Effects of culture conditions on the growth of the benthic dinoflagellates Ostreopsis cf. ovata, Prorocentrum lima and Coolia malayensis (Dinophyceae): A global review.

Benthic dinoflagellates produce potent toxins that may negatively affect humans and the marine biota. Understanding the factors that stimulate their growth is important for management strategies and to reduce their potential negative impacts. Laboratory cultures have been extensively used to study microalgae physiology and characterize life cycles, nutrition, growth rates, among other processes. A systematic review of the literature on the growth parameters of the benthic dinoflagellates Ostreopsis cf. ovata, Prorocentrum lima species complex and Coolia malayensis obtained in laboratory cultures of strains isolated from all over the world was performed. The effects of temperature, light intensity, photoperiod, salinity and culture media on the growth rate of these species were evaluated using multiple regressions and a model selection approach, based on the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC). The potential effects of the initial culture abundance and the media volume used on the growth of the species were also assessed. Data from 50 articles (25 for O. cf. ovata, 21 for P. lima and 6 for C. malayensis), resulting in 399 growth parameter values (growth rate, doubling time and maximum yield) were compiled in a database. The genetic clades of O. cf. ovata and P. lima species complex were also noted. Growth rate was the most frequently reported growth parameter for the three species, and 127 values were retrieved for O. cf. ovata, 90 for P. lima and 56 for C. malayensis. Temperature was the factor that best explained the growth response of P. lima and C. malayensis, whereas for O. cf. ovata, temperature and salinity were equally important. Light intensity and photoperiod were included among the six best models for the studied species but presented a weaker effect on growth. Given the observed and future projected climate change, increasing ocean temperature will promote the growth of these species, likely leading to an expansion of their impacts on ecosystems and human health. The use of common garden experiments using multiple strains from different geographic domains, particularly addressing underrepresented lineages is recommended, as they will provide more balanced insight regarding the species physiological responses to environmental drivers.

Marsupial position on life-history continua and the potential contribution of life-history traits to population growth.

Previous studies have suggested that mammal life history varies along the fast-slow continuum and that, in eutherians, this continuum is linked to variation in the potential contribution of survival and reproduction to population growth rate (λ). Fast eutherians mature early, have large litters and short lifespans, and exhibit high potential contribution of age at first reproduction and fertility to λ, while slow eutherians show high potential contribution of survival to λ. However, marsupials have typically been overlooked in comparative tests of mammalian life-history evolution. Here, we tested whether the eutherian life-history pattern extends to marsupials, and show that marsupial life-history trade-offs are organized along two major axes: (i) the reproductive output and dispersion axis, and (ii) the fast-slow continuum, with an additional association between adult survival and body mass. Life-history traits that potentially drive changes in λ are similar in eutherians and marsupials with slow life histories, but differ in fast marsupials; age at first reproduction is the most important trait contributing to λ and fertility contributes little. Marsupials have slower life histories than eutherians, and differences between these clades may derive from their contrasting reproductive modes; marsupials have slower development, growth and metabolism than eutherians of equivalent size.

Novel concepts in the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus.

PURPOSE: Hydrocephalus is a multifactorial neurological disorder and one of the most common neurosurgical conditions characterized by excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation within the brain's ventricles. It can result in dilatation of the ventricular system caused by the inadequate passage of CSF from its point of production within the ventricles to its point of absorption into the systemic circulation. Recent findings on the genetics and molecular studies of hydrocephalus have the potential to improve treatment and quality of life. METHODS: Review of literature on the novel studies of the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus. CONCLUSION: Molecular studies on the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus have provided a means to improve the treatment and follow-up of patients with hydrocephalus.

Older people perceptions on the built environment: A scoping review.

As the world ages, the built environment requires special attention to assist this growing part of society and therefore the update of urban design guidelines and urban policies is required. The goal of this study is to provide an overview of existing literature regarding emotions and perceptions from older people related to the outdoor built environment. A scoping review was performed using empirical studies in 12 scientific databases in a fourteen-year period (2007-2021) involving people at least 60 years old and outdoor built environment perceptions. Collected evidence identified 52 papers following the PRISMA procedure. Studies reported basic emotions (e.g., fear, joy) and space perceptions (e.g., walkability, accessibility) regarding the outdoor built environment as sidewalks, streets, and greenery. Our study reinforces the importance of analyzing older people perceptions regarding the outdoor built environment so that architects, urban planners, and decision makers have information to design solutions that fit older people needs.

Advances in Intraoperative Flow Cytometry.

Flow cytometry is the gold-standard laser-based technique to measure and analyze fluorescence levels of immunostaining and DNA content in individual cells. It provides a valuable tool to assess cells in the G0/G1, S, and G2/M phases, and those with polyploidy, which holds prognostic significance. Frozen section analysis is the standard intraoperative assessment for tumor margin evaluation and tumor resection. Here, we present flow cytometry as a promising technique for intraoperative tumor analysis in different pathologies, including brain tumors, leptomeningeal dissemination, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, pancreatic tumor, and hepatic cancer. Flow cytometry is a valuable tool that can provide substantial information on tumor analysis and, consequently, maximize cancer treatment and expedite patients' survival.

Consensus of the Brazilian Headache Society (SBCe) for the Prophylactic Treatment of Episodic Migraine: part I.

The Brazilian Headache Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleia, SBCe, in Portuguese) nominated a Committee of Authors with the aim of establishing a consensus with recommendations regarding prophylactic treatment for episodic migraine based on articles published in the worldwide literature, as well as personal experience. Migraine affects 1 billion people around the world and more than 30 million Brazilians. In addition, it is an underdiagnosed and undertreated disorder. It is well known within the medical community of neurologists, and especially among headache specialists, that there is a need to disseminate knowledge about prophylactic treatment for migraine. For this purpose, together with the need for drug updates and to expand knowledge of the disease itself (frequency, intensity, duration, impact and perhaps the progression of migraine), this Consensus was developed, following a full online methodology, by 12 groups who reviewed and wrote about the pharmacological categories of the drugs used and, at the end of the process, met to read and establish conclusions for this document. The drug classes studied were: anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, monoclonal anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (anti-CGRP) antibodies, beta-blockers, antihypertensives, calcium channel inhibitors, other antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs, and dual-action antidepressants), other drugs, and polytherapy. Hormonal treatment and anti-inflammatories and triptans in minimum prophylaxis schemes (miniprophylaxis) will be covered in a specific chapter. The drug classes studied for part I of the Consensus were: anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, monoclonal anti-CGRP antibodies, and beta-blockers.

A Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleia (SBCe) nomeou um Comitê de Autores com o objetivo de estabelecer um consenso com recomendações sobre o tratamento profilático da enxaqueca episódica com base em artigos da literatura mundial e da experiência pessoal. A enxaqueca é um distúrbio subdiagnosticado e subtratado que acomete um bilhão de pessoas no mundo e mais de 30 milhões de brasileiros. É conhecido na comunidade médica de neurologistas e, sobretudo, dos especialistas em cefaleia, a necessidade de se divulgar o conhecimento sobre o tratamento profilático da enxaqueca. Com esta finalidade, aliada às necessidades de atualizações de drogas e de se aumentar o conhecimento sobre a doença em si (frequência, intensidade, duração, impacto e talvez a progressão da enxaqueca), foi elaborado este Consenso, com metodologia totalmente on-line, por 12 grupos que revisaram e escreveram sobre as categorias farmacológicas das drogas e, ao final, reuniram-se para a leitura e conclusão do documento. As classes de drogas estudadas para este Consenso foram: anticonvulsivantes, antidepressivos tricíclicos, anticorpos monoclonais do antipeptídeo relacionado ao gene da calcitonina (peptídeo relacionado ao gene da calcitonina ­ anti-CGRP), betabloqueadores, anti-hipertensivos, inibidores dos canais de cálcio, outros antidepressivos (inibidores seletivos de recaptação de serotonina, ISRSs, e antidepressivos de ação dual), outras drogas, e politerapia. O tratamento hormonal, bem como anti-inflamatórios e triptanas em esquema de profilaxia mínima (miniprofilaxia), será abordado em um capítulo próprio. As classes de drogas estudadas na parte I do Consenso foram: anticonvulsivantes, antidepressivos tricíclicos, anticorpos monoclonais anti-CGRP, e betabloqueadores.

Consensus of the Brazilian Headache Society (SBCe) for prophylactic treatment of episodic migraine: part II.

BACKGROUND: Migraine affects 1 billion people worldwide and > 30 million Brazilians; besides, it is an underdiagnosed and undertreated disorder. OBJECTIVE: The need to disseminate knowledge about the prophylactic treatment of migraine is known, so the Brazilian Headache Society (SBCe, in the Portuguese acronym) appointed a committee of authors with the objective of establishing a consensus with recommendations on the prophylactic treatment of episodic migraine based on articles from the world literature as well as from personal experience. METHODS: Meetings were held entirely online, with the participation of 12 groups that reviewed and wrote about the pharmacological categories of drugs and, at the end, met to read and finish the document. The drug classes studied in part II of this Consensus were: antihypertensives, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, other drugs, and rational polytherapy. RESULTS: From this list of drugs, only candesartan has been established as effective in controlling episodic migraine. Flunarizine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, and pizotifen were defined as likely to be effective, while lisinopril, enalapril, escitalopram, fluvoxamine, quetiapine, atorvastatin, simvastatin, cyproheptadine, and melatonin were possibly effective in prophylaxis of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Despite an effort by the scientific community to find really effective drugs in the treatment of migraine, given the large number of drugs tested for this purpose, we still have few therapeutic options.

ANTECEDENTES: Migrânea afeta um bilhão de pessoas em todo o mundo e mais de 30 milhões de brasileiros; além disso, é um distúrbio subdiagnosticado e subtratado. OBJETIVO: Sabe-se sobre a necessidade de difundir o conhecimento sobre o tratamento profilático da migrânea; por isso, a Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleias (SBCe) nomeou um comitê de autores com o objetivo de estabelecer um consenso com recomendações sobre o tratamento profilático da migrânea episódica com base em artigos da literatura mundial, assim como da experiência pessoal. MéTODOS: As reuniões foram realizadas inteiramente online, com a participação de 12 grupos que revisaram e escreveram sobre as categorias farmacológicas dos medicamentos e, ao final, reuniram-se para a leitura e conclusão do documento. As classes de medicamentos estudadas na parte II deste Consenso foram: anti-hipertensivos, inibidores seletivos de recaptação de serotonina, inibidores de recaptação de serotonina e noradrenalina, bloqueadores dos canais de cálcio, outros medicamentos e politerapia racional. RESULTADOS: Desta lista de medicamentos, apenas o candesartan foi estabelecido como eficaz no controle da migrânea episódica. Flunarizina, venlafaxina, duloxetina e pizotifeno foram definidos como provavelmente eficazes, enquanto lisinopril, enalapril, escitalopram, fluvoxamina, quetiapina, atorvastatina, sinvastatina, ciproheptadina e melatonina foram possivelmente eficazes na profilaxia da doença. CONCLUSõES: Apesar do esforço da comunidade científica em encontrar medicamentos realmente eficazes no tratamento da migrânea, dado o grande número de medicamentos testados para este fim, ainda dispomos de poucas opções terapêuticas.

Consensus of the Brazilian Headache Society (SBCe) for prophylactic treatment of episodic migraine: part II / Consenso da Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleia (SBCe) para o tratamento profilático da migrânea episódica: parte II

Abstract Background Migraine affects 1 billion people worldwide and > 30 million Brazilians; besides, it is an underdiagnosed and undertreated disorder. Objective The need to disseminate knowledge about the prophylactic treatment of migraine is known, so the Brazilian Headache Society (SBCe, in the Portuguese acronym) appointed a committee of authors with the objective of establishing a consensus with recommendations on the prophylactic treatment of episodic migraine based on articles from the world literature as well as from personal experience. Methods Meetings were held entirely online, with the participation of 12 groups that reviewed and wrote about the pharmacological categories of drugs and, at the end, met to read and finish the document. The drug classes studied in part II of this Consensus were: antihypertensives, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, other drugs, and rational polytherapy. Results From this list of drugs, only candesartan has been established as effective in controlling episodic migraine. Flunarizine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, and pizotifen were defined as likely to be effective, while lisinopril, enalapril, escitalopram, fluvoxamine, quetiapine, atorvastatin, simvastatin, cyproheptadine, and melatonin were possibly effective in prophylaxis of the disease. Conclusions Despite an effort by the scientific community to find really effective drugs in the treatment of migraine, given the large number of drugs tested for this purpose, we still have few therapeutic options.

Resumo Antecedentes Migrânea afeta um bilhão de pessoas em todo o mundo e mais de 30 milhões de brasileiros; além disso, é um distúrbio subdiagnosticado e subtratado. Objetivo Sabe-se sobre a necessidade de difundir o conhecimento sobre o tratamento profilático da migrânea; por isso, a Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleias (SBCe) nomeou um comitê de autores com o objetivo de estabelecer um consenso com recomendações sobre o tratamento profilático da migrânea episódica com base em artigos da literatura mundial, assim como da experiência pessoal. Métodos As reuniões foram realizadas inteiramente online, com a participação de 12 grupos que revisaram e escreveram sobre as categorias farmacológicas dos medicamentos e, ao final, reuniram-se para a leitura e conclusão do documento. As classes de medicamentos estudadas na parte II deste Consenso foram: anti-hipertensivos, inibidores seletivos de recaptação de serotonina, inibidores de recaptação de serotonina e noradrenalina, bloqueadores dos canais de cálcio, outros medicamentos e politerapia racional. Resultados Desta lista de medicamentos, apenas o candesartan foi estabelecido como eficaz no controle da migrânea episódica. Flunarizina, venlafaxina, duloxetina e pizotifeno foram definidos como provavelmente eficazes, enquanto lisinopril, enalapril, escitalopram, fluvoxamina, quetiapina, atorvastatina, sinvastatina, ciproheptadina e melatonina foram possivelmente eficazes na profilaxia da doença. Conclusões Apesar do esforço da comunidade científica em encontrarmedicamentos realmente eficazes no tratamento da migrânea, dado o grande número de medicamentos testados para este fim, ainda dispomos de poucas opções terapêuticas.

Consensus of the Brazilian Headache Society (SBCe) for the Prophylactic Treatment of Episodic Migraine: part I / Consenso da Sociedadade Brasileira de Cefaleia (SBCe) para o tratamento profilático da migrânea episódica: parte I

Abstract The Brazilian Headache Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleia, SBCe, in Portuguese) nominated a Committee of Authors with the aim of establishing a consensus with recommendations regarding prophylactic treatment for episodic migraine based on articles published in the worldwide literature, as well as personal experience. Migraine affects 1 billion people around the world and more than 30 million Brazilians. In addition, it is an underdiagnosed and undertreated disorder. It is well known within the medical community of neurologists, and especially among headache specialists, that there is a need to disseminate knowledge about prophylactic treatment for migraine. For this purpose, together with the need for drug updates and to expand knowledge of the disease itself (frequency, intensity, duration, impact and perhaps the progression of migraine), this Consensus was developed, following a full online methodology, by 12 groups who reviewed and wrote about the pharmacological categories of the drugs used and, at the end of the process, met to read and establish conclusions for this document. The drug classes studied were: anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, monoclonal anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (anti-CGRP) antibodies, beta-blockers, antihypertensives, calcium channel inhibitors, other antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs, and dual-action antidepressants), other drugs, and polytherapy. Hormonal treatment and anti-inflammatories and triptans in minimum prophylaxis schemes (miniprophylaxis) will be covered in a specific chapter. The drug classes studied for part I of the Consensus were: anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, monoclonal anti-CGRP antibodies, and beta-blockers.

Resumo A Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleia (SBCe) nomeou um Comitê de Autores com o objetivo de estabelecer um consenso com recomendações sobre o tratamento profilático da enxaqueca episódica com base em artigos da literatura mundial e da experiência pessoal. A enxaqueca é um distúrbio subdiagnosticado e subtratado que acomete um bilhão de pessoas no mundo e mais de 30 milhões de brasileiros. É conhecido na comunidade médica de neurologistas e, sobretudo, dos especialistas em cefaleia, a necessidade de se divulgar o conhecimento sobre o tratamento profilático da enxaqueca. Com esta finalidade, aliada às necessidades de atualizações de drogas e de se aumentar o conhecimento sobre a doença em si (frequência, intensidade, duração, impacto e talvez a progressão da enxaqueca), foi elaborado este Consenso, com metodologia totalmente on-line, por 12 grupos que revisaram e escreveram sobre as categorias farmacológicas das drogas e, ao final, reuniram-se para a leitura e conclusão do documento. As classes de drogas estudadas para este Consenso foram: anticonvulsivantes, antidepressivos tricíclicos, anticorpos monoclonais do antipeptídeo relacionado ao gene da calcitonina (peptídeo relacionado ao gene da calcitonina — anti-CGRP), betabloqueadores, anti-hipertensivos, inibidores dos canais de cálcio, outros antidepressivos (inibidores seletivos de recaptação de serotonina, ISRSs, e antidepressivos de ação dual), outras drogas, e politerapia. O tratamento hormonal, bem como anti-inflamatórios e triptanas em esquema de profilaxia mínima (miniprofilaxia), será abordado em um capítulo próprio. As classes de drogas estudadas na parte I do Consenso foram: anticonvulsivantes, antidepressivos tricíclicos, anticorpos monoclonais anti-CGRP, e betabloqueadores.

Clinical and radiological features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 meningo-encephalitis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This case illustrates for the first time the clinical and radiological evolution of SARS-CoV-2 meningo-encephalitis. METHODS: A case of a SARS-CoV-2 meningo-encephalitis is reported. RESULTS: A 65-year-old man with COVID-19 presenting with meningo-encephalitis without respiratory involvement is described. He had fever, diarrhea and vomiting, followed by diplopia, urinary retention and sleepiness. Examination disclosed a convergence strabismus and ataxia. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed lymphocytic pleocytosis, oligoclonal bands and increased interleukin 6 level. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the CSF through reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, but not in nasopharyngeal, tracheal secretion and rectal samples. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed lesions on white matter hemispheres, the body and splenium of the corpus callosum and resembling the projection of corticospinal tract, remarkably on cerebellar peduncles. CONCLUSIONS: This demonstrates the challenges in diagnosing COVID-19 in patients with neurological presentations.

Simultaneous Separation of Antioxidants and Carbohydrates From Food Wastes Using Aqueous Biphasic Systems Formed by Cholinium-Derived Ionic Liquids.

The food industry produces significant amounts of waste, many of them rich in valuable compounds that could be recovered and reused in the framework of circular economy. The development of sustainable and cost-effective technologies to recover these value added compounds will contribute to a significant decrease of the environmental footprint and economic burden of this industry sector. Accordingly, in this work, aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of cholinium-derived bistriflimide ionic liquids (ILs) and carbohydrates were investigated as an alternative process to simultaneously separate and recover antioxidants and carbohydrates from food waste. Aiming at improving the biocompatible character of the studied ILs and proposed process, cholinium-derived bistriflimide ILs were chosen, which were properly designed by playing with the cation alkyl side chain and the number of functional groups attached to the cation to be able to create ABS with carbohydrates. These ILs were characterized by cytotoxicity assays toward human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2 cell line), demonstrating to have a significantly lower toxicity than other well-known and commonly used fluorinated ILs. The capability of these ILs to form ABS with a series of carbohydrates, namely monosaccharides, disaccharides and polyols, was then appraised by the determination of the respective ternary liquid-liquid phase diagrams at 25°C. The studied ABS were finally used to separate carbohydrates and antioxidants from real food waste samples, using an expired vanilla pudding as an example. With the studied systems, the separation of the two products occurs in one-step, where carbohydrates are enriched in the carbohydrate-rich phase and antioxidants are mainly present in the IL-rich phase. Extraction efficiencies of carbohydrates ranging between 89 and 92% to the carbohydrate-rich phase, and antioxidant relative activities ranging between 65 and 75% in the IL-rich phase were obtained. Furthermore, antioxidants from the IL-rich phase were recovered by solid-phase extraction, and the IL was recycled for two more times with no losses on the ABS separation performance. Overall, the obtained results show that the investigated ABS are promising platforms to simultaneously separate carbohydrates and antioxidants from real food waste samples, and could be used in further related applications foreseeing industrial food waste valorization.

Benthic foraminiferal and organic matter compounds as proxies of environmental quality in a tropical coastal lagoon: The Itaipu lagoon (Brazil).

Lagoons in the southeast coast of Brazil have experienced eutrophication due to the exponential increase of human population and sewage discharges. Living benthic foraminifera have demonstrated to be good bioindicators of such impacts. This study aims to evaluate the organic matter accumulation effects on the foraminiferal distribution in the Itaipu lagoon (Brazil). On the basis of the biotic and abiotic analyses, three sectors are identified. The Sector I, an inner area, is characterized by high dissolved oxygen values and foraminiferal species with preference for marine conditions, demonstrating the sea influence. The Sector II, in the mangrove margins, is associated to sandy sediment and biopolymers and mainly represented by euryhaline species. The Sector III is marked by low density or absence of living foraminifera and corresponds to a low quality organic matter enriched area (North, Southwest and Centre).

Abundance of small mammals in the Atlantic Forest (ASMAF): a data set for analyzing tropical community patterns.

Local abundance results from the interaction between populational and environmental processes. The abundance of the species in a community is also one of the most basic descriptors of its structure. Despite its importance, information about species abundances is fragmentary, creating a knowledge gap about species abundances known as the Prestonian Shortfall. Here we present a comprehensive data set of small mammal abundance in the Atlantic Forest. Data were extracted from 114 published sources and from unpublished data collected by our research groups spanning from 1943 to 2017. The data set includes 1,902 records of at least 111 species in 155 localities, totaling 42,617 individuals represented. We selected studies that (1) were conducted in forested habitats of the Atlantic Forest, (2) had a minimum sampling effort of at least 500 trap-nights, and (3) contained species abundance data in detail. For each study, we recorded (1) latitude and longitude, (2) name of the locality, (3) employed sampling effort, (4) type of traps used, (5) study year, (6) country, and (7) species name with (8) its respective abundances. For every locality, we also obtained information regarding its (9) ecoregion, (10) predominant vegetation type, and (11) biogeographic subdivision. Whenever necessary, we also (12) updated the species names as new species were described and some genera suffered taxonomic revision since the publication. The localities are spread across the Atlantic Forest and most of the small mammal species known to occur in Atlantic Forest are present in the data set, making it representative of communities of the entire biome. This data set can be used to address various patterns in community ecology and geographical ecology, as the relation between local abundance and environmental suitability, hypothesis regarding local and regional factors on community structuring, species abundance distributions (SAD), functional and phylogenetic mechanisms on community assembling.

Assessment of the trophic state of a hypersaline-carbonatic environment: Vermelha Lagoon (Brazil).

Vermelha Lagoon is a hypersaline shallow transitional ecosystem in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). This lagoon is located in the protected area of Massambaba, between the cities of Araruama and Saquarema (Brazil), and displays two quite uncommon particularities: it exhibits carbonate sedimentation and displays the development of Holocene stromatolites. Due to both particularities, the salt industry and property speculation have been, increasingly, generating anthropic pressures on this ecosystem. This study aims to apply a multiproxy approach to evaluate the trophic state of Vermelha Lagoon based on physicochemical parameters and geochemical data for the quantification and qualification of organic matter (OM), namely total organic carbon (TOC), total sulfur (TS), total phosphorus (TP) and biopolymeric carbon (BPC), including carbohydrates (CHO), lipids (LIP) and proteins (PTN). The CHO/TOC ratio values suggest that OM supplied to the sediment is of autochthonous origin and results, essentially, from microbial activity. The cluster analyses allowed the identification of four regions in Vermelha Lagoon. The Region I included stations located in shallow areas of the eastern sector of Vermelha lagoon affected by the impact of the artificial channel of connection with Araruama Lagoon. The Region II, under the influence of salt pans, is characterized by the highest values of BPC, namely CHO promoted by microbiological activity. The Region III include stations spread through the lagoon with high values of dissolved oxygen and lower values of TP. Stromatolites and microbial mattes growth was observed in some stations of this sector. Region IV, where the highest values of TOC and TS were found, represents depocenters of organic matter, located in general in depressed areas. Results of this work evidences that the Vermelha Lagoon is an eutrophic but alkaline and well oxygenated environment (at both water column and surface sediment) where the autotrophic activity is greater than heterotrophic one. These particular conditions make this a special and rare ecosystem.

The role of local versus biogeographical processes in influencing diversity and body-size variation in mammal assemblages.

Our objective was to estimate and analyze the body-size distribution parameters of terrestrial mammal assemblages at different spatial scales, and to determine whether these parameters are controlled by local ecological processes or by larger-scale ones. Based on 93 local assemblages, plus the complete mammal assemblage from three continents (Africa, North, and South America), we estimated three key distribution parameters (diversity/size slope, skewness, and modal size) and compared the values to those expected if size distributions are mainly controlled by local interactions. Mammal diversity decreased much faster as body size increased than predicted by fractal niche theory, both at continental and at local scales, with continental distributions showing steeper slopes than the localities within them. South America showed a steeper slope (after controlling for species diversity), compared to Africa and North America, at local and continental scales. We also found that skewness and modal body size can show strikingly different correlations with predictor variables, such as species richness and median size, depending on the use of untransformed versus log-transformed data, due to changes in the distribution density generated by log-transformation. The main differences in slope, skewness, and modal size between local and continental scales appear to arise from the same biogeographical process, where small-sized species increase in diversity much faster (due to higher spatial turnover rates) than large-sized species. This process, which can operate even in the absence of competitive saturation at local scales, generates continental assemblages with steeper slopes, smaller modal sizes, and higher right skewness (toward small-sized species) compared to local communities. In addition, historical factors can also affect the size distribution slopes, which are significantly steeper, in South American mammal assemblages (probably due to stronger megafauna extinction events in South America) than those in North America and Africa.