To determine the effect of rivers, environmental conditions, and isolation by distance on the distribution of species in Amazonia. Location: Brazilian Amazonia. Time period: Current. Major taxa studied: Birds, fishes, bats, ants, termites, butterflies, ferns + lycophytes, gingers and palms. We compiled a unique dataset of biotic and abiotic information from 822 plots spread over the Brazilian Amazon. We evaluated the effects of environment, geographic distance and dispersal barriers (rivers) on assemblage composition of animal and plant taxa using multivariate techniques and distance- and raw-data-based regression approaches. Environmental variables (soil/water), geographic distance, and rivers were associated with the distribution of most taxa. The wide and relatively old Amazon River tended to determine differences in community composition for most biological groups. Despite this association, environment and geographic distance were generally more important than rivers in explaining the changes in species composition. The results from multi-taxa comparisons suggest that variation in community composition in Amazonia reflects both dispersal limitation (isolation by distance or by large rivers) and the adaptation of species to local environmental conditions. Larger and older river barriers influenced the distribution of species. However, in general this effect is weaker than the effects of environmental gradients or geographical distance at broad scales in Amazonia, but the relative importance of each of these processes varies among biological groups.

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The database of the Brazilian Program for Biodiversity Research (PPBio; GIVD ID SA-BR-001) includes data on the environment and biological groups such as plants. It is organized by site, which is usually a grid with 10 to 72 uniformly-distributed plots, and has already surveyed 1,638 relevés across different Brazilian ecosystems. The sampling design is based on the RAPELD system to allow integration of data from diverse taxa and ecosystem processes. RAPELD is a spatially-explicit sampling scheme to monitor biodiversity in long-term ecological research sites and during rapid appraisals of biodiversity that has attracted support from many management agencies, which are using it as their long-term monitoring system. Vegetation surveys include measurements of cover, biomass and number of individuals from woody and herbaceous vascular plants, along with environmental data. We have recently migrated to a metadata catalog and data repository which allows searching for specific groups across all sites. All RAPELD data have been collected since 2001, though the site also allows data from other long-term plots to be archived as associated projects. Database manager(s): Flávia Fonseca Pezzini (flaviapezzini@gmail.com) Owner: [NA] Web address: http://ppbio.inpa.gov.br Availability: after blocking period Online upload: yes Online search: yes Database format(s): CSV file, TXT file Export format(s): CSV file Publication: [NA] Plot type(s): normal plots Plot-size range: 1-10000 m² Non-overlapping plots: 1,843 Estimate of existing plots: [NA] Completeness: [NA] Total plot observations: 1,843 Number of sources: [NA] Valid taxa: [NA] Countries: BR: 100.0% Forest: [NA] -Non-forest: [NA] Guilds: all vascular plants: 100% Environmental data: altitude: 100%; slope inclination: 35%; soil pH: 92%; other soil attributes: 92% Performance measure(s): cover: 100%; number of individuals: 100%; biomass: 100% Geographic localisation: GPS coordinates (precision 25 m or less): 100% Sampling periods:

A pesca na Amazônia é uma das atividades mais antigas e importantes; entretanto a atividade pesqueira tem passado por um rápido processo de modernização. Os moradores da comunidade de Boas Novas, no Lago do Janauacá AM são, em sua maioria, pescadores-lavradores. No presente trabalho procedeu-se um levantamento de aspectos etnoictiológicos através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com o objetivo de relacionar a dieta das espécies de peixes citadas na literatura e pelos moradores da comunidade de Boas Novas e a forma com que adquiriram tal conhecimento. Houve correlação de 83% entre as informações dos pescadores e as encontradas na literatura. A maioria dos informantes adquiriu esse conhecimento através da observação na natureza, do tipo de isca que se usa para cada espécie, tratando os peixes ou informados por outras pessoas; havendo diferenças entre homens e mulheres.

Aim: Floodplains occupy a vast area of the Amazon basin but little is known of how their physical and limnological characteristics respond to local and regional ecological processes. In the Negro River basin and its main tributary, the Branco River, there are large areas that are seasonally flooded by water from local rainfall and that are not directly connected to major rivers. One such area is the floodplain of Viruá National Park, in Roraima state, northern Brazil. Methods: The physical and chemical limnological characteristics of 19 plots in this area were monitored over three years (2008)(2009)(2010), with samples collected each year at the beginning and end of the rainy season (May to August). Results: The water bodies studied had low mean values for electrical conductivity (22.0 ± 14.0 µS*cm -1 ) and pH (4.8 ± 0.7), relatively high temperatures (26.6 ± 2.7 °C), and moderate values for dissolved oxygen saturation (43.0 ± 21.5%) and water transparency (87.9 ± 38.7 cm). There was no significant difference in the limnological characteristics of the aquatic plots between the beginning and end of the rainy seasons in 2008 and 2010, but there were significant differences in 2009 due to an atypical rainfall pattern with two short dry spells during the rainy season. Multivariate analysis showed that the highest temporal variations in the limnological characteristics of the aquatic plots resulted from changes in water transparency, and these changes were related to soil type, elevation of the plot, and the particular micro-basins to which they were connected. Conclusions: This dynamic is different from that of most floodplains in the Amazon region, where the limnological pattern is well-defined seasonally and strongly dependent on the direct connectivity to large river systems. Floodplains not connected to large rivers should receive special attention in relation to the expected impacts of global climate change because of their high dependence on local rainfall.Keywords: water transparency, seasonal variation, wetland, Branco River basin, Viruá National Park, temporary ponds. Resumo: Objetivos:As planícies alagáveis da Amazônia ocupam uma vasta área e compreender os padrões das características limnológicas dessas planícies é de grande importância para os processos ecológicos locais e regionais. Na bacia do rio Negro e de seu principal afluente, o rio Branco, há grandes áreas sazonalmente alagadas que são abastecidas principalmente por chuvas locais e não são conectadas diretamente com grandes rios. Uma dessas áreas é a planície alagável do Parque Nacional do Viruá, em Roraima, no extremo norte do Brasil. Métodos: Foram monitoradas as características físicas e limnológicas de 19 parcelas durante três anos (2008 -2010), com coletas realizadas no início e no fim do período de chuvas (maio -agosto). Resultados: Os corpos d'água estudados apresentaram baixos valores médios de condutividade elétrica (22.0 ± 14,0 µS*cm -1 ) e pH (4.8 ± 0.7). A temperatura foi relativamente alta (26.6 ± 2.7 °C) e o oxigênio dis...