Suchergebnisse

The distribution of Galictis cuja encompasses several countries of South America, including Brazil, where it inhabits the Atlantic Forest, part of Caatinga and part of Cerrado biomes. Herein we analyzed G. cuja specimens from localities in the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Bahia, and the Distrito Federal, mainly roadkilled animals. The genetic diversity was estimated based on DNA sequence data of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (mt-cyb). Analysis of mt-cyb identified high haplotypic diversity, albeit with low nucleotide diversity, suggesting that this population is in expansion and confirming the presence of gene flow. The karyotypes of two Galictis cuja specimens were described as 2n = 38 and FNa = 66. Our data showed that G. cuja is frequent in the investigated areas of Atlantic Forest biome, being a common roadkill mammal. Our data suggest that G. cuja may play a role as a spreader of zoonotic parasites.

In the middle of a political and fiscal crisis, the Brazilian government is applying successive budget cuts, including in science funding. Recent cuts radically affect research programs on biodiversity that are crucial components for the design and monitoring of public policies for nature conservation and sustainable development. We analyze the consequences of such cuts on the Research Program on Biodiversity (PPBio), the largest biodiversity research network in Brazil (626 researchers, nine networks in all Brazilian biomes). Brazil holds a substantial part of the world's biodiversity and of tropical forests that play a significant role for regional and global climate stability. If underfunding is maintained, the dismantling of the Brazilian PPBio will have consequences that go beyond biodiversity knowledge itself but affect society as a whole. Brazil will likely fail to reach the National Targets for Biodiversity 2011–2020, and it will be difficult to fulfill the restoration target of the Brazilian NDC and to advance with the sustainable development goals. © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Ciência Ecológica e Conservação