Purpose Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing can support non-destructive and spatial pasture monitoring, particularly in heterogeneous tropical systems. This study assessed the potential of UAV-derived vegetation indices (VIs) from the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectrum to estimate canopy height and leaf area index (LAI) of ‘Tifton 85’ bermudagrass under conditions characterized with high spatial variabilit...

Although the R Shiny framework enables the development of interactive web applications without requiring advanced web programming skills, its adoption in forestry remains limited. This study presents ForestCalc, an open-source decision-support web application developed in R/Shiny for estimating forest volume, aboveground dry biomass, and carbon stocks in native forest phytophysiognomies of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The application...

Brown howler monkeys ( Alouatta guariba ) are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, sylvatic yellow fever, and negative human interactions. In southern Brazil, brown howlers still inhabit some fragments of the endangered Araucaria Pine Forest (APF), but basic information on their social organization remains scarce. We surveyed brown howler monkey groups to assess their group size and composition in three nearby similarly si...

This study quantifies how topographic features influence lightning activity in the São Francisco River Basin, Brazil, filling a critical gap by establishing previously unavailable thresholds. A 16-year climatology (1998–2013) was developed using LIS/TRMM lightning data, ASTER GDEM topography, CHIRPS precipitation, and MapBiomas land use, all standardized to a 0.1° grid. The analysis integrates elevation, slope, aspect, and lan...

Understanding the factors that shape pro-environmental attitudes is essential for advancing climate action. Previous studies have primarily examined values as individual determinants; however, this study contributes by analyzing the interplay across different levels of values – individual, social group, and societal – and their combined influence on attitudes toward climate change. Specifically, this study investigates how cul...

Multiform glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor, associated with high heterogeneity, treatment resistance, and poor survival. Temozolomide (TMZ), although the main chemotherapeutic agent used, shows limited efficacy due to low solubility, chemical instability, and acquired resistance. In this context, nanostructured systems can enhance their antitumor efficacy. This study aimed to develop and characteri...

Host structural complexity influences the diversity of associated epifaunal species, but its role in shaping functional trait diversity remains underexplored. We developed a trait-based framework to assess whether macroalgal structural complexity significantly influences the functional assembly of marine annelid epifauna in a sandstone reef system at Enseada dos Corais Beach (NE Brazil). Sampling was conducted in December 2018...

Aim We investigate the distribution of dispersal modes — endozoochory (via animal ingestion), synzoochory (via animal seed accumulation) and anemochory (via wind)—and seed mass of woody plants across Brazilian ecosystems, testing whether their relative abundance in local plant communities could be predicted by climate, edaphic factors and dispersal agents (e.g., the main vectors moving seeds). We expected climate to be the mai...

Two new species of black coral are described herein: Leiopathes dumosa nov. sp. and Leiopathes brugleri nov. sp. Samples were collected between depths of 244 and 617 m on the North American continental slope between Texas and Florida, USA, and recognized in the family Leiopathidae Haeckel, 1896. L. dumosa nov. sp. is characterized by short stems and short branches forming bush-like colonies (usually less than 1 m tall and 0.25...

This study investigates the production and characterization of pellets incorporating sewage sludge as a partial substitute for lignocellulosic biomass, aiming at its valorization as an alternative energy source and environmentally sustainable solution. Pellets were produced using different proportions of sewage sludge and Pinus wood powder (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) in a pilot-scale pellet mill (1,500 kg·h⁻ 1 ). The samples...

This study evaluated partially mixed ration (PMR) silages based on banana leaves alone (BL-PMR) or combined with tomato agro-industrial residue (BLTR-PMR) in diets of lambs managed under semi-arid conditions. Twenty-seven female lambs were assigned to three treatments during a 52-day trial (12 days adaptation; 40 days data collection): control (concentrate), BL-PMR, or BLTR-PMR. Animals grazed deferred pasture from 09:00 to 15...