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Bornschein MR, Teixeira L, de Morais Guerra B, Melchiori BL, Reinert BL, Sandretti-Silva G. Appearance of a population of the mangrove rail Rallus longirostris (Rallidae) in salt marshes invaded by the exotic tanner grass Urochloa arrecta (Poaceae) and its disappearance after plant management. Wetlands (Wilmington) 2022; 42:124. [PMID: 36530518 PMCID: PMC9735195 DOI: 10.1007/s13157-022-01642-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Biological invasions cause species extinction but can also provide benefits. Wetlands, such as salt marshes, include little-known but important ecosystems that are sometimes severely invaded by exotic plants. Salt marshes in eastern South America are increasingly impacted by invasions of the African grass Urochloa arrecta. This study investigated the appearance of a population of the mangrove rail Rallus longirostris in areas dominated by U. arrecta and its disappearance with the eradication of this plant. We monitored four areas (54.47 ha) in the Guaratuba Bay estuary in southern Brazil, from 2006 to 2022, two of which contained four patches of U. arrecta as the dominant species. In 2012, we started to eradicate U. arrecta with mechanical management, and in 2020, it was eradicated locally. We recorded R. longirostris for the first time within a patch of U. arrecta in 2007. In subsequent years we saw the species in two other patches of the exotic plant. Rallus longirostris was no longer observed once U. arrecta was eradicated. Differences in patch occupancy between invaded and uninvaded habitats observed for R. longirostris and Pardirallus nigricans, and the disappearance of R. longirostris following the exotic plant management suggest competitive advantage and/or differential habitat preference and population density as hypotheses to explain observed patterns. The invasion of U. arrecta can increase the local populations of R. longirostris. Since this bird is not endangered, we encourage the management of U. arrecta because of its impact on salt marshes, including an endemic endangered bird. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13157-022-01642-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos R. Bornschein
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/no, CEP 11330-900 São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
- Mater Natura – Instituto de Estudos Ambientais, Rua Emiliano Perneta 297, conjunto 122, CEP 80010-050 Curitiba, Paraná Brazil
| | - Larissa Teixeira
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/no, CEP 11330-900 São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
- Mater Natura – Instituto de Estudos Ambientais, Rua Emiliano Perneta 297, conjunto 122, CEP 80010-050 Curitiba, Paraná Brazil
| | - Bruno de Morais Guerra
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/no, CEP 11330-900 São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bianca L. Melchiori
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/no, CEP 11330-900 São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bianca L. Reinert
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/no, CEP 11330-900 São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Giovanna Sandretti-Silva
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/no, CEP 11330-900 São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
- Mater Natura – Instituto de Estudos Ambientais, Rua Emiliano Perneta 297, conjunto 122, CEP 80010-050 Curitiba, Paraná Brazil
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Bornschein MR, Firkowski CR, Belmonte-Lopes R, Corrêa L, Ribeiro LF, Morato SAA, Antoniazzi RL, Reinert BL, Meyer ALS, Cini FA, Pie MR. Geographical and altitudinal distribution of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2490. [PMID: 27761312 PMCID: PMC5068354 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Mountains of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest can act as islands of cold and wet climate, leading to the isolation and speciation of species with low dispersal capacity, such as the toadlet species of the genus Brachycephalus. This genus is composed primarily by diurnal species, with miniaturized body sizes (<2.5 cm), inhabiting microhabitats in the leaf litter of montane forests. Still, little is known about the geographical distribution, altitudinal range, and ecological limits of most Brachycephalus species. In this study, we review the available data on the geographical and altitudinal distribution of Brachycephalus based on occurrence records compiled from literature and museums, both for the genus as a whole and separately for the three recently proposed groups of species (ephippium, didactylus, and pernix). The final ensemble dataset comprised 333 records, 120 localities, 28 described species, and six undescribed ones. Species were recorded in six relief units, the richest of which being the Serra do Mar, with 30 species. When the Serra do Mar is subdivided into three subunits, Northern, Central and Southern Serra do Mar, the number of species increase from north to the south, with records of six, nine, and 16 species, respectively. We were able to estimate the extent of occurrence of nearly half of the described species, and the resulting estimates indicate that many of them show remarkably small ranges, some of which less than 50 ha. Brachycephalus species are present from sea level to roughly 1,900 m a.s.l., with the highest richness being found between 751 and 1,000 m a.s.l. (21 spp.). The species with the broadest altitudinal range were B. didactylus (1,075 m) and Brachycephalus sp. 1 (1,035 m), both in the didactylus group, and B. ephippium (1,050 m), of the ephippium group. The broadest altitudinal amplitude for species of the pernix group was recorded for B. brunneus (535 m). The lowest altitudinal records for the pernix group were at 845 m a.s.l. in the state of Paraná and at 455 m a.s.l. in the state of Santa Catarina. The altitudinal occurrence in the pernixspecies group seems to decrease southward. Syntopy between species is also reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos R Bornschein
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil; Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Carina R Firkowski
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil
| | - Ricardo Belmonte-Lopes
- Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Leandro Corrêa
- Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil
| | - Luiz F Ribeiro
- Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Escola de Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | | | - Bianca L Reinert
- Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Laboratório de Biodiversidade, Conservação e Ecologia de Animais Silvestres, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Andreas L S Meyer
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Felipe A Cini
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná , Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil
| | - Marcio R Pie
- Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
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Abstract
CONTEXT Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare myopathy caused by polyalanine triplet repeat expansion in the gene for poly(A) binding protein 2 (PABP2) and is found in isolated cohorts throughout the world. We have observed numerous cases of OPMD in New Mexico. OBJECTIVE To characterize the clinical, genetic, and demographic features of the OPMD population in New Mexico. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cohort study with analysis of outpatient clinic medical records from 1965 to 2001 at the University of New Mexico Hospital and the New Mexico VA Health Care System in Albuquerque, which serve the entire state. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical phenotype, supplemented with genetic confirmation (n = 10 patients) and in-depth clinical evaluations (n = 49 patients). RESULTS We identified 216 cases of OPMD (99 women and 117 men) from 39 kindreds of New Mexicans spanning up to 4 generations. All patients were Hispanic, and the majority of probands came from northern New Mexico. In patients who had both ocular and pharyngeal muscle weakness, ptosis was just as likely to occur before or concurrent with dysphagia. Proximal limb muscle weakness and gait abnormalities were common and occurred later than ocular or pharyngeal weakness. The clinical expression of OPMD caused marked debility, although life-table analysis showed no decrease in life expectancy compared with unaffected family members (P =.81). Ten individuals from different kindreds were found to have an identical polyalanine triplet repeat expansion ([GCG](9)) in the PABP2 gene. CONCLUSIONS Individuals in this cohort had clinical and genetic characteristics of classic OPMD. Longevity was not affected, but patients experienced considerable morbidity. The origin of the PABP2 mutation in New Mexican OPMD patients is unclear, although the geographic and genetic isolation of northern New Mexicans with a long ancestry in this region may have contributed to the development of this cohort. This disease cohort represents a large and previously unrecognized health care issue in the state of New Mexico and should serve to raise the awareness of this disorder among clinicians who treat Hispanics in the Southwest and throughout the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- M W Becher
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of New Mexico HSC, BMSB 149, 915 Camino de Salud NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
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