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A new study funded by FAPESP has concluded that the very species integral to seed dispersal and tree reproduction are among the first to disappear as a result of deforestation. For example, guapeva-vermelha, a tree endemic to Brazil and listed as “vulnerable” under the IUCN, depends on animals such as the brown howlers, southern muriqui monkeys, and the South American tapir to disperse their seeds. Unfortunately, as these animals were killed or chased out of their habitat, the P. [...]

Southern cattail (Typha domingensis) is a reedy marsh plant which inhabits fresh to slightly brackish waters and stands about five to 13 feet tall. A new study led by the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil has found that these marsh plants can scavenge up to 34 times more manganese from contaminated soils than other plants such as hibiscus, sedges, or rushes that inhabit similar environments. The findings demonstrate the Southern cattail’s potential for use in the sustainable [...]

Vitamin D is known to play a major role in the regulation of calcium and phosphorous absorption, while also keeping the brain and immune system working properly. Now, according to a recent study led by the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil and University College London (UCL) in England, vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of dynapenia – an age-associated loss of muscle strength – in older people by 78 percent. Dynapenia is partly explained by [...]

A new study published in the journal Science Advances has found that even extremely small pollution particles resulting from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels can significantly change cloud formation and rainfall patterns in the Amazon.  According to an international team of scientists, oxidation leads small aerosols expelled by factories or automobiles to grow rapidly in the atmosphere, reaching up to 400 times their original size, and thus [...]

The rhythms of activity in all living things are known to be affected by gravity, such as the gravitational pull of a full moon, yet this phenomenon has been largely neglected in the field of scientific research. In a new study from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), experts have confirmed that the gravitational tides generated by the moon and sun influence the behavior of plants and animals, regardless of other factors such as light or darkness. “The celestial mechanics of the [...]

Computer simulations suggest that interactions between communities of plankton (the myriad microorganisms inhabiting the oceans and supplying most of the Earth’s oxygen) will be affected by climate change in different ways, depending on their location. At the poles, plankton communities will be severely damaged due to rises in temperature. Meanwhile, in the tropics they will suffer from increased salinity, and in temperate zones plankton groups will be transformed by a reduced flow of [...]

Data collected for more than 20 years in the Paraná River basin of Brazil has produced evidence of a drastic decline in the number of aquatic insects in the region. The research suggests that this decline is linked to the construction of over 180 dams on the Paraná basin and its tributaries. “Our study analyzed data collected on a seasonal basis over a 20-year period. We detected a decline from thousands to tens of individuals per square meter,” said Professor Gustavo [...]

A study from the University of São Paulo has found that the evolutionary stability of a bird species depends on its role in seed dispersal networks. The experts report that the stability of each species increases with the more types of seeds that it disperses. More than 70 percent of all flowering plants depend on birds to disperse their seeds. The research suggests that birds which feed on fruit from a wide variety of plants have better evolutionary chances. “The bird species [...]

A drastic rise in CO2 would reduce rainfall in the Amazon more than deforestation, according to a new study from the University of Sao Paulo and the National Space Research Institute. The experts report that a 50-percent rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide could reduce rainfall in the Amazon as much as or even more than substitution of the entire forest by pasture. The research shows that a 50 percent increase in CO2 levels would lead to a 12 percent annual drop in the volume of Amazon [...]