Gastropod molluscs of the superfamily Neritacea (or order Neritacea: see Morton & Yonge, 1964) are found in marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments; but despite these wide differences in habitat the general anatomical organization is similar in all the members of the group. In particular the organization of the renal system appears to be very similar in marine and freshwater species, an...

Scant information is available on how soil phosphorus (P) availability responds to atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, especially in the tropical zones. This study examined the effect of N addition on soil P availability, and compared this effect between forest sites of contrasting land-use history. Effects of N addition on soil properties, litterfall production, P release from decomposing lit...

Birds in cities start singing earlier in the morning than in rural areas; commonly this shift is attributed to light pollution. Some studies have suggested that traffic noise has a stronger influence on singing activity than artificial light does. Changes in the timing of singing behaviour in relation to noise and light pollution have only been investigated in the temperate zones. Tropical bird...

tropical areas and those in temperate zones. Hypotheses to explain positive range size–abundance relationships have focused on the ability of generalist species to appropriate resources, which allows them to simultaneously expand their ranges and dominate local communities (Brown 1984). The combination of geographic isolation with the high environmental stability of the tropics, however, may cr...

Corallita (Antigonon leptopus) is a perennial vine, lauded as an ornamental for its vigorous growth, and plentiful (usually) pink flowers, and even its ability to smother unsightly landscapes. In the United States it thrives in horticultural zones 8 to 10, and also is successfully grown worldwide in tropical climates. When corallita is neglected, it can grow quickly over other vegetation, sprea...

Climate models with biogeochemical components predict declines in oceanic dissolved oxygen with global warming. In coastal regimes oxygen deficits represent acute ecosystem perturbations. Here, we estimate dissolved oxygen differences across the global tropical and subtropical oceans within the oxygen minimum zone (200–700-dbar depth) between 1960–1974 (an early period with reliable data) and 1...

The factors that control the influence of deep convective detrainment on water vapor in the tropical upper troposphere are examined using observations from multiple satellites in conjunction with a trajectory model. Deep convection is confirmed to act primarily as a moisture source to the upper troposphere, modulated by the ambient relative humidity (RH). Convective detrainment provides strong ...

For centuries, one of the main questions in relation to the Earth’s biological diversity has been disentangling the causes for the comparatively high diversity in tropical zones, particularly the Neotropics. This volume aimed to demonstrate how molecular phylogenetics, phylogeography, paleontology, and paleoecology contribute to our understanding of the processes that gave rise diversity in the...

The diversity of marine communities is in striking contrast with the diversity of terrestrial communities. In all oceans, species richness is low in tropical areas and high at latitudes between 20 and 40°. While species richness is a primary metric used in conservation and management strategies, it is important to take into account the complex phylogenetic patterns of species compositions withi...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate suicide seasonality in the city of São Paulo within an urban area and tropical zone. METHOD Suicides were evaluated using the chi-square test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) by comparing monthly, quarterly and half-yearly variations, differentiating by gender. Analyses of time series were carried out using the autocorrelation function and periodogram, while the signific...