The suppression of native forests for agricultural expansion is the primary driver of biodiversity loss in tropical regions. However, agroforests have been deemed biodiversity-friendly systems due to their ability to shelter forest species, including the shade-cocoa agroforests of southern Bahia (locally known as “cabrucas”). Nonetheless, most studies in cabrucas have focused on vertebrates, whereas research on insects (including wasps) is scarce, despite their significance for ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigated the effects of (i) environmental type (cabruca or native forest), (ii) landscape forest cover (from 8.5% to 82%), and (iii) regional deforestation context (i.e., high, intermediate and low levels of deforestation) on the richness and composition patterns of stinging ectoparasitoid wasp assemblages (Pompilidae and Mutillidae) in the agricultural landscapes of southern Bahia in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We carefully selected 30 landscapes varying in regional and landscape context and conducted wasp sampling within one cabruca and one Atlantic Forest remnant per landscape using Malaise flight interception traps. We thus performed Generalized Linear Mixed Models separately for each family to assess the influence of predictor variables on species richness. We further used the Sorensen dissimilarity index to investigate species composition dissimilarity among (i) environmental types and (ii) regional types, in addition to Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance, to examine the effects of landscape forest cover on species composition. In total, we collected 82 individuals belonging to 39 species considering all 60 sampling sites, resulting in reduced richness in both forest (mean ± SD = 1.10 (±1.31) and agricultural (1.23 ±1.31) environments. In contrast to our initial prediction, no variables affected patterns of species richness. Furthermore, we observed high dissimilarity in species composition between environments and regions, whereas species composition was unaffected by forest cover. Our results therefore suggest that cabrucas can act as supplementary habitats for parasitoid wasps but cannot replace native forests.

Seedling vigor, defined here as total seedling biomass, is directly related to seedling performance in the face of environmental harshness. Additionally, differential portioning between shoot and root biomass can be a determinant of seedling survival under conditions of resource scarcity. We aimed to determine the biomass allocation pattern of Euterpe edulis seedlings and test the hypothesis that heavier seeds produce more vigorous seedlings. We followed a germination protocol that produced 50 seedlings, 32 of which were used to calculate the total seedling biomass investment, relative growth rate (RGR), specific leaf area (SLA), and root/shoot ratio (R/S). A linear regression showed that the root/shoot ratio (R/S) increased with increasing seed mass (p = 0.03). This result may be a consequence of differing seed reserves accumulated by seeds of different masses. Seed mass was also directly related to seedling vigor (p = 0.03). Despite the lack of relationship between seed mass and RGR (p = 0.553), the positive relationship between seed mass and SLA (p = 0.03) suggests that heavier seeds have a slow-growth strategy, whereas lighter seeds have a fast-growth strategy. As heavier seeds produce more vigorous seedlings, they should be preferred when planning restoration plantations since their seedlings have greater chances of survival under harsh conditions and may present more satisfactory performance. Additionally, since the population studied is already located at the upper thermal limit of the species, we suggest that future studies focus on how seedlings of different sizes perform at different temperatures.

Nest predation is the primary factor responsible for the reproductive failure of birds. Through an experimental study, we investigated how methodological decisions related to nest location and egg type affect the predation of artificial nests. The experiment was conducted in 30 cocoa agroforests located in the southern Bahia state, in northeastern Brazil. We used 40 artificial nests in each agroforest, evenly distributed on the ground and in the understory, with 10 nests containing synthetic eggs and 10 nests containing quail eggs in each stratum. We observed that predation was significantly higher in ground nests (54.63%) than in the upper stratum (45.36%; p < 0.001). We also found that nests containing synthetic eggs had a 1.5 times greater chance of being preyed upon than nests with quail eggs (p = 0.04). These results may be directly linked to the predator’s ability to access different vegetation layers and prey on eggs with varying textures. Therefore, we recommend that future studies consider these methodological factors in their sampling designs to avoid undesirable effects on the results.

In subtropical landscapes, forested areas previously occupied by agriculture have been naturally restored or planted with non-native species monoculture. Those two strategies are important for sequestering carbon in biomass and soil. However, the effects of plant diversity on soil carbon stock are still a matter of debate. The balance between carbon input and output processes can determine the potential for soil carbon storage. Here, we investigated if naturally restored subtropical forests differ from planted tree monocultures (Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden and Pinus elliottii Engelm) in terms of soil carbon stock, and whether factors such as richness, forest age, litter production, and quality (C:N ratio and lignin content) can drive soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in these forests. The most richness and the old natural fragment had higher SOC stock, and natural fragments had a higher litter production but a lower litter C:N ratio than monocultures. Monocultures did not differ in richness, SOC, litter production, and C:N ratio. Forest age and richness has a positive effect on the SOC stock, while the litter C:N ratio had a negative effect. Our findings indicate that, even in small forest fragments, the higher richness associated with the longer time of natural regeneration drives soil C storage. So, our results highlight the lower potential of forest plantations in restoration actions aimed at SOC stock recovery, reinforcing policies that encourage natural forest regeneration.

Leucism is a pigmentary anomaly that results in a white or yellowish fur in mammals. Here we report the first observation of a leucistic individual of Coendou spinosus (Rodentia; Erethizontidae) in a mangrove area during a wildlife monitoring program in the industrial district of Rio de Janeiro municipality. Leucistic condition may increase predation pressures in some species and impact population dynamic. Reports of color anomalies are important to increase the number of official observations and enable the understanding of the causes and consequences of such anomaly.

Habitat modification is a major threat to biodiversity, in which the savanna-like Cerrado biome has been under high disturbances for the last decades. In Brazil, São Paulo state contains few native remnants of Cerrado surrounded by anthropogenic matrix. Here we report the medium and large-sized mammal species found in a private property of a rural area of São Paulo. Using camera trapping, we surveyed mammals from 2013 to 2018, and recorded 21 species of which five were exotic. The observed and estimated species richness were alike in the first year of sampling, but from 2014 onwards, the differences in richness increased. The most recorded species was the coati (Nasua nasua), followed by the puma (Puma concolor) and the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). The presence of exotic species indicates anthropogenic influence. Small natural remnants in private lands might work as ecological corridors, highlighting their importance in the southern domain of the Cerrado.

In Brazil, roadkill of wild animals represents an important part of the local biodiversity loss. Even so, studies focused on road ecology are still very scarce for many regions of the country. The present study aimed to monitor the mortality of wild vertebrates on the Federal Highway BR-235, in Sergipe (Brazil), and analyze possible seasonal variations in roadkill rates. Between August 2020 and July 2021, two samples were taken per month in a stretch of 20 km of the BR-235, traveled by motorcycle at a speed of 40 to 50 km/h. Seventy-five individuals of 30 vertebrate species were recorded. The roadkill rate was 0.156 individuals per kilometer covered. The most recorded classes were birds with 29 individuals (13 spp.) and mammals with 23 individuals (10 spp.). The species with the highest number of records was Rhinella sp. with 16 records (21.6%), Coragyps atratus with eight records (10.8%) and Didelphis albiventris with seven records (9.4%). Among the species recorded, two are threatened with extinction ( Leopardus tigrinus and Puma yagouaroundi ). A greater number of roadkill was registered in the rainy season. The results reveal this stretch of BR-235 as a source of continuous mortality for the region's fauna.