The Impacts of Sugarcane Expansion on Wildlife in the State of Sao Paulo,Brazil

Brazil has become one of the top producers and exporters of food, fibre, and bionergy in the world.The expansion of livestock and soybean production in the Amazon basin appears to be independent of the sugarcane expansion in southeastern Brazil whereas the impact of sugarcane expansion over areas of soybean plantation in previous Cerrado biome is still unknown. However, the expansion of sugarcane production in the state of S?o Paulohas been shown to cause an increase in the local abundance of rodents and result in the emergence of infectious diseases such as hantaviruses and leptospirosis in humans. In addition, with an increase in the use of agrochemicals there will be an increase in euthrophication of watercourses and soil pollution. Considering that S?o Paulo has a population of approximately 40 million people, these local impacts are relevant. Environmental law should be improved and enforced in Brazil to ensure that sugarcane production is not only economically profitable but also environmentally responsible.

A global synthesis of the effectiveness and ecological impacts of management interventions for Spartina species

Invasions by Spartina species pose serious threats to global coastal ecosystems.Although many studies have examined the effectiveness and ecological impacts of invasive Spartina management,no comprehensive global synthesis has been conducted to assess the effects of management on Spartina per se and on wider non-targets.Here,we conducted a global meta-analysis of 3,459 observations from 102 studies to quantify the effects of different management interventions(physical,chemical,biological,and integrated control)on Spartina per se and native biodiversity and environments.We found that physical measures quickly suppressed Spartina but that their effectiveness declined over time.By contrast,chemical measures decreased the abundance and growth of Spartina to a lesser degree in the early stage,but the effectiveness increased over time.Different management measures did not significantly decrease the diversity of native biota on the whole,but native-plant diversity significantly decreased with time after physical control.Different management measures did not affect abiotic factors differently.These results support the use of chemical measures to control invasive Spartina,although their effectiveness would depend on the time since the management intervention.Addressing the problem of Spartina regrowth following physical control requires improved techniques.We hold that initial states of invaders and subsequent environmental changes after management interventions should be weighed in evaluating control efficacy.

Second-growth and small forest clearings have little effect on the temporal activity patterns of Amazonian phyllostomid bats

Secondary forests and human-made forest gaps are conspicuous features of tropical landscapes.Yet,behavioral responses to these aspects of anthropogenically modified forests remain poorly investigated.Here,we analyze the effects of small human-made clearings and secondary forests on tropical bats by examining the guild-and species-level activity patterns of phyllostomids sampled in the Central Amazon,Brazil.Specifically,we contrast the temporal activity patterns and degree of temporal overlap of 6 frugivorous and 4 gleaning animalivorous species in old-growth forest and second-growth forest and of 4 frugivores in old-growth forest and forest clearings.The activity patterns of frugivores and gleaning animalivores did not change between old-growth forest and second-growth,nor did the activity patterns of frugivores between old-growth forest and clearings.However,at the species level,we detected significant differences for Artibeus obscurus(old-growth forest vs.second-growth)and A.concolor(old-growth forest vs.clearings).The degree of temporal overlap was greater than random in all sampled habitats.However,for frugivorous species,the degree of temporal overlap was similar between old-growth forest and second-growth;whereas for gleaning animalivores,it was lower in second-growth than in old-growth forest.On the contrary,forest clearings were characterized by increased temporal overlap between frugivores.Changes in activity patterns and temporal overlap may result from differential foraging opportunities and dissimilar predation risks.Yet,our analyses suggest that activity patterns of bats in second-growth and small forest clearings,2 of the most prominent habitats in humanized tropical landscapes,varies little from the activity patterns in old-growth forest.