Ecological set-asides are a promising strategy for conserving biodiversity in human-modified landscapes; however, landowner participation is often precluded by financial constraints. We assessed the ecological benefits and economic costs of paying landowners to set aside private land for restoration. Benefits were calculated from data on nearly 25,000 captures of Brazilian Atlantic Forest vertebrates, and economic costs were estimated for several restoration scenarios and values of payment for ecosystem services. We show that an annual investment equivalent to 6.5% of what Brazil spends on agricultural subsidies would revert species composition and ecological functions across farmlands to levels found inside protected areas, thereby benefiting local people. Hence, efforts to secure the future of this and other biodiversity hotspots may be cost-effective.
Evolutionary changes towards a miniaturized body plan may directly affect other important phenotypic traits related to the physiology, behaviour and ecology of organisms. The frog genus Brachycephalus is an outstanding example of a radiation of miniaturized species endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We inferred ancestral states and historical changes in body size, body colour and hyperossification to test hypotheses about diversification and selective environmental mechanisms leading to the evolution of these specialized traits. The ancestral distribution was associated with high-elevation regions in the northern Serra do Mar mountain range, and diversification in the genus was coincident with important geological and climatic events during the history of the Atlantic Forest. The dynamic historical changes provided an opportunity for multiple lowland lineages and for speciation via dispersal and vicariance in multiple invasions of the highlands. The ancestral Brachycephalus was reconstructed as miniaturized and dull coloured, without hyperossification in the skin, skull or postcranial skeleton. A parallel evolution of phenotypic traits has occurred in northern and southern Atlantic Forest lineages, beginning in the Miocene. Shifts in body size are not related to elevation range or latitude. However, we found a significant correlation between the evolution of hyperossification and aposematism with increasing body size.
Abstract:We present the species list of amphibians and reptiles registered in continuous and fragmented Atlantic Forest remnants at Tapiraí and Piedade municipalities, Atlantic Plateau of São Paulo, Brazil. We sampled 21 localities, 15 located within unprotetcted forest fragments and six located at Parque Estadual do Jurupará, the single legal protected area in this region and surroundings. We recorded 47 anurans, one gymnophiona, seven lizards, one amphisbenian, 46 snakes, and one turtle. The specimes were captured by pitfall traps with drift fences, visual and auditive surveys, incidental encounters, local collectors, and, for snakes, by recording scientific collection records. Sampling methods were effective in documenting local herpetofauna, showing the adequacy of the use of complementary methods. Forest remnants at Tapiraí and Piedade have typical species of Atlantic Forest areas, and show higher species richness in comparison with other lists in the Atlantic Plateau. The presence of species known from few localities, or present in threatened species lists, shows that the Atlantic Forest remnants in this region need conservation attention. Although still harboring high herpetofaunal diversity, the remnants are threatened by the effects of forest fragmentation. Resumo: Apresentamos aqui a lista de espécies de anfíbios e répteis registradas nos remanescentes de Mata Atlântica contínua e fragmentada da região de Tapiraí e Piedade, Planalto Atlântico de São Paulo, sudeste do Brasil. Amostramos 21 localidades na região, sendo 15 fragmentos florestais e seis localidades do interior e entorno do Parque Estadual do Jurupará, único remanescente legalmente protegido da região. Registramos 47 espécies de anfíbios anuros, uma espécie de gymnophiona, oito espécies de lagartos, uma espécie de anfisbena, 46 espécies de serpentes e uma espécie de quelônio. Esta lista conta com espécimes capturados pelos métodos de armadilhas de interceptação e queda, procura visual e auditiva, encontros ocasionais, capturas por terceiros e, no caso das serpentes, também por registros em coleção científica. A combinação entre métodos foi eficiente na amostragem da herpetofauna da região, evidenciando a necessidade de amostragem com métodos complementares. Os remanescentes de Tapiraí e Piedade apresentam espécies de anfíbios e répteis típicas de áreas de Mata Atlântica e alta riqueza de espécies, em relação a outros estudos realizados no planalto. A presença de espécies de distribuição restrita, ou presentes em listas de fauna ameaçada, reforçam a necessidade de conservação dos remanescentes de Mata Atlântica na região, que apesar de abrigar grande diversidade está ameaçada pelos efeitos da fragmentação florestal. Palavras-chave : anfíbios, répteis, diversidade, Mata Atlântica, conservação, Parque Estadual do Jurupará.
We describe a new species of Brachycephalus that is morphologically similar to the flea-toads B. didactylus, B. hermogenesi, and B. pulex. The new species occurs from the sea level up to 1000 m and it is widely distributed throughout southern Atlantic Forest. Brachycephalus sulfuratus sp. nov. is distinguished from all of its congeners by the combination of the following characters: (1) small body size (SVL of adults: 7.4-8.5 mm for males and 9.0-10.8 mm for females); (2) "leptodactyliform" body; (3) pectoral girdle arciferal and less robust compared to the Brachycephalus species with "bufoniform" body; (4) procoracoid and epicoracoid fused with coracoid but separated from the clavicle by a large fenestrae; (5) toe I externally absent; toes II, III, IV, and V distinct; phalanges of toes II and V reduced; (6) skin smooth with no dermal ossifications; (7) in life, general background color brown with small dark-brown spots; skin of throat, chest, arms, and forearms with irregular yellow blotches; in ventral view, cloacal region of alive and preserved specimens surrounded by a dark-brown inverted v-shaped mark outlined with white; (8) advertisement call long, composed of a set of 4-7 high-frequency notes (6.2-7.2 kHz) repeated regularly.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.