Background COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Brazil, a country of continental dimensions, but the incidence of the disease is showing to be very heterogeneous, affecting cities and regions differently. Thus, there is a gap regarding what factors would contribute to accentuate the differences in the incidence of COVID-19 among Brazilian cities. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of altitude on incidence of COVID-19 in Brazilian cities. Methods We analysed the relative incidence, relative death rate of COVID-19, and air relative humidity in all 154 cities in Brazil with a population above 200 thousand inhabitants, located between 5 and 1,135 m in altitude. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to compare a relationship between altitude with relative incidence (RI) and relative death rate (RDR) and between air relative humidity (RH). Altitudes were classified into three classes (low class, up to 97 m; middle class, 97 m to 795 m; and upper class, 795 m to 1,135 m) for the RI, RDR and RH variables. To compare the three classes of altitude, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test were used to compare media (p < 0.05). Results Our epidemiological analysis found that the IR, RDR and RH were higher in cities located in low (0 to 97 m a.s.l) compared to medium (98 to 790 m a.s.l) and high (791 to 1135 m a.s.l) cities altitudes. Furthermore, it has been shown that there is a negative correlation between the incidence of COVID-19 with altitude and a positive correlation with air relative humidity in the cities analysed. Conclusion Brazilian cities at lower altitudes and greater air relative humidity have higher relative incidence and relative deaths from COVID-19. Thus, higher altitude cities may be favourable to shelter people at risk. This study may be useful for understanding the behaviour of SARS-CoV2, and start point for future studies to establish causality of environmental conditions with SARS-CoV2 contributing to the implementation of measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.

Sustainable wood production is one of the current challenges due to the increasing demand for wood worldwide. Despite, forest planting has proved to be a good solution; the high wood productivity can be achieved only under favorable bioclimatic conditions, which makes this study of great value for government policies. This study aimed to assess the impact of climate on the distribution of Apuleia leiocarpa in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Species Distribution Models (SDMs) were performed using the MaxEnt model-based on-field survey of A. leiocarpa (n = 54). Pedological and bioclimatic data were used to identify suitable areas and climate change effects on the distribution of this species. Ours results have shown that the MaxEnt presented a good performance in modelling the distribution of the A. leiocarpa. The temperature was the main controlling variable of the distribution of this species. The pedological models overestimated of the suitable area. Despite that, the results provide useful information to be considered in the future in order to refine the selection of variables for a better characterization of the ecological niche. Regarding the projection of the future A. leiocarpa distribution, there was found an alarming scenario, which it must be taken into the consideration for the local authorities in order to establish a successful species-replanting program.

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The invasive exotic plant Melinis minutiflora P.Beauv. is a globally invasive species and impacts the economy, biodiversity, and human well-being. The challenges of biological invasion may be intensified by climate change. The increase in temperatures and concentrations of greenhouse gases may favor the introduction, establishment, and expansion potential of this species. Climate change may influence the effective management of invasive species. The objectives of this study were, for the first time, to use CLIMEX software to determine the distribution potential of M. minutiflora in the world under current climatic conditions and global climate change scenarios for the 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2100. Modeling with CLIMEX was used to research the impacts of climate change on the potential global distribution of M. minutiflora. The potential worldwide distribution of M. minutiflora under current climatic conditions is broad, with suitable climatic conditions expanding in tropical and subtropical regions. Future climate scenarios of 2030, 2050, 2070, and 2100 M. minutiflora will grow poleward and upward as the climate warms. Where climate change results in expanding the species global potential range, strategies must be analyzed so that strategic control plans for biological invasion are often considered. Understanding this threat can help formulate effective prevention, introduction, and response measures in regions deemed inadequate.