Marcelo Ximenes Aguiar Bizerril

FEEDING BEHAVIOUR OF BATS AND THE DISPERSAL OF PIPER ARBOREUM SEEDS IN BRAZIL

Phyllostomide bats are the most important consumers of Piper fruits in the Neotropics (Heithaus et al. 1975) and, in particular, Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina are the species which demonstrate distinct preferences for these fruits (Charles-Dominique 1991, Fleming 1981, Fleming et al. 1977, Marinho-Filho 1991, Palmeirim el al. 1989). This is also true of Piper arboreum Aubl. (Piperaceae) in the gallery forests of Central Brazil (Bizerril & Raw 1997).

Comparação do padrão da distribuição espacial em escalas diferentes de espécies nativas do cerrado, em Brasília, DF

Comparison of scale in the spatial distribution of native species of the cerrado, em Brasilia, DF). The scale of spatial distribution of three native tree species, Caryocar brasiliense, Pterodon pubescens and Sclerolobium paniculatum, and two native palm species, Syagrus comosa and S. flexuosa, in the cerrado was determined using three quadrat variance methods. The data were collected in an area of cerrado, sensu stricto, on the Fazenda Agua Limpa of the University of Brasilia in 128 contiguous quadrats of 5x8m each. In each quadrat, all individuals of each species were located and their height measured. The scale of spatial distribution of each species was evaluated with the following methods: blocked quadrat variance (BQV); two-term local quadrat variance (TTLQV) and paired quadrat variance (PQV), for both all individuals and all woody individuals over 130 cm in height. The total number of individuals was 138 for C. brasiliense ,3 4 forP. pubescens ,8 2 forS. paniculatum ,e ight forS. comosa and 36 forS. flexuosa. All species showed a group in at least one of the methods. The time spent in collection of data was comparable to that for other studies of spatial distribuition and three of the five species had similar results in all methods. The pattern for C. brasiliense was similar to that found in another study using the same methodology, with a distance of approximately 350 m between groups. RESUMO - (Comparacao do padrao da distribuicao espacial em escalas diferentes de especies nativas do cerrado, em Brasilia, DF). O padrao de agrupamento espacial de tres especies arboreas, Caryocar brasiliense, Pterodon pubescens e Sclerolobium paniculatum, e duas especies de palmeiras, Syagrus comosa e S. flexuosa, nativas do cerrado, foi investigado usando tres metodos de variância entre parcelas. Os dados foram coletados em uma area de cerrado sensu strictu da Fazenda Agua Limpa da Universidade de Brasilia, em Brasilia, DF, em 128 parcelas contiguas de 5x8mc ada. Em cada parcela, foram procurados todos os individuos das especies, anotando o numero encontrado e suas alturas. Os dados foram tabelados e analisados usando as tecnicas de variância entre blocos de parcelas (BQV), variância movel entre blocos de parcelas (TTLQV) e variância entre parcelas pareadas (PQV), tanto para todos os individuos encontrados quanto para somente os individuos lenhosos maiores do que 130 cm em altura. O numero total de individuos encontrado foi 138 para C. brasiliense ,3 4 paraP. pubescens ,8 2para S. paniculatum, oito para S. comosa e3 6 paraS. flexuosa. Todas as especies apresentaram um padrao agrupado de distribuicao espacial em pelo menos uma das metodologias e tres das cinco especies tiveram resultados semelhantes em todos os metodos. O padrao para C. brasiliense foi semelhante ao encontrado para esta mesma especie em outra regiao do cerrado, utilizando a mesma metodologia, com uma distância de aproximadamente 350 m entre grupos.

Linking Community Communication to Conservation of the Maned Wolf in Central Brazil.

This article describes the environmental education (EE) program developed in the neighboring community of Serra da Canastra National Park based on a research project focused on the maned wolf conservation. The article assesses three tools used to foster the community’s participation in discussing local issues: (1) communal production of a book about the region; (2) deployment of a traveling environmental cinema project through local towns and farms; and (3) training courses for the community on how to use communication tools for EE. Despite their differences and intrinsic limitations, the three strategies applied in this study proved effective in promoting community participation. The maned wolf species benefited indirectly from having its image associated to relevant cultural activities for the community. In addition, the connection generated by the project in the community certainly extended to the species at hand. Interest in the species and project actions grew among the community, which became more active in finding solutions for existing conflicts. The book’s approval by the community and the opinion of the authors showed that preparing a book with local authorship is a powerful tool for community mobilization. Using cinema language also proved effective to spike the community’s interest in discussing issues related to conservation in the rural environment.

Universities in Transition to Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities for the Campus of the University of Brasilia in Planaltina

A significant expansion of Brazilian public higher education occurred in the last decade. It is necessary to analyze the performance of sustainability within new federal university campuses to identify successful cases that may influence the university system as a whole. The present study is important because it addresses the case of a campus with the potential to be a reference on sustainability in Brazil, but it still faces obstacles and challenges to reach this condition. The Faculdade UnB Planaltina (FUP) is one of the three new campuses of the University of Brasilia, and presents potential for sustainability given its location, courses, faculty profile and organizational structure. This study analyzes the performance of FUP in the field of sustainability from the seven dimensions of university activities proposed in the literature on sustainability in higher education: education, research, outreach, campus operations, on-campus experiences, Institutional framework, assessment and reporting. The campus’s strengths are research, outreach, participation in management and the Institutional Pedagogical Political Project that reflects the intentionality of the campus in relation to sustainability. However, it is necessary to continue to strengthen sustainability in the curriculum and implement an environmental management system.