Observations were made on the reproductive biology of Physalaemus cuvieri from open area habitat in São Luis, MA, Brazil, from August 1988 to August 1989. The reproductive tactics are compared to those of the same species in southeastern Brazil. Vocalization and reproductive activity were restricted the rainy season (January to June), with peaks of activity during late March and early April. Nocturnal calling activity turn was prolonged, with little variation in the number of individual calling during the night. The presence of communal foam nests suggests non-territorial behaviour in this species. However, males called from the same sites all night long. They showed differentiated vocalizations or antiphony, and aggressive physical interactions, which suggests that there may be some territorial behaviours in males. The remainder of the territorial behaviour is related to persistence of the invading male. Satellite behaviour, females mate choice, and a stereotyped behaviour (e.g. quick circular movement of both male and female) prior to amplexus, were also associated with territoriality.

No abstract

Hunting is responsible for the decline of more than half of all mammal species from Brazil; however, very few studies relating to hunting exist for the Eastern region of the Amazon. Medium- and large-sized mammals are valued for their protein and are thus more affected by hunting activity. Published studies on hunting in the region were quantitatively analyzed and used to determine the biomass and extraction rates of species and groups of species, considering the characteristics of each group, as well as the differences and similarities in composition in each type of game in the locality. A total of 32 species from eight orders and 17 families were hunted, totaling 32,726,990 kilograms of game meat. A positive correlation was found between biomass, the number of animals slaughtered and the number of species. Ungulates were the most hunted group, from which the most biomass was obtained. Concerning food preferences, frugivores represented the highest number of species hunted and also the highest biomass, and a positive correlation existed between the extraction rate and ungulate biomass. There was no significant difference between the diversity of mammals of different indigenous and rural localities; however, from a multidimensional analysis of the localities, A’Ukre and Alto Turiaçu were more similar to each other, and were more distant from the other groups. Knowledge concerning which species and groups and how many animals are hunted in each locality is necessary to direct conservation management plans and increase their efficiency within localities.

We studied the calling activity of a savanna anuran assemblage and correlated two climatic parameters, rainfall and air temperature, with anuran calling. We made observations from September 1991 until March 1993 and quantified nocturnal calling activity by counting the number of calling males for each species present in a permanent pond. Bufo paracnemis had the shortest calling activity period and Physalaemus cuvieri had a seasonal calling period, lasting a maximum of four months. Diversity of calling males and species richness reached a peak in the first three months of the rainy season. Comparisons with other populations indicate that the reproductive period of P cuvieri varies along its geographical distribution in a manner related to regional climatic conditions.

No abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Herpetology.http://www.jstor.org SHORTER COMMUNICATIONS SHORTER COMMUNICATIONS FoREsTER, R. P. 1942. The nature of the glucose reabsorption process in the frog renal tubule. Evidence for intermittency of glomerular function in the intact animal. J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 20:55-69. LAYNE, J. R., JR. 1995. Seasonal variation in the cryobiology of Rana sylvatica from Pennsylvania. J. Therm. Biol. (in press). , AND M. L. FIRST. 1991. Resumption of physiological functions in the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) following freezing. Amer. J. Physiol. 261:R134-R137. , AND R. E. LEE, JR. 1995. Adaptations of frogs to survive freezing. Climate Research 5:53-59. LEE, R. E., JR., AND J. P. COSTANZO. 1993. Integrated physiological responses promoting anuran freeze tolerance. In C. Carey, G. L. Florant, B. A. Wunder, and B. Horwitz (eds.), Life in the Cold III: Ecological, Physiological, and Molecular Mechanisms, pp. 501-510. Westview Press, San Francisco. ,AND D. L. DENLINGER (eds.). 1991. Insects at Low Temperature. Chapman and Hall, New York. MICELLI, S., C. MASSAGLI, AND E. GALLUCCI. 1983. Serosal and mucosal facilita the transport of urea in urinary bladder of Bufo bufo: evidence for an alleged water uptake. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 75A: 157-162. SHOEMAKER, V. H., AND K. A. NAGY. 1977. Osmoregulation in amphibians and reptiles. Ann. Rev. Physiol. 39:449-471. STOREY, J. M., AND K. B. STOREY. 1985. Triggering of cryoprotectant synthesis by initiation of ice nucleation in the freeze tolerant frog, Rana sylvatica. Studies of tropical larval anuran communities are important in understanding several ecological aspects of the adult phase such as demography, reproductive strategies, and habitat selection (Heyer, 1973; Crump, FoREsTER, R. P. 1942. The nature of the glucose reabsorption process in the frog renal tubule. Evidence for intermittency of glomerular function in the intact animal. J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 20:55-69. LAYNE, J. R., JR. 1995. Seasonal variation in the cryobiology of Rana sylvatica from Pennsylvania. J. Therm. Biol. (in press). , AND M. L. FIRST. 1991. Resumption of physiological functions in the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) following freezing. Amer. J. Physiol. 261:R134-R137. , AND R. E. LEE, JR. 1995. Adaptations of frogs to survive freezing. Climate Research 5:53-59. LEE, R. E., JR., AND J. P. COSTANZO. 1993. Integrated physiological responses promoting anuran freeze tolerance. In C. Carey, G. L. Florant, B. A. Wunder, and B. Horwitz (eds.), Life in the Cold III: Ecological, Physiological, and Molecular Mechanisms, pp. 501-510. Westview Press, San Francisco...

No abstract

INTRODUÇÃOO planejamento ambiental, sobre o qual as ações de uso adequado dos recursos naturais precisam ser expressas sobre uma dimensão geográfica, apresenta a bacia hidrográfica como a grande unidade para a concepção do planejamento e a exePalavras-chave: Sustentabilidade. Rio. Características limnológicas. Qualidade ambiental. ResumoO presente estudo objetivou caracterizar físico-quimicamente a água da região do médio curso do Rio Pindaré sob jurisdição dos municípios de Pindaré-Mirim, Tufilândia, e Alto Alegre/MA. A fim de obter uma amostra representativa, foi coletada água em dez pontos distintos distribuídos no Rio Pindaré, ao longo de 24 meses em diferentes períodos sazonais, nos anos de 2010 e 2011. Os parâmetros físico-químicos analisados foram: temperatura, pH, turbidez, condutividade elétrica, oxigênio dissolvido e os íons amônio (NH4+), nitrito (NO2-), nitrato (NO3-) e fósforo total (PO43-). Durante o período de estudo, foi observada ampla variação na maioria das variáveis analisadas, com destaque para o fósforo total (PO43-) e a condutividade elétrica que apresentou resultados superiores aos estabelecidos pela resolução CONAMA 357/05. Quanto ao pH, as águas do Rio Pindaré foram na maior parte do tempo ácidas. As concentrações médias de nitrato variaram de 0,249 mgL-1 (período seco) e 0,267 mgL-1 (período chuvoso). Dos pontos coletados nos diferentes períodos, apenas no município de Alto Alegre se observou diferença estatística significativa quando o parâmetro testado foi o pH. Quando os parâmetros testados foram a condutividade elétrica e os ions amônio, nitrito e nitrato, observou-se diferença estatística significativa em todos os pontos testados nos três municípios com p≤0,05. Os resultados mostraram que o Rio Pindaré possui uma boa qualidade ambiental, apesar de apresentar desmatamento em suas margens comprometendo assim a sustentabilidade da bacia. As características físicas e químicas foram de extrema importância na dinâmica do ecossistema aquático sendo que os valores encontrados são considerados adequados para manutenção da vida aquática, segundo a resolução do CONAMA 357/2005. AbstractThis study aimed to characterize chemical-physical water area of the middle reaches of the river Pindaré under the jurisdiction of the municipalities of Pindaré-Mirim, Tufilândia and Alto Alegre / MA. In order to obtain a representative sample, water was collected in ten different points distributed in Rio Pindaré over 24 months in different seasonal periods in 2010 and 2011. The physical-chemical parameters analyzed were: temperature, pH, turbidity , electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen and ammonium ion (NH4 +), nitrite (NO2), nitrate (NO3) and total phosphorus (PO43-). During the study period, there was wide variation in most of the variables analyzed, with emphasis on the total phosphorus (PO43-) and electrical conductivity presented results higher than those established by Resolution CONAMA 357/05. As to pH, the water of the river Pindaré were mostly acidic time. The average nitrate concentrations ran...