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The rockpool cluster offers unique characteristics making it a model system for general questions in ecology: (1) all rockpools share biotic history (any species can reach any rockpool); (2) they form a strong gradient of conditions from benign to harsh; (3) 1-day sampling across all rockpools ensures census consistency; (4) rockpools respond to changing conditions within a short (days) time frame; (5) they are easy to manipulate (note: the data are from an unmanipulated rockpool subset), and (6) they may act as a single metacommunity that exhibits consistent species distribution patterns on a broader scale (unpublished). Consequently, the rockpools continue generating insights, with the first publications in 1996. The data represent an intensive rockpool metacommunity monitoring project, making them of considerable value to our understanding of tropical coastal metacommunity dynamics and general ecological processes. The dataset covers surveys of invertebrate fauna in 49, primarily supratidal, rockpools on a fossil coral reef over 25 years. All rockpools occur within a 73 × 47 m array of rocks at a distance of less than 2 m from the nearest neighbor. About 200 other rockpools occur on the same area. They are in a sheltered bay (Discovery Bay, Jamaica) between 0 and 5 m from the ocean. Typically, rockpools are 5-30 cm deep and 40 cm across on average, with elevation from a few centimeters to 300 cm above sea level. Rockpools may drain excess water from precipitation or waves into other rockpools, which allows organisms to disperse passively downstream. Of the 49 rockpools in the survey, 35 are subject to occasional drying up, while the others appear permanent. Most collections (1989-2004) were annual censuses of invertebrate populations, exceeding a total of 475,000 invertebrates counted, with only minor record gaps. In all cases, species level taxonomic information consists of detailed photographs. In some cases, notes are included with the taxonomic data where species identification could not be matched to information available in the literature. Samples from 2005 to 2019 still require organism identification. Abiotic parameters were measured the day before biotic sampling took place as the process of biotic sampling can impact abiotic parameters through stirring, oxygenation and filtering (temperature, pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, light intensity, salinity, alkalinity, and nutrients). The cumulative richness in the metacommunity consist of 78 freshwater, marine, and brackish water taxa, with a mean richness per rockpool of 5.5 distinct species. Regarding taxonomic makeup, ostracods dominated in both diversity and number, followed by copepods, and insects. There are no copyright restrictions on the data set; please cite this data paper when using these data in publications.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of topical and/or oral angiotensin converting enzyme II inhibitor and TGF-beta signaling blocker losartan on corneal stromal fibrosis that developed in rabbit corneas after Descemetorhexis removal of central Descemet's membrane and corneal endothelium. Twenty-eight New Zealand white rabbits were included and either had 8 mm central Descemetorhexis or sham control surgery without Descemetorhexis in one eye. Groups of 4 eyes without Descemetorhexis were treated for one month with no medications, topical losartan or oral losartan. Groups of 4 eyes with Descemetorhexis were treated with topical and oral vehicle, topical losartan, oral losartan, or both topical losartan and oral losartan for one month. Standardized slit lamp photos were obtained with central opacity intensity measured with ImageJ. The posterior fibrotic zone of corneas was measured on immunohistochemistry for alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and keratocan using QuPath analysis. Collagen type IV expression in the posterior cornea was quantitated with ImageJ and duplex immunohistochemistry for collagen type IV and TGF beta-1. After Descemetorhexis, topical, but not oral, losartan decreased the intensity of central stromal opacity, reduced peripheral corneal scarring, and decreased alpha-smooth muscle actin myofibroblast fibrosis area compared to corneas that had Descemetorhexis and treatment with vehicles alone. Topical losartan decreased posterior stromal cellular, non-Descemet's membrane, collagen type IV production, that is likely stimulated by TGF beta as part of a negative regulatory feedback mechanism, compared to vehicle treatment at one month after Descemetorhexis. Topical losartan is likely to be effective in reducing corneal scarring fibrosis produced by traumatic injury, microbial infection, and some corneal diseases and surgeries.

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Abstract Since its inception, biodiversity has largely been understood as species diversity and assessed as such. Interactions among species or functional groups are gradually becoming part of an expanded concept of biodiversity. As a case study of the development of a research program in biodiversity, we summarize our multi-decade studies on interactions of Asteraceae and flowerhead-feeding insects in Brazil. Initially, host species were treated as independent replicates in order to assess the local and turnover components of their herbivore diversity. Research then expanded into sampling entire interactive communities of host plants and their associated herbivores in different localities and regions, enabling new research lines to be pursued. Interaction diversity could be assessed and factored into spatial and among-host components, suggesting a new field of interaction geography. Second, host specialization, a key component of interaction diversity, was reframed considering simultaneously relatedness and local availability of plant hosts. Third, with the influence of complex network theory, community-wide species interactions were probed for topological patterns. Having identified the modular structure of these plant-herbivore systems, later we demonstrated that they fit a compound hierarchical topology, in which interactions are nested within large-scale modules. In a brief survey of research funded by Fapesp, especially within the Biota-Fapesp program, we highlight several lines of internationally recognized research on interaction diversity, notably on plant-frugivore and plant-pollinator interactions, together with new theoretical models. The interplay of field studies with new theoretical and analytical approaches has established interaction diversity as an essential component for monitoring, conserving and restoring biodiversity in its broader sense.

Resumo Desde seu início, a biodiversidade geralmente tem sido entendida e avaliada principalmente como diversidade de espécies. Interações entre espécies ou grupos funcionais vêm sendo incorporadas em um conceito expandido de biodiversidade. Como um estudo de caso da evolução de um programa de pesquisa em biodiversidade, resumimos aqui nossos estudos das interações de Asteráceas com insetos endófagos em capítulos no Brasil, desenvolvidos por várias décadas. Inicialmente a diversidade de herbívoros foi estimada em diferentes espécies hospedeiras, tratando-as como réplicas independentes para estimar os componentes locais e de substituição da diversidade dos insetos associados. Posteriormente, passamos a amostrar comunidades interativas de plantas e insetos associados em diferentes localidades e regiões, o que abriu novas linhas de investigação. A diversidade de interações, agora fatorada em componentes espaciais e inter-hospedeiras, sugere um novo campo, a geografia de interações. Em segundo lugar, um componente essencial da diversidade de interações, a especialização trófica, foi redefinida como função da contiguidade filogenética bem como da disponibilidade local de plantas hospedeiras. Terceiro, sob influência da teoria de redes complexas, foram investigados padrões topológicos de comunidades interativas. Identificamos a estrutura modular dessas comunidades de plantas e herbívoros; posteriormente, demonstramos a topologia hierárquica dessas interações, composta por módulos internamente aninhados. Numa revisão sucinta de pesquisas sustentadas pela Fapesp, especialmente no programa Biota-Fapesp, destacamos diversas linhas de pesquisa sobre diversidade de interações que alcançaram reconhecimento internacional, tais como interações de plantas e frugívoros ou polinizadores, além de novos modelos teóricos. A conjugação de estudos de campo com novas abordagens teóricas e analíticas firmou a diversidade de interações como um componente essencial para monitorar, conservar e restaurar a biodiversidade em seu sentido mais amplo.

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The purpose of this investigation was to study Descemet's membrane and corneal endothelial regeneration, myofibroblast generation and disappearance, and TGF beta-1 localization after Descemet's membrane-endothelial excision (Descemetorhexis) in rabbits. Thirty-six rabbits had 8 mm Descemetorhexis and standardized slit lamp photos at 1, 2 and 4 days, 1, 2 and 4 weeks, and 2, 4 and 6 months, as well as multiplex IHC for stromal cell markers keratocan, vimentin, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA); basement membrane (BM) components perlecan, nidogen-1, laminin alpha-5, and collagen type IV; and corneal endothelial marker Na,K-ATPase ß1, and TGF beta-1, with ImageJ quantitation. Stromal transparency increased from the periphery beginning at two months after injury and progressed into the central cornea by six months. At six months, central transparency was primarily limited by persistent mid-stromal neovascularization. Stromal myofibroblast zone thickness in the posterior stroma peaked at one month after injury, and then progressively decreased until to six months when few myofibroblasts remained. The regeneration of a laminin alpha-5 and nidogen-1 Descemet's membrane "railroad track" structure was accompanied by corneal endothelial closure and stromal cell production of BM components in corneas from four to six months after injury. TGF beta-1 deposition at the posterior corneal surface from the aqueous humor peaked at one day after Descemetorhexis and diminished even before regeneration of the endothelium and Descemet's membrane. This decrease was associated with collagen type IV protein production by corneal fibroblasts, and possibly myofibroblasts, in the posterior stroma. Descemet's membrane and the corneal endothelium regenerated in the rabbit cornea by six months after eight mm Descemetorhexis. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR experiments in vitro with marker-verified rabbit corneal cells found that 5 ng/ml or 10 ng/ml TGF beta-1 upregulated col4a1 or col4a2 mRNA expression after 6 h or 12 h of exposure in corneal fibroblasts, but not in myofibroblasts. Stromal cells produced large amounts of collagen type IV that likely decreased TGF beta-1 penetration into the stroma and facilitated the resolution of myofibroblast-generated fibrosis.

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Past publications describe the various impact of feeding behavior of broilers on productivity and physiology. However, very few publications have considered the impact of biomechanics associated with the feeding process in birds. The present study aims at comparing the kinematic variables of young broiler chicks (3-4 days old; 19 specimens) while feeding them with three different feed types, such as fine mash (F1), coarse mash (F2), and crumbled feed (F3). The feeding behavior of the birds was recorded using a high-speed camera. Frames sequences of each mandibulation were selected manually and classified according to the temporal order that occurred (first, second, third, or fourth, and further). The head displacement and the maximum beak gape were automatically calculated by image analysis. The results did not indicate strong correlations between birds' weight, beak size (length and width), and the kinematic variables of feeding. The differences between the tested feed were found mostly in the first and second mandibulations, probably explained by the higher incidence of "catch-and-throw" movements in F3 (33%) and F1 (26%) than F2 (20%). The "catch-and-throw" movements in F1 (the smallest feed particle) mostly occurred in the first mandibulation, as in F3 (the largest feed particle) also occurred in the latest mandibulations. It might be suggested that the adoption of "catch-and-throw" in the latest mandibulations increases with larger particles. The kinematic variables in the latest mandibulations (from the third one on) seem to be similar for all feed types, which represent the swallowing phase. It might be inferred that the temporal sequence of the mandibulations should be essential to describe the kinematics of a feeding scene of broiler chickens, and the first and second mandibulations are potentially the key factors for the differences accounted by the diverse feed particle sizes.

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Chromolaena odorata (L.) King & Robinson, also known as siam weed, has negatively affected the ecology of several tropical and subtropical regions of the world and has caused them economic losses. The biocontrol of C. odorata is a challenge for many countries; however, several phytophagous insects are natural enemies of C. odorata. Here we present the main flower head feeding insects associated with a native population of C. odorata. The aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate both individual and aggregated impacts of endophagous insects on C. odorata seed production, and (2) to provide information on host specificity of each endophagous species at local and regional scales. The study was conducted in the cerrado area of the Reserva Biológica de Mogi-Guaçu, São Paulo, Brazil. We found 17 endophagous species from seven genera. We estimated that the endophages damaged at least 22% of all of the seeds C. odorata produced. Tephritid species were only found on the plant species from the tribe Eupatorieae, whereas lepidopteran and agromyzid species were found on the plant species from two or more Asteraceae tribes.

Chromolaena odorata (L.) King & Robinson tem causado impactos negativos, tanto ecológicos quanto econômicos, em regiões tropicais e subtropicais de diversas partes do mundo. Embora já se conheçam vários insetos fitófagos de C. odorata, o controle biológico dessa planta ainda é um desafio em muitos países. Neste artigo são apresentados os principais insetos associados a capítulos de uma população nativa de C. odorata. Os objetivos desse estudo foram: (1) investigar os impactos dos insetos endófagos sobre a produção de sementes de C. odorata, e (2) fornecer informações sobre a especificidade de hospedeiras dos insetos endófagos. O estudo foi realizado na área de cerrado da Reserva Biológica de Mogi-Guaçu, São Paulo, Brasil. Foram encontradas 17 espécies de insetos endófagos de sete gêneros. A perda estimada de sementes não dispersas por insetos endófagos foi de, pelo menos, 22% do total produzido. As moscas da familia Tephritidae foram encontradas somente em plantas hospedeiras da tribo Eupatorieae, enquanto mariposas (Lepidoptera) e moscas da familia Agromyzidae foram encontradas em plantas hospedeiras de duas ou mais tribos distintas.

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BACKGROUND: Prioritization schemes usually highlight species-rich areas, where many species are at imminent risk of extinction. To be ecologically relevant these schemes should also include species biological traits into area-setting methods. Furthermore, in a world of limited funds for conservation, conservation action is constrained by land acquisition costs. Hence, including economic costs into conservation priorities can substantially improve their conservation cost-effectiveness. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined four global conservation scenarios for carnivores based on the joint mapping of economic costs and species biological traits. These scenarios identify the most cost-effective priority sets of ecoregions, indicating best investment opportunities for safeguarding every carnivore species, and also establish priority sets that can maximize species representation in areas harboring highly vulnerable species. We compared these results with a scenario that minimizes the total number of ecoregions required for conserving all species, irrespective of other factors. We found that cost-effective conservation investments should focus on 41 ecoregions highlighted in the scenario that consider simultaneously both ecoregion vulnerability and economic costs of land acquisition. Ecoregions included in priority sets under these criteria should yield best returns of investments since they harbor species with high extinction risk and have lower mean land cost. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study highlights ecoregions of particular importance for the conservation of the world's carnivores defining global conservation priorities in analyses that encompass socioeconomic and life-history factors. We consider the identification of a comprehensive priority-set of areas as a first step towards an in-situ biodiversity maintenance strategy.

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BACKGROUND: In the Neotropics, nearly 35% of amphibian species are threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and habitat split; anuran species with different developmental modes respond to habitat disturbance in different ways. This entails broad-scale strategies for conserving biodiversity and advocates for the identification of high conservation-value regions that are significant in a global or continental context and that could underpin more detailed conservation assessments towards such areas. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified key ecoregion sets for anuran conservation using an algorithm that favors complementarity (beta-diversity) among ecoregions. Using the WWF's Wildfinder database, which encompasses 700 threatened anuran species in 119 Neotropical ecoregions, we separated species into those with aquatic larvae (AL) or terrestrial development (TD), as this life-history trait affects their response to habitat disturbance. The conservation target of 100% of species representation was attained with a set of 66 ecoregions. Among these, 30 were classified as priority both for species with AL and TD, 26 were priority exclusively for species with AL, and 10 for species with TD only. Priority ecoregions for both developmental modes are concentrated in the Andes and in Mesoamerica. Ecoregions important for conserving species with AL are widely distributed across the Neotropics. When anuran life histories were ignored, species with AL were always underrepresented in priority sets. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The inclusion of anuran developmental modes in prioritization analyses resulted in more comprehensive coverage of priority ecoregions-especially those essential for species that require an aquatic habitat for their reproduction-when compared to usual analyses that do not consider this life-history trait. This is the first appraisal of the most important regions for conservation of threatened Neotropical anurans. It is also a first endeavor including anuran life-history traits in priority area-selection for conservation, with a clear gain in comprehensiveness of the selection process.

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Cushing's syndrome due to ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (AIMAH) can be associated with abnormal responses of aberrantly expressed adrenocortical receptors. This study aimed to characterize in vitro the pathophysiology of hypercortisolism in a b-blocker-sensitive Cushing's syndrome due to AIMAH. Cortisol secretion profile under aberrant receptors stimulation revealed hyperresponsiveness to salbutamol (beta2-adrenoceptor agonist), cisapride (5-HT4 receptor agonist), and vasopressin in AIMAH cultured cells, but not in normal adrenocortical cells. By RT-PCR, AIMAH tissues revealed beta2-adrenoceptor overexpression rather than ectopical expression. MC2R expression was similar in both AIMAH and normal adrenocortical tissues. Curiously, cortisol levels of AIMAH cells under basal condition were 15-fold higher than those of control cells and were not responsive to ACTH. Analysis of culture medium from AIMAH cells could detect the presence of ACTH, which was immunohistochemically confirmed. Finally, the present study of AIMAH cells has identified: a) cortisol hyperresponsiveness to catecholamines, 5-HT4 and vasopressin in vitro, in agreement with clinical screening tests; b) abnormal expression of beta2-adrenoceptors in some areas of the hyperplastic adrenal tissue; c) autocrine loop of ACTH production. Altogether, the demonstration of aberrant responses to hormonal receptors and autocrine hormone production in the same tissue supports the assumption of multiple molecular alterations in adrenal macronodular hyperplasia.

A síndrome de Cushing secundária à hiperplasia adrenal macronodular independente de ACTH (AIMAH) pode estar associada com respostas anômalas a estímulos sobre receptores hormonais expressos de maneira aberrante no córtex adrenal. O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar a fisiopatologia do hipercortisolismo in vitro na síndrome de Cushing responsiva a beta-bloqueadores decorrente de AIMAH. Em cultura de células, a secreção de cortisol apresentou resposta aumentada ao salbutamol (agonista beta2-adrenérgico), à cisaprida (agonista de receptor 5-HT4) e à vasopressina, na AIMAH mas não no córtex adrenal normal. O estudo de receptores aberrantes por RT-PCR demonstrou que o gene do receptor beta2-adrenérgico estava superexpresso (e não expresso ectopicamente) nos fragmentos da AIMAH quando comparado ao tecido normal. A expressão de MC2R foi semelhante em ambos. Curiosamente, o nível basal de secreção de cortisol pelas células da AIMAH foi 15 vezes superior às células normais, não havendo resposta das células AIMAH ao estímulo com ACTH. A análise do meio de cultura das células AIMAH revelou a presença de ACTH, que foi confirmada por estudo imuno-histoquímico. Em suma, este estudo demonstrou: a) aumento dos níveis de cortisol in vitro em resposta a catecolaminas, 5-HT4 e vasopressina, correspondendo aos resultados dos testes clínicos para pesquisa de receptores aberrantes; b) expressão anormal de receptores beta2-adrenérgicos em algumas áreas de hiperplasia; c) produção autócrina de ACTH. Estes resultados envolvendo ativação de receptores aberrantes e estímulo hormonal autócrino no mesmo tecido favorecem a hipótese da existência de alterações moleculares múltiplas na hiperplasia adrenal macronodular.

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Cushing's syndrome due to ACTH-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (AIMAH) can be associated with abnormal responses of aberrantly expressed adrenocortical receptors. This study aimed to characterize in vitro the pathophysiology of hypercortisolism in a beta-blocker-sensitive Cushing's syndrome due to AIMAH. Cortisol secretion profile under aberrant receptors stimulation revealed hyperresponsiveness to salbutamol (beta2-adrenoceptor agonist), cisapride (5-HT4 receptor agonist), and vasopressin in AIMAH cultured cells, but not in normal adrenocortical cells. By RT-PCR, AIMAH tissues revealed beta2-adrenoceptor overexpression rather than ectopical expression. MC2R expression was similar in both AIMAH and normal adrenocortical tissues. Curiously, cortisol levels of AIMAH cells under basal condition were 15-fold higher than those of control cells and were not responsive to ACTH. Analysis of culture medium from AIMAH cells could detect the presence of ACTH, which was immunohistochemically confirmed. Finally, the present study of AIMAH cells has identified: a) cortisol hyperresponsiveness to catecholamines, 5-HT4 and vasopressin in vitro, in agreement with clinical screening tests; b) abnormal expression of beta2-adrenoceptors in some areas of the hyperplastic adrenal tissue; c) autocrine loop of ACTH production. Altogether, the demonstration of aberrant responses to hormonal receptors and autocrine hormone production in the same tissue supports the assumption of multiple molecular alterations in adrenal macronodular hyperplasia.

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De abril a maio de 2000 a 2002 oito localidades com remanescentes de cerrados sensu stricto no estado de São Paulo foram amostradas para o levantamento das espécies de asteráceas, uma das famílias mais representativas da flora herbáceo-arbustiva nestas formações. Foram feitas 23 amostragens e cada área de estudo foi amostrada em média uma vez por ano durante o pico de floração das plantas. Ao todo foram obtidas 399 amostras, nas quais foram reconhecidas 89 morfoespécies (74 foram identificadas como espécies conhecidas). Quarenta por cento das espécies foram registradas uma única vez (unicatas), indicando um grande número de espécies raras. Apenas 10 por cento das espécies que ocorreram em mais de uma amostra foram obtidas de uma mesma área (sobreposição espacial) ou de um mesmo ano de estudo (sobreposição temporal). A riqueza de espécies em cada área foi estimada por meio de transeções e depois comparada à riqueza total observada em cada área de estudo, sendo esta na maioria das vezes mais alta que a estimada com base nas transeções. A lista de espécies obtida para os cerrados amostrados foi comparada a outras 24 listas publicadas para cerrados no Brasil. Embora a maioria das espécies mais comuns tenha coincidido, oito espécies (11 por cento das espécies identificadas) não constam das listas publicadas. Concluímos que as áreas de cerrado sensu stricto estudadas no estado de São Paulo encontram-se isoladas, com uma grande parte da flora herbáceo-arbustiva composta por várias espécies raras e exclusivas. Diante deste quadro, sugerimos que a manutenção da biodiversidade de Asteraceae depende da conservação de todo o conjunto de remanescentes de cerrado do estado de São Paulo.

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