Adipose tissue,systematic inflammation,and neurodegenerative diseases

Obesity is associated with several diseases,including mental health.Adipose tissue is distributed around the internal organs,acting in the regulation of metabolism by storing and releasing fatty acids and adipokine in the tissues.Excessive nutritional intake results in hypertrophy and proliferation of adipocytes,leading to local hypoxia in adipose tissue and changes in these adipokine releases.This leads to the recruitment of immune cells to adipose tissue and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.The presence of high levels of free fatty acids and inflammatory molecules interfere with intracellular insulin signaling,which can generate a neuroinflammatory process.In this review,we provide an up-to-date discussion of how excessive obesity can lead to possible cognitive dysfunction.We also address the idea that obesity-associated systemic inflammation leads to neuroinflammation in the brain,particularly the hypothalamus and hippocampus,and that this is partially responsible for these negative cognitive outcomes.In addition,we discuss some clinical models and animal studies for obesity and clarify the mechanism of action of anti-obesity drugs in the central nervous system.

Impact of the metabolic syndrome on the evolution of neurodegenerative diseases

Metabolic syndrome(MetS)might be defined as the simultaneous accumulation of s everal functional changes that frequently occur in adults over 60 years of age(Gomez et al.,2018).The diagnosis of MetS requires the presence of three or more factors such as high body mass,type-2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),dyslipidemia,and arterial hypertension,which increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as neurological complications,as stroke and dementia(Dyken and Lacoste,2018).Usually,these functional changes coincide and result in insensitivity for example hormones as leptin,adiponectin,and insulin(Dyken and Lacoste,2018).

Boletellus nordestinus(Boletaceae,Boletales),a new species from Northeastern Atlantic Forest,Brazil

Boletellus nordestinus is described as a new species from white sandy dunes in the Northeastern Brazilian Atlantic Forest.The area is known as a potential ectotrophic forest,since some ectomycorrhizal fungi had been found in the same area.The new species is characterized by dry,velutinous and olivaceus to chocolate brown pileus,context and hymenophore non-cyanescent when exposed or pressured,short and longitudinally ridged basidiospores,fusiform to ventricose cystidia,and a trichodermal pileipellis with disarticulated,acute terminal elements.A full description,line drawings,color photographs and molecular phylogenetic data of the new species are provided.

Phallus fluminensis(Phallaceae,Basidiomycota),a new species of stinkhorn from the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest

Basidiomata of a Phallus species were found near bamboo trees in the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden.This species was described as new to science and was named as Phallus fluminensis based on morphological characteristics.A detailed description,color images of microstructures and basidiomata of P.fluminensis,a comparison of P.fluminensis with its morphologically closely related taxa and a key to the genus Phallus in Brazil are given.A comparative analysis of P.glutinolens collections from the type locality was also made.

Modularity and specialization in bat-fly interaction networks are remarkably consistent across patches within urbanized landscapes and spatial scales

Patterns of specialization and the structure of interactions between bats and ectoparasitic flies have been studied mostly on non-urban environments and at local scales.Thus,how anthropogenic disturbances influence species interactions and network structure in this system remain poorly understood.Here,we investigated patterns of interaction between Phyllostomidae bats and ectoparasitic Streblidae flies,and variations in network specialization and structure across Cerrado patches within urbanized landscapes in Brazil and between local and regional scales.We found high similarity in the richness and composition of bat and fly species across communities,associated with low turnover of interactions between networks.The high specialization of bat-streblid interactions resulted in little connected and modular networks,with the emergence of modules containing subsets of species that interact exclusively or primarily with each other.Such similarities in species and interaction composition and network structure across communities and scales suggest that bat-fly interactions within Cerrado patches are little affected by the degree of human modification in the surrounding matrix.This remarkable consistency is likely promoted by specific behaviors,the tolerance of Phyllostomidae bats to surrounding urbanized landscapes as well as by the specificity of the streblid-bat interactions shaped over evolutionary time.

In the lack of extreme pioneers:trait relationships and ecological strategies of 66 subtropical tree species

Aims Despite the growing interest in the topic of functional ecology,there are still forest regions that have not been examined,as most work has been done in the tropics.unresolved issues include the strength of a growth-mortality trade-off in trees(originally identified for seedlings)and the nature of the association between plant traits and vital rates,if any.our objectives were to examine whether(i)ecological strategies in south american mixed forests are organ-ized along the fast competitor×slow stress-tolerator and height gradients as the main strategy axes depicted in the overall trait and vital rate correlation structure,and(ii)a tentative path model we proposed can explain the patterns of covariation among traits and vital rates.Methods We studied a different habitat(subtropical mixed conifer-hardwood forests)and region(brazilian atlantic Forest)from the majority of related studies in forests,carried out in the Neotropical region.Data on total height,stem slenderness,crown depth,wood density,specific leaf area,leaf and seed length,seed dispersal mode,annual mortality,diameter relative growth rate and relative growth rate under favorable conditions were measured in southern brazil for 66 tree species.Data were subjected to principal components analysis and path analysis.restricted data on saplings and treelets were analyzed through correlation.Important Findingsstudied traits were reduced to four principal components.Principal components analysis produced axes that fit the resource acquisition versus resource-conservation and the height-mortality trade-offs,although the former was split into two distinct axes.seed size and seed dispersal mode appeared independently of these axes.a path model showed that leaf length and specific leaf area caused direct changes in trunk slenderness and,indirectly through growth,affected mortality.Expected trade-offs between growth and survivorship and between wood density and stem slenderness trade-offs were not found.this may result from the lack of extreme pioneers and over-representation of slow-growing hardwood species found in atlantic subtropical forests of south america.this suggests that the fastest growing species in the region do not grow so fast as to compromise wood density and survivorship,but grow fast enough to benefit from increased size.relationships between traits and vital rates seem to be mediated by the assembly process of regional floras,and the relative importance of traits like SLA and wood density may vary between floristic regions.

Soil attributes structure plant assemblages across an Atlantic forest mosaic

Aims Community assembly persists as a key topic in ecology due to the complex variation in the relative importance of assembly forces and mechanisms across spatio-temporal scales and eco-systems.Here we address a forest-savanna vegetation mosaic in the Brazilian Atlantic forest to examine the role played by soil attributes as determinants of community assembly and organiza-tion at a landscape spatial scale.Methods We examined soil and plant assemblage attributes across 23 plots of forest and savanna in a 1600 km2 landscape exposed to the same climatic conditions in the Atlantic forest region of northeast Brazil.Assemblage attributes included species richness,taxonomic and functional composition(community weighted mean,CWM)and functional diversity(quadratic diversity;Rao’s quadratic entropy index)relative to plant leaf area,specific leaf area,leaf dry matter content,thickness and succulence.Important Findings Our results suggest that forest and savanna patches exposed to the same climatic conditions clearly differ in terms of soil attributes,plant assemblage structure,taxonomic and functional composition.By selecting particular plant strategies relative to resource economy,soil potentially affects community structure,with forest assemblages bear-ing more acquisitive resource-use strategies,while conservative plant strategies are more frequent in savannas.Accordingly,savanna-forest mosaics in the Atlantic forest region represent spatially organized plant assemblages in terms of taxonomic and functional features,with a sig-nal of trait convergence in both vegetation types.Soil-mediated filter-ing thus emerges as a potential deterministic assembly force affecting the spatial organization of savanna-forest boundaries and mosaics.

Fungal diversity notes 253-366:taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa

Notes on 113 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper,including 11 new genera,89 new species,one new subspecies,three new combinations and seven reference specimens.Awide geographic and taxonomic range of fungal taxa are detailed.In the Ascomycota the new genera Angustospora(Testudinaceae),Camporesia(Xylariaceae),Clematidis,Crassiparies(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),Farasanispora,Longiostiolum(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),Multilocularia(Parabambusicolaceae),Neophaeocryptopus(Dothideaceae),Parameliola(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),and Towyspora(Lentitheciaceae)are introduced.Newly introduced species are Angustospora nilensis,Aniptodera aquibella,Annulohypoxylon albidiscum,Astrocystis thailandica,Camporesia sambuci,Clematidis italica,Colletotrichum menispermi,C.quinquefoliae,Comoclathris pimpinellae,Crassiparies quadrisporus,Cytospora salicicola,Diatrype thailandica,Dothiorella rhamni,Durotheca macrostroma,Farasanispora avicenniae,Halorosellinia rhizophorae,Humicola koreana,Hypoxylon lilloi,Kirschsteiniothelia tectonae,Lindgomyces okinawaensis,Longiostiolum tectonae,Lophiostoma pseudoarmatisporum,Moelleriella phukhiaoensis,M.pongdueatensis,Mucoharknessia anthoxanthi,Multilocularia bambusae,Multiseptospora thysanolaenae,Neophaeocryptopus cytisi,Ocellularia arachchigei,O.ratnapurensis,Ochronectria thailandica,Ophiocordyceps karstii,Parameliola acaciae,P.dimocarpi,Parastagonospora cumpignensis,Pseudodidymosphaeria phlei,Polyplosphaeria thailandica,Pseudolachnella brevifusiformis,Psiloglonium macrosporum,Rhabdodiscus albodenticulatus,Rosellinia chiangmaiensis,Saccothecium rubi,Seimatosporium pseudocornii,S.pseudorosae,Sigarispora ononidis and Towyspora aestuari.New combinations are provided for Eutiarosporella dactylidis(sexual morph described and illus trated)and Pseudocamarosporium pini.Descriptions,illustrations and/or reference specimens are designated for Aposphaeria corallinolutea,Cryptovalsa ampelina,Dothiorella vidmadera,Ophiocordyceps formosana,Petrakia echinata,Phragmoporthe conformis and Pseudocamarosporium pini.The new species of Basidiomycota are Agaricus coccyginus,A.luteofibrillosus,Amanita atrobrunnea,A.digitosa,A.gleocystidiosa,A.pyriformis,A.strobilipes,Bondarzewia tibetica,Cortinarius albosericeus,C.badioflavidus,C.dentigratus,C.duboisensis,C.fragrantissimus,C.roseobasilis,C.vinaceobrunneus,C.vinaceogrisescens,C.wahkiacus,Cyanoboletus hymenoglutinosus,Fomitiporia atlantica,F.subtilissima,Ganoderma wuzhishanensis,Inonotus shoreicola,Lactifluus armeniacus,L.ramipilosus,Leccinum indoaurantiacum,Musumecia alpina,M.sardoa,Russula amethystina subp.tengii and R.wangii are introduced.Descriptions,illustrations,notes and/or reference specimens are designated for Clarkeinda trachodes,Dentocorticium ussuricum,Galzinia longibasidia,Lentinus stuppeus and Leptocorticium tenellum.The other new genera,species new combinations are Anaeromyces robustus,Neocallimastix californiae and Piromyces finnis from Neocallimastigomycota,Phytophthora estuarina,P.rhizophorae,Salispina,S.intermedia,S.lobata and S.spinosa from Oomycota,and Absidia stercoraria,Gongronella orasabula,Mortierella calciphila,Mucor caatinguensis,M.koreanus,M.merdicola and Rhizopus koreanus in Zygomycota.

Seasonal variation and host sex affect bat–bat fly interaction networks in the Amazonian savannahs

Bats are the second-most diverse group of mammals in the world,and bat flies are their main parasites.However,significant knowledge gaps remain regarding these antagonistic interactions,especially since diverse factors such as seasonality and host sex can affect their network structures.Here,we explore the influence of such factors by comparing species richness and composition of bat flies on host bats,as well as specialization and modularity of bat–bat fly interaction networks between seasons and adult host sexes.We captured bats and collected their ectoparasitic flies at 10 sampling sites in the savannahs of AmapáState,northeastern region of the Brazilian Amazon.Despite female bats being more parasitized and recording greater bat fly species richness in the wet season,neither relationship was statistically significant.The pooled network could be divided into 15 compartments with 54 links,and all subnetworks comprised>12 compartments.The total number of links ranged from 27 to 48(for the dry and wet seasons,respectively),and female and male subnetworks had 44 and 41 links,respectively.Connectance values were very low for the pooled network and for all subnetworks.Our results revealed higher bat fly species richness and abundance in the wet season,whereas specialization and modularity were higher in the dry season.Moreover,the subnetwork for female bats displayed higher specialization and modularity than the male subnetwork.Therefore,both seasonality and host sex contribute in different ways to bat–bat fly network structure.Future studies should consider these factors when evaluating bat–bat fly interaction networks.

Neotropical mustelids: fecal metabolome diversity and its potential for taxonomic discrimination

Chemical profiles of non-invasive biological material,such as feces,have great potential to study elusive animals or those with low population densities.Here,we use a metabolomic approach to evaluate Neotropical mustelids as a biological model to describe the diversity of the metabolites present in fecal samples,as well as to evaluate the potential of chemical profiles for taxonomic discrimination.We collected fecal samples from captive individuals of 5 species of mustelids occurring in Brazil and analyzed them by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry.Over 200 compounds have been annotated;“bile acids,alcohols and derivatives”was the most expressive class in the metabolome of all the species.We successfully discriminated 3 taxonomic groups:1—tayra(Eira barbara);2—otters(Lontra longicaudis and Pteronura brasiliensis;1);and 3—grisons(Galictis vittata and Galictis cuja).Several compounds seemed to be associated with food intake and the digestive process,while others were found for thefirst time in Neotropical mustelids.We concluded that mustelids show high metabolome diversity and that species-specific identification through metabolomic profiles is possible,thus contributing to the development and implementation of additional non-invasive approaches in the study of mustelids.

Abiotic drivers shape seed inputs and outputs in a tropical wetland on Croton trinitatis population

Background:Predicting how natural and anthropogenic drivers shape different ecological indicators,such as plant populations along environmental gradients,can be a relevant tool for establishing management and conservation criteria of tropical wetlands.We aimed to assess the effects of seasonal flood disturbance,type of grasslands and topographical conditions on Croton trinitatis population distribution in a tropical wetland.Methods:The study was carried out in a seasonally flooded grassland(Central-West Brazil).We conducted samplings of soil on the dry and flood hydrophases of the Pantanal.We took the samples in eight seasonal ponds,with 1 km interval between them.Transects were marked during the flood period,observing the water level,one in the lowest zone,in the middle of the pond=low(ca.60 cm deep),one at the pond edge=mid(ca.30 cm deep)and one in the higher zone,on the external part=high(ca.1 cm deep).Results:The results showed that the topography,seasonality,and types of grassland determine differences in the abundance patterns of adult plants and seedlings,and seed bank and seed predation.The abiotic factors can shape plant population-related ecological processes and patterns,with outputs(germination and predation)and inputs(local dispersion and from neighbouring areas)of proportional seeds for the population maintenance in this environment.Conclusion:We emphasize the importance of these findings,to show that abiotic factors are not the only ones to be considered in ecological studies of distribution and structuring of populations in habitats with extreme seasonal events.

Climatic niche breadths of the Atlantic Forest snakes do not increase with increasing latitude

The climatic niche is a central concept for understanding species distribution,with current and past climate interpreted as strong drivers of present and historical-geographical ranges.Our aim is to understand whether Atlantic Forest snakes follow the general geographical pattern of increasing species climatic niche breadths with increasing latitude.We also tested if there is a tradeoff between temperature and precipitation niche breadths of species in order to understand if species with larger breadths of one niche dimension have stronger dispersal constraints by the other due to narrower niche breadths.Niche breadths were calculated by the subtraction of maximal and minimal values of temperature and precipitation across species ranges.We implemented Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares to measure the relationship between temperature and precipitation niche breadths and latitude.We also tested phylogenetic signals by Lambda statistics to analyze the degree of phylogenetic niche conservatism to both niche dimensions.Temperature niche breadths were not related to latitude.Precipitation niche breadths decreased with increasing latitude and presented a high phylogenetic signal,that is,significant phylogenetic niche conservatism.We rejected the tradeoff hypotheses of temperature and precipitation niche breadths.Our results also indicate that precipitation should be an important ecological constraint affecting the geographical distribution of snake lineages across the South American Atlantic Forest.We then provide a general view of how phylogenetic niche conservatism could impact the patterns of latitudinal variation of climatic niches across this biodiversity hotspot.