Fernanda P. Werneck

Essa pesquisa analisou como gestores e colaboradores dos projetos de conservação de quelônios percebem e avaliam a gestão, os impactos sociais e os resultados ecológicos em diferentes trechos da bacia do Rio Araguaia, nos municípios de Xambioá-TO, Piçarra-PA, Santa Maria das Barreiras-PA, Caseara-TO e Santana do Araguaia-PA. Trata-se de um estudo com abordagem quali-quantitativa, com a realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas que envolveram 21 participantes. Os resultados evidenciam que ações conservacionistas contribuem para a manutenção da biodiversidade, a sensibilização comunitária e as práticas socioculturais locais. No entanto, limitações institucionais, financeiras e logísticas interferem na proteção dos quelônios. A sobre-exploração humana, a degradação ambiental e as mudanças climáticas são os principais fatores de risco para a sobrevivência das espécies; os conflitos socioambientais mais relevantes decorrem do caráter proibitivo relacionado à utilização e ao comércio de quelônios; a participação da comunidade e de lideranças locais nos projetos ainda é incipiente. Por essa razão, a educação ambiental é apontada como um caminho possível na mediação de conflitos e inclusão das comunidades locais, por meio da valorização dos saberes tradicionais. Dessa forma, a implementação de um sistema de manejo comunitário nessa região poderia reduzir a pressão sobre as espécies, melhorar a qualidade de vida e garantir a segurança alimentar das gerações futuras.

Understanding how species will respond to rapid environmental change is a central question in conservation biology. Genome–environment association (GEA) and genomic offset analyses offer valuable tools for detecting local adaptation and assessing vulnerability to climate change. In this study, we investigate local adaptation signals and the adaptive potential to changing climates in Dendropsophus elegans, a widespread treefrog endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (AF), one of the world’s most threatened biodiversity hotspots. Using RAD-sequencing data from 29 individuals across 25 localities and a reference genome from D. ebraccatus, we identified 3,447 high-quality SNPs. We employed two GEA analyses to detect loci potentially under climatic selection across environmental gradients and estimate genetic offset related to climate change. Our analyses showed evidence of stronger genetic structuring in the northern and southern portions of the forest, and greater admixture in the central zone. Different GEA methods revealed 12 candidate loci linked to temperature seasonality and precipitation extremes suggesting populations adapted to local climatic conditions along the AF’s latitudinal gradient. Our findings suggest a potential adaptive divergence in D. elegans shaped by local climates. Under this assumption, and by quantifying genomic offset, we identified populations potentially at higher risk of maladaptation under future climate scenarios on the edges of the AF biome, particularly in the southwestern and coastal regions. These results underscore the importance of integrating adaptive genetic variation into conservation planning, particularly in rapidly changing and fragmented landscapes such as the Atlantic Forest.

The effects of global climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are unevenly distributed in the geographic space. Identifying sites more suitable to sustain biodiversity in a changing climate is essential to both species conservation and restoration strategies at different scales. Here, we map terrestrial climate‐resilient sites for biodiversity across Brazil to identify sites with greater chances of providing suitable conditions for species to persist under regional climate change. Our mapping combines spatial metrics based on landscape heterogeneity, a proxy for microclimatic variability, and local connectedness, a measure of connectivity between habitats, to determine landscape resilience, assuming that resilience to climate change will be greater the more heterogeneous the characteristics of local habitats are and the more connected they are in the landscape. Our results show that within each biome, medium to high resilient sites are mostly found in the Amazon (40% of the biome) and Pantanal (38%). Low resilience, conversely, is concentrated in the Atlantic Forest (41% of the biome), followed by Cerrado (37%), Pampa (36%), and Caatinga (34%). Landscape resilience information has the potential to be used to effectively guide decision‐making and public policy on strategies for conservation, restoration, and sustainable use practices. Priority for conservation should be on high resilience sites as they have the potential to sustain biodiversity in face of undergoing and future climate change. Other approaches could be used in situations of medium to low resilience also, such as: conservation of current corridors in sites with high local connectedness, but low landscape heterogeneity; restoration of natural vegetation on sites that show high landscape heterogeneity, but low local connectedness; and sustainable practices in areas of low resilience. Our study provides an updated method to pinpoint climate‐resilient sites for biodiversity which was applied to a megadiverse country but is applicable to any ecosystem around the globe.

Mitonuclear discordance—evolutionary discrepancies between mitochondrial and nuclear DNA phylogenies—can arise from various factors, including introgression, incomplete lineage sorting, recent or ancient demographic fluctuations, sex‐biased dispersal asymmetries, among others. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for accurately reconstructing evolutionary histories, as failing to account for discordance can lead to misinterpretations of species boundaries, phylogenetic relationships, and historical biogeographic patterns. We investigate the evolutionary drivers of mitonuclear discordance in the Tropidurus spinulosus species group, which contains nine species of lizards inhabiting open tropical and subtropical environments in South America. Using a combination of population genetic and phylogenomic approaches applied to mitochondrial and nuclear data, we identified different instances of gene flow that occurred in ancestral lineages of extant species. Our results point to a complex evolutionary history marked by prolonged isolation between species, demographic fluctuations, and potential episodes of secondary contact with genetic admixture. These conditions likely facilitated mitochondrial genome capture while diluting signals of nuclear introgression. Furthermore, we found no strong evidence supporting incomplete lineage sorting or natural selection as primary drivers of the observed mitonuclear discordance. Therefore, the unveiled patterns are most consistent with neutral demographic processes, coupled with ancient mitochondrial introgression, as the main factors underlying the mismatch between nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies in this system. Future research could further explore the role of other demographic processes, such as asymmetric sex‐biased dispersal, in shaping these complex evolutionary patterns.

Biogeographic studies of widely distributed species allow us to understand possible dispersal routes and the influence of changes in climate and landscape in shaping the current ranges of occurrence of different populations. The objective of our work was to understand the limits and structure of lineages and the possible area of origin in addition to the biogeographic events important for the dispersal and diversification of the arboreal snake Corallus hortulana. We found six well-defined and structured lineages of C. hortulana distributed throughout South American ecosystems with older divergence estimates compared to other studies. Furthermore, the emergence of C. hortulana east of the Amazon and its westward dispersal are distinct compared to most studied taxa that diversified in this region. We propose the hypothesis that an Amazonian arboreal snake may have favoured and potentially utilized large rivers and the ocean to promote dispersal throughout South America, possibly using natural rafts to cross rivers and occupy islands in the Caribbean Atlantic Ocean.

The extant genetic variation within and among taxa reflects a long history of diversification and adaptive mechanisms in response to climate change and landscape alterations. However, the velocity of current anthropogenic changes poses an imminent threat to global biodiversity. Understanding how species and populations might respond to global climate change provides valuable information for conservation in the face of these impacts. Here, we use genomic data to observe candidate loci under climate selection and test for genetic vulnerability to climate change in a widespread Amazonian ombrophilous lizard population. We found nine populations across Amazonia with a considerable amount of admixture among them. Distinct approaches of genome-environment association analyses revealed 56 candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) under climatic selection, showing an east–west gradient in the adaptive landscape and a signal of local climate adaptation across the species range. According to our results, signals of local adaptation indicate that the species may not respond equally throughout its range, with some populations facing higher extinction risks. Genomic offset analysis predicts the southern and central portions of Amazonia to have a higher vulnerability to future climate change. Our findings highlight the importance of considering spatially explicit contexts with a large sampling coverage to evaluate how local adaptation and climatic vulnerability affect Amazonian forest ectothermic fauna.

Historical shifts in climate have significantly influenced the establishment of ecosystems and the evolution of species. Phylogeographical studies integrated with niche modelling can provide insights into divergence events and demography. This study explores the evolutionary history, demographic patterns, and spatiotemporal dynamics of seven South American lizard species of the Anolis chrysolepis species group, which has been proposed to be strongly impacted by Pleistocene climatic fluctuations under the Refugia Hypothesis. We utilized mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences to delineate lineages, estimate divergence times, and examine demographic dynamics. Ecological niche models were employed to assess historical range shifts and identify climatic stability zones during the Quaternary. Our results identified 40 distinct lineages within the group. The species A. chrysolepis and A. tandai exhibited the highest lineage diversity, with seven and 12 lineages, respectively, while others showed fewer divergences. In the Cerrado savannas, species diversification aligns with Miocene geological and climatic changes, supporting the plateau/depression theory. In Amazonia, diversification during the Miocene was tied to Andean orogenesis, with Pleistocene range expansions influenced by climatic cycles. All species demonstrated demographic declines during the Pleistocene. Niche models highlighted stability areas in the Cerrado, and western and northern Amazonia, consistent with proposed refugia. These findings offer new insights into the biogeographical and evolutionary processes shaping biodiversity in these megadiverse regions.

Although the Neotropics harbour almost half of the world's butterfly species, there are few assessments regarding the potential future suitability of habitats for this important bioindicator in the region. Here, we test if butterfly species restricted to the Amazonia rainforest will be more affected by environmental change than closely related, more widespread species. We compiled 1149 individually checked observation records of three closely related species pairs with distinct distribution patterns (Amazonian‐restricted and widely distributed in the Neotropics). Using MaxEnt species distribution models, we projected the future habitat suitability (2050 and 2100) under low (SSP126) and high (SSP585) greenhouse gas emission scenarios and also considering reduced forested cover. Estimated models showed that in the low‐emission scenario, most species will potentially expand their suitable habitats and distributions by 3.7%–11.4% in 2100. Contrastingly, in the high‐emission scenario, most species will potentially lose habitat and distribution ranges by 9.6%–49.7% in 2100, regardless of their original range extent or phylogenetic relatedness. Only one widespread generalist species might benefit from this scenario in 2100, increasing its suitable habitat area by 30%. Both Amazonian range‐restricted and more widely distributed Neotropical butterflies may be equally negatively affected by global change in high‐emission scenarios. The fact that only one generalist species might expand its suitable habitat suggests a butterfly fauna homogenisation in the Neotropics. This prospect requires further testing to consider whether global change will affect not only restricted but generalist species as well.

The Amazonian megadiversity remains understudied and underestimated due to the region’s vast size, environmental heterogeneity, and inaccessibility. With increasing threats to the biome, it is crucial to map current knowledge before it is lost. This study addresses Linnean (species description), Wallacean (species distribution), and Darwinian (genetic knowledge) shortfalls for Amazonian anurans, quantifying what remains unknown. We reviewed species descriptions, analyzed occurrence data, and evaluated available genetic sequences and phylogenetic uncertainty. Species descriptions have grown over time, peaking around 2000. We estimate that 1,525 species exist in Amazonia, but only 766 (based in the species shapefiles) or 810 (based in the occurrence data) were found. Richness was highest in northern and western Amazonia, while remote areas far from urban centers remain undersampled. Only two genes (mitochondrial 12S and 16S) have been sequenced for more than half of the known species and are available in open databases, while phylogenetic uncertainty predominates in most clades. Regions such as Gurupa Várzea and Cordillera Central Paramo are especially under-sampled. Our results show that taxonomic, distribution, and genetic shortfalls are complementary rather than overlapping, indicating that different regions and species groups require different research strategies. This study highlights major knowledge gaps and provides a framework to guide future efforts in taxonomy, biogeography, and evolutionary studies of Amazonian anurans, supporting conservation planning in one of the most diverse regions on Earth for one of the most diverse and threatened taxonomic groups.

Chatogekko amazonicus is a miniaturized gecko from northern South America and is among the smallest of toe pad bearing lizards. The toe pads of C. amazonicus are miniscule, between 18% and 27% of the plantar surface area. We aimed to investigate the relationship between adhesive toe pad morphology, body size, and adhesive capabilities. Using scanning electron microscopy, we determine that the adhesive pads of C. amazonicus exhibit branched setae similar to those of other geckos, but that are generally much smaller. When compared with other gecko taxa, we show that C. amazonicus setae occupy a similar range of seta length: snout–vent length ratio and aspect ratio as other gekkonoid species (i.e. Gekkonidae, Phyllodactylidae, and Sphaerodactylidae). We demonstrate that C. amazonicus—even with its relatively small toe pads—is capable of climbing a smooth glass surface at a nearly vertical angle. We suggest that sphaerodactylids like C. amazonicus offer an excellent system for studying toe pad morphology and function in relation to miniaturization.