Can lizard richness be driven by termite diversity? Insights from the Brazilian Cerrado

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. C. Costa ◽  
G. R. Colli ◽  
R. Constantino
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
Niche Segregation ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Original Hypothesis ◽  
High Termite

We test predictions of the Morton and James hypothesis, which states that high termite diversity promotes high lizard diversity. We explore consumption of termites by lizards in the Brazilian Cerrado, a system that shares many similarites with arid Australia whose fauna formed the basis for the original hypothesis. We found that Cerrado lizards prey heavily on termites. Several species had >40% of their diet consisting of termites, some species reached up to 80%. However, lizards prey on termites independently of their diversity in the environment and do not show niche segregation in relation to termite resource. Hence, our results in the Cerrado do not support the hypothesis that termite diversity can promote lizard diversity. The diets of Cerrado lizards have a high proportion of termites; however, the diets of desert lizards from the Australian and the Kalahari deserts have a much higher proportion of termites when compared with those from the Cerrado and the Amazon. Differences in termite consumption by lizards across ecosystems do not seem to be related to local termite diversity. We hypothesize that overall prey availability can explain this pattern. Several arthropod groups are abundant in the Cerrado and the Amazon. In deserts, other prey types may be less abundant; therefore, termites may be the best available resource.

Biology and Management of Inland Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass

2013 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Habitat Requirements ◽  
Niche Segregation ◽  
Large Fish ◽  
Temperature Selection ◽  
Thermal Niche

<em>Abstract</em>.—Striped bass <em>Morone saxatilis</em>, originally a coastal and estuarine species, has been introduced in reservoirs in the southeastern and western United States. Although such stocking established many successful fisheries, there were troublesome die-offs of adult striped bass (3–9 kg, generally >5 kg) in some waters, usually in late summer. In contrast, juveniles and small adults thrived. In response to these patterns, my students and I conducted several years of telemetry studies of adult striped bass, primarily in Cherokee and Watts Bar reservoirs, Tennessee, and laboratory studies of juvenile temperature selection. In 1985, I published the “temperature–oxygen squeeze” hypothesis to explain mortalities of large fish on the basis of limited availability of cool (<25°C), oxygenated (>2 mg/L) water in summer while juveniles successfully occupied a warmer thermal niche (>25°C). We now have more than 20 years of research and management since 1985, primarily across the Southeast, in which the published hypothesis has, explicitly or not, been tested, generally confirmed, and applied to management. This retrospective paper reviews the studies our team conducted to develop and test the hypothesis and about 20 years of relevant studies by others that have added important nuances, addressed lingering issues, and turned a controversial idea into generally accepted understanding and management practice. Nonetheless, issues remain for understanding the effects of poor summer habitat on striped bass, such as why some studies show striped bass occupying warmer temperatures without mortalities and the role of prey availability in survival of fish obliged to occupy warm water. Other papers in this volume augment and extend the saga of progressively developing knowledge that this paper recalls of striped bass habitat requirements, thermal niche segregation by size (or age), and management constraints and opportunities.

Evaluation of the in vitro trypanocidal activity of plant extracts from the Brazilian Cerrado

Planta Medica ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (09) ◽  
Author(s):  
WR Cunha ◽  
FM Dos Santos ◽  
JA Peixoto ◽  
RCS Veneziani ◽  
AEM Crotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Extracts ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Trypanocidal Activity

High throughput screening to investigate Brazilian Cerrado biome plant extract bank chemical diversity

Planta Medica ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (S 01) ◽  
pp. S1-S381
Author(s):  
LS Espindola ◽  
RG Dusi ◽  
KR Gustafson ◽  
J McMahon ◽  
JA Beutler
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
Plant Extract ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Cerrado Biome

A New Species of Turnera (Turneraceae, Passifloraceae s. l.) from the Brazilian Cerrado

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 826-832
Author(s):  
Lamarck Rocha ◽  
Maria Mercedes Arbo
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Sem Images ◽  
Dark Blue ◽  
A New Species

Abstract—Turnera macrosperma, a new species from the Brazilian Cerrado, is described and illustrated. The new species belongs to the series Turnera and can be characterized by the white petals with dark blue/violet basal spot and large seeds with papillose aril. SEM images, distribution map, and comments on taxonomy and morphology are presented.

Can Mouse-tracking Reveal Attribute Processing Speeds in Dietary Self-control? Commentary on Sullivan et al. (2015) and Lim et al. (2018) with A Simulation Study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Martijn Willemsen ◽  
Daniel Lakens
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Study ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Alternative Mechanism ◽  
Mouse Tracking ◽  
Tracking Method ◽  
Cognitive Mechanism ◽  
Speed Difference ◽  
Original Hypothesis

In this commentary, we re-examine the use of a mouse-tracking method for revealing attribute processing speed difference in dietary self-control (Sullivan et al. 2015; Lim et al., 2018). Through re-analyses of Sullivan et al. (2015)’s data and a simulation study, it can be shown that the attribute-angle correlations in the empirical data, which were used to estimate processing speeds, are attributed primarily to their common correlations with choice. The simulation study further suggests that when we account for the choice-mediated attribute-angle correlations, the data patterns used for supporting the original hypothesis can be produced by implementing a plausible alternative mechanism unrelated to processing speeds. The mouse-tracking method therefore fails to provide clear evidence for processing speed difference as a cognitive mechanism of self-control. Researchers should be cautious when using the mouse-tracking method to estimate attribute processing speeds.

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