Walter Barrella

Composição e diversidade de anfíbios anuros em dois ambientes de Mata Atlântica no Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, São Paulo, sudeste do Brasil

Moraes, R.A. de, Sawaya, R.J. & Barrela, W. Composition and diversity of A nuran Amphibians in two Atlantic Forest environments in Southeastern Brazil, Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Biota Neotrop. May/Aug 2007 vol. 7, no. 2 http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v7n2/pt/abstract?article+bn0030 7022007. ISSN 1676-0603. The Atlantic Forest is characterized by its high species richness and endemism, and is one of the 25 hotspots of biodiversity around the world. We present information on composition and diversity of anuran amphibians in two environments with different degrees of disturbance in Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, Sao Paulo state, an area of Atlantic Rain Forest in southeastern Brazil. We sampled an artificial pond in a disturbed area and a pond in a preserved area by audio sampling and incidental encounters, in 36 nights in each habitat. We compared the species composition, richness, dominance, and relative abundance between the two habitats. Despite distant only ca. 400 m, we recorded only two species in common between the two habitats. We recorded in the disturbed area 10 species (N = 518) with 46.7% of dominance of Hypsiboas albopunctatus; and in the preserved habitat we recorded 11 species (N = 656) with 36.0% of dominance of Dendropsophus giesleri. Richness was not significantly different between the habitats. The estimated dominance by rarefaction in the preserved habitat was significantly lower than that in the disturbed habitat. The capability of some species populations in colonizing the disturbed habitat, the distinct physiological tolerance among species, and the dependence on specific microhabitats for reproduction are possible factors related to the observed patterns. We suggest that additional alterations of the Atlantic Forest cover inside the reserve might result in a decrease of alpha-diversity by eliminating forest dependent species, as well as a consequently increase in beta-diversity by the colonization of open area species that are ecologically more generalist. The slightly higher richness and mainly lower dominance observed in the preserved area indicate it is the habitat with higher species diversity. Thus, the presence of old-growth and/or conserved forests in the reserve is essential to maintain the local anuran diversity.

Conflitos causados pela predação de rebanhos domésticos por grandes felinos em comunidades quilombolas na Mata Atlântica

Palmeira, F.B.L. & Barrella, W. Conflicts caused by predation on domestic livestock by large cats in quilombola communities in the Atlantic Forest. Biota Neotrop. Jan/Apr 2007 vol. 7, no. 1 http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v7n1/pt/abstract?article+bn03707012007 ISSN 1676-0603. Domestic livestock predation by jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) was recorded from 1998 to 2000 and local opinion to solve the conflict was investigated in two quilombola communities in the Atlantic Forest. The householders were interviewed regularly from May 2000 to January 2001. Predation depended on the number of domestic animals per household, and was apparently selective and possibly seasonal. The economic damage was high when associated with the low livestock number. People’s attitude towards predators was negative and most of those surveyed (54%) suggested these animals should be eliminated. Knowing the local perception is essential to adopt a participative management to reduce household losses and to guarantee large cats’ conservation.

Fish fauna of headwater streams that cross the Atlantic forest of South São Paulo state

The fishes of the present study were collected in the headwater streams of the Sorocaba, Paranapanema and Ribeira de Iguape river basins during the dry period in 2010. A total of 2892 fishes, grouped in 53 species, were captured. The composition of the ichthyofauna captured in the streams of Sorocaba and Paranapanema river basin was greatly similar. On the other hand, the fish fauna of the streams of Ribeira de Iguape river basin were quite different from the ones captured in the others basins, with the occurrence of endangered species ( Isbrueckerichthys epakmos and I. duseni ) and exotic species ( Misgurnus anguillicaudatus ). The previous list of fish for the Sorocaba river basin increased with the addition of seven species of Characiformes, one Gymnotiformes and four Siluriformes.

Caracterização da piscicultura na região do Vale do Ribeira - SP

Este trabalho buscou caracterizar a piscicultura na Regiao do Vale do Ribeira quanto aos sistemas de manejo. Estudaram-se quarenta e duas pisciculturas sendo que, destas, 36 praticam o sistema semi-intensivo e seis o sistema intensivo, com os seguintes objetivos: engorda de peixes, producao de alevinos e pesque-pagues. Foram listadas 41 especies de peixes cultivadas. Apenas 6 especies sao nativas da Bacia do Rio Ribeira de Iguape: lambari (Astyanax sp Linneaus, 1758), traira (Hoplias malabaricus Bloch, 1794), robalo (Centropomus ssp Cuvier e Valenciennes, 1928), jundia (Rhamdia quelen Quoy e Gaimard, 1824), cascudo (Hypostomus sp Marschall, 1873) e cara (Geophagus brasiliensis Quoy e Gaimard, 1824). Em 95% das pisciculturas foram verificadas fugas de peixes exoticos e aloctones dos cultivos. A tilapia nilotica (Oreochromis niloticus Linneaus, 1758) foi a especie mais frequente em escapes, e tambem e a segunda mais cultivada pelos piscicultores, perdendo somente para o pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus Halmberg, 1887). Foi possivel verificar mediante o calculo da conversao alimentar, que ha um desperdicio anual de cerca de 32% da racao utilizada nos cultivos pesquisados. A piscicultura encontra-se em plena expansao nesta regiao, e ja representa a atividade agropecuaria mais importante apos a bananicultura.

First adult record of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, Cantor 1842 from Ribeira de Iguape River Basin, Brazil

AIM: This work aimed to describe a first record of Misgurnus anguilicaudatus, Cantor 1842 in Sao Paulo state, as well as your potential impacts on native populations. METHODS: The specimen was caught by eletro-fishing device, in Itaguapeva river, Ribeira do Iguape river basin, Ibiuna (SP), Brazil. Later, it was fixed in 10% formalin and taken to laboratory for species identification, morphometric data evaluation, diet analysis and stage of gondal maturity. RESULTS: The individual was an adult female, without parasites and with gonads in maturity stage B, which indicates vascularized ovaries and presence of oocytes in vitellogenesis process. The dietary analysis showed that 95.3% of the stomach was occupied by insect larvae. CONCLUSIONS: The diet analysis may suggest food overlap and consequent competition for food with native species of the genera Trichomycterus e Characidium, which consume essentially the same items. Still, the great morphological similarity with native species, especially Siluriformes, could generate competition for shelters. Additionally, the stage of gonadal maturity and a recorded ability of the species on establish invasive populations in different environments raise concerns about the possibility of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus reproduction on the studied site.

Fishers' knowledge about fish trophic interactions in the southeastern Brazilian coast

BackgroundData derived from studies of fishers’ local ecological knowledge (LEK) can be invaluable to the proposal of new studies and more appropriate management strategies. This study analyzed the fisher’s LEK about trophic relationships of fishes in the southeastern Brazilian coast, comparing fishers’ LEK with scientific knowledge to provide new hypotheses.MethodsThe initial contacts with fishers were made through informal visits in their residences, to explain the research goals, meet fishers and their families, check the number of resident fishers and ask for fishers’ consent to participate in the research. After this initial contact, fishers were selected to be included in the interviews through the technique of snowball sampling. The fishers indicated by others who attended the criteria to be included in the research were interviewed by using a semi-structured standard questionnaire.ResultsThere were interviewed 26 artisanal fishers from three communities of the Ilhabela: Jabaquara, Fome and Serraria. The interviewed fishers showed a detailed knowledge about the trophic interactions of the studied coastal fishes, as fishers mentioned 17 food items for these fishes and six fish and three mammals as fish predators. The most mentioned food items were small fish, shrimps and crabs, while the most mentioned predators were large reef fishes. Fishers also mentioned some predators, such as sea otters, that have not been reported by the biological literature and are poorly known.ConclusionsThe LEK of the studied fishers showed a high degree of concordance with the scientific literature regarding fish diet. This study evidenced the value of fishers’ LEK to improve fisheries research and management, as well as the needy to increase the collaboration among managers, biologists and fishers.

A modeling approach for reposition dynamics of litter composition in coastal areas of the city of Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Given the complexity of the dynamics in litter reposition, our objective was modeling the possible main and interaction effects of tidal oscillations, seasons of the year and the moon phases over the solid waste in Santos beaches. A total of 80 collections were carried out using quadrat sampling, from which we classified, counted and weighed all residue items. We fitted mixed Hurdle models to the output datasets and performed hypotheses tests based on this framework. We found plastic to be the most abundant residue in all seasons, moon phases and tides, followed by Styrofoam and wood. Our models suggest the strongest effect was due to seasonal variations, which, in turn, may be related to different human activities. Although the dynamics of different components showed independency of all interaction structures, plastics depended on the interaction of tide and season, whose impact over estuarine life and ecosystem services shall be further investigated.

A pesca artesanal no Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha (PE)

Artisanal fishing is one of the main economic activities of Brazilian fishing communities and major source of animal protein for many families. These communities living in direct contact with the natural environment and economically dependent on natural resources can provide important information for the design of conservation and management proposals aimed at sustainability. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize artisanal fisheries and socio-economic aspects of artisanal fishermen of Fernando de Noronha / PE. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. 62 fishermen were interviewed and the results showed that artisanal fishing is practiced for own consumption or as a source of income. epending on the priority areas for conservation, fishing area is one of the biggest conflicts recorded in the archipelago. In the search for supplementary income, parallel activities, especially related to tourism, has been developed. The ”corrico” is the most used gear and has low environmental impact, and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and the black jack (Caranx lugubris) are the species more caught species. Larger and more powerful vessels allow fishing in more remote locations, and not using ice on fish conservation was evident. Data indicate the importance of developing a plan for shared management of resources, resulting in the appreciation of artisanal fishermen and the sustainability of fisheries.