Mario Arthur Favretto

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from crepuscular period in an Atlantic Forest area in Southern Brazil

Crepuscular period is one of the factors that may influence the biting activity of mosquitoes. Many of these insects have a peak activity in this period. The purpose of this study was to investigate the afternoon crepuscular activity of Culicidae in a remaining area of Atlantic Forest in western Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Moreover, the possible influence of abiotic factors, the abundance and species richness were verified. In order to better analyze the influence of crepuscular period in specific composition and abundance of mosquitoes, the dusk was divided into three periods: pre-sunset, sunset and post-sunset. At the end of the study, nine hundred and eight four specimens distributed in 12 genera and 23 species were collected. Trichoprosopon pallidiventer (Lutz, 1905) (59.76%), Aedes crinifer (Theobald, 1903) (8.13%), Ae. scapularis (Rondani, 1848) (5.89%) were the most abundant species. Spring time presented the greatest abundance and species richness. During the study, among the three periods evaluated, pre-sunset had the greatest abundance and post-sunset the lowest. Pre-sunset and sunset had the greatest similarity between species. Regarding to the abiotic factors evaluated seven and 15 days before sampling, they did not present significant correlation for the three most abundant species. However, temperature had a positive correlation to these species. Moreover, the correlation between collected species and its possible role as vectors of etiological agents of diseases was discussed.

Composição e dinâmica da avifauna da usina eólica da praia da Pedra do Sal, Delta do Parnaíba, Piauí, Brasil

The impact of wind farms on birds is one of the least studied themes in Brazil, which contrasts with the importance of this new source of renewable energy. The present study aimed to characterize the composition and ecological dynamics of species of resident and migratory birds present in the area of Wind farm of the Pedra do Sal, in Parnaiba, state of Piaui. The study was developed through thirty-three samples distributed in two complete seasonal cycles (September 2011 to August 2013), by the method of point counts disposed at the base of each wind turbine. We recorded 6,843 contacts of birds belonging to 67 species in 22 families and 13 orders, and the species with the highest number of contacts was the Charadrius collaris Vieillot, 1818. The predominant trophic categories were the insectivorous birds (18 species) followed by birds that feed on aquatic invertebrates (17 species). The majority of birds recorded is from aquatic environments. During the development of this study, no collisions between birds and wind turbines were recorded.

Composição da avifauna de um remanescente florestal nas margens do rio Chapecozinho, Santa Catarina, Brasil

Forest fragmentation is the main process of destruction of the Atlantic Forest that creates heterogeneous environments that affect the structure and stability of ecological communities. The present study aimed to characterize the bird communityin a riparian forest remnant along the Chapecozinho river, in southern Brazil, between 2006 and 2009. The birds were analyzed for their predominant diet, preferential habitat, frequency of occurrence and relative abundance. One hundred and five species of birds were recorded. The seasons with highest species richness were spring 2007 and winter 2008. The more representative trophic categories were insectivorous (n=44), omnivorous (n=29) and frugivorous (n=10). Most species were classified as forest birds (n=48). The results showed that the forest remnant may be suffering fromanthropogenic pressures because: (1) seasonal patterns were not verified; (2) generalists and species from open areas were more dominant, such as Guira guia (RA=2,81%), Pyrrhura frontalis (RA=2,66%) and Theristicus caudatus (RA=2,51%). The significant number of omnivores in the area of study corroborates other studies in the region, suggesting that the area suffered environmental changes. Keywords: birds, forest remnant, quali-quantitative survey.