Effects of anthropic actions and forest areas on a neotropical aquatic ecosystem.

This research aimed to understand how anthropic impacts generated by sugarcane plantations and urban development affect a Neotropical river in northeastern Brazil, through the evaluation of the relationships between the local ichthyofauna and environmental variables, and different patterns of land cover, in addition to seasonal variation. Monthly samples of environmental parameters and icthyofauna were taken from September 2013 to August 2014 in the lower course of the Capibaribe River (PE, Brazil). Environmental parameters varied significantly among land cover and seasons, grouping separately samples from the Anthropized and Forested areas.

Integrated approach to the understanding of the degradation of an urban river: local perceptions, environmental parameters and geoprocessing.

Background: The use of interdisciplinary approaches such as the proposed report provides a broad understanding of the relationship between people and the environment, revealing reliable aspects not previously considered in the study of this relationship. This study compiled evidence on the environmental degradation of an urbanized river over the past few decades, providing a diagnosis of the consequences of this process for the river, its ichthyofauna, and the local human population.

Methods: The study was focused on the Beira Rio community on the Capibaribe River in the municipality of São Lourenço da Mata, Pernambuco, Brazil.

Caatinga revisited: ecology and conservation of an important seasonal dry forest.

Besides its extreme climate conditions, the Caatinga (a type of tropical seasonal forest) hosts an impressive faunal and floristic biodiversity. In the last 50 years there has been a considerable increase in the number of studies in the area. Here we aimed to present a review of these studies, focusing on four main fields: vertebrate ecology, plant ecology, human ecology, and ethnobiology.