Pedro Cardoso

Rapid biodiversity assessment of spiders (Araneae) using semi-quantitative sampling: a case study in a Mediterranean forest

Abstract.u2003 1 A thorough inventory of a Mediterranean oak forest spider fauna carried out during 2 weeks is presented. It used a semi‐quantitative sampling protocol to collect comparable data in a rigorous, rapid and efficient way. Four hundred and eighty samples of one person‐hour of work each were collected, mostly inside a delimited 1‐ha plot. 2 Sampling yielded 10 808 adult spiders representing 204 species. The number of species present at the site was estimated using five different richness estimators (Chao1, Chao2, Jackknife1, Jackknife2 and Michaelis–Menten). The estimates ranged from 232 to 260. The most reliable estimates were provided by the Chao estimators and the least reliable was obtained with the Michaelis–Menten. However, the behavior of the Michaelis–Menten accumulation curves supports the use of this estimator as a stopping or reliability rule. 3 Nineteen per cent of the species were represented by a single specimen (singletons) and 12% by just two specimens (doubletons). The presence of locally rare species in this exhaustive inventory is discussed. 4 The effects of day, time of day, collector experience and sampling method on the number of adults, number of species and taxonomic composition of the samples are assessed. Sampling method is the single most important factor influencing the results and all methods generate unique species. Time of day is also important, in such way that each combination of method and time of day may be considered as a different method in itself. There are insignificant differences between the collectors in terms of species and number of adult spiders collected. Despite the high collecting effort, the species richness and abundance of spiders remained constant throughout the sampling period.

Seasonality of spiders (Araneae) in Mediterranean ecosystems and its implications in the optimum sampling period

Abstract 1.u2002Fields such as ecology, macroecology, and conservation biology rely on accurate and comparable data. This is especially important for mostly unknown and megadiverse taxa such as spiders and regions such as the Mediterranean. Short‐term sampling programmes are increasingly seen as the best option for sampling spiders. Comparability of results, however, demands standard procedures both in methodology and in sampling period. Cost‐efficiency dictates that this period should be the most species rich.

Species richness and composition assessment of spiders in a Mediterranean scrubland

Intensive fieldwork has been undertaken in Portugal in order to develop a standardized and optimized sampling protocol for Mediterranean spiders. The present study had the objectives of testing the use of semi-quantitative sampling for obtaining an exhaustive species richness assessment of spiders and testing the effects of day, time of day, collector and sampling method on the collected species richness and composition of a Mediterranean scrubland. The collecting summed 224 samples corresponding to one person-hour of effective fieldwork each. In total, 115 species were captured, of which 110 were recorded inside a delimited one-hectare plot, corresponding to more than 70% of the about 160 estimated species. Although no estimator reached the asymptote, the Michaelis-Menten curve behaviour indicates that the estimated richness should be accurate. Most different sampling approaches (day, time of day, collector and sampling method) were found to influence richness, abundance or composition of the samples to some extent, although sampling method had the strongest influence whereas “collector” showed no effect at all. The results support the idea that the only variables that need to be controlled in similar protocols are the sampling methods and the time of day when each method is executed. We conclude that populations in structurally simple habitats present narrower peaks of adult abundance, which implies higher percentages of juveniles in samples. Finally, results also indicate that habitats with a relatively simple structure like scrublands may require as much sampling effort, in order to reach similar proportions of captured species in relation to the estimated richness, as habitats that are much more complex.

Biotic integrity of the arthropod communities in the natural forests of Azores

The loss of biotic integrity in ecosystems due to human pressure has been receiving much attention from the scientific community. The primary aim of this study is to understand how the increasing human pressure on natural forests in the Azorean archipelago (North Atlantic) is affecting their epigean arthropod communities and which biological parameters it affects most. An expert team did fieldwork covering most of the natural forests (mainly inside nature reserves) of the archipelago using standardized pitfall trapping. To build a multimetric index we tested a number of taxonomic and ecological parameters that can potentially be influenced by disturbance. Sixteen of these were found to be significantly influenced by disturbance in forests. We retained seven metrics due to both, desirable scalability properties and relatively low correlation between them. These included the percentages of endemic and predator species richness and also predator abundance, which are inversely related to disturbance; and the percentages of native and saprophagous species richness and introduced and herbivore abundance, which are positively related to disturbance. All seven metrics were combined in an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) value. We then proceeded to understand which potential disturbance factors are influencing the biotic integrity of communities and how such influence is felt. Five disturbance factors were found to influence the IBI, although in different ways: the size and fragmentation of reserves, the distance of sites to the reserve borders, the invasion by alien plants and the density of human paths at the sites. Given that only percentages of taxonomical or ecological characteristics were chosen as metrics, we tested and found the scalability of the IBI to be possible, allowing the comparison of sites with different collecting effort or even the comparison of reserves with different areas and numbers of collecting sites in each. Finally, we propose a novel graphical representation for multimetric indices like the IBI, one which allows retaining much of the information that is usually lost in multimetric indices.

Assessing the efficiency of protected areas to represent biodiversity: a small island case study

Protected areas (PAs) have been selected using either subjective or objective criteria applied to an extremely limited subset of biodiversity. Improved availability of species distribution data, better statistical tools to predict species distributions and algorithms to optimize spatial conservation planning allow many impediments to be overcome, particularly on small islands. This study analyses whether 219 species are adequately protected by PAs on Pico Island (the Azores, Portugal), and if they are as efficient as possible, maximizing species protection while minimizing costs. We performed distribution modelling of species’ potential distributions, proposed individual conservation targets (considering the context of each species in the archipelago and their current conservation status) to determine the efficiency of current PAs in meeting such targets and identify alternative or complementary areas relevant for conservation. Results showed that current PAs do not cover all taxa, leaving out important areas for conservation. We demonstrate that by using optimization algorithms it is possible to include most species groups in spatial conservation planning in the Azores with the current resources. With increasing availability of data and methods, this approach could be readily extended to other islands and regions with high endemism levels.

Análise comparativa do fractional flow reserve (FFR) e do instantaneous wave‐free ratio (iFR): resultados de um registo de 5 anos

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVEnAssessment of coronary lesions by the instantaneous wave free ratio (iFR) has generated significant debate. We aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of iFR and its impact on the decision to use fractional flow reserve (FFR) and on procedural characteristics.nnnMETHODSnIn this single-center registry of patients undergoing functional assessment of coronary lesions, FFR was used as a reference for assessing the diagnostic performance of iFR. An iFR value <0.86 was considered positive and a value >0.93 was considered negative.nnnRESULTSnFunctional testing was undertaken of 402 lesions, of which 154 were assessed with both techniques, 222 with FFR only, and 26 with iFR only. Using a cut-off of ≤0.80 for iFR, the area under the curve was 0.73 (95% CI 0.65-0.81), with an optimal value of ≤0.91. FFR was undertaken in 93 out of 94 lesions with an inconclusive iFR and was performed in 69.1% of the remaining iFR-tested lesions. Concordance between iFR and FFR was 87% (chi-square=22.43; p<0.001). Notwithstanding, there were four out of 13 cases (30.7%) of positive iFR with negative FFR and three out of 42 (7.1%) cases of negative iFR and positive FFR. This difference was significant (p=0.026). iFR had no impact on procedure time, fluoroscopy time or radiation dose.nnnCONCLUSIONniFR had a reasonable diagnostic performance. Operators often chose to perform FFR despite conclusive iFR results. iFR and FFR were highly concordant, but a non-negligible proportion of lesions classified as ischemic by iFR were classified as non-ischemic by FFR. iFR had no impact on procedural characteristics.

A rare cause of tachycardia

An anomalous aortic origin of the coronary arteries is rare, with a reported incidence of 0.3--1.3%. An anomalous left coronary artery from the right sinus with an interarterial course has a prevalence of 0.17% and is associated with a high risk of sudden cardiac death during or after strenuous exertion. We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with no relevant medical history referred for cardiology consultation due to tachycardia. She reported no other relevant cardiovascular symptoms, including fatigue, dyspnea, dizziness or syncope. Initial examination including electrocardiogram, laboratory tests including thyroid function, echocardiography and 24-hour Holter revealed no significant changes. She performed a treadmill exercise test (7 min 30 s with the Bruce protocol), reaching the maximum predicted heart rate with no angina or arrhythmias, but with ST-segment depression of 1.5 mm in the inferior leads. Given the low likelihood of coronary artery disease, a cardiac computed tomography scan was requested to rule it out, which revealed an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva (Figures 1 and 2) with interarterial course between the aorta and the pulmonary artery (Figures 3 and 4). Her calcium score was 0. Although there is still disagreement on the subject, the AHA/ACC guidelines recommend surgical coronary revascularization in patients

Imagiologia cardiovascular de um aneurisma ventricular esquerdo gigante

A 73-year-old man with a history of coronary artery disease and inferoposterior myocardial infarction was referred for cardiology consultation with symptoms of chronic heart failure in NYHA class III. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a thrombus partially filling a giant pseudoaneurysm/aneurysm of the inferoposterior wall, causing significant deformation of the ventricular geometry (Figure 1; Videos 1--4). Despite the size of the aneurysm, the subvalvular mitral apparatus was intact, with no regurgitation. Given the uncertainty surrounding the differential diagnosis, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed, which confirmed a giant ventricular aneurysm (long axis 6.7 cm) containing a thrombus (Figure 2; Videos 5 and 6), and anticoagulant therapy was

Acute myocardial infarction in patients with a very rare form of anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery.

We present the case of a 50-year-old man (case 1) with hypertension and smoking habits, who presented with an ongoing chest pain for 2 h and an ST-segment elevation on the anteroseptal and lateral leads on the electrocardiogram, who underwent urgent cardiac catheterization. The coronary angiography revealed a dominant right coronary artery with no stenosis (Fig. 1A). The left main coronary artery (LMCA) was found to originate from the right coronary sinus, with a separate ostium from the right coronary artery and a retroaortic course. Severe lesions in the middle and distal-shafts of the LMCA were disclosed (Fig. 1B, white arrow). The anomalous LMCA was easily cannulated with a Judkins Left 4.0 catheter and successfully stented (Fig. 1C). Acute pulmonary edema in the context of a hypertensive crisis, requiring mechanical ventilation, occurred in the immediate period after revascularization. Maximum troponin I levels were found to be 185.9 mg/L. Recovery was uneventful and the left ventricular systolic function was only mildly compromised at discharge. Multislice computed tomography coronary angiography confirmed an LMCA retroaortic course (Figs. 1D and E, black arrows) and coronary stent patency (Fig. 1F, arrowhead).