Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network ( Rede Amazônia Sustentável , RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.

The distribution and composition of aquatic insect communities in streams at a local scale are considered to be primarily determined by environmental factors and interactive relationships within the system. Here, we evaluated the effects of forest fragmentation and forest cover changes on habitat characteristics of streamlets (igarapés) in Amazonian forests and on the aquatic insect communities found Publication number 515 of the PDBFF Technical Series.

This study describes the application of a protocol for biological assessment of water quality at first to third order streams at Serra dos Ó rgã os, an area covered by Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Major impacts in the region are domestic effluents and deforestation. Our main objective is to establish biocriteria for the establishment of the Serra dos Ó rgã os Multimetric Index (SOMI) based on benthic macroinvertebrates. We used data from previous studies, sampled by experienced biologists, from 1999 through 2002. The benthic macroinvertebrate community was sampled in 12 reference sites and seven impaired sites in three river basins: Guapimirim, Macaé and Grande, all from the same bioregion. From the 22 tested metrics, 6 were included in the SOMI (% Diptera, % Coleoptera, Family Taxa, EPT Taxa, BMWP-CETEC and % Shredders). Scores (5, 3 or 1) were developed for these metrics to allow for aggregation into the index. Seven intermediately impaired sites were used for evaluating the applicability of the multimetric index. We concluded that the SOMI is a robust easy-to-apply tool for biomonitoring programs in the Serra dos Ó rgã os region, south-east Brazil.

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Chironomids larvae are frequently one of the most abundant and diverse groups of insects in several kinds of aquatic environments. Also, they play a major role in the aquatic food webs, representing a major link among producers and secondary consumers. This work investigates the feeding behavior of the chironomid larvae present in the Rio da Fazenda, situated in the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between August 1994 and May 1995. Algae, fungi, pollen, leaf and wood fragments, animal remains, detritus and silt were the main gut contents found in the larvae studied. The main food item ingested by the larvae was detritus, except for the Stenochironomus whose main food source was leaf and wood fragments. Tanypodinae exhibited a large quantity of animal remains of several kinds in the diet. During the period studied it was observed that the diet of 16 genera (out of 24 studied) varied. Tanypodinae had mainly coarse particulate organic matter (> 1 mm) in the gut contents, while Chironominae and Orthocladiinae had fine particulate organic matter (< 1 mm).Key words: food habits, gut contents, Chironomidae, larvae. RESUMOHábitos alimentares das larvas de Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) de um riacho na Floresta da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, BrasilAs larvas de Chironomidae são freqüentemente o grupo de insetos mais abundante e diversificado em vários tipos de ambientes aquáticos, apresentando importante papel nas redes tróficas das comunidades aquáticas, por constituírem efetiva ligação entre produtores e consumidores. Este trabalho analisou o comportamento alimentar das larvas de Chironomidae presentes no rio da Fazenda, localizado no Parque Nacional da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, entre agosto de 1994 e maio de 1995. Os principais itens alimentares encontrados foram algas, fungos, pólen, fragmentos vegetais, restos animais, detritos e silte. O principal item alimentar ingerido pelas larvas foi detrito, exceto para Stenochironomus, cujo principal componente alimentar foram fragmentos vegetais. Os Tanypodinae também exibiram grande quantidade de restos animais de diversos grupos na dieta alimentar. Foi observada variação na dieta alimentar para 16 gêneros. Os Tanypodinae apresentaram principalmente matéria orgânica particulada grossa (> 1 mm) no conteúdo digestivo, enquanto os Chironominae e os Orthocladiinae apresentaram matéria orgânica particulada fina (< 1 mm).Palavras-chave: alimentação, conteúdo estomacal, Chironomidae, larva.