No abstract

The Pampas is a biologically rich South American biome, but is poorly represented in phylogeographic studies. While the Pleistocene glacial cycles may have affected the evolutionary history of species distributed in forested biomes, little is known about their effects on the habitats that remained stable through glacial cycles. The South American Pampas have been covered by grasslands during both glacial and interglacial periods and therefore represent an interesting system to test whether the genetic structure in such environments is less pronounced. In this study, we sampled Pampean populations of Homonota uruguayensis from Southern Brazil and Uruguay to assess the tempo and mode of population divergence, using both morphological measurements and molecular markers. Our results indicate that, in spite of its narrow geographic distribution, populations of H. uruguayensis show high levels of genetic structure. We found four major well-supported mtDNA clades with strong geographic associations. Estimates of their divergence times fell between 3.16 and 1.82 million years before the present. Populations from the central portion of the species distribution, on the border between Uruguay and Brazil, have high genetic diversity and may have undergone a population expansion approximately 250,000 years before the present. The high degree of genetic structure is reflected in the analyses of morphological characters, and most individuals could be correctly assigned to their parental population based on morphology alone. Finally, we discuss the biogeographic and conservation implications of these findings.

The Atlantic Forest is an important hotspot of biodiversity and ecosystem services that contributes to the well-being of its 125 million human inhabitants, about three quarters of the Brazilian population. In the coming decades, forecasts show that urban areas in the Atlantic Forest will grow at the expense of natural ecosystems, leading to increasing pressure on biodiversity and ecosystem services. We used the Nature Futures Framework (NFF) for envisioning positive scenarios for cities in the Atlantic Forest. First, we developed a conceptual model based on the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) approach to describe consequences of urban growth for the three NFF perspectives: Nature for Society, Nature for Nature and Nature as Culture. Second, we proposed scenario storylines that encompass multiple social-ecological values of nature and could be used by policy makers to plan desirable futures for the Atlantic Forest. Then, we discussed the impact of distinct policies on these values, identifying the different ways in which the management of urban green and blue spaces, natural ecosystems, and urban densities can lead to different social-ecological outcomes. We further detail the complexity, trade-offs, and synergies regarding city development, nature conservation, and human well-being in this tropical hotspot. Applying NFF can contribute to the ongoing debate regarding urban sustainability, by providing an interdisciplinary and integrative approach that explicitly incorporates multiple values of nature and the visualization of positive futures.

Population dynamics of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus was studied between May 2008 and June 2009 in a rocky formation in Alegrete municipality, Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil. The study was carried out using the capture, marking and recapture method, the area being randomly searched from 08:00 am to 6:00 pm. Tropidurus torquatus presented variation in population structure throughout the study period, with maximum biomass observed in October 2008 and maximum density occurring in November 2008 (reproductive season), both having a second peak in March 2009 (recruitment period). There was a significant difference between the number of juveniles and adults recorded, since adults were present throughout the study period while juveniles were present in the months after recruitment. The difference found between males and females may be related to a social territorial behavior of the males. The population of Tropidurus torquatus presented a cyclic and seasonal variation in population structure, possibly associated with the reproductive cycle of the species, with differences in the distribution of age classes and sexual proportions throughout the year.KEY-WORDS. Tropidurus, population structure, sex ratio, age classes, social behavior.

Restorative environments refer to settings that allow for the recovery of depleted psychological resources. The potential to promote restoration can vary from place to place according to a setting's characteristics. Two scales, Perceived Restorativeness Scale and Restoration Outcome Scale, have been applied to measure the restorativeness of places and restorative outcomes in the Global North. This study aims to translate, adapt and analyse the psychometric properties of these scales for their application in Brazil and to test their convergent validity. Our sample is composed of 566 adults (50.7% male) from the cities of Porto Alegre and São Paulo, with ages ranging from 18 to 85 years old. Both scales presented adequate internal consistency and model fit indexes. Moreover, the scales' fit indexes were considered adequate regardless of participants' gender and city of residence, which were tested through multigroup confirmatory factor analyses. With this contribution, we expect to help the expansion of research on restorative environments in the poorly studied Global South. RESUMENLos ambientes restauradores son contextos que permiten la recuperación de recursos psicológicos agotados. El potencial restaurador puede variar de un lugar a otro en función de las características contextuales. En del Norte Global se han empleado dos escalas para medir la capacidad restauradora de un lugar y los resultados