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Tropical dry forests (TDF) are known to be resource‐limited due to a marked seasonality in precipitation. However, TDF are also shaped by factors such as solar radiation, wind speed, soil fertility, and land‐cover transformation. Together, these factors may determine different gradients of environmental harshness that are likely to drive changes in plant community attributes. Here, we evaluated the effects of environmental harshness on plant community diversity and structure of Colombian TDF, based on floristic and environmental data from 15 1‐ha permanent plots. We also analyzed these effects on legumes species only (including both deciduous and non‐deciduous species), deciduous species only (including both legumes and non‐legumes species), and on the whole community excluding either legumes or deciduous separately. Drier conditions and higher land‐cover transformation had the strongest negative effects on species diversity, basal area (BA), and canopy height. Soil fertility, on the contrary, did not have a significant effect on any of the evaluated response variables. Interestingly, legumes maintained their diversity and BA along the climatic gradient, while deciduous species were negatively affected by drier conditions and by an increase in secondary vegetation at the landscape level. Our results suggest that although TDF are limited by water availability, land‐cover transformation strongly increases environmental harshness. Yet, both legumes and deciduous species were differentially impacted by climatic and land transformation variables. Thus, to better understand TDF plant community attributes, it is necessary to consider these gradients and to disentangle their effects on different plant functional groups. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.

Contribution of tropical upland forests to carbon storage in Colombia.The tropical montane forests in the Colombian Andean region are located above 1 500m, and have been heavily deforested. Despite the general presumption that productivity and hence carbon stocks in these ecosystems are low, studies in this regard are scarce. This study aimed to i) to estimate Above Ground Biomass (AGB) in forests located in the South of the Colombian Andean region, ii) to identify the carbon storage potential of tropical montane forests dominated by the black oak Colombobalanus excelsa and to identify the relationship between AGB and altitude, and iii) to analyze the role of tropical mountain forests in conservation mechanisms such as Payment for Environmental Services (PES) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+). Twenty six 0.25ha plots were randomly distributed in the forests and all trees with D≥10cm were measured. The results provided important elements for understanding the role of tropical montane forests as carbon sinks. The information produced can be used in subnational initiatives, which seek to mitigate or reduce the effects of deforestation through management or conservation of these ecosystems, like REDD+ or PES. The AGB and carbon stocks results obtained were similar to those reported for lowland tropical forests. These could be explained by the dominance and abundance of C. excelsa, which accounted for over 81% of AGB/carbon. The error associated with the estimates of AGB/carbon was 10.58%. We found a negative and significant relationship between AGB and altitude, but the higher AGB values were in middle altitudes (≈1 700-1 800m), where the environmental conditions could be favorable to their growth. The carbon storage potential of these forests was higher. However, if the historical rate of the deforestation in the study area continues, the gross emissions of CO 2 e to the atmosphere could turn these forests in to an important emissions source. Nowadays, it is clear that tropical montane forests are vulnerable to deforestation, especially black Oak forests due to their commercial value. Given their high carbon storage potential, the presence of endemic species and the strategic functions of these ecosystems, we recommend that they should be considered relevant during REDD+, PES or any other conservation assessment. Rev. Biol. Trop. El monitoreo del ciclo del carbono en los bosques tropicales continúa siendo un tema de interés para la comunidad científica. Por un lado, se busca entender el papel de éstos en el ciclo global de este elemento y los posibles impactos causados por el cambio climático; y por otro lado, los países en desarrollo requieren implementar sistemas nacionales de monitoreo,

The government of Brazil has introduced two health and nutrition monitoring systems (the Indigenous Health Care Information System (SIASI) and the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System for Indigenous People (SISVAN-I) as part of reforms to health care and social protection services for indigenous peoples, who have the worst health status of any population group in the country. This article covers the origins and development of these systems and examines their functioning in one local health district, which serves the Xavante people. It assesses the systems' performance in relation to the aspects established in the case study terms of reference: quality of information, inclusivity, relevance to potential users, costs and sustainability. A number of key issues are identified. Some are intrinsic to the technical, cultural and political challenges of working with indigenous peoples, while others reflect problems with the implementation of responses to these challenges at different levels in Brazil.

Desde a publicação dos PCNs até o presente, houve significativa e importante ampliação do debate sobre sexualidade e educação sexual. Enquanto em 1997, com a publicação dos PCNs, a educação brasileira vislumbrava a possibilidade de se trabalhar sexualidade e gênero na escola, vinte anos depois o quadro é outro. O propósito deste estudo foi analisar a abordagem da temática sexualidade na educação escolar, realizando uma apreciação desde os PCNs até a atual BNCC. Para tal, observou-se os PCNs, a BNCC e trabalhos acadêmicos sobre a temática sexualidade nas escolas. Foram realizadas buscas sistemáticas em bases de dados bibliográficos, como o acervo da biblioteca da Universidade do Estado da Bahia-UNEB, Campus IX, site do MEC e buscadores de conteúdo científico como o Google Acadêmico, Scielo e Periódicos CAPES. O tema Orientação Sexual contido no volume dez do PCN propõe questões que não devem ser abordadas apenas nas aulas de Ciências, e sim promover debates em todas as áreas do conhecimento, como tema transversal. A escola passa, então, a integrar, junto e complementar à família, a educação oferecida às crianças e adolescentes. Ao considerar a sexualidade na BNCC, verifica-se um retrocesso ao que foi proposto pelos PCNs, uma vez que a temática sexualidade se encontra na seção de Ciências da Natureza, mais precisamente no componente curricular Ciências, sendo ausente nas demais áreas do conhecimento. O documento oficial associa a sexualidade aos conceitos relacionados à saúde e à qualidade de vida, reservados ao oitavo ano do Ensino Fundamental. Diante deste cenário, percebe-se a necessidade da elaboração de mais estudos sobre o assunto

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A fauna de formigas que habita a serapilheira e o dossel das florestas tropicais vem sendo considerada a próxima fronteira em conhecimento sobre a biodiversidade. Nesse sentido, o objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar a composição da mirmecofauna associada ao pequizeiro em duas áreas com diferentes níveis de perturbação antrópica (interior e borda), na Serra da Bandeira, Barreiras, Bahia, bem como, verificar se a fenologia da planta e os fatores climáticos influenciam na presença das formigas associadas. Para tal, foram selecionados 20 pequizeiros semelhantes em altura e fenologia, divididos equitativamente entre as áreas. As formigas foram coletadas mensalmente, de dezembro de 2015 a dezembro de 2016, utilizando os métodos guarda-chuva entomológico e aspirador entomológico. A mirmecofauna foi identificada ao nível taxonômico de espécie e amostrada a abundância, percentual e constância. De maneira complementar, observou-se as fenofases da planta. Para a análise dos dados, foram utilizados os índices de Shannon-Weaver, Simpson e de atividade e intensidade de Fournier, além da correlação entre as subfamílias e os fatores climáticos. Foram coletadas 1.260 formigas, sendo que 564 compreendem a área interna e 696 a área de borda. Referente à riqueza, foram coletadas e identificadas 9 espécies pertencentes a 4 subfamílias de formicídios. Em ambas as áreas, as subfamílias com a maior quantidade de indivíduos foram Myrmicinae, Formicinae e Dolichoderinae. Na área interna, somente C. atratus e M. rudolphi foram consideradas constantes, na área de borda, L. fuscum, M. rudolphi, C. angustus,