Habitat fragmentation commonly influences distribution of zoonotic disease reservoirs. In Panama, populations of rodent hosts of hantaviruses are favored by small habitat fragments isolated by agricultural lands. We expected a similar relationship between landscape characteristics and host distribution at fine geographical scales in southern Panama. The relative abundance of Zygodontomys brevicauda, the primary host for "Calabazo" virus, and other rodents was assessed at 24 sites within the Azuero Peninsula. We used satellite imagery to produce several spatial variables that described landscape; however, only slope was consistently related to abundances of the two most dominant rodent species. Using regression, we constructed a spatial model of areas of Z. brevicauda dominance, which in turn relates to higher infection rates. The model predicts highest abundances of Z. brevicauda in flat areas, where humans also dominate. These predictions have important ecological and conservation implications that associate diversity loss, topography, and human land use.

Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) have been eliminated from over 95% of their historic range in large part from direct eradication campaigns to reduce their purported competition with cattle for forage. Despite the longstanding importance of this issue to grassland management and conservation, the ecological interactions between cattle and prairie dogs have not been well examined. We address this issue through two complementary experiments to determine if cattle and prairie dogs form a mutualistic grazing association similar to that between prairie dogs and American bison. Our experimental results show that cattle preferentially graze along prairie dog colony edges and use their colony centers for resting, resembling the mutualistic relationship prairie dogs have with American bison. Our results also show that prairie dog colonies are not only an important component of the grassland mosaic for maintaining biodiversity, but also provide benefits to cattle, thereby challenging the long-standing view of prairie dogs as an undesirable pest species in grasslands.

BackgroundFungi have multiple uses in temperate areas of México, but an important decrease in the traditional knowledge of uses and customs of mushrooms becomes a fundamental issue for fungi conservation. However, only few studies quantify the traditional ethnomycological knowledge in México, and this study is the first quantitative report for Querétaro, a central state with both Otomí and Mestizo communities and a high fungi diversity.MethodsThe present study was conducted registering traditional knowledge on the use and consumption of mushrooms in three Hñähñu (Otomí) communities (Tesquedó, Xajay, and Tenasdá) in Amealco de Bonfil, Querétaro, México, between August 2013 and November 2014. We conducted a stratified sampling, where uses common Hñähñu and Spanish names, and eight quantitative variables that conform the “Edible Mushrooms Cultural Significant Index” (EMCI) were recorded from 100 informants. For the classification and ordination analysis of species and uses, we used multivariate techniques such as cluster, multidimensional scaling, and principal components (PC).ResultsThirty-three mushrooms species were registered, most of them used for consumption by households, few aimed for commercial purposes, one species is medicinal, another has veterinary, and other ludic uses (as a toy). The three species with the highest EMCSI were Amanita basii, Fistulinella wolfeana, and Lactarius indigo. Edibility was the main use detected in the survey, and people harvested mushrooms provided by the forest mainly during the rainy season. We observed that mushroom searching and collection are activities that strengthen the family ties and are crucial for the transfer of this knowledge through generations. Cluster analysis separates groups according to different values in EMCSI variables, and principal components ordinate the species by frequencies (PC1) and traditions (PC2).ConclusionsThe current state of knowledge in the studied communities is strong, especially among women, but with a tendency to disappear due to migration and lack of interest among new generations. Future quantitative studies are important to analyze tendencies of the traditional ethnomycological knowledge transferred to new generations.

Interception losses are a major influence in the water yield of vegetated areas. For most storms, interception results in less water reaching the ground. However, fog drip or occult precipitation can result in negative interception because small drops are deposited on all plant surfaces and subsequently fall to the ground once vegetation storage capacities are exceeded. Fog drip is normally disregarded, but for some plant communities, it could be a mechanism offsetting evaporation losses. Tillandsia recurvata is a cosmopolitan epiphyte adapted to arid habitats where fog may be an important water source. Therefore, the interception storage capacity by T. recurvata was measured in controlled conditions through applying simulated rain or fog. The storage capacity was proportional to dry weight mass. Nocturnal stomatic opening in T. recurvata is not only relevant for CO₂ but for water vapor, as suggested by the higher weight change of specimens wetted with fog for 1 h at dark in comparison to those wetted during daylight (543±77 vs. 325±56 mg, p=0.048). The coefficients obtained in the laboratory were used together with biomass measurements for T. recurvata in a xeric scrub to calculate the depth of water intercepted. Interception storage capacity (C_min) was 0.19 and 0.54 mm for rainfall and fog respectively. T. recurvata contributed 20% to the rain interception of their shrub hosts: Acacia farnesiana and Prosopis laevigata. Meteorological data registered during one year at Cadereyta, México showed that radiative fog formation was possible during the dry season. The results showed the potential role of T. recurvata in capturing fog, which probably is a main source of water during the dry season that supports their reproductive and physiological activity at that time. The storage capacity of T. recurvata leaf surfaces could increase the amount of water available for evaporation, but as this species colonise montane forests, the effect could be negative on water recharge, because in the laboratory experiments it took up to 12 h to reach saturation conditions when fog was applied

RESUMENLa alteración de las condiciones climáticas y el efecto de isla urbana de calor (EIC) son resultado del incremento de la población y de sus actividades en las zonas urbanas. En ciudades medianas como Querétaro es importante determinar la magnitud del EIC y promover la planeación del crecimiento urbano. Conservar y aumentar las áreas con vegetación es una buena opción para mitigar el EIC. En este estudio se analizaron la intensidad del EIC y el efecto de la cobertura vegetal sobre la regularización de la temperatura del aire. Se parcela de medición en la cual se consideraron dos niveles de cobertura vegetal en función del índice de área foliar: bajo y alto (0.5 y 2.0, respectivamente). La temperatura del aire se midió con recolectores de datos a intervalos de 30 min entre junio de 2012 y mayo de 2013. También se analizaron datos climáticos de seis estaciones meteorológicas. La temperatura media diaria aumentó a razón de 0.75 ºC por década (r 2 = 0.38, P < 0.0001); este aumento se relacionó con la dinámica poblacional (r 2 = 0.52, P < 0.0001). Los patrones estacionales de temperatura se describieron como temporada fría de julio a marzo y temporada cálida de abril a junio para la temperatura máxima, y temporada fría de noviembre a marzo y temporada cálida de abril a octubre para la temperatura mínima. La diferencia entre las temporadas cálida y fría fue del orden de 5 ºC ( de la vegetación. Sin embargo, la humedad relativa fue mayor en el nivel alto de la cobertura vegetal. La La intensidad del EIC fue similar para la temporada cálida y fría y varió de 0.1 a 5 ºC. La vegetación con mayor cobertura presentó menor temperatura a las 17:00 horas y mayor de las 9:00 a las 10:00 horas durante la temporada cálida. Al aumentar 50% la cobertura vegetal en la zona urbana se lograría reducir la intensidad del EIC en 2.05 ºC. En conclusión, una mayor cobertura de la vegetación mejora las condiciones ambientales en términos de humedad relativa y regularización de los extremos de temperatura durante la temporada cálida. ABSTRACTAlteration of climatic conditions and the urban heat island effect (UHI) are consequences of increased human population and activities in urban zones. Determining the magnitude of the UHI is important to improve urban planning in medium-size cities like Querétaro. Increase and conservation of vegetated areas is a mitigation option for UHI. Here we characterized both the UHI and the role of vegetation cover over temperature regtemperature and relative humidity were measured with data loggers at a 30 min time step from June 2012 to May 2013. Climatic data from six weather stations was also analyzed. Daily mean temperature increased at a rate of 0.75 ºC per decade (r 2 = 0.38, P < 0.0001), and this was related to population dynamics (r 2 = 0.52, for maximum temperature, and November to March and April to October for minimum temperature. The difference between cold and warm seasons was 5 ºC (P < 0.0001). The minimum temperature was similar doi: 10.20937/ATM.2015.28.03.05 © between canopy cover level...

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract