Nut production in Bertholletia excelsa across a logged forest mosaic: implications for multiple forest use

Although many examples of multiple-use forest management may be found in tropical smallholder systems, few studies provide empirical support for the integration of selective timber harvesting with non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction. Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythidaceae) is one of the world’s most economically-important NTFP species extracted almost entirely from natural forests across the Amazon Basin. An obligate out-crosser, Brazil nut flowers are pollinated by large-bodied bees, a process resulting in a hard round fruit that takes up to 14 months to mature. As many smallholders turn to the financial security provided by timber, Brazil nut fruits are increasingly being harvested in logged forests. We tested the influence of tree and stand-level covariates (distance to nearest cut stump and local logging intensity) on total nut production at the individual tree level in five recently logged Brazil nut concessions covering about 4000 ha of forest in Madre de Dios, Peru. Our field team accompanied Brazil nut harvesters during the traditional harvest period (January-April 2012 and January-April 2013) in order to collect data on fruit production. Three hundred and ninety-nine (approximately 80%) of the 499 trees included in this study were at least 100 m from the nearest cut stump, suggesting that concessionaires avoid logging near adult Brazil nut trees. Yet even for those trees on the edge of logging gaps, distance to nearest cut stump and local logging intensity did not have a statistically significant influence on Brazil nut production at the applied logging intensities (typically 1–2 timber trees removed per ha). In one concession where at least 4 trees ha-1 were removed, however, the logging intensity covariate resulted in a marginally significant (0.09) P value, highlighting a potential risk for a drop in nut production at higher intensities. While we do not suggest that logging activities should be completely avoided in Brazil nut rich forests, when a buffer zone cannot be observed, low logging intensities should be implemented. The sustainability of this integrated management system will ultimately depend on a complex series of socioeconomic and ecological interactions. Yet we submit that our study provides an important initial step in understanding the compatibility of timber harvesting with a high value NTFP, potentially allowing for diversification of forest use strategies in Amazonian Perù

Trypanosoma rangeli is phylogenetically closer to Old World trypanosomes than to Trypanosoma cruzi.

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Trypanosoma rangeli and Trypanosoma cruzi are generalist trypanosomes sharing a wide range of mammalian hosts; they are transmitted by triatomine bugs, and are the only trypanosomes infecting humans in the Neotropics. Their origins, phylogenetic relationships, and emergence as human parasites have long been subjects of interest. In the present study, taxon-rich analyses (20 trypanosome species from bats and terrestrial mammals) using ssrRNA, glycosomal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH), heat shock protein-70 (HSP70) and Spliced Leader RNA sequences, and multilocus phylogenetic analyses using 11 single copy genes from 15 selected trypanosomes, provide increased resolution of relationships between species and clades, strongly supporting two main sister lineages: lineage Schizotrypanum, comprising T. cruzi and bat-restricted trypanosomes, and Tra[Tve-Tco] formed by T. rangeli, Trypanosoma vespertilionis and Trypanosoma conorhini clades. Tve comprises European T. vespertilionis and African T. vespertilionis-like of bats and bat cimicids characterised in the present study and Trypanosoma sp. Hoch reported in monkeys and herein detected in bats. Tco included the triatomine-transmitted tropicopolitan T. conorhini from rats and the African NanDoum1 trypanosome of civet (carnivore). Consistent with their very close relationships, Tra[Tve-Tco] species shared highly similar Spliced Leader RNA structures that were highly divergent from those of Schizotrypanum. In a plausible evolutionary scenario, a bat trypanosome transmitted by cimicids gave origin to the deeply rooted Tra[Tve-Tco] and Schizotrypanum lineages, and bat trypanosomes of diverse genetic backgrounds jumped to new hosts. A long and independent evolutionary history of T. rangeli more related to Old World trypanosomes from bats, rats, monkeys and civets than to Schizotrypanum spp., and the adaptation of these distantly related trypanosomes to different niches of shared mammals and vectors, is consistent with the marked differences in transmission routes, life-cycles and host-parasite interactions, resulting in T. cruzi (but not T. rangeli) being pathogenic to humans.This study was supported by grants awarded to MMGT and EPC from CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) PROAFRICA, PROSUL and UNIVERSAL programs, CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) PNIPB, PNPD and PROTAX programs, and FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation; process 2016/07487-0). Genome sequencing was supported by the Assembling the Tree of Life (ATOL) Project of the National Science Foundation, USA (NSF DEB-0830056), and TCC-USP (Trypanosomatid Culture Collection of the University of São Paulo) projects. OEA received PhD fellowships from CNPq (PROTAX) and COLCIENCIAS (Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Colombia); PAO is a postdoctoral fellow of CAPES (PNPD); LL and AGCM are supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from CAPES (PROTAX)

Improved care of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in two academic emergency departments

Background: Although several chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) practice guidelines have been published, there is sparse data on the actual emergency department (ED) management of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Aims: Our objectives were to examine concordance of ED care of AECOPD in older patients with guideline recommendations and to evaluate whether concordance has improved over time in two academic EDs. Methods: Data were obtained from two cohort studies on AECOPD performed in two academic EDs during two different time periods, 2000 and 2005–2006. Both studies included ED patients, aged 55 and older, who presented with AECOPD, and cases were confirmed by emergency physicians. Data on ED management and disposition were obtained from chart review for both cohorts. Results: The analysis included 272 patients: 72 in the 2000 database and 200 in the 2005–2006 database. The mean age of the patients was 72 years; 50% were women and 80% white. In 2005–2006, overall concordance with guideline recommendations was high (for chest radiography, pulse oximetry, bronchodilators, all ≥ 90%), except for arterial blood gas testing (7% among the admitted) and discharge medication with systemic corticosteroids (42%). Compared to the 2000 data, the use of systemic corticosteroids in the ED improved from 53 to 77% [absolute improvement: 24%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 11–37%], and the use of antibiotics among the patients with respiratory infection symptoms improved from 56 to 78% (absolute improvement: 22%, 95% CI: 6–38%). Conclusions: Overall concordance with guideline-recommended care for AECOPD was high in two academic EDs, and some emergency treatments have improved over time

Ecosystem heterogeneity and diversity mitigate Amazon forest resilience to frequent extreme droughts

© 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust The impact of increases in drought frequency on the Amazon forest's composition, structure and functioning remain uncertain. We used a process- and individual-based ecosystem model (ED2) to quantify the forest's vulnerability to increased drought recurrence. We generated meteorologically realistic, drier-than-observed rainfall scenarios for two Amazon forest sites, Paracou (wetter) and Tapajós (drier), to evaluate the impacts of more frequent droughts on forest biomass, structure and composition. The wet site was insensitive to the tested scenarios, whereas at the dry site biomass declined when average rainfall reduction exceeded 15%, due to high mortality of large-sized evergreen trees. Biomass losses persisted when year-long drought recurrence was shorter than 2–7 yr, depending upon soil texture and leaf phenology. From the site-level scenario results, we developed regionally applicable metrics to quantify the Amazon forest's climatological proximity to rainfall regimes likely to cause biomass loss > 20% in 50 yr according to ED2 predictions. Nearly 25% (1.8 million km2) of the Amazon forests could experience frequent droughts and biomass loss if mean annual rainfall or interannual variability changed by 2σ. At least 10% of the high-emission climate projections (CMIP5/RCP8.5 models) predict critically dry regimes over 25% of the Amazon forest area by 2100

Rare variants in SQSTM1 and VCP genes and risk of sporadic inclusion body myositis

Genetic factors have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM). SQSTM1 and VCP are two key genes associated with several neurodegenerative disorders but have yet to be thoroughly investigated in sIBM. A candidate gene analysis was conducted using whole-exome sequencing data from 181 sIBM patients, and whole-transcriptome expression analysis was performed in patients with genetic variants of interest. We identified six rare missense variants in the SQSTM1 and VCP in seven sIBM patients (4.0%). Two variants SQSTM1 p.G194R and the VCP p.R159C were significantly overrepresented in this sIBM cohort compared with controls. Five of these variants had been previously reported in patients with degenerative diseases. The mRNA levels of MHC genes were up-regulated, this elevation being more pronounced in SQSTM1 patient group. We report for the first time potentially pathogenic SQSTM1 variants and expand the spectrum of VCP variants in sIBM. These data suggests that defects in neurodegenerative pathways may confer genetic susceptibility to sIBM and reinforce the mechanistic overlap in these neurodegenerative disorders

Ecological strategies of Al-accumulating and non-accumulating functional groups from the cerrado sensu stricto

The cerrado's flora comprises aluminum-(Al) accumulating and non-accumulating plants, which coexist on acidic and Al-rich soils with low fertility. Despite their existence, the ecological importance or biological strategies of these functional groups have been little explored. We evaluated the leaf flushing patterns of both groups throughout a year; leaf concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Al, total flavonoids and polyphenols; as well as the specific leaf area (SLA) on young and mature leaves within and between the groups. In Al-accumulating plants, leaf flushed throughout the year, mainly in May and September; for non-accumulating plants, leaf flushing peaked at the dry-wet seasons transition. However, these behaviors could not be associated with strategies for building up concentrations of defense compounds in leaves of any functional groups. Al-accumulating plants showed low leaf nutrient concentrations, while non-accumulating plants accumulated more macronutrients and produced leaves with high SLA since the juvenile leaf phase. This demonstrates that the increase in SLA is slower in Al-accumulating plants that are likely to achieve SLA values comparable to the rest of the plant community only in the wet season, when sunlight capture is important for the growth of new branches.A flora do cerrado é composta por espécies acumuladoras e não acumuladoras de alumínio (Al), coexistentes em solos ácidos, ricos em Al e com baixa fertilidade. Apesar da coexistência desses grupos funcionais, sua importância ecológica e suas estratégias biológicas são pouco conhecidas. Nós estudamos os padrões fenológicos de brotação foliar de ambos os grupos ao longo do ano, as concentrações foliares de N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Al, flavonoides totais e polifenóis e a área foliar específica (AFE) em folhas jovens e maduras, dentro e entre os grupos. Para as espécies acumuladoras de Al as brotações foliares foram distribuídas ao longo do ano, com maior intensidade entre maio e setembro; para as espécies não acumuladoras de Al observamos um pico de brotação durante a transição das estações seca e chuvosa. No entanto, estes comportamentos não podem ser associados às estratégias ligadas ao acúmulo foliar de metabólitos secundários por estes grupos funcionais. As espécies acumuladoras de Al apresentaram menores concentrações de nutrientes foliares, enquanto que as não acumuladoras concentraram mais macronutrientes e produziram folhas com alta AFE desde a fase juvenil. Isso demonstra que o aumento de AFE é mais lento nas espécies acumuladoras de Al, que devem atingir valores de AFE comparáveis ao resto da comunidade apenas na estação úmida, quando a captação de luz é importante para o crescimento de novos ramos.Coordenação de Aperfei çoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Estadual Paulista Instituto de Biociências Departamento de BotânicaUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto Departamento de Ciências FarmacêuticasUniversidade Estadual Paulista Instituto de Química Departamento de Química OrgânicaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Instituto de Biociências Departamento de BotânicaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Instituto de Química Departamento de Química OrgânicaFAPESP: 2010/07809-1FAPESP: 2012/13762-3FAPESP: 2007/59779-6FAPESP-VALE: 2010/51307-

Primary modes of tree mortality in southwestern Amazon forests

Tree mortality rates and the modes of tree death have recently been extensively investigated in the Amazon. However, efforts to describe these processes have not been well distributed across the basin. No study has yet investigated in depth tree mortality process in the unique low, open, bamboo-dominated forests of southwestern Amazonia, a region with a distinct climate and the epicenter of recent severe drought events. Here, we investigated the leading ways that trees die in the terra-firme forests of the southwestern Brazilian Amazon, to understand whether the dynamics of mortality differ from those recorded in other parts of the basin. Using data from six permanent plots located in southwestern Amazonia, we calculated the mortality rate for three main modes of tree death: standing, broken and uprooted. We thus identified the predominant mode of death over a 14 year period (2002–2016). We found that trees in the southwestern Amazon died mainly standing (325 trees, 0.8% year−1) and broken (362 trees, 0.8% year−1); significantly fewer trees died uprooted (156 trees, 0.4% year−1, equivalent to less than one in five of all trees dying). During the study period, the tree mode of death with the greatest proportion in the region alternated between standing and broken trees. Forest characteristics of the southwestern Amazon, like presence and high density of bamboo culms, and the fact that the region was subject to severe droughts in 2005 and 2010, may be affecting how trees die in southwestern Amazon. The presence of these factors makes the forest dynamics of the southwestern Amazon different from other regions of the Amazon basin

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi TcII and TcI in free-ranging population of lion tamarins (Leontopithecus spp): an 11-year follow-up

Here, we present a review of the dataset resulting from the 11-years follow-up of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in free-ranging populations of Leontopithecus rosalia (golden lion tamarin) and Leontopithecus chrysomelas (golden-headed lion tamarin) from distinct forest fragments in Atlantic Coastal Rainforest. Additionally, we present new data regarding T. cruzi infection of small mammals (rodents and marsupials) that live in the same areas as golden lion tamarins and characterisation at discrete typing unit (DTU) level of 77 of these isolates. DTU TcII was found to exclusively infect primates, while TcI infected Didelphis aurita and lion tamarins. The majority of T. cruzi isolates derived from L. rosalia were shown to be TcII (33 out 42) Nine T. cruzi isolates displayed a TcI profile. Golden-headed lion tamarins demonstrated to be excellent reservoirs of TcII, as 24 of 26 T. cruzi isolates exhibited the TcII profile. We concluded the following: (i) the transmission cycle of T. cruzi in a same host species and forest fragment is modified over time, (ii) the infectivity competence of the golden lion tamarin population fluctuates in waves that peak every other year and (iii) both golden and golden-headed lion tamarins are able to maintain long-lasting infections by TcII and TcI

Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests

The carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots. While tree mortality rates vary greatly Amazon-wide, on average trees are as likely to die standing as they are broken or uprooted—modes of death with different ecological consequences. Species-level growth rate is the single most important predictor of tree death in Amazonia, with faster-growing species being at higher risk. Within species, however, the slowest-growing trees are at greatest risk while the effect of tree size varies across the basin. In the driest Amazonian region species-level bioclimatic distributional patterns also predict the risk of death, suggesting that these forests are experiencing climatic conditions beyond their adaptative limits. These results provide not only a holistic pan-Amazonian picture of tree death but large-scale evidence for the overarching importance of the growth–survival trade-off in driving tropical tree mortality