances caused by fire and proximity to the forest edge, the bee community proved to be
resilient to the environment.

Understanding the factors that shape snake community structure and temporal dynamics is essential for biodiversity conservation, particularly in ecotonal regions facing rapid environmental change. This study examines the composition, diversity, and temporal stability of snake assemblages within the Cerrado-Amazonia transition zone, the largest forest-savannah transition globally and a highly threatened ecosystem in Brazil. Through extensive fieldwork and literature surveys, we documented 53 snake species across seven families, with Dipsadidae exhibiting the highest diversity and two potentially new taxa. The community composition reflects the region’s environmental complexity, with species displaying diverse distribution patterns and habitat preferences. Temporal analyses reveal that species turnover is highest during wet and dry seasons, driven by seasonal shifts in species appearance and disappearance. We further assess how biogeography, habitat filtering, and trait convergence shape snake community assembly across ecological gradients. Using 67 community surveys, we examine the interplay between phylogenetic species variability, functional diversity, and taxonomic diversity in response to distance from the ecotone, biome centroids, and climatic variables. Our results indicate that temperature and precipitation strongly influence all three diversity indices, aligning with broader tropical squamate trends. We observe a significant decline in phylogenetic diversity from northern to southern regions, consistent with major biogeographic dispersal patterns. Functional and taxonomic diversity dominate local communities, with habitat filtering driving shifts in species composition from forest to savanna environments. The presence of distinct functional groups highlights the role of ecological pressures in shaping community structure. By integrating phylogenetic, ecological, and temporal perspectives, this study provides novel insights into the mechanisms governing snake community dynamics in ecotonal systems. The identification of potentially new species and the region’s high environmental complexity emphasize the need for conservation efforts to protect transitional ecosystems. As deforestation and climate change intensify, understanding these dynamics is crucial for mitigating biodiversity loss and ensuring the long-term stability of snake populations in the Cerrado-Amazonia transition.

The Xingu Indigenous Territory (TIX), located in the southern Amazon, harbors vast
biodiversity and plays a crucial role in carbon sequestration, in addition to being home to
numerous Indigenous ethnic groups. However, this territory faces growing threats from climate
crises and agricultural expansion, which increase the frequency of forest fires and forest
degradation. This study was conducted in the Afukuri village, located within the TIX, with the
objective of assessing the impacts of fire on tree species and their various uses by the Kuikuro
people.To achieve this, we carried out an inventory of tree vegetation, including individuals
with a minimum diameter of 10 cm, across 32 plots measuring 10 × 10 meters (20 located in
forest areas and 12 in savanna areas, or cerrado). For each individual, we recorded diameter,
height, and the types of use identified by the Indigenous people (food, construction/craftwork,
and/or medicinal use). In addition, using remote sensing products, we assessed fire frequency
in each plot, as well as environmental variables such as elevation, slope, and soil characteristics
(pH, clay content, and density).The results indicated a total of 92 species sampled, with 38 in
the cerrado and 54 in the forest. In the forest, 6.3% of the species were classified as useful for
food, 9.1% as medicinal, and 17.3% for construction or craftwork. In the cerrado, these
proportions were 5.4%, 11.8%, and 3.6%, respectively. The floristic composition varied
significantly between the two environments, being more influenced by clay content and fire
frequency in the cerrado, whereas in the forest, soil density and slope were the most relevant
factors.We observed that individual density was higher in the forest (1,355 ind/ha) compared
to the cerrado (1,041.67 ind/ha), and basal area was also more substantial in the forest
environment. Regression analyses indicated that the proportion of useful species for food,
construction/craftwork, and medicinal purposes tends to decrease with increased fire frequency,
directly affecting the food security and livelihoods of the Kuikuro community.These results are
essential to support management and conservation strategies for traditionally used species,
contributing to the socio-environmental resilience of Indigenous communities in the Xingu and
to the preservation of essential ecosystem services provided by the Cerrado and the Amazon.

Climate change is projected to impact tree canopy temperatures (Tcan), affecting essential plant carbon and water fluxes. Despite its ecological significance, empirical Tcan data in tropical forests remain scarce, and the ability to map individual trees is still limited due to methodological challenges, reflecting a major gap in understanding tropical forest thermal dynamics. In this study, we used a thermal camera mounted on a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to assess Tcan and ΔT of 315 tree canopies in five forests in the southern and northeastern Amazon. The thesis is divided into two chapters: In Chapter 1, I investigated the diversity of temperature differences between the canopy and air (ΔT) in an intact tropical rainforest and another subjected to over 20 years of rainfall exclusion, analyzing how prolonged drought alters canopy thermal patterns. In Chapter 2, I examined the influence of functional trait diversity on canopy temperature in seasonally dry forests in the southern Amazon. We found that ΔT varied widely both among canopies at the same time of day (ranging from -2.6 to +11.8°C at noon in a humid forest) and among plots (with two evergreen forests of the same soil type in the southern Amazon differing by up to 3.09 ± 0.14°C). Despite the large number of sampled canopies, we found little evidence of generalized homeothermy, with Tcan being higher than air temperature (Tair) in most cases. Surprisingly, canopy temperatures in the through-fall exclusion (TFE) plot were ~1.5°C cooler at noon than in the control, supported by simultaneous observations of higher sap flux in TFE plot. Notably, larger trees were generally cooler than smaller ones during the hottest part of the day, a significant finding given the disproportionately important role these trees play in forest biomass and productivity. Maximum Tcan differed by up to 31.4 °C across species over the same time of day/season, with all canopies converging to mean values above 40°C in this season. The selection of the most important functional traits modulating Tcan was inconsistent among plots, with minimum water potential (Ψmin) strongly influencing Tcan in one forest (+0.58°C per 1 MPa increase in Ψmin), while tree height emerged as the most important factor in another (-1.01°C per 1-meter increase in height). In the southern Amazon, mean Tcan remained below the leaf temperature associated with a 50% decline in photosystem II quantum efficiency (T50), but maximum Tcan did not significantly differ from this threshold, suggesting that the hottest parts of the canopy may already be approaching temperatures that compromise the integrity of photosynthetic machinery. Together, these chapters highlight the great potential of UAV-based thermography for understanding tropical forest thermal behavior, revealing effects of species and trait diversity, thermoregulation, and disturbance response on canopy temperatures.

The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical forest in the world and is vital for maintaining
biodiversity and the global climate. It plays a crucial role in carbon storage and water cycling
and has great structural heterogeneity. The structure of the forest directly impacts factors such
as the rate of photosynthesis and the response to variations in precipitation and is modulated by
environmental factors and extreme climatic phenomena such as intense winds and lightning.
This thesis investigates how climatic, topographic and edaphic factors, as well as the frequency
of strong winds and lightning, influence height and above-ground biomass in the Pan-Amazon,
with a focus on large trees, which are the biggest contributors to biomass and the most exposed
to natural disturbances. The work is divided into two chapters. In the first, we analyze how
these factors determine the height and biomass of the Pan-Amazon, using remote sensing data
and reanalyses, with machine learning algorithms. In the second chapter, we use inventory data
of large trees to test the interactions of the predictors with height, density and biomass of this
forest component. We found clear patterns of negative influence of climatic seasonality and the

incidence of natural disturbances on the vertical structure of the forest and on above-ground

biomass stocks in the Pan-Amazon and discussed the results in the light of current climate
change and future scenarios

In recent years, the effects of climate change on Amazonian forests are intensifying and
promoting an increase in temperature, water stress and the frequency and intensity of
droughts. Therefore, the capacity for photosynthetic acclimatization and leaf respiration
will be of great importance for plants in this region, as, through these processes, plants
can maintain carbon absorption at high temperatures. Our objective was to evaluate the
potential for thermal acclimatization in the processes of photosynthesis and leaf
respiration in the dark of two important tree species widely distributed in the forests of
the southern edge of the Amazon; Hymenaea courbaril and Protium altissimum. Our
experiment was carried out in two air-conditioned greenhouses, the first operating at
room temperature and the second operating at an increased maximum daily temperature
of +1.5°C and +2.5°C. We measured the temperature response of net photosynthesis,

dark-adapted leaf respiration for the two species in three measurement cycles (pre-
treatment, +1.5°C and +2.5°C). Overall, our results show that photosynthetic and leaf

respiration parameters in the dark do not present clear evidence of acclimation in
relation to different temperatures, as the temperature response occurs in a similar way
between greenhouses. However, we observed some variations in photosynthesis and
leaf respiration responses between cycles for the two species, which tend to provide
some evidence for a seasonal adjustment in the species' thermal sensitivity in relation to
the region's natural temperature variation. Concluding that, despite not showing
acclimatization to the increase in maximum daily temperatures, the species can present
important strategies, such as seasonal adjustments, to deal with the region's temperature
variation and reduce carbon loss during the warmer seasons. But it is still not clear
whether the species would present the same strategies when faced with increased
temperature and water deficit simultaneously, as normally happens during the dry
season.

Ecosystem services are a set of important mechanisms for maintaining the human population and encourage conservation measures that tend to value the various services offered by nature, such as carbon storage by plants. The objective of this work was to evaluate the carbon stocks and species diversity of legal reserves in typical cerrado areas of properties of different sizes, verifying the potential economic values that could be attributed to this service and the financial viability for implementing PSE projects. (Payment for Ecosystem Services). We carried out the study on six rural properties, located in the Cerrado-Amazonia transition, two small (< 500 ha), two medium-sized (500 to 6,500 ha) and two large (> 6,500 ha). On each property, we calculated and estimated species richness, individual density and above-ground carbon for all plants with diameter at soil height (DAS) between 5.0 to 9.9 cm (young) and DAS > 10 cm (adults). In relation to young individuals, the carbon stock, the density of individuals and the species richness were higher in small (PP_02) and large (GP_02) properties, which may be related to the integrity of these areas, which despite being They have different sizes and are well preserved and are infrequently burned. In relation to adult individuals, small (PP_01) and large (GP_01) properties stood out with greater density, richness and carbon. These two properties show signs of recurring fires. Larger individuals have a greater capacity to withstand the immediate actions of fire, which may explain these results. On the other hand, on properties where fire is recurrent, the density and richness of young individuals is limited, which can harm post-fire recovery in these areas. The study areas offer potential in carbon fixation and storage and feasibility of implementing PSE regardless of property size, since carbon did not differ between property sizes. Therefore, cerrado areas have high potential for the implementation of PSE. However, frequent fires can affect the ecosystem services of savanna formations in the Cerrado.

Rainfall is crucial to plant success, particularly for gallery forests that depend on moisture from waterways. However, extreme drought events and interaction with fire cause high mortality of tropical tree species, negatively impacting carbon accumulation and biodiversity. Our study, conducted over 22 years in the gallery forests of Parque Municipal do Bacaba, in Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso, sought to quantify changes in plant structure and dynamics and evaluate the impacts of drought and fire events. We measured all trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm, about diameter and height, in three plots of 0.5 ha each. We observed a reduction of 23 species (18.7%) and a 35.6% loss in the density of individuals from 1999 to 2021. Mortality rates increased, while recruitment rates did not compensate for the losses, indicating an imbalance in the ecosystem. The basal area showed a significant net change, but biomass remained almost unchanged. We conclude that the frequency of drought and fire events can have serious consequences for the structure and dynamics of gallery forests, leading to the replacement and even local extinction of species less tolerant to these disturbances.

Understanding the contribution of deterministic and stochastic factors as structuring processes of large-scale plant communities depends on the compilation of metadata on environmental, spatial and biotic conditions. Here we use an extensive database with the aim of quantifying and separating the influence of deterministic (environment) and stochastic (space) processes on the composition of woody species in the largest and most biodiverse Neotropical savanna. We compiled data from 128 sites widely distributed in the Brazilian Cerrado and sampled using standardized methodology. These sites occur in different environmental conditions and represent mostly the savanna vegetation of the Cerrado: sites in deep soils and flat to gently undulating relief – Typical Cerrado (CT, n = 95) and sites in shallow soils, with rocky outcrops and rugged relief – Cerrado Rupestre (CR, n = 33). We employed PCoA to assess species composition dissimilarity between CR and CT; LCBD to determine which of the CR and CT sites contribute most to beta diversity; RDA to investigate the relationship between environmental conditions, spatial distribution and species composition; GDM to model the effects of soil, climate and space on species composition in the two environments. Climatic conditions were similar between CR and CT, but the texture, organic matter content and acidity of the soils differed between environments, with higher values in CR. The first two axes of the RDA explained, respectively, 40% and 23% of the variation in species composition, which was mainly associated with soil properties. Five CR sites and 10 CT sites, located mainly in the central portion of the biome, were those that most contributed to regional species diversity. Edaphic and climatic conditions explained beta diversity better than the spatial distribution of sites. Climatic and mainly soil conditions (deterministic processes) better explain beta diversity in woody communities in the Brazilian Cerrado than the influence of space (stochastic process). Thus, anthropogenic changes in Cerrado environments can alter the distribution of flora in this Biome.

Understanding the mechanisms shaping the structure of tropical tree communities is one of
the primary objectives in ecology, especially within rich and complex ecosystems such as
Brazil's biomes. Traditionally, studies have focused on the effects of environmental and
spatial structure, yet without integrating the influence of phylogenetic relationships between
species. Phylogeny offers a unique perspective for uncovering ecological and evolutionary
processes, particularly in biodiverse regions. Here, we seek to expand the understanding of
how phylogenetic, environmental, and spatial components interact and influence floristic
variation across Brazil's biomes. The objectives of this study are: (1) to evaluate the relative
importance of phylogenetic, environmental, and spatial components in explaining floristic
variation in tree communities; (2) to investigate the phylogenetic structure and diversity of
tree communities among biomes, identifying underlying ecological patterns and processes;
and (3) to propose recommendations for the conservation of tree communities, considering the
phylogenetic and ecological particularities of each biome. We utilised data from 9,108 tree
species across 3,959 sites obtained from the NeoTropTree database. Eigenvectors were
constructed to represent predictive variables (phylogeny, environment, and space), which
were then used in canonical variation partitioning models to assess the contribution of each
component to floristic variation. We analysed the phylogenetic structure and diversity of
communities through phylogenetic metrics to identify patterns of phylogenetic overdispersion
and clustering within different biomes. Additionally, generalised least squares models were
applied to evaluate the relationship between phylogenetic metrics and environmental
variables. Our findings indicate that phylogeny plays a significant role in floristic variation
within tree communities, with evidence that kinship relationships among species influence
community structure. A predominance of phylogenetic overdispersion was observed across
various biomes, suggesting that tree communities tend to consist of phylogenetically distant
species. The diversity of patterns among biomes, such as the Atlantic Forest, Pantanal, and
Amazon, underscores the importance of considering regional phylogenetic specificities when
developing conservation strategies. These findings suggest that incorporating the phylogenetic
dimension into ecological and conservation studies is essential for a more comprehensive and
effective approach to biodiversity preservation.

The Brazilian agricultural sector is crucial for both the national and international markets;
however, the increasing volume of pesticides used in the country raises significant
environmental concerns. For over a decade, Brazil has been the world leader in pesticide
consumption, with thousands of tons of hazardous substances being sprayed into the
environment annually. Various factors, such as historical fiscal incentives for these products
and permissive legislation, have converged to create this scenario. The state of Mato Grosso is
the federation unit with the highest pesticide consumption, with alarming per capita averages.
Once released into the environment, these substances contaminate water and soil, affecting
various species and disrupting ecological interactions. In this study, we investigate the scope
of the issue by surveying the quantities of pesticides used in the country, in the Midwest
region, and specifically in Mato Grosso, as well as their classification according to agronomic
class and environmental hazard. We discuss the substances used and their impact on the
environment, as well as the risks associated with their excessive use. We will examine the
perception of rural producers regarding the use and dangers of agrochemicals, aiming to
understand the mentality and reasons that justify this use, and identify factors that hinder the
search for and use of more sustainable alternatives for pest control. Finally, we will propose
some solutions that would contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally responsible
agriculture in the country.

Although the transition between the Cerrado and Amazon biomes is described as the most extensive ecotonal region between savannah and forest in the world, little is known about the ecosystem services its natural ecosystems provide. Also, it still needs to be discovered how much intense anthropogenic activities and rapid changes in land use coverage have affected these services and transformed this scenario over the last three decades. The present study aims to evaluate the carbon stock of the aerial part of the typical savannah vegetation that occurs in the transition between the Cerrado and Amazon biomes, estimate its financial value, evaluate the change in land use and cover and its impact on the loss of services and identify areas with potential for implementing payment for ecosystem services. For this, we used data from Mapbiomas collection 6 to generate a manually categorized vegetation map and estimate how many hectares of typical savannah formations exist in the transition. From the extrapolation of the average carbon stored in a set of field plots composed of typical cerrado, we estimated the potential of the savannah formations of the transition to accumulate carbon. For the valuation of carbon, we adopted an average price in dollars practiced per ton of carbon equivalent (U$/tCO2eq), assigned by the global carbon market, based on the Brazilian Carbon Pricing platform. We also evaluated the feasibility of the proposed official carbon database for Brazilian vegetation in estimating the carbon stock of the transition savannah formations.

The structure of a community is influenced by deterministic and/or stochastic processes, generating organized or random patterns. We evaluated space-time patterns of cooccurrence of a fish assemblage in an Amazonian stream and the influence of abiotic factors (physical-chemical variables and hydrological period). We verified whether species with greater similarity in tolerance to physical-chemical variables tend to have greater cooccurrence and the influence of abiotic and landscape factors on assemblage composition. Structuring was assessed using the C-Score index and null models. We estimated the “physical-chemical niche” by OMI and correlated with C-score data. We performed simple and multiple regressions between organization patterns and physical-chemical variables;
correlations between species and local environmental conditions and landscape; and partitioning of variation between predictor variables. The fish assemblage presented temporal, seasonal and space-time structure. On a local scale, most of the patterns were random. Species with different tolerances tend to have less co-occurrence in the dry period. Flood period and pH influence patterns of organization and anthropogenic impacts explain
random patterns. Landscape and local environmental variables influenced species composition, but landscape had a greater explanation.

The degradation of tropical ecosystems caused by deforestation, selective logging and fire, results in a marked loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, contributing to the increase in atmospheric carbon and global climate change. To reduce this and other sources of CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere, the industrialized countries signed the Kyoto Protocol, where measures to reduce emissions were established, including the commercialization of carbon credits. In Brazil, which holds the greatest global biodiversity, much of the carbon stocks are maintained in protected areas, especially in indigenous lands, both in the Amazon and in the Cerrado biomes. Studies on carbon stocks and trading in indigenous areas can contribute to the economy and sustainability of these communities by generating income and protecting their natural food resources. Given this scenario, we investigated areas of cerrado and forest in Aldeia Belém (Pimentel Barbosa Indigenous Reservation), in the Amazon/Cerrado Transition, with the following objectives: 1) estimating the amount of carbon above and below the ground; 2) compare the amount of carbon with other protected areas and 3) value the carbon stock in the Indigenous Land. To this end, we established 50 plots of 10*200 m in a cerrado (savanna facies) and 10 plots of 10*100 m in a gallery forest. We collected aboveground biomass data from wood vegetation, litter, herbaceous plants and soil to estimate the carbon value of the roots. For carbon estimates in both phytophysiognomies and in the different ecosystem components evaluated, we considered the percentage of carbon as 50% of the dry biomass. To verify if the carbon accumulated in the components varied between the areas, we performed Anova Two Way Permutation. To identify which ecosystem compartment the carbon varied from between areas, we used a Kruskal-Wallis followed by a post hoc Dannett test. The carbon valuation was based on a website specialized in carbon sales, the Future Carbon Credit. The total amount of carbon per area was higher in the gallery forest (88.59 Mg ha^-1) than in the cerrado (47.21 Mg ha^-1) (W = 9, p <0.01), making a total of 135.8 MgC/ ha, considering the soil carbon stock of the 0-20cm layers of the two areas. The area of 1,645.64 hectares of Aldeia Belém contains approximately 398.01 Mg ha^-1 of CO₂ removed from the atmosphere, revealing a substantial financial potential of R$176,860.39 per hectare based on the most recent average price. The stock of areas was 47% lower than that found in other carbon preserved areas and total income for conservation areas as an incentive for the protection of indigenous biodiversity, in addition to the generation of carbon in community preservation areas.

During the reproductive period, mother turtles seek out locations that provide physical
factors that allow for safe shelter and the warmth necessary to ensure an adequate
incubation process until their hatchlings hatch. The characteristics of egg deposition sites
can intervene in the maturation of the embryo and in its ontogenetic and behavioral
development. These sites, may be subject to anthropic actions, for example, the risk of
forest fires that can affect the reproduction of turtles. Given this context, this study aims to:
1. To evaluate the impact of fire on turtle nesting. Our hypothesis is that spawning areas
more exposed to fire will tend to have lower reproductive success of P. expansa and P.
unifilis turtles. 2. Evaluate the effect of mean temperature on nest reproductive success
through incubation period and egg emergence, testing the hypothesis that sites where there
is a higher mean temperature over the nest have greater reproductive success. The data
concerning the species were provided by the Rio das Mortes Turtles project, which is a
responsibility of the ONG Aliança da Terra. The information on the fires on the spawning
beaches from 2006 to 2020 was obtained from the INPE database, and the average
incubation temperature was obtained from the meteorological stations through the
Agritempo monitoring system. To evaluate the impact of fire on turtle spawning and the
effect of average environmental temperature on the reproductive success of the species, we
performed a Generalized Mixed Models analysis with Poisson distribution. The variables
number of fire outbreaks, 5km scale, average temperature of the county along with
intercept showed a significant effect on reproductive success. Thus, for P. expansa the
number of fire outbreaks negatively influenced reproductive success, while the average
temperature of the municipality positively influenced reproductive success for the number
of live pups. Our results, for P. unifilis, showed that the number of fire spots on a scale of 1
km negatively influenced the reproductive success of the tracajás, as well as the average
temperature of the municipality, where the higher average temperature had a lower
reproductive success.

Herbaceous plants are usually neglected in ecological studies. They are essential during the process of ecological succession, as they are important to facilitate the entry of other species and other strata such as arboreal. Understanding the ecological characteristics of herbaceous plants is extremely necessary to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. In this context, we evaluated the richness, diversity, abundance and biomass of herbaceous species in a vegetation and light gradient from savannah to forest in the Amazon-Cerrado transition. We used 1m diameter circles, established in the four cardinal directions at 5m intervals along four transects in the phytophysiognomies of rocky cerrado, typical cerrado, dense cerrado, regenerating cerrado and preserved cerrado, in a Conservation Unit in Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso, Brazil. We measured species richness, abundance of individuals and aerial biomass of herbaceous plants. We also measured the leaf area index (LAI) using hemispherical photographs. In total, we sampled 2,334 individuals, 132 species/morphospecies and 26 botanical families, with only four taxa shared between phytophysiognomies. The luminosity exerted influence on the savanna phytophysiognomies, resulting in a greater richness and abundance of herbaceous species in comparison to the forest phytophysiognomies. In addition, we observed a biomass gradient in the herbaceous stratum, with lower values (preserved savannah = 0.168 ± 0.32) and higher values of Leaf Area Index (preserved savannah = 3.46 ± 0.10 m²/m²) in forest phytophysiognomies, and, on the other hand, higher values (cerrado rupestre = 19.6 ± 21.8) and lower values of LAI in the savannah formations (cerrado rupestre = 0.90 ± 0.10 m²/m²). The reduction of light intensity affects the structure of the herbaceous plant community, establishing a more accentuated biomass gradient in the savannah formations, which makes these environments richer and more diversified. Our resarch is relevant to the ecological understanding of these ecosystems and can support management and conservation strategies for this often neglected, but important and essential, stratum in the plant communities of the transition region between the Amazon and the Cerrado.

The Cerrado domain is known to be the largest tropical savannah region in South America, making up, in turn, the second largest biome in Brazil that is affected by natural or anthropogenic events, such as fires. In this Biome, natural fires caused by lightning occur, being relatively frequent, occurring mainly in the dry-rain transition. Such repetitive processes can cause a reduction in available food for fauna, vegetation fragmentation, among other effects. In this case, it may generate impacts on the population of medium and large mammals. In this way, changes in the structure of the community of medium and large mammals at the UC Estação Ecológica Serra das Araras were evaluated after a period of 17 years without the interference of fire, from 1999 to 2016. Between October 2016 and June 2017, changes were four Cerrado phytophysiognomies were sampled: gallery forest, dry forest, babassu forest and cerrado stricto sensu (ss), using camera traps installed in tree trunks in places with traces of mammals. In this study, 28 species of medium and large mammals were recorded. Species richness did not present a statistically significant difference between the sampled habitats, however the species composition between the habitats was observed that the “cerrado serra”, located 800m of altitude was different from the other areas. When comparing the species composition between the current study and the year 1999/2000, it can be seen that the cerrado ss differs from the other areas, and that the current cerrado ss is closer to forest areas than in 1999/2000 due to the absence Of fire. Habitat transformation may be influencing the structure of the medium and large mammal community at ESEC Serra das Araras. Previously open areas are being invaded by tree vegetation and its associated fauna, thus becoming ideal habitats for forest-dependent species. Typical open cerrado mammals are losing habitats and often occupying areas outside the UC. Thus, large species such as some carnivores and frugivores are exposed to hunting.

The concern with the conservation and recovery of vegetation cover in legal reserve areas and permanent preservation areas is a pressing need in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. Studies have been developed in search of understanding the models of environmental recovery that catalyze the natural processes of natural regeneration in ecosystems of degraded areas. A promising alternative for areas with low potential for natural regeneration is the muvuca de sementes, term in Portuguese designating direct sewing of a mixture of seeds of different species, a more economically viable technique for forest restoratuion. The muvuca consists of a mixture of seeds of native species with different life cycles and of several successional and functional groups together. Our study aimed to investigate changes in the structure and species composition of areas with different recovery ages through seed muvuca in the Amazon-Cerrado transition. Three areas restored by muvuca with different ages (4, 7 and 9 years) and a reference area in a native forest remnant were selected. The parameters investigated were species richness, density of individuals by size class, basal area, aboveground biomass, herbaceous cover and tree diameter distribution. Our data showed a very large floristic difference between the muvuca areas and the native forest, indicating that it will take a long time before colonization by propagules originating from nearby remaining forests can take place. We noticed a rapid successional dynamics with a tendency to structurally evolve over time, which may resemble the structure of the native forest under study. Fast-growing species, especially Mabea fistulifera, Tachigali vulgaris, Enterolobium contortisiliquum and Birsonima laxiflora, stood out for their high density of individuals and for contributing to the rapid formation of the adult stratum, while slower-growing species contributed to diversity, from the lower strata, especially Miracrodum urundeuva, Simarouba versicolor, Hymenaea courbaril, Astronium fraxinifolium and Andira vermifuga. We conclude that a previous phytosociological survey in the nearby remnants is essential to start the selection of seeds to be used in planting, since the species richness alone is not capable of guaranteeing its functional success. It is necessary to restore local rather than regional community. In addition, continuous monitoring in these areas is essential to verify whether these species will continue to arrive, as if this does not happen, new management measures may be necessary.

The synthesis of scientific knowledge provides an important guide to identify gaps and trends of studies. Here, we conducted a scientometric review of the freshwater ichthyoplankton literature to investigate: (i) temporal trend in publications; (ii) the scopes and habitats; (iii) the spatial distribution; (iv) the studied species and their respective conservation status and (v) the drivers of the spatial distribution pattern of studies. We found 652 studies published between 1959 and 2020. Most studies sought to understand the determinants of the basic biology of ichthyoplankton and were carried out mainly in rivers and lakes. Regarding the spatial distribution, we found studies in only 22,3% of the known freshwater ecoregions. Only 870 species have information about ichthyoplankton, it is only 4.80% of the known freshwater fish species. The ichthyoplankton species found in the studies are assessed by the IUCN in six threat status, and for many species (303) there are no assessments. The area of the ecoregions, the density of highways, the volume of rivers and the number of hydroelectric plants were the determining factors for the spatial distribution of the studies. Thus, the biases found in relation to the types of habitats, the spatial distribution and the few fish species studied in the ichthyoplankton phases demonstrate the need for further studies seeking to resolve these gaps. Finally, we emphasize that the lack biological basic information is a serious problem to implement actions that safeguard fish biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems.

Increasing drought frequency poses a risk to the future function o tropical trees. Previous studies have found that large tropical trees face greatest mortality risk under drought, but the mechanisms behind this are unclear. Here we investigate whether large tropical trees have different hydraulic traits to smaller conspecifics. We computed xylem hydraulic conductivity from anatomical measurements, and determined xylem resistance to embolism, hydraulic safety margin and wood functional traits for four tree species in southern Amazon in Brazil, across a range of tree heights from saplings to adult trees close to their maximum heights. We found that taller trees within the species exhibit greater hydraulic efficiency and are more vulnerable to embolism and, therefore, more susceptible to drought than lower conspecifics. We also found that wood density and vessel diameter are good predictors of xylem hydraulic vulnerability. Overall, the results suggest that increasing hydraulic vulnerability with height may help to explain patterns of high drought-induced mortality in large trees.

The forests of the south of the Amazon were highly deforested, including the riparian forests legally protected, requiring reforestation actions. Direct seeding has been expanding as an active method of low cost and easy to implement on a large scale. Through the Xingu basin restoration program, more than 5,000ha have already been restored by direct seeding. In this study we evaluated and compared the structure, diversity and floristic composition of arboreal vegetation from forests restored by direct seeding and primary forests on the southern edge of Amazonia. We measured height, diameter and identified all woody individuals with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm in 23 plots 10 x 50 m established in restored forest areas and 10 in primary forests. In addition, we classified the species occurring in the restored plots as seeded and naturally regenerated. We recorded 1,661 individuals belonging to 71 species distributed in 60 genera of 29 families. The restored forests showed no similarity and exhibited lower species richness, biomass and basal area when compared to adjacent primary forests, showing that the recovery time of ~10 years was not enough to recompose the parameters. Direct sowing, most of the time, resulted in high dominance of a single species and low diversity, even so the richness and diversity between sown and regenerated species did not show a statistically significant difference, showing that regeneration has been gradually established in these new ecosystems. In summary, our findings suggest that direct seeding is a good alternative for forest restoration in areas with little or no potential for passive regeneration in the Cerrado-Amazon transition.

One of the great challenges of ecosystem ecology today is to understand how climate change and changes in land use and cover affect or have the potential to affect the services provided by native ecosystems, such as climate regulation and water availability, and to understand what are the effects of these changes on the environmental and economic sustainability of urban and rural communities. In this context, Brazilian Conservation Units (CUs) and Indigenous Lands (ILs) have been particularly effective as barriers to deforestation and in providing ecosystem services, including climate regulation. However, deforestation in private areas outside UCs and TIs, known as multiple-use zones (MUs), often adds external pressure that increases disturbance within protected areas. Here, we use recent satellite-based data (2001-2020) to assess how surface temperature [LST], evapotranspiration [ET] and albedo – three key processes for climate regulation – have changed with land use (CUs, ILs, and MUs) and biomes (Amazon, Cerrado) in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. We also evaluated the temporal effects of changes in land use and cover on water flow and availability, in microbasins with steep relief and different levels of native vegetation cover, located in the transition between the Cerrado and Amazon biomes. Our results confirm that, despite multiple stressors, protected areas still play an important role in stabilizing the regional climate, maintaining a higher ET flux, lower LST and lower albedo relative to other land uses. We also showed in this study that the annual and daily flows in steep watersheds depend directly on the percentage of native vegetation, since these flows are always higher in watersheds with higher conversion rates of native vegetation. We found even greater seasonality in the flow of watersheds with the highest percentage of converted area, where storm peaks were always higher and the base flow in the dry season was lower. Our study indicated that deforestation in steep watersheds can compromise water availability in the region, since the replacement of native vegetation promotes peaks in water flow during the rainy season and water shortages during the dry season.

Ethnoecology analyzes the knowledge of traditional communities about the environment and its relationship with the conservation of natural areas. Urbanization around the Conservation Units (UCs) causes the vulnerability of their biodiversity and the involvement of local communities can slow this process down. In this context, the objectives of this study were to get to know the environmental perception of the residents of the buffer zone of Parque Municipal do Bacaba, a UC located in the transition zone between the Cerrado and Amazon biomes; and learn about the composition and diversity of the vegetation in your backyards. We interviewed 80 residents addressing questions about the park and its biota; and on native and non-native plant species that occur on their properties. We recorded a total of 545 plant species, distributed in 370 genera and 112 families, the most representative in relation to the number of species: Fabaceae, Araceae, Cactaceae, Arecaceae and Apocynaceae. In the backyards the average of exotic species was higher than the average of native species. Among exotic species, 30 are invasive and can potentially spread to the PMB causing ecological impacts on native flora and fauna. The main growth habit of the plant component of the properties was the herbaceous. The PMB is a UC instituted in an environment where there are several anthropic interventions that can compromise its function and conservation strategy. In this respect, monitoring its buffer zone can assist in the management of the vegetation in this area, mitigating the direct ecological impacts on the fauna and flora native to the PMB.

The Cerrado: a global biodiversity hotspot, the second largest biome in South America, the largest neotropical savannah ecosystem, it is also the biome with the lowest conservation indices and the greatest anthropic degradative effects of soil use and conversion. Different investigations have contributed to the knowledge of this megadiverse biome, however, it still faces knowledge gaps: How many species does the Cerrado have? What is the most common species and family? What are the environmental limits of the Cerrado and savannah ecosystems in South America? What is the current conservation status of these species? and, will environmental niches be contemplated in the face of future climate changes?. Based on local regression models and species distribution models, we were able to contribute and reduce these knowledge gaps. In this sense, our research allows us to identify the following points: 1) the Cerrado shows dominance in tree species: 30 species of tree biodiversity represent more than 50% of all individuals (585 species and 219850 individuals); 2) The most common species in the Cerrado is Qualea parviflora (7.2% of all species and 15752 ind.) and the dominant family is Vochysiaceae (21 species and 37261 ind.); 3) We know 36% of all tree biodiversity in the Cerrado, our estimates point to the existence of 1605 species of trees, of which 1020 species are still waiting to be discovered and identified; 4) The records of the presence of the hyperdominant species of the Cerrado make it possible to calculate the environmental adequacy of the savannah ecosystems of South America; 5) Only 37% of the 585 hyperdominant species recorded for the Cerrado are within Protected Areas and 1% in Indigenous Lands; 6) Due to anthropic actions, the Cerrado lost 2.40x10⁷ km² from 1985 (1.11x10⁸ km²) to 2020 (8.73x10⁷ km²); 7) The predictions of environmental adequacy of the hyperdominant Cerrado species overlap 8.9% with Protected Areas and 8% with Indigenous Lands; 8) The distribution patterns of the 30 hyperdominant species, for the present and future scenarios, showed spatial stability of ~771675 km², gain of new environmental niches of ~68106 km2 and loss of environmental suitability of ~52240 km². The Cerrado has one tenth of the species diversity estimated for the Amazon. However, the accumulated rates of deforestation and degradation are higher for the Cerrado, triggering negative synergistic mechanisms of an anthropic-environmental type with irreversible effects on biodiversity and derived ecosystem services. The environmental complexity inherent to the Cerrado is difficult to understand and dismember, which makes conservation very difficult, even so, there are countless investigations that point out the ways to be followed to conserve it and to conserve the culture of its original peoples.

The age structure of natural populations is in constant fluctuation due to the influence of genetic, ecological, or environmental factors upon births, deaths, and migratory movements. We investigated the population ecology of Ameiva ameiva to assess the effects of microclimatic variables (temperature and humidity) on the population age structure. We monitored lizards for two years (August 2015 to August 2017) with 25 pitfall-traps along a vegetation gradient in Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso, Brazil. We use automatic data loggers in all traps to obtain microclimatic parameters. The first two PCA axes explained 86% of the variation in the microclimate variables, describing an environmental gradient of temperature decrease and humidity increase in the cerrado sensu stricto to cerradão. We found a higher frequency of captures in the cerrado sensu stricto than in the cerradão and in months with low precipitation. A. ameiva showed seasonal reproduction with a low overlap of generations and recruitment in April and an annual life cycle. The spatio-temporal variation in the captures of A. ameiva is primarily influenced by absolute maximum temperature and maximum daily relative humidity. This may be related to the species’ morphological and physiological characteristics, which allows for a wide variety of habitats and enhanced thermoregulation and foraging opportunities.

The characterization of the phenological patterns of tree species is important information for better planning the collection of fruits and seeds in the field, which is key to successful forest restoration projects. In this work we use a database from the Associação Rede de Sementes do Xingu that has 25 groups of seed collectors spread across 17 municipalities in Mato Grosso. This database, that contains information for 142 tree species used in forest restoration actions and the date that seeds were collected in the field during an eight years period (2010-2018), was used to answer three questions: 1) What is the fruits and seed dispersion period for each of these species? 2) What is the spatial and temporal variation in the production of fruits and seeds for these species? 3) Do species with different dispersion syndromes or successional groups differ in terms of the fruit dispersion period? The results showed a group of 12 species with fruit dispersion in 10 or more months of the year. Byrsonima cydoniifolia and Spondias mombin had production in all months of the year, with great spatial variation in the fruit dispersion period. Regardless of the dispersion syndrome or successional group, the number of species producing fruits was higher at the end of the dry period and at the beginning of the rainy period for all species. Most species with small seeds are pioneers and species with large seeds are climaxes. The results show great spatial variability for the period of fruit and seed dispersion in most of the studied tree species, which has important implications for planning seed collection activities at local and regional scales.

Climate is one of the main determinants of species distribution patterns and, together with life history particularities, will also influence species range size. Since the species climatic niches evolve over space and time, they will clearly influence lineage diversification patterns. The more evolutionarily related the species are, they will tend to present higher behavioral, ecological and morphological similarities, and there is also a tendency for species to maintain a climatic niche that is similar to that used by their ancestors. In this work, we investigated the patterns of climatic niche and range size evolution of species of the genus Amphisbaena (Squamata: Amphisbaenia) under a phylogenetically informed perspective and taking into account their differences in body size. These organisms are highly adapted burrowing animals, which has clear implications on their thermal physiology, since they will be under the restrictions of underground environments for their thermoregulation. In this way, and considering that these are ectothermic animals, their activity patterns are highly influenced by abiotic factors, specifically by temperature and humidity variations. Thus, the burrowing habits might be one of the main determinants that led to the differentiation of climatic niches within the group, since it is directly related to their morphological characteristics and locomotion strategies. Being so, we investigated the correlations among the ecological variables of niche breadth and range size with morphological traits assumed to be determinants of dispersion probability of the species (snout-vent length and body diameter). The analyses were done using all 107 currently recognized Amphisbaena species, while controlling for their evolutionary relationships. Considering the energetical restrictions related to body size, we hypothesized that species depicting small body sizes will tend to have more specialized physiological demands and, therefore, more restricted range sizes and smaller climatic niche breadths. To do so, we compiled data on the distribution and body size of Amphisbaena from the scientific literature, and used genetic data and a philogenetic imputation method to generate phylogenetic hypothesis including the species for which no genetic data was available on GenBank. Our results indicate that larger species tend to depict larger range sizes, and that this pattern has no phylogenetic autocorrelation. These findings are important advances in developing theoretical ecological and biogeographic interpretations on the evolutionary patterns of this group.

O fogo pode provocar mudanças na estrutura e na dinâmica das comunidades vegetais do Cerrado. No entanto, ainda sabemos pouco como esse distúrbio afeta a vegetação em áreas revegetadas, e como a regeneração se desenvolve em locais utilizados para extração de cascalho, o que dificulta a restauração e o manejo adequado dessas áreas. Nosso objetivo foi avaliar a dinâmica da vegetação de uma área revegetada com sete espécies plantadas em 2013 e analisar a regeneração natural e a similaridade entre a vegetação regenerante (área minerada) e remanescente (entorno). Em 2019, após um intervalo de quatro anos do último inventário, e um ano depois de um incêndio, quantificamos e medimos a altura e o diâmetro de todos os indivíduos sobreviventes, queimados, recrutados, e rebrotados por espécie. As taxas de mortalidade foram elevadas para todas as espécies plantadas, sendo ainda maiores para aquelas de menor porte. Jacaranda cuspidifolia e Astronium fraxinifolium apresentaram reduzida mortalidade e elevados valores em área basal e ganho em biomassa. Por outro lado, Tachigali vulgaris apresentou o maior crescimento e ganho em biomassa por indivíduo. Verificamos que a vegetação regenerante apresenta baixa similaridade florística com a vegetação remanescente, o que pode estar relacionado às difíceis condições encontradas na área minerada. Acreditamos que as espécies plantadas podem ser indicadas para a restauração de áreas cujas condições de degradação sejam similares às do presente estudo. Entretanto, um único evento de fogo pode ser suficiente para atrasar o crescimento das espécies e a regeneração natural, sendo indispensável evitar os incêndios.

The increase in the frequency and intensity of severe droughts can change the structure, productivity and composition of forests by increasing tree mortality rates. Therefore, hydraulic characteristics are fundamental traits to predict potential effects of how climate change may affect forest dynamics. We explore here the variation in stomatal regulation and water vulnerability (P50) and associate these characteristics with the vital rates of tree species in a Cerrado-Amazon transition forest, where water stress is more accentuated. The general objectives of the study were to quantify stomatal regulation strategies in a transitional forest between the Amazon and the Cerrado and to define ecophysiological thresholds that indicate the water vulnerability of different species in the region. The following hypotheses were tested: (i) Tanguro tree species do not fully open their stomata during the day; (ii) the trees in these environments have a hydraulic pathway that is too resistant to embolism; (iii) trees that do not regulate water loss during the day (leave the stomata open) are more likely to die during droughts. We found that: (i) there was low stomatal regulation among species, but that some species manage to reach a high range of mean values of leaf water potential (Ψf); (ii) the average loss of conductivity value (P50) was no less negative than other Amazonian forests; (iii) Resistance to cavitation was positively related to the mortality rate. These results suggest that tree species at Tanguro have different ecological strategies to deal with environmental water stress.

Mammalian fauna has intrinsic habits in landscape use, most of which require large areas to perform their vital functions and consequently contribute to the ecosystem by dispersing individuals. Altered landscapes for exploitation of mineral resources suffer from distinct disturbances and impacts. In this regard, we have gathered current knowledge available on the Web of Science and Scopus platforms. We reviewed 39 articles published in journals that addressed the impacts of mining on medium and large terrestrial and arboreal mammal populations. We categorized the articles according to the methodological approach, thus investigating the main information collected between the articles as the main collection methods and identifying the main reported impacts. We describe here trends in the distribution of studies among the countries of the world and, therefore, investigate the indices of human development and per capita income of the respective countries. We analyzed the density of ore points cataloged in the Mineral Resources Data System database between species geographic distribution areas, then showed which species present the highest threat levels due to mining. Among the 153 species recorded in this study, we identified that for 130 of them, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not mention that, among the threat relationship to species, mining activities can be impactful and significant. Thus, we suggest the development of new studies especially for species with large knowledge gaps. We also recommend the use of theoretical approaches and environmental suitability modeling to predict if there will be viable conditions for the species analyzed.

Understand the temperatures tolerance limits of plant leaves is essential on a warming planet, especially to predict changes in biodiversity, carbon stock, and interactions between vegetation and climate. Studies assessing the thermotolerance of native tree species are rare, which limits the ability to assess the risks associated with global warming. Here we investigated the leaf thermotolerance, strategies of leaves temperature regulation and possible responses to future warming of coocurrent tree species (Qualea parviflora Mart., Pseudobombax longiflorum (Mart.) A. Robyns, Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart. ex Hayne e Vatairea macrocarpa (Benth.) Ducke.) in savannas (rocky cerrado and typical cerrado) and a forest (cerradão) on the southern amazonian border. We quantified the 50% loss of photosystem II function, maximum leaf temperature and its variation, air temperature, stomatal conductance and leaf functional attributes. To assess the impacts of future warming, we quantify the current thermal safety margin and future absolute leaf temperatures. Thermotolerance ranged from 46.7 °C to 50.9 °C between species, and was higher for forest individuals. Individuals with lower maximum leaf temperature presented higher thermotolerance, and we observed that different environmental conditions determine different thermotolerance values. We highlight that savanna-grown individuals, even though they have greater efficiency in leaf heat dissipation, are more vulnerable to extreme high-temperature conditions and therefore more likely to be negatively affected by global warming. We observed that thermal limits of some tropical species are near to the maximum temperatures experienced, which presupposes that these species may be severely affected by rising global temperatures. This vulnerability could lead to unexpected and drastic changes in species composition, structure, distribution and interactions that occur in different environments.

Changes in landscape attributes lead to habitat loss, which is the reduction in the amount of native vegetation area available for species to survive and persist in the landscape. These landscape changes, such as habitat degradation, have been a serious problem for small mammals. Thus, the objective of this work is to investigate the effect of habitat loss on the abundance, extinction, body condition and functional traits of small mammals along a gradient of fragmented landscapes. Our results show that habitat loss can affect populations of small mammals, leading to population decline, until they reach an extinction threshold. This effect was more evident for Thrichomys pachyurus, who is a habitat specialist, who had both its abundance and occurrence affected as well as his body condition. Rhipidomys macrurus (specialists) showed no significant differences between the landscapes. Gracilinanus agilis (generalist) had a significantly greater abundance in areas with less than 50% vegetation, but its body condition was not affected as well as the other species. Generalists such as Didelphis albiventris and Thylamys macrurus did not show significant effects of habitat loss on any of the variables evaluated. These conclusions will be useful for future decisions on landscape management in this region.

Changes in landscape attributes lead to habitat loss, which is the reduction in the amount of native vegetation area available for species to survive and persist in the landscape. These landscape changes, such as habitat degradation, have been a serious problem for small mammals. Thus, the objective of this work is to investigate the effect of habitat loss on the abundance, extinction, body condition and functional traits of small mammals along a gradient of fragmented landscapes. Our results show that habitat loss can affect populations of small mammals, leading to population decline, until they reach an extinction threshold. This effect was more evident for Thrichomys pachyurus, who is a habitat specialist, who had both its abundance and occurrence affected as well as his body condition. Rhipidomys macrurus (specialists) showed no significant differences between the landscapes. Gracilinanus agilis (generalist) had a significantly greater abundance in areas with less than 50% vegetation, but its body condition was not affected as well as the other species. Generalists such as Didelphis albiventris and Thylamys macrurus did not show significant effects of habitat loss on any of the variables evaluated. These conclusions will be useful for future decisions on landscape management in this region.

Geographic patterns of genetic diversity have the potential to provide a better understanding of natural populations demographic trajectory and the evolutionary processes that shaped biodiversity in complex biogeographic systems. Given the complex recent geologic and climatic history of the Neotropical region, elucidating these mechanisms is essential to provide a more complete evolutionary picture of its biodiversity. Here, we tested the influence of historical, ecological and environmental predictors in determining the genetic diversity of Brazilian Cerrado lizards. To this end, we compared populations that differed in altitude, distance from the center and periphery of the biome, and in areas with distinct stability levels of vegetation distribution over the time. We also used body size as a surrogate for dispersal potential of the different lizard species. We hypothesized that populations at higher altitudes, close to the center of the Cerrado, with larger body sizes and in areas of greater vegetation stability will depict higher levels of genetic diversity. We compiled mitochondrial DNA sequences from previously published works on 34 lizard species collected within the limits of the Brazilian Cerrado. We defined sampling units using the geographic location of the species and a Bayesian implementation of the general mixed Yule-coalescent model (bGMYC), a method that investigates species limits and estimates groups that are potentially evolving separately. Subsequently, we calculated nucleotide diversity, a metric used to measure the genetic diversity of each sample unit, which we termed “populations”. We used the variables altitude, distance to the center of the Cerrado, distance to the margins of the Cerrado, lizard snout-vent length, and the number of times that climatic changes altered the Cerrado landscape in vegetation terms as predictors of genetic diversity in a machine learning multivariate analysis using Random Forests. We also employed two powerful modelling tools (SPDE – Stochastic Partial Differential Equations, and INLA – Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation) to create hierarchical spatial models that allowed the estimation of genetic diversity for non-sampled regions. Our results indicate that populations at higher and lower altitudes have higher genetic diversity compared to populations at intermediate altitudes. In addition, populations further from the Cerrado’s periphery and with smaller body sizes exhibited higher genetic diversity. Finally, genetic diversity values were lesser explained by vegetation stability than any other variable. Hence, the environmental determinants and ecological characteristics of the species better explained the genetic diversity of lizards in the Brazilian Cerrado than the historical stability.

One of the greatest challenges for Conservation Biogeography is to understand the geographic distribution of species, in addition to the ecological conditions in which species are surrounded in their evolutionary and survival capacity. Among these challenges, the Wallacean deficit, which represents the gaps in the knowledge of the geographic distribution existing in most of the taxa, is one of the greatest difficulties presented to ecological studies. Despite the extremely high biodiversity and being an attractive scenario for research, the Neotropical regions, object of the present study, are still little studied, being less understood in their ecological, evolutionary, historical and original aspects. The present study aims to verify the hypothesis that (i) the Amazon Forest and the Atlantic Forest established connection in more recent periods, after the Pleistocene, contradicting the current models of their distribution. For this purpose, the potential distribution modeling of the 3 fauna species indicated above will be used, in order to (ii) point out favorable environments for the occurrence of these species in the Cerrado, through the possible past connection between these biomes of forest formations

The streams of gallery forest and veredas are two aquatic ecosystems associated with two important phytophysiognomies of the Brazilian Cerrado Biome. These ecosystems are little explored with few studies focused on zooplankton fauna. Thus, this study aimed to answer the following questions: (i) What is the composition of zooplanktonic species of rotifers, cladocerans and copepods in gallery forest streams and veredas? (ii) Are the richness, density, diversity and composition of zooplankton species of rotifers, cladocerans and copepods different between streams of gallery forest and streams of veredas? (iii) Does environmental variables (limnological and structural) influence the richness, density and composition of zooplankton species in streams of gallery forest and streams of veredas? Data collected between the years 2016 and 2017 from 25 streams of gallery forest and 16 streams of veredas in the Upper Araguaia river basin. The total richness in gallery forest streams was 75 taxa, with 52 taxa from Rotifera, 17 taxa from Cladocera and three orders from Copepoda (Calanoida, Cyclopoida and Harpacticoida). In streams of veredas the total richness was 53 taxa, with 39 taxa of Rotifera, nine taxa of Cladocera and two orders of Copepoda (Cyclopoida and Harpaticoida). The streams of the paths have less richness, less density and diversity and different taxon composition than streams of gallery forest. Only density was significantly related with environmental variables. Conductivity was the most important variable for streams of gallery forest. Meanwhile temperature, depth, flow, stream width and percentage of grasses were more important for streams of veredas. The difference between the richness and the composition of taxa between the two ecosystems may be related to the fact that streams of paths are spatially more isolated.

Redefininh the vegetation of Amazonia/Cerrado transition

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Human activities resulting from the intensification of agricultural in the state of Mato Grosso, have caused habitat loss, resulting in fragmented landscapes, formed by remnants of native vegetation, kept as a Legal Reserve (LR), surrounded by extensive monoculture. This change can drastically affect the pollination service provided by bees in native and cultivated areas. To understand the contribution of LR to the preservation of pollinators and consequently to the yield of soybean and sunflower crops this research was structured in three chapters with the following objectives: (1) to evaluate the role of the Cerrado as a natural support habitat for bees that provide sunflower pollination services and the contribution of pollinators to the yield of this crop; (2) to verify the influence of habitat amount and proximity to natural habitats on composition, richness and abundance of bees in adjacent sunflower crop and; (3) to evaluate the contribution of bees from Cerrado to the soybean crop yield. In the first chapter we show that the bees present in the Cerrado visit the sunflower plantation, and increase the crop yield. In chapter II, when evaluating different agricultural landscapes (natural habitat x sunflower), we showed that species richness and abundance of bees showed a positive relationship with the amount of habitat , decreasing with the increase of the distance from the crop to the natural habitat edge. In addition, we also showed that the weight of sunflower seeds varied with the distance from the natural habitat. In chapter III, when evaluating the service provided by bees from Cerrado in the pollination and soybean crop yield, we found that the plants exposed to pollinators showed a 20% increase in the production of pods and seeds. We emphasize that in this study the number of bee species was high, both in natural areas and crops, indicating the importance of preserving areas of Legal Reserve to guarantee both pollinator biodiversity and the pollination services.

Many predicted climate changes have been materializing since the early 2000s. In addition to the increase in the average temperature of the planet, tropical regions, including the Amazon Rainforest, have undergone intense drought cycles with years of less precipitation and more pronounced temperature peaks. Concomitant to these climate changes, deforestation is advancing along the edges and the major highways in the Amazon, increasing the loss of biodiversity and the effects of environmental changes. The Amazon-Cerrado (TAC) transition to the south and southeast of the Amazon is a vast area particularly sensitive to climatic factors due to the high seasonality of rainfall. In this zone, the rapid substitution of native vegetation for pastures and agriculture has destroyed ecosystems with particular characteristics and important collaboration for the environmental balance by their ecosystem services. Throughout this thesis, we have highlighted the structural particularities of TAC tree vegetation and meridional Amazon, both in case studies when evaluating anatomical-functional attributes (AFA) of species with high occurrence in the vegetation, and with comparisons of communities from different locations and patterns of AFA that allow a greater or lesser degree of resistance to the stress generated by climatic seasonality. In this perspective, we evaluated 16 plant communities using samples of leaves and stems from 932 trees. We process these samples and measure morphological, anatomical and physiological characters that we relate to the environmental characteristics of each plant community. We found that the species are endowed with different strategies to resist the seasonality of the region. While Tachigalli vulgaris is endowed with low plasticity to climatic conditions and water availability, having an apparent physiological and non-structural regulation to stress, other species of greater frequency in the sampled communities (Amaioua guianensis, Chaetocarpus echinocarpus, Miconia pyrifolia, Ocotea guianensis, Sacoglottis guianensis, Trattinnickia glaziovii and Xylopia amazonica) are notably endowed with phenotypic plasticity, being attuned to the plasticity of the wood tissue anatomy. When considering tree communities, most of them present a great diversity of strategies to deal with seasonal water stress. The comparative Cerradão vs. gallery forest revealed that despite a higher proportion of investment in xeromorphic structures, the cerradão is not endowed with excessively xeric characters and the gallery forest is endowed with greater hydraulic efficiency with minimal investment (at least in the vast majority of species) in safety hydraulic against vessel embolism. As for the comparison of the upland forest communities, we verified an interaction between xeromorphism and variations in water availability generated by seasonality. Drier communities presented for the leaves greater thickness of adaxial epidermis, smaller stomata and greater thickness of the leaf wing; and for branches the hydraulic conductivity, the average lumen area, the density of the xylemic vessels, the length and thickness of the sclerenchymatic fiber wall also varied according to our predictions, with patterns that generate greater xeromorphism and consequent hydraulic safety in the communities more seasonal. The particular responses of species to environmental variations make it difficult to analyze communities, however we were able to better understand how different taxa react to environmental stressors and how communities shape themselves to withstand the tropical seasonality that has presented intense episodes with greater frequency. It is a fact that some species have leaf adaptations such as: increase in supraepidermal structures, epidermal thickening and parenchyma that allow greater regulation of water loss. But the increase in hydraulic safety due to less efficient and safer conducting vessels is almost unanimous. Although there is investment in xeromorphic attributes, we emphasize that these communities are at risk of major changes in their structure and composition due to the intensification of stressful climatic events.

Devido a sua ampla distribuição, o bioma Cerrado se estende por diversos estados na região central do Brasil, associando a outros biomas através de suas areas marginais de ocorrencia, como a Amazônia e Floresta Atlantica.

The rapid pace of climate change poses a major threat to biodiversity conservation and unraveling how it will impact different species is a major obstacle to overcome. Because they depend on the ambient temperature for their thermoregulation, ectothermic animals are good models to understand these processes. Gymnodactylus amarali is an endemic lizard of the Cerrado, has nocturnal habits and preferentially inhabits rocky outcrops. In this study we investigate the thermal characteristics, calculate the restriction of the activity period, describe the thermal performance curve, create species distribution models based on environmental and ecophysiological data and, from them, evaluate the impact of different concentration scenarios of greenhouse gases and land use on the distribution of environmental suitability areas for the species. Our results show that the preferred and body temperatures are 26.03 ° C and 29.52 ° C, respectively. The species distribution model used for the suitability area calculations had an AUC of 95%. Today there has been a loss, due to deforestation, of 48% of areas that could be occupied by the species. In the RCP 4.5 scenario for the year 2050 these losses rise to 63% and reach 81% for the year 2070. In the RCP 8.5 scenario the losses are 79% for 2050 and 95% for 2070. When we consider different land use models, losses range from 55 to 99%. Our predictions indicate that reduced hours of activity, nocturnal habit, thermoforming ectothermy and micro-habitat specificity, together with marked reduction in suitability areas, determine a high risk of G. amarali extinction due to predicted environmental changes until the end of the century.

The welfare and survival of the human being has always depended on natural resources. With the loss of natural ecosystems in the world due to changes in land use, the services provided by these environments are gaining more emphasis in the scientific environment. Several initiatives endeavor to study interactions between human populations and ecosystems, using tools and methodologies to analyze scenarios. However, they still have limitations regarding multi-scale approaches and definition of economic values to encourage the maintenance of areas intended for the provision of ecosystem services. Thus, our work has focused on the importance of Amazonia as a service provider for society, especially the Amazon-Cerrado transition area, due to its occupation history, which can bring us relevant insights and lessons on the reflexes of our policies of territorial occupation. We study the Amazon-Cerrado transition region at different scales and find that changes in land use have been affecting the supply of ecosystem services, especially affecting the poorest and most dependent on the local scale. Our results show that the model advocated by the territorial occupation policies is built on a large scale and has deficiencies for finer scales of analysis, where a great wealth of interactions between humans and nature are observed. We did not identify evidence that such a model promotes a better distribution of wealth and, therefore, poverty reduction in the region. On the contrary, we find locally that it generally promotes the concentration of wealth and the loss of ecosystem services that are important for maintaining the quality of life of the poor. In our scenario, extensive agriculture and livestock predominate, and the activities are responsible for such results, but payment for ecosystem services can be financially attractive for a change in rural income generation. We also noted in our study that Indigenous Lands play an important role in providing ecosystem services in the region, especially maintaining water for urban supplies and productive activities.