Vale Technological Institute

Measuring biodiversity losses and gains in infrastructure development projects is methodologically demanding, especially when such metrics are used to guide offsetting strategies that are ecologically sound, socially just, and economically feasible. This challenge stems from the inherently complex and multi-layered nature of biodiversity, which spans genetic variation, species populations, ecosystem functions, and landscape-level processes. The mitigation hierarchy provides a structured pathway to balance environmental conservation with socioeconomic development by sequentially avoiding, minimizing, remediating, and offsetting project impacts. Under this approach, No Net Loss (NNL) is achieved when biodiversity gains across all four stages exceed the environmental losses caused by the project. Integrating the mitigation hierarchy with quantitative indicators and spatial planning tools is therefore essential to assess how companies and regulatory agencies implement NNL policies and to identify existing gaps in governance, knowledge, and technical capacity.In this study, we present a framework to quantify biodiversity losses and gains in megadiverse ecosystems such as the Amazon. Biodiversity stocks are evaluated through a Biotic Value metric defined as the product of habitat importance and the actual ecological condition of habitats affected by the project. Habitat importance is a unique score assigned to each land-cover class within the study area and reflects habitat naturalness, rarity, endangerment, and substitutability. More natural or rarer habitats—particularly those requiring long recovery times or dependent on uncommon environmental conditions—receive higher scores. Actual ecological conditions are derived from field-surveyed key ecological attributes related to vegetation structure, community composition and diversity, and ecological processes. Following guidance from the Society for Ecological Restoration, three indicators are assessed for each attribute and integrated by multivariate analysis into a robust measure of habitat condition. The resulting Biotic Value ranges from 0 for highly degraded environments, such as minelands, to 1 for well-preserved natural ecosystems. Secondary forests, depending on successional stage, can reach values around 0.43.We apply this framework to a mining site in the southeastern Amazon and demonstrate that large-scale forest restoration can effectively mitigate mining impacts, contributing to the reconciliation of socioeconomic development with long-term biodiversity conservation.

Assessing how the disturbances affect the physical structure and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems has become a critical research priority. Bauxite mining is economically important in the Amazon, but associated infrastructure may influence freshwater biodiversity. We evaluated the effects of a bauxite ore pipeline on the community structure of semiaquatic bugs (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha) in 40 streams of the eastern Amazon, including 20 sites crossed by the pipeline and 20 control sites. We tested whether (i) species abundance and richness upstream and downstream of control sites would be higher than in pipeline sites, (ii) upstream sites would show greater abundance and richness due to species sensitivity and habitat alteration in sites crossed by the pipeline, (iii) community composition would differ between pipeline and control sites, with characteristic species for each treatment, and (iv) the pipeline would indirectly influence communities through changes in habitat quality, riparian cover, and abiotic variables. Multivariate analyses indicated clear differences in community composition, with indicator species characterizing each condition, including the species Rhagovelia jubata in pipeline streams and Stridulivelia alia and Stridulivelia strigosa in control streams. Abundance showed a tendency to be higher in control streams, whereas richness was associated with abundance but not with habitat integrity. These findings indicate that, although diversity metrics remained similar, pipeline installation is linked to changes in species composition, reflecting shifts in local environmental conditions.

Demographic compensation occurs when reductions in some vital rates are offset by increases in others, allowing populations to maintain similar performance across varying environments. This mechanism may help explain species' ecological distributions and range limits, yet its role at microenvironmental scales remains poorly understood. We investigated demographic compensation in Ipomoea cavalcantei, a narrow-range but locally abundant species endemic to Amazonian ironstone outcrops, by comparing populations in two contrasting habitats: open- and shrubby-canga. Using 3 yr of demographic data, we built matrix population models and conducted a life table response experiment. We also carried out germination and seedling establishment experiments under different temperature and light conditions simulating both habitats to identify the potential environmental drivers and their effects on key life-cycle events. Despite contrasting environmental conditions, both populations exhibited similar population growth rates (λ), with opposing contributions of growth and fecundity - evidence of demographic compensation. The open-canga population had lower growth but higher recruitment, driven by favorable temperature regimes for seed dormancy release and germination. Reduced growth was associated with physiological stress under high irradiance and shallow soils. Our results show that demographic compensation allows I. cavalcantei to persist across microhabitats, highlighting the importance of fine-scale environmental heterogeneity in shaping species distributions.

Furipterus horrens es un murciélago insectívoro endémico de los trópicos del Nuevo Mundo. Se refugia principalmente en cuevas y, debido a su modulación de banda ancha y a sus llamados de ecolocalización de baja intensidad, F. horrens rara vez se detecta en el monitoreo acústico y, en general, los datos acústicos y la historia natural de esta especie son poco conocidos. Con base en datos recopilados de mayo de 2021 a diciembre de 2024, describimos aquí los pulsos de ecolocalización de individuos de F. horrens al emerger de sus refugios en cuevas ubicadas en el Bosque Nacional de Carajás, Amazonia oriental, Brasil. También describimos y analizamos por primera vez clics audibles emitidos por F. horrens dentro de estos refugios. Los pulsos presentaron una estructura de frecuencia modulada, escalonada y de banda ancha, e identificamos dos sonotipos de los pulsos de ecolocalización de la especie. Ambos sonotipos presentaron las frecuencias Fmax más altas reportadas para esta especie y para todas las demás especies de murciélagos neotropicales (> 200 kHz). La duración del pulso, su pendiente y su ciclo de trabajo se mantuvieron dentro de los intervalos esperados para la especie, pero el ancho de banda varió en ambos sonotipos, posiblemente relacionado con la baja intensidad de los cantos. Encontramos diferencias en cuatro parámetros evaluados entre animales dentro de las jaulas de vuelo e individuos en vuelo libre, lo que sugiere que el comportamiento acústico puede variar según el entorno y las circunstancias. Los clicks fueron cortos (5,5 ± 4,7 ms) y de banda ancha (35,3 kHz), con frecuencias que oscilaron entre 3,0 ± 1,2 kHz (Fmín) y 39,4 kHz (Fmáx), lo que cubre la mayor parte del espectro audible humano. Nuestra hipótesis es que los clicks podrían funcionar como sonidos de alarma producidos por las alas del murciélago y que esta acción podría ser desencadenada por amenazas, como depredadores, y tener un origen comunicativo en lugar de un pulso de ecolocalización para la navegación. El reconocimiento de estos clicks podría ayudar a detectar F. horrens dentro de sus abrigos, convirtiendo esto en una estrategia complementaria y eficaz a las redes de niebla y el monitoreo acústico pasivo en futuros monitoreos y estudios de impacto ambiental.

The marine fish genus Trachinotus (Carangidae: Trachinotinae) comprises species of considerable economic and ecological importance; however, a significant gap in genomic data has limited the understanding of its evolutionary history and systematics. To address this gap, we determined the complete mitochondrial genomes of two key species, Trachinotus goodei (Palometa) and Trachinotus mookalee (Indian Pompano). The mitogenome of T. goodei was sequenced from genomic DNA and assembled de novo, whereas the T. mookalee mitogenome was assembled by mining publicly available RNA-Seq data, demonstrating a cost-effective approach for expanding genomic resources. The resulting mitogenomes were 16,547 bp and 16,545 bp long, respectively, and both presented conserved gene content (13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs) and organization typical of teleost fishes. Phylogenetic analysis incorporating these new genomes with those of four other Trachinotus species was performed via a concatenated dataset of 13 protein-coding genes. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference recovered Trachinotus as a strongly supported monophyletic group. The phylogeny revealed a fundamental and deeply divergent split between three major clades, two comprising species from the western Atlantic and the other containing species from the eastern Atlantic/Mediterranean/Indo-Pacific. This robust biogeographic partition provides compelling evidence that allopatric speciation is a primary driver of diversification within the genus.

This study investigated the hydrogeochemical characteristics of surface waters in the Congonhas Mineral District (CMD), located in the southern portion of Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Brazil. A total of 38 sites were monitored between 2021 and 2024 to understand seasonal and spatial variability across distinct lithologies and land uses. Hydrogeochemical patterns revealed dominant mixed bicarbonate facies associated with metavolcano-sedimentary terrains, while domains of granitoids exhibited alkali enrichment. Waters under the influence of larger Urban settlements were enriched in Na, Cl, sulfate, and nutrients. By integrating geospatial classification, seasonal sampling, and robust statistical techniques, we investigated the behavior of Fe and Mn, key elements influenced by both natural geological sources and mining activities. Reference values for geochemical background and baseline thresholds, based on samples from preserved and mixed land use areas, respectively, were estimated using three distinct statistical approaches. Among these, the upper tolerance limit (UTL) method was considered the most consistent and suitable. Spatial and seasonal patterns revealed elevated Fe and Mn levels during the rainy season, particularly in areas influenced by mining and urbanization. The proposed reference values provide a realistic basis for identifying contamination, and can give support for more realistic regulatory frameworks, and definition of strategies for water quality management. The obtained results highlight the relevance of tailored guidelines in mining contexts, where reference values adopted by regulatory agencies may not reflect local geochemical conditions.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10653-026-02989-0.

Recent studies on macrophages showed their contribution to tumorigenesis, progression, metastasis, and chemoresistance by influencing the local tumor microenvironment and cancer cells. Exosomes form a subset of extracellular vesicles and have played a major role in the interaction between cancer cells and macrophages. This review intends to discuss the existing literature on employing macrophage-derived exosomes as a vehicle for microRNA (miRNA) delivery in oncological applications. It will evaluate the molecular principles of this therapeutic approach and its capacity to enhance cancer therapy by elucidating problems like drug and radio-resistance. This review uniquely emphasizes the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of macrophage-derived exosomal miRNAs, summarizing current understandings into their molecular processes, tumor specificity, and strategies to overcome therapeutic resistance. This review synthesizes recent studies and evaluates how macrophage-derived exosomes and their miRNAs contribute to cancers. These vesicles are multipurpose tools that regulate tumor behavior, considering they can regulate it through post-transcriptional regulation and protein phosphorylation. Such exosomes that are engineered can potentially introduce a novel dimension because they have the capability of delivering targeted oncogenic or tumor-suppressive miRNAs to overcome limitations of current cancer therapeutics, particularly drug and radioresistance. Engineered macrophage-derived exosomes may thus have the potential as a novel approach for cancer treatment and overcoming therapeutic resistance.

Background Understanding the drivers and spatial–temporal patterns of fire in Amazonian ecosystems is essential for biodiversity conservation and land management, particularly in canga landscapes – diverse, ironstone-associated regions increasingly threatened by climate change and mining. Aims We investigated fire regimes over 33 years in two canga landscapes in the eastern Amazon, assessing the influence of land-use history, protection status, and climatic severity on fire occurrence and intensity. Methods Using Landsat imagery (1989–2021), we mapped annual fire scars in the Carajás National Forest (CNF, protected since 1989) and the Campos Ferruginosos National Park (CFNP, protected since 2017), employing spectral mixture analysis and the DEGRADI index. Fire regimes were analysed against precipitation, deforestation, and temporal patterns using hurdle regression models. Key results Fire regimes differed sharply: 88% of CFNP burned at least once, mainly in forests, while only 4.5% of CNF burned, mostly in cangas. After a decrease after 2008 in CFNP, fire activity increased in both areas after 2016. Fire occurrence was linked to land-use history, not climate or deforestation, while intensity correlated with dry-season rainfall. Conclusions Fire dynamics in Amazonian cangas are shaped by distinct mechanisms. Effective conservation requires integrated strategies, including ignition control, monitoring, and local fire brigades – even within protected areas.