We provide new records and an updated geographic distribution map of Pseudopaludicola pocoto Magalhães, Loebmann, Kokubum, Haddad & Garda, 2014 for the Brazilian states of Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Pernambuco. The present work helps to fill gaps in distribution of this recently described species in Caatinga Biome, which can be useful in future conservation plans.

Lizards are often parasitized by Acari species (mites and ticks). In this study we report the occurrence of a specimen of tick (Amblyomma sp.) parasitizing a juvenile individual of Tropidurus hispidus (Spix, 1825) in Parque Nacional Serra de Itabaiana (PNSI) in the state of Sergipe, northeastern Brazil.

The "Tree Thinking" is regarded as the dominant methodology in current Systematic Biology. However, criticisms of the procedures carried out by it are diverse. Here the criticisms made by Fitzhugh regarding its philosophical basis and the consequences of such modifications are presented and defended. Thus, the present work aims to demonstrate that "Tree Thinking", as it has been used, is incomplete because it does not recognize that phylogenetic relationships are of the causal type previously summarized in an explanatory sketch (cladogram). In addition, to support such an argument, a discussion on the definition and objectives of Systematic Biology and "Tree Thinking" is provided. As a result, it is possible to observe confusion between classifying and systematizing the knowledge by those who follow "Tree Thinking". In addition, "Tree Thinking" fails to provide causal explanations regarding the origin and fixation of the characteristics studied. In this way, "Tree Thinking" can be considered an incomplete practice within Systematic Biology and, therefore, the application of the proposals of Fitzhugh are recommended.

Predation can drive significant effect upon the community structure. However, the observation and documentation of this ecological interaction is occasional and yet scarce for many groups. Our goal here is to report the predation of Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger, 1885) by Guira guira (Gmelin, JF, 1788). Because G. guira diet frequently includes small vertebrates we believe that this species may act as an important regulator of D. muelleri population. This predation report can input insights about the knowledge of interactions of Microhylidae Günther, 1858 (1843) members and others species.

Biological Sciences is the discipline that studies the most diverse aspects of microscopic and macroscopic life forms on earth. This vast field of studies enables biologists to follow numerous paths according to their professional interest. Biological Sciences has made rapid advances in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Biotechnology, Botany, Cell Biology, Ecology, Ethnobiology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Mycology, Microbiology, Morphology, Parasitology, Physiology and Zoology. In some cases, the expansion of different fields of Biological Sciences is tied to the crisis of biodiversity and environmental problems, such as the extinction of species, the introduction of invasive exotic species, increasing habitat loss and degradation, the overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, diseases and human-induced climate change. In 2017, Pesquisa e Ensino em Ciências Exatas e da Natureza/Research and Teaching in Exact and Natural Sciences (PECEN) received 28 manuscripts for evaluation and published 18 papers, all related to the field of Biological Sciences. An analysis of the papers published in year shows that the field of Zoology (branch of Biology that studies the animal kingdom) has been the flagship of publications with 7 papers so far. Among the contributions within Zoology published in PECEN are papers involving the following sub-fields of knowledge: (2) Morphology of Recent Groups; (4) Taxonomy of Recent Groups; and (3) “ecological interactions” – phenomenon and object of study also in the field of Ecology. In 2017, PECEN also published important contributions in the fields of Ecology (2), Environmental Sciences (1), Health and Biological Science (1), Mycology (2) and Science Teaching (2). Contributions in the fields of biodiversity and science teaching will undoubtedly continue to play an important role in the scientific production of PECEN in both qualitative and quantitative terms. However, given the vast field of Biological Sciences, we expect a substantial increase in the number of publications on the most diverse subjects in 2018. It is important to emphasize that PECEN is a multidisciplinary journal that receives contributions from diverse fields, such as Agrarian, Biomedical, Chemical, Earth, Environmental, Health and Exact and Natural Sciences. The fundamental mission is to strengthen multidisciplinary publications through scientific and theoretical-methodological studies as well as thematic literature reviews. Regardless of the number of submissions, the main factor for publication in PECEN is the importance and quality of the contributions.

We discuss the ecological status of coprophilous fungi communities lato sensu, presenting key points to the definition of scientific hypothesis and future studies aiming to understand the ecological factors that modulate the coprophilous lifestyle’s choice by these fungi. We present a new scientific term (copromycodiversity) that better describes the magnitude of this group, considering the comprehensiveness of this fungal group, including the morphological, physiological and ecological diversities to a coprophilous fungi population recorded to a specific geographical region. Furthermore, we raised some questions related to the life cycle of these fungi, taking into account recent studies as well as the traditionally accepted assumption that supports the spore passage through animals’s gut to its growth and development on dung. We expect that future research would best define these communities, avoiding uncertainties about the definition of the coprophilous lifestyle, even that some species would growth on others substrates (fimicolous fungi), but still displaying some connection with its animal host (coprophilia). While we are waiting for future directions, new hypothesis must be planned and tested aiming the predictors that truly modulates the occurrence of coprophilous fungi in different environments.

One of the most fragmented ecosystems in Brazil is the Atlantic Rain Forest, due to centuries of deforestation along the coast which holds one of the world’s greatest biodiversity. Landscape metrics and shape can impact on border effect on patterns and processes of a forested ecosystem. In this paper, we map and characterize the forest fragmentation of the Tambaba Environmental Protection Area (APA), on the coast of Paraíba State, Brazil, using landscape metrics to verify the effectiveness of this protected area. We conducted a land cover classification (supervised classification by maximum likelyhood, RapidEye imagery) into two categories (1) forest and (2) non forest. Landscape metrics (number of fragments, total core area, proportion of core area, among others) were calculated using ArcGis extension Patch Analyst. From the APA’s total 11.550 ha, 2.200 ha were classified as forest (19%), distributed in 1.364 fragments of different sizes. Total core area varied from 1.470 (10 m border effect) to 370 ha (50 m border effect), dependending on edge effect distance, which provides a true conservation of only 13 to 3% of the total APA. These results point to the necessity of an intense and rigorous surveillance of the compliance with laws, as well as a rational and participatory management, through the APA’s management council and public agencies, in order to protect the remnant fragments.

Spiders are indicators of environment quality due fact of been sensible to environment changes. Their adaptions among the environment and their relations between vegetal communities make them have a special role in forest ecosystems. However, this relation makes spiders susceptible to effects of urban process and to defloration and ecosystem fragmentation process. A spider fauna survey was developed using 50 “pitfall traps”, annual sample process begun in 2010 and finished in 2011 (total samples = 600) in an urbanized patch. A total of 1238 individuals were collected, constituting 51 species belonged to 18 families which Zodariidae and Lycosidae were most abundant, and Salticidae and Theridiidae were the richest families. It´s also observed many rare species (Singletons and Doubletons). The richness estimators didn´t exhibit a trend do exhibit an asymptote and the relation between collected species and estimated species, suggesting more samples process also suggests a necessity of develop politics to preserve the local biodiversity.

The accidents caused by arachnids have increased its frequency along the years and the majority of accidents reports do not contain species identification, contributing to underreporting of data. In Ceará state, specific information about accidents with full notifications or accident description are scarce. In this present study, data about accidents involving spiders and scorpions in Ceará state from 2010 to 2015 period were correlated with geographic distribution based on data from main Brazilian scientific collections of arachnids. An increased number of accidents caused by spiders and scorpions was observed, mainly in 2013 for scorpions, and a constant number of municipalities reported scorpionic accidents to this period. According to Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação - SINAN, in Ceará state, many cases were credited to Phoneutria sp., Loxosceles sp., and Latrodectus sp., whoever this occurrence is not correlated with their geographic distribution supported on arachnid collections data. Therefore, knowledge on species geographic distribution with public health significance combined with properly notified records can contribute to reduction of accidents numbers and development of politics aimed to public health.

This paper presents results related to the production of one workshop with the theme “Birds: ecosystem functions and services” designed to teach about the functional role of different species of birds in ecosystems. The workshops consider the non-formal education goals and scientific dissemination of the “Science on Wheels: bus of Science of the Agreste and Sertão Project”. The project gathers undergraduates and researchers to promote discussions on scientific topics of biology, chemistry, geography and physics in cities in the state of Sergipe. The Biology workshops focus on the theme of the functions and ecosystem services, which now occupies a central place in the ecology research. In this paper, we present the Science on Wheels Project and discuss the gains in student learning as a result of Biology workshops and advocate more coordination of formal and non-formal forms of scientific education as one of the commitments of universities.

This article describes the experience of construction, implementation and evaluation of a cooperative board game named "RCT Game" based on the Earth Charter. This is a qualitative study, based on an exploratory and descriptive approach. It was developed and validated with students of different levels of education in a public school in the municipality of João Pessoa, Paraiba. The results indicated that the game had a positive evaluation in the acceptance and satisfaction of the students, being an innovative, dynamic and creative proposal to work on environmental education at different levels of education, as it allows to work not only environmental issues but also social, ethical, political, economic, and cultural issues in a cognitive, affective, creative and reflexive way, while promoting the development of knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to build a sustainable society.

It is with great joy that we communicate one year of existence of Pesquisa e Ensino em Ciências Exatas e da Natureza (PECEN) and congratulate the editorial team involved in its orchestration. The journal was born in a timid and modest way. However, after only one year, PECEN is already highlighting the national scenario and gathering articles from virtually all regions of Brazil, with the inclusion of researchers linked to important postgraduate programs in the country

The seasonal deciduous Caatinga scrub forest of northern Brazil has a continuous canopy of 15–25 m in height, with a well-developed understory, and abundant cacti, lianas, and epiphytes. The present study provides an inventory of the bat species recorded in the municipality of Caetité, in southwestern Bahia, Brazil. Sixty-eight individuals were captured, belonging to nine species and three families. The Jackknife 1 procedure estimated a species richness of 9.9. The phyllostomid bats were the most abundant, and Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) was captured most frequently. Our results are consistent with previous studies conducted in Bahia and the Caatinga, providing data on the local bat community structure. It also highlights the importance of rapid inventories for the understanding of the diversity and distribution of the bat fauna.

Farol Island is a continental island in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. Due to its position in relation to the continent, three distinct environmental areas are observed: rocky shore area with open exposure to the sea (A) estuarine area (B); sandy beach area (C). Considering that the continental islands are excellent study models that reproduce the environmental conditions of the coastal zone in a smaller scale, the study aimed at surveying and researching the marine malacofauna on the Farol Island and comparing the diversity and shellfish composition. The sampling method was based on a monthly collection in three locations for two years (2011-2012). The survey found 91 species: 47 Gastropoda, 41 Bivalvia and three Scaphopoda. The highest abundance and species richness prevailed in environmental area A. The greatest equitability was observed in B and the highest dominance in C. There was a predominance of Gastropoda and Bivalvia in A, while the frequency of Scaphopoda did not vary among environments. The species composition of the three classes varied among the three areas. The variation of diversity and species composition in the three environments may be related to the natural characteristics of each side of the island, as salinity and wave action.

Currently, forty-one species of bats are known to occur in the restingas of Brazil. However, most studies on restingas’ bats are limited to the south and southeastern regions of Brazil, leaving the northeastern region with a gap of knowledge. The present article presents data on bats captured in three areas of restinga of the municipality of Tibau do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, collected from a short-term sampling. Mist nets were used to capture bats near the ground and the water bodies. Were captured 38 individuals of six species and two families: five Phyllostomidae and one Molossidae. The bat Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) was the most abundant species. We present here the first list of bats captured in the restinga area for the Rio Grande do Norte State.

The introduction, accidental or deliberate, of exotic species by different vectors is currently a major global changes, resulting in a number of local and global problems. Although not all introductions of non-native species have negative effects, many of the non-native species can have undesirable effects on biodiversity from the genetic level to the landscape. This work aimed to present the current knowledge on biological invasions by species and particularly on invasive Cryptostegia madagascariensis Bojer ex Decne. New introductions are made every year around the world and only a small part of these taxa become invasive, yet cause serious damage to ecosystems invaded. The success of weed plants is due to the intrinsic characteristics of these species that ensures the same competitive advantages with native species and the level of disruption in new niches which makes them totally supportive environments to establish new species and the emergence of monodominadas areas. In this context is C. madagascariensis, origin of climbing on the island of Madagascar in Africa, which was introduced in Brazil with ornamental purposes, becoming invasive in natural ecosystems, especially in riparian environments and humid lowlands, in the field of savanna and associated ecosystems.

It is with great joy that we communicate one year of existence of Pesquisa e Ensino em Ciências Exatas e da Natureza (PECEN) and congratulate the editorial team involved in its orchestration. The journal was born in a timid and modest way. However, after only one year, PECEN is already highlighting the national scenario and gathering articles from virtually all regions of Brazil, with the inclusion of researchers linked to important postgraduate programs in the country.

New records of the rare owlfly Albardia furcata van der Weele, 1903 are provided from the state of Paraiba, in the Caatinga and Atlantic Forest, including four new localities. A referential map is included to the recorded specimens. The first report of the predator fly Peckia (Sarcodexia) lambens (Wiedemann, 1830) on dead body of A. furcata is registered.

The Editorial Board of Pesquisa e Ensino em Ciências Exatas e da Natureza would like to thank the referees listed below for their critical review of articles submitted for Volume 1(1-2) (2017).

This paper presents a brief review of the role of flies (Insecta, Diptera) in Forensic Entomology. Discussions on presence in human cadavers and vertebrate carcasses, Postmortem Interval (PMI) estimations, studies carried out in Brazil and other countries, families of forensic importance and biological, ecological and distribution aspects of the main species are presented.

It is with great joy that we communicate one year of existence of Pesquisa e Ensino em Ciências Exatas e da Natureza (PECEN) and congratulate the editorial team involved in its orchestration. The journal was born in a timid and modest way. However, after only one year, PECEN is already highlighting the national scenario and gathering articles from virtually all regions of Brazil, with the inclusion of researchers linked to important postgraduate programs in the country.