Dark diversity of Odonata in Amazonian streams.

The biological diversity of a region may not be fully sampled due to the low abundance or rarity of species, or the absence of species determined by their niche specificity. Investigating these species is essential for understanding the unrealized ecological potential in different habitats, identifying gaps in local and regional communities, and gaining a better understanding of the impacts of environmental changes. Therefore, to expand knowledge about the diversity of Odonata in Eastern Amazonia considering the absent species, we tested the hypotheses that: 1) Environmental variables will influence dark diversity, with greater explanation by canopy cover where sites with lower canopy cover will have higher dark diversity values, and; 2) Functional traits associated with better species dispersal will be correlated with low dark diversity of Odonata, such as larger and wider wings for example.

Wood-inhabiting macrofungi Hymenochaetales and Polyporales (Basidiomycota) in the Amazon Forest: relationship the abiotic factors and substrate colonization.

Hymenochaetales and Polyporales are important macrofungi for the maintenance of tropical forests, since they act directly in the nutrient cycling of the wood decomposition. In the Amazon, the largest tropical forest in the world, knowledge about Agaricomycetes is still insipient, since many areas have not yet been inventoried and new records appear each new study. To increase ecological knowledge about the Hymenochaetales and Polyporales, in the Brazilian Amazon region, collections were conducted in western Pará, Brazil, relating these fungi to the substrate they colonize and to environmental variables.

A new species of Tricorythopsis Traver, 1958 (Ephemeroptera: Leptohyphidae) from Par state, Brazil.

A new species of Tricorythopsis is described, illustrated and diagnosed based on nymphs from Par state, Brazil. Tricorythopsis similis sp. nov.

Gerromorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from the Metropolitan Region of Santarém, Brazil, including three new species of Westwood, 1834 (Veliidae: Microveliinae).

Background: Gerromorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) comprises more than 2100 species of semiaquatic bugs, most of which have the ability to walk on the surface of the water. So far, 238 species have been recorded from Brazil, but several portions of the country remain poorly explored. The Metropolitan Region of Santarém (MRS), Pará State, Brazil, lacks faunistic and taxonomic studies concerning this group and the local fauna is under threat due to human actions.

Environmental integrity as a modeler of the composition of the Odonata community.

Human actions often alter natural environments, causing homogenization of micro-habitats and, consequently, the loss or replacement of species. Our research evaluates how the effects of environmental integrity and the physical and chemical characteristics of streams influence the adult Odonata community in a region of the Amazon, in western Pará. The data were obtained in 15 streams of first and second order in the municipality of Santarém, Pará, between October and December 2014 (dry season) and between March and May 2015 (rainy season).

Plant litter dynamics in the forest-stream interface: precipitation is a major control across tropical biomes.

Riparian plant litter is a major energy source for forested streams across the world and its decomposition has repercussions on nutrient cycling, food webs and ecosystem functioning. However, we know little about plant litter dynamics in tropical streams, even though the tropics occupy 40% of the Earth's land surface. Here we investigated spatial and temporal (along a year cycle) patterns of litter inputs and storage in multiple streams of three tropical biomes in Brazil (Atlantic forest, Amazon forest and Cerrado savanna), predicting major differences among biomes in relation to temperature and precipitation regimes.

Measurement of the Ecological Integrity of Cerrado Streams Using Biological Metrics and the Index of Habitat Integrity.

Generally, aquatic communities reflect the effects of anthropogenic changes such as deforestation or organic pollution. The Cerrado stands among the most threatened ecosystems by human activities in Brazil. In order to evaluate the ecological integrity of the streams in a preserved watershed in the Northern Cerrado biome corresponding to a mosaic of ecosystems in transition to the Amazonia biome in Brazil, biological metrics related to diversity, structure, and sensitivity of aquatic macroinvertebrates were calculated.

Black-fly assemblage distribution patterns in streams in disturbed areas in southern Brazil.

Black flies (Simuliidae) are considered to be pests in rural and in some urban areas in the south of Brazil due to the bites of females. Little information exists on the factors that contribute to Simuliidae distribution in these areas. We sampled 39 streams in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in September 2004 to address ecological aspects.