Alexandre Uezu

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) infesting wild birds in the eastern Amazon, northern Brazil, with notes on rickettsial infection in ticks

The aim of the study was to report tick infestations on wild birds in a region of the eastern Brazilian Amazon and evaluate the rickettsial infection of these ticks. Wild birds captured by mist nets were examined for the presence of ticks, which were collected and identified to species by morphology or molecular methods. In addition, part of these ticks was individually tested by polymerase chain reaction targeting portions of the rickettsial genes gltA and ompA. Among 331 captured birds, representing 56 species, 133 individuals (40.2%) from 34 species were found infested by 443 ticks, being Amblyomma longirostre (Koch) the most common (103 larvae, 12 nymphs), followed by Amblyomma humerale Koch (15 larvae, 3 nymphs), Amblyomma geayi Neumann (seven larvae, one nymph), Amblyomma calcaratum Neumann (one larva, four nymphs), Amblyomma coelebs Neumann (two larvae), and Haemaphysalis juxtakochi Cooley (one larva, two nymphs). Other 285 larvae and 7 nymphs collected from birds could not be identified to species and were morphologically identified as Amblyomma spp. The species A. humerale and A. geayi are recorded for first time parasitizing birds in the Neotropical region. Among 67 A. longirostre and 7 A. geayi, 38 (56.7%) and 4 (57.1%), respectively, were found infected by Rickettsia amblyommii. In spite of R. amblyommii being not currently recognized as human or animal pathogen, there has been serological evidence for human and canine infection by this agent in the USA and in the Brazilian western Amazon.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Infesting Birds in an Atlantic Rain Forest Region of Brazil

ABSTRACT Brazil has the third richest bird diversity of the world; however, there are few data concerning ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) parazitizing birds. The aim of the study was to report tick infestations on wild birds from an Atlantic rain forest region of Brazil. During 2 yr, ticks were collected from birds and from the environment in 12 forest sites. A total of 1,725 birds were captured representing 80 species from 24 families. In total, 223 (13%) birds were found infested by immature stages of Amblyomma ticks: 1,800 larvae and 539 nymphs. The prevalence of ticks was higher among birds from the families Thamnophilidae, Conopophagidae, and Momotidae. The most common tick parasitizing birds was Amblyomma nodosum Koch. Other tick species, Amblyomma coelebs Neumann, Amblyomma cajennense (F.), Amblyomma ovale Koch, Amblyomma longirostre (Koch), Amblyomma calcaratum Neumann, and Amblyomma naponense (Packard), were found sporadically. Among freeliving ticks collected in the environment, A. cajennense was the most common, followed by A. coelebs, A. naponense, Amblyomma brasilense Aragão, and Hemaphysalis juxtakochi Cooley.

Rickettsial infection in Amblyomma nodosum ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from Brazil

Abstract The rickettsial infections in 174 Amblyomma nodosum found on passeriform birds in the Atlantic forest, eastern Brazil, have recently been evaluated. Rickettsiae were successfully isolated from two ticks, using cultures of Vero cells. Both isolates were molecularly characterised, using the rickettsial genes gltA and htrA and, when possible, also ompA and ompB. Portions of the gltA and htrA genes from one of the rickettsial isolates were found be closely match the corresponding GenBank sequences for Rickettsia bellii, with 99.9% and 100% homology, respectively. This isolate was named R. bellii strain Pontal. Portions of the gltA, htrA and ompB genes from the second isolate most closely matched the corresponding sequences of R. parkeri, whereas a portion of the ompA gene from this isolate was closest to the relevant sequence of Rickettsia sp. strain COOPERI (which has been considered to be a strain of R. parkeri in Brazil). The second isolate was named R. parkeri strain NOD. Further investigation of the 172 ticks from which isolates were not recovered revealed R. parkeri strain NOD in 40 and R. bellii strain Pontal in nine, giving overall infection prevalences of 23.6% (41/174) and 5.7% (10/174), respectively. This appears to be the first report of R. bellii and R. parkeri in A. nodosum.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Infesting Wild Birds in an Atlantic Forest Area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, with Isolation of Rickettsia from the Tick Amblyomma longirostre

Abstract During field work in Nazaré Paulista, state of São Paulo, Brazil, we found 13 (56.5%) of 23 birds (mostly Passeriformes) to be infested by 28 larvae and 1 nymph of Amblyomma spp. Two larvae were reared to the adult stage, being taxonomically identified as Amblyomma parkeri Fonseca and Aragão, whereas five larvae and one nymph were identified as Amblyomma longirostre Koch. All six A. longirostre specimens were shown to be infected by rickettsia, as demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting two rickettsial genes (gltA and ompA) or isolation of rickettsia in cell culture from one of the ticks. This isolate was designated as strain AL, which was established in Vero cell culture and was molecularly characterized by DNA sequencing fragments of the rickettsial genes gltA, htrA, ompA, and ompB. Phylogenetic analyses inferred from ompA and ompB partial sequences showed a high degree of similarity of strain AL with Rickettsia sp. strain ARANHA, previously detected by PCR in A. longirostre ticks from Rondônia, northern Brazil. We conclude that strain AL is a new rickettsia genotype belonging to the same species of strain ARANHA, which are closely related to Candidatus ’R. amblyommii’. Further studies should elucidate if strains AL and ARANHA are different strains of Candidatus ’R. amblyommii’ or are a new species.

Vanishing bird species in the Atlantic Forest: relative importance of landscape configuration, forest structure and species characteristics

Patch size, isolation, and vegetation structure are expected to strongly affect species persistence in fragmented landscapes, particularly for those with <30% of native habitat remaining. Those influences should be modulated by species characteristics, resulting in complex relationships. In order to investigate how species, habitat structure and landscape factors are related and how they affected species persistence, we studied bird communities in a fragmented Atlantic Forest region. Patch size strongly affected species richness and population abundances. However, some functional groups were more affected than others, particularly endemic and understory insectivores, species that are near the limits of their geographical distribution, those using few forest types, and those with their center of abundance in high altitude tropical forests. The effect of vegetation structure was mainly at the species level, reflecting specific responses to habitat quality. The importance of landscape variables varies according to the species group. For the most affected ones, which usually have low dispersal capacity, patch size and quality were the most relevant factors, whereas patch isolation was associated with the richness of groups with more generalist species. This pattern is due to the limited structural connectivity in the study region, composed of low matrix permeability (e.g. pastures and sugar cane), which isolate the most affected species, making them more dependent on local factors. In such a fragmented landscape, the largest patches should be prioritized for conservation purposes, as they aggregate the most vulnerable species and present the highest alpha diversity. Landscape management, as such, should also reconnect large fragments through corridors or matrix improvements, promoting better conditions for long-term persistence of the most affected species.

Patterns of Vertebrate Diversity and Protection in Brazil

Most conservation decisions take place at national or finer spatial scales. Providing useful information at such decision-making scales is essential for guiding the practice of conservation. Brazil is one of the world’s megadiverse countries, and consequently decisions about conservation in the country have a disproportionate impact on the survival of global biodiversity. For three groups of terrestrial vertebrates (birds, mammals, and amphibians), we examined geographic patterns of diversity and protection in Brazil, including that of endemic, small-ranged, and threatened species. To understand potential limitations of the data, we also explored how spatial bias in collection localities may influence the perceived patterns of diversity. The highest overall species richness is in the Amazon and Atlantic Forests, while the Atlantic Forest dominates in terms of country endemics and small-ranged species. Globally threatened species do not present a consistent pattern. Patterns for birds were similar to overall species richness, with higher concentrations of threatened species in the Atlantic Forest, while mammals show a more generalized pattern across the country and a high concentration in the Amazon. Few amphibians are listed as threatened, mostly in the Atlantic Forest. Data deficient mammals occur across the country, concentrating in the Amazon and southeast Atlantic Forest, and there are no data deficient birds in Brazil. In contrast, nearly a third of amphibians are data deficient, widespread across the country, but with a high concentration in the far southeast. Spatial biases in species locality data, however, possibly influence the perceived patterns of biodiversity. Regions with low sampling density need more biological studies, as do the many data deficient species. All biomes except the Amazon have less than 3% of their area under full protection. Reassuringly though, rates of protection do correlate with higher biodiversity, including higher levels of threatened and small-ranged species. Our results indicate a need for expanded formal protection in Brazil, especially in the Atlantic forest, and with an emphasis on fully protected areas.

Selection of habitat by the jaguar, Panthera onca (Carnivora: Felidae), in the upper Paraná River, Brazil

We used data from VHF and GPS radio-tagged jaguars, Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758) to quantify jaguar habitat selection and how adult individuals in the Upper Parana River region selected among the available habitat types. We followed the framework in which animals make decisions about resource use at hierarchical stages, namely selection of home range within a study area (second-order selection) and selection of patches within a home range (third-order selection). We quantified habitat preferences at two orders of selection with respect to habitat types and to test the null hypothesis that habitat utilization by jaguars was random at both study sites. Using compositional analysis, we assessed habitat selection by jaguars at second- and third-orders of selection. Jaguars consistently preferred dense marshes and primary forests, and avoided human-dominated areas such as intensively managed open pastures. Although the avoidance of disturbed and developed habitat types by jaguars is not surprising, this is the first study to document it. If small protected areas, such as the ones already existing in the Upper Parana region, are to sustain jaguar populations they, must include and protect as many primary forests and marshlands as possible, so that jaguars can disperse, hunt wild prey and take care of their cubs without being disturbed. What is urgently needed in these jaguar-protected areas is the creation of larger protected areas that can sustain jaguars in their favored habitat.

Time-Lag in Responses of Birds to Atlantic Forest Fragmentation: Restoration Opportunity and Urgency.

There are few opportunities to evaluate the relative importance of landscape structure and dynamics upon biodiversity, especially in highly fragmented tropical landscapes. Conservation strategies and species risk evaluations often rely exclusively on current aspects of landscape structure, although such limited assumptions are known to be misleading when time-lag responses occur. By relating bird functional-group richness to forest patch size and isolation in ten-year intervals (1956, 1965, 1978, 1984, 1993 and 2003), we revealed that birds with different sensitivity to fragmentation display contrasting responses to landscape dynamics in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. For non-sensitive groups, there was no time-lag in response: the recent degree of isolation best explains their variation in richness, which likely relates to these species’ flexibility to adapt to changes in landscape structure. However, for sensitive bird groups, the 1978 patch area was the best explanatory variable, providing evidence for a 25-year time-lag in response to habitat reduction. Time-lag was more likely in landscapes that encompass large patches, which can support temporarily the presence of some sensitive species, even when habitat cover is relatively low. These landscapes potentially support the most threatened populations and should be priorities for restoration efforts to avoid further species loss. Although time-lags provide an opportunity to counteract the negative consequences of fragmentation, it also reinforces the urgency of restoration actions. Fragmented landscapes will be depleted of biodiversity if landscape structure is only maintained, and not improved. The urgency of restoration action may be even higher in landscapes where habitat loss and fragmentation history is older and where no large fragment remained to act temporarily as a refuge.

Carrapatos (Acari: Ixodidae) capturados na Reserva Natural da Vale do Rio Doce, Linhares, Espírito Santo

We confirm, after decades without new registers, the occurrence of the ticks Amblyomma obolongoguttatum Koch, 1844, A. brasiliense Aragao, 1908, and A. humerale Koch, 1844 in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil, besides the first record of A. naponense (Packard, 1869) in this state.

ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIES FOR REVERSAL LOGISTICS: A CASE STUDY ON THE HAVAIANAS FLIP FLOPS IN SÃO PAULO (SP) AND JOÃO PESSOA (PB), BRAZIL

Advances in technology and marketing concepts have been contributing in reducing the life cycle of products and to their rapid discard. In the other hand, new sustainable strategies seek to close the product cycle in the market through reverse logistics. The present study aimed to examine the consumer’s willingness to return consumed products through two strategies for collecting, using Havaianas sandals as a case study: direct return or selective disposal. A total of 807 questionnaires were administered in two large Brazilian cities, Joao Pessoa (390) and Sao Paulo (417), and recycling cooperatives were visited. In total, about 80% reported using the sandal. In Sao Paulo city, among the almost 73% that were willing to return the sandals, 34% would do it without any financial encouragement. In Joao Pessoa, among the 85% that would return the sandals, about 43% would not need any encouragement. In Sao Paulo, the potential for selective collection (60%) is superior to direct voluntary return (40%), and in Joao Pessoa both strategies are equivalent. We concluded that: both direct voluntary return and selective devolution are viable strategies, but a pilot project seems to be necessary to better evaluate the different strategies; cooperatives of collectors of recyclable materials may be a good alternative as a collaboration to collect the urban solid waste; the shared responsibility between society, government and companies is helpful for closing the cycle of materials; and the reverse logistic may play an important role in the business competitiveness.