ABSTRACT Bioacoustics is an effective way of recording detailed data during population surveys and monitoring. In the present study, we used an automated digital recorder (ADR) to describe the temporal variation in the calling activity of Scinax fuscomarginatus (Lutz, 1925) in central Brazil. We also evaluated the role of climatic variables (air temperature and precipitation) on calling activity by using a Generalized Additive Model (GAM). We conducted the recordings at five ponds in the Cerrado savanna of Rio Verde Municipality, in Goiás state between November 2013 and October 2014. The analysis of the 43.2 hours of acoustic recording showed that S. fuscomarginatus has a prolonged breeding pattern. The ADR provides a fine-scale description of the nocturnal calling pattern, as well as the oscillations between the rainy and dry seasons. The results of the analytical model also indicate that calling patterns were related to minimum (but not maximum) air temperatures and precipitation, which may be related to their reproductive and thermoregulatory requirements. Based on these findings, we conclude that the ADR method has potentially valuable applications for the collection of data on the natural history of anuran species, as well as supplying important insights for conservation initiatives.

Abstract Cytogenetic data can be useful for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies, as well as to provide information about chromosome evolution. Therefore, it may help design conservation priorities for some threatened species, such as anurans. Herein, we describe the karyotypes of Scinax constrictus and Ololygon centralis, native endemic species from the Brazilian Cerrado. Chromosome preparations for both species were stained with Giemsa for morphological analyses and then impregnated by the Ag-NOR method for localization of the nucleolar organizer region (NOR). Both species had 24 chromosomes, as confirmed by meiotic analyses, which showed 12 bivalents. Chromosome morphologies presented the same pattern for Scinax and Ololygon compared to species already karyotyped in both genera. The NOR was interstitially located in the long arm of pair 7 in S. constrictus, whereas in O. centralis it was found near the centromere in the long arm of pair 1, thus diverging from what is commonly found for other Ololygon species. Therefore, we provide the first description of the karyotype of O. centralis and the first report of the localization of the NOR for the karyotype of both species. Our study increases the cytogenetic knowledge in species of the genera Scinax and Ololygon, and provide support for further studies on the taxonomy, ecology, and evolution of hylid anurans.

ABSTRACT Tropical anuran communities are very diverse. Nevertheless, much of their ecological and historical processes remain unknown. Bioacoustical studies are important to help to solve these puzzles. In the present study we examined the effect of environmental (air temperature and humidity) and morphological (body size) attributes on the acoustic parameters of two frogs of the Hypsiboas albopunctatus species group (H. albopunctatus and H. paranaiba ) living in sympatry and allopatry in the Brazilian cerrado. We also investigated if the presence of one species influences the spatial distribution or vocal behaviour of the other. We found H. albopunctatus and H. paranaiba males emitting advertisement and aggressive calls in sympatry and allopatry. Although the calling behavior of H. paranaiba did not differ in sympatry and allopatry, differences were noted for H. albopunctatus . Bioacoustics is the main form of communication in anurans, and is one of the best ways to discriminate among species. Variations in the calling behavior of males and what drives these variations in both species is central to better understand the processes of specific recognition and female attraction.

BACKGROUND: Biotic processes, such as predation and parasitism events, are crucial for answering questions in ecology and evolution. Here, we report predation and ectoparasitism events of invertebrates upon tadpoles in aquatic habitats of southern Brazil. FINDINGS: Four lentic water bodies were sampled twice a month (December 2012 to March 2013). Those water bodies were located in the Diamante do Norte County, State of Paraná, southern Brazil. The tadpoles, Dendropsophus aff. minutus, Hypsiboas raniceps, Scinax fuscovarius, Physalaemus cuvieri and Elachistocleis bicolor were observed being predated by six different invertebrate predators. However, Leptodactylus fuscus and Pseudis sp. were also recorded on the same water bodies and were not observed being preyed or parasitized. The most abundant predator in our sampling areas was the diving beetle larvae. We observed a static and escape behavior of tadpoles when in close proximity to predators and constant movements in E. bicolor tadpoles, which can be advantageous for invertebrate predators. Parasitism events included D. aff. minutus, S. fuscovarius,andE. bicolor tadpoles that were infected by a single leech. The ectoparasites anchor the posterior sucker on the host tadpole during the blood feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Even isolated reports of ecological interactions are important for understanding ecological communities and the impacts of parasites and predators on tadpoles' populations. Additionally, these interactions can help to understand the ecology behavior of the organisms.

O Cerrado é uma savana tropical que abriga uma anurofauna muito diversa, sendo estimado de 209 espécies à 271 espécies conhecidas, das quais a metade (51%) são endêmicas. Neste trabalho, apresentamos o inventário da anurofauna da Reserva Extrativista Lago do Cedro (RELC), noroeste do estado de Goiás. Ao todo, registramos 36 espécies de anuros, distribuídas em cinco famílias, das quais cinco espécies são endêmicas do Cerrado. A alta riqueza de espécies encontrada pode ser explicada pela heterogeneidade de habitats, promovida pelas diferentes fitofisionomias dentro da unidade de conservação. A riqueza de espécies e a representatividade por família apresentam valores semelhantes aos encontrados em outras taxocenoses no Cerrado, com a anurofauna local formada por espécies generalistas e de ampla distribuição. As famílias com maior diversidade de espécies foram Hylidae e Leptodactylidae, padrão frequentemente encontrado nas assembleias neotropicais. A RELC é uma importante unidade de conservação do Cerrado, servindo de abrigo para populações de anuros, sendo representativa da diversidade de anfíbios no bioma, e apresentando localização estratégica devido a posição central com relação a áreas de preservação na bacia do Araguaia.

The Cerrado is a tropical savannah with a diversified anuran assemblage, with 209 to 271 known species, of which approximately 51% are endemic. In this study, we report results of an anuran survey performed in the Extractivist Reserve of the Lago do Cedro, located in the northwestern region of the state of Goiás, Brazil. In this area, we recorded 36 anuran species, distributed in five families, from which five species are Cerrado endemics. This high species richness found in the Extractivist Reserve of the Lago do Cedro could be explain by the different vegetational types within the reserve boundaries that promote a high local heterogeneity. Species richness and representativeness per family are similar to other assemblages reported for different areas in the Cerrado domain, being the local anuran assemblage composed by generalist and widely distributed species. The families Hylidae and Leptodactylidae are the most diversified in the studied area, a common pattern found in neotropical assemblages. The Extractivist Reserve Lago do Cedro is an important area for Cerrado conservation because of the anuran diversity and geographic location, which allows the connection among other protected areas within the Araguaia basin.

O Cerrado é o segundo maior bioma brasileiro e é considerado um dos mais importantes hotspots de biodiversidade. Neste bioma foram registradas cerca de 150 espécies de anuros, das quais 30% são endêmicas. Entretanto, existem muitas áreas ainda não inventariadas, nas quais não se conhece quase nada sobre a diversidade de anuros. Assim, neste estudo apresentamos informações referentes a anurofauna do sudoeste do Estado de Goiás (Brasil Central), a qual vem sendo modificada principalmente pela agropecuária. Nesta região, 45 corpos d'água foram amostrados entre os meses de novembro/2007 a fevereiro/2008 e novembro/2008 a março/2009, localizados próximos a plantações de soja, cana-de-açúcar, pastagem e vegetação nativa. No total, foram registrados adultos e girinos de 36 espécies de anuros, a maioria comum de áreas abertas. As curvas de acumulação de espécies, tanto para adultos quanto para girinos, apresentaram a formação de uma assíntota, o que indica uma baixa probabilidade de registro de novas espécies mesmo com a amostragem de outros corpos d'água. Nesta área com forte influência de impactos agrícolas, a riqueza encontrada representa aproximadamente 1/4 do total de espécies conhecidas para o bioma Cerrado.

The Cerrado is the second largest biome in Brazil and is considered one of most important among the biodiversity hotspots. In this biome can be found about 150 anurans species, from which 30% are endemic. However, there are many Cerrado areas that have little information gathered about the anuran biodiversity. Thus, in this study we present the result of an inventory of anurans species from the southwest region of Goiás State (Central Brazil). In this region, we sampled 45 water bodies, located near soybean and sugar-cane cultures, pastures and natural vegetation, from November/2007 to February/2008 and from November/2008 to March/2009. Altogether, adults and tadpoles of 36 species were registered, with the majority of species registered in association to open areas. The rarefied curve of species richness show an asymptote formation, which indicates that the chance to add species to the inventory is low, even with additional habitats sampling. Therefore, our results reveal high species richness in the present sampled region, which represented almost one fourth of all species found in Cerrado.

A proposta básica do trabalho foi analisar e verificar a sustentabilidade nos assentamentos São Sebastião da Garganta (ASSG) e João de Deus (AJD) no município de Silvânia (GO). Aplicou-se questionário com variáveis socioeconômicas, ambientais e de capital social, que possibilitaram os cálculos dos respectivos índices: Índice de Desenvolvimento Socioeconômico (Idese) de 0,6779 e 0,2868; Índice Ambiental (IA) de 0,6470 e 0,2742; e Índice de Capital Social (IKS) de 0,8939 e 0,2778, que permitiram a composição pela média aritmética simples do Índice de Sustentabilidade (IS), que atingiu o valor de 0,7396 e 0,2796, respectivamente, para ASSG e AJD, caracterizando nível médio de sustentabilidade no primeiro e nível baixo de sustentabilidade no segundo. Os valores dos índices em separado indicaram que ocorreu nível médio de desenvolvimento socioeconômico, alto de capital social e médio no aspecto ambiental para o ASSG e níveis baixos de desenvolvimento socioeconômico, de capital social e no aspecto ambiental para o AJD.

The basic proposal of this study was to analyze and verify the sustainability in the settlements of São Sebastião da Garganta (ASSG) and João de Deus (AJD) in the Silvânia city, Goiás state. Questionnaire with socioeconomic, environmental and social capital variables was applied, which helped to calculate: Socioeconomic Development Index (Idese) of 0.6779 and 0.2868; Environmental Index (IA) of 0.6470 and 0.2742; Social Capital Index (IKS) of 0.8939 and 0.2778, which allowed the composition by the simple arithmetic average of the Sustainability Index (IS), that reached the value of 0.7396 and 0.2796, for ASSG and AJD, respectively, showing the average level of sustainability in the first and a low level of sustainability in the second. The values of each index separately indicated an average level of socioeconomic development, high level of social capital and an average level of the environmental aspect in the ASSG, and low levels of socioeconomic development, social capital and environmental aspect in the AJD.

As representações sociais sobre meio ambiente, de 791 alunos da Educação Básica de Palmas (TO), no Ensino Fundamental e Médio das redes privada, municipal e estadual, foram investigadas mediante análise de documentos e pesquisa de campo, utilizando-se a técnica de mapas mentais. A identificação dos elementos das representações de meio ambiente, apresentada pelos alunos, tomou por base a análise global dos desenhos de cada aluno das fases de Ensino Fundamental I e II, e Ensino Médio. Possivelmente, as origens das representações categorizadas estejam associadas, sobretudo, aos discursos dos professores e à própria vivência de cada aluno, à percepção que cada um tem do ambiente/lugar no qual reside.

The social representations of the environment of 791 students of Basic Education for Palmas (TO) in elementary and high school networks both private, municipal and state were investigated by examining documents and field research, using the technique of mind mapping. The identification of elements of representations of the Environment, presented by the students was based on the overall analysis of each student's drawings of the stages of elementary school I and II, and High School. We considered that the origins of the representations are linked through categorization, especially the discourses of teachers and the very existence of each student, and the perception that each has of the environment / location in which they reside.

O Cerrado representa um dos maiores domínios fitogeográficos da América do Sul, sendo o segundo maior domínio de vegetação no Brasil e um dos 34 hotspots de biodiversidade do planeta. No presente estudo, a diversidade e distribuição espacial e temporal de anfíbios anuros foram estudadas entre outubro de 2005 e agosto de 2006, em três áreas de Cerrado no município de Niquelândia, estado de Goiás. Foram registradas 29 espécies pertencentes a oito famílias: Bufonidae (uma espécie), Cyclorhamphidae (três espécies), Dendrobatidae (uma espécie), Hylidae (dez espécies), Leiuperidae (uma espécie), Leptodactylidae (nove espécies), Microhylidae (duas espécies) e Strabomantidae (duas espécies). As Áreas 1 e 2 apresentaram as maiores riquezas com 21 e 18 espécies, respectivamente. Todavia, maior diversidade foi encontrada na Área 2, que apresentou uma alta equitabilidade. Dentre os sítios reprodutivos, a estabilidade do corpo d'água permanente que mantém água durante todo o ano favoreceu a ocorrência de espécies com padrões de reprodução intermediário e prolongado, contribuindo para a maior riqueza de espécies nesse ambiente. A distribuição temporal das espécies foi influenciada tanto pelo regime de chuvas quanto pela temperatura, pois os machos da maioria das espécies (86%) vocalizaram na estação chuvosa. Physalaemus cuvieri utilizou seis dos 14 sítios estudados para reprodução, sendo considerada uma espécie generalista. Por outro lado, Hypsiboas lundii, Barycholos ternetzi, Leptodactylus gr. marmoratus, Leptodactylus cf. martinezi e Ameerega flavopicta apresentam limitações impostas por modos reprodutivos específicos ficando restritas a um determinado hábitat.

The Cerrado is one of the largest phytogeographic domains of South America, being the second largest Brazilian phytogeographic domain and one of the 34 most endangered regions on the planet. In this study, the spatio-temporal distribution of frogs were studied between October 2005 and August 2006 in three Cerrado areas of Niquelândia, Goiás State, central Brazil. Twenty-nine anuran species were recorded, belonging to eight families: Bufonidae (one species), Cyclorhamphidae (three species), Dendrobatidae (one species), Hylidae (ten species), Leiuperidae (one species), Leptodactylidae (nine species), Microhylidae (two species) and Strabomantidae (two species). Areas 1 and 2 showed the greatest richness, with 21 and 18 species respectively. However, greater diversity was found in Area 2 which showed high evenness. Among breeding sites, those that hold water throughout the year favored the occurrence of species with intermediate and prolonged reproductive activity, which contributed for an increase in the species richness in these sites. The temporal distribution of species was influenced by rainfall and temperature, with males of most species (86%) vocalizing in the rainy season. Physalaemus cuvieri used six of the 14 sites studied for reproduction, and is considered a generalist species. However, Hypsiboas lundii, Barycholos ternetzi, Leptodactylus gr. marmoratus, Leptodactylus cf. martinezi and Ameerega flavopicta have limitations imposed by specific reproductive modes, being restricted to localized habitats.

This study reports on 156 specimens of the amphibian Eupemphix nattereri, a widely distributed leiuperid, obtained from 11 municipalities of central Brazil. The extent of genetic variation was quantified by determining the mean number of alleles per locus and the proportion of polymorphic loci. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was performed on the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) haplotypes. The genetic distances obtained by calculating pairwise phist among local samples were used to determine population relationships using the unweighted pair-group method (UPGMA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). The cophenetic correlation was calculated to confirm agreement between the genetic matrix and the unweighted pair group method with averages (UPGMA) dendrogram. To determine if genetic distances were correlated to geographical distances we constructed pairwise genetic distance and geographical distance matrices and compared them using the Mantel test. The AMOVA results indicated significant genetic differences (p < 0.001) between E. nattereri populations, representing 69.5% of the within population genetic diversity. The Mantel test showed no significant correlation (r = 0.03; p = 0.45) between the genetic and geographical distance matrices. Our findings indicate that the genetic variation of E. nattereri populations was randomly distributed in geographic space and that gene flow for this species is probably structured at spatial scales smaller than those between our samples

Clustering and ordination procedures in multivariate analyses have been widely used to describe patterns of genetic distances. However, in some cases, such as when dealing with Jaccard coefficients based on RAPD data, these techniques may fail to represent genetic distances because of the high dimensionality of the genetic distances caused by stochastic variation in DNA fragments among the units analyzed (species or populations). In this note, we show how Mantel tests can be used to test hypotheses about genetic distances and avoid problems with multivariate data representation. The procedure is illustrated with RAPD data comparing 20 anuran species from the cerrado, in which Jaccard genetic distances were compared to three model matrices linking the species at distinct taxonomic levels.