Ecologia alimentar de Tatu-Peba, Euphractus sexcinctus (Linnaeus, 1758), na Fazenda Nhumirim, Pantanal da Nhecolância, MS

Studies on feeding ecology are important tools for the understanding of feeding strategies and niche dynamics. Information on the type of food consumed, how, and where it is acquired, enable the elucidation of species behavioral, evolutionary and ecological aspects. The diet study based on fecal material enables a low-cost, informative research and avoids the sacrifice of animals. The general aim of this study is to characterize the diet of Euphractus sexcinctus, the yellow-armadillo, based on fecal samples, to contribute with additional information on their feeding habits. The study was undertaken at the Nhumirim ranch, Pantanal da Nhecolândia, MS, during the months of February and March, 2014. The fecal material was collected during the manual capture of the animals and oven dried at 60°C. The food items found in the feces were sorted using a magnifying glass and separated in the following categories: plant matter, invertebrates and soil. Invertebrates were identified to the order level and the plant matter to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Aiming to evaluate the invertebrate availability in the soil, pitfall traps were installed next to the location where individuals were captured, during the months of April and May. We were able to estimate the frequency with which item was consumed during the studied period, and if there is a relationship between the frequency of consumed invertebrates and their availability environment. Among the analyzed samples, we could observe the frequency of occurrence (FO) of plant matter, invertebrates and soil in all the samples. The main invertebrate orders found in the samples were: Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Hymenoptera, with FO of 100%, 100% and 87,5%, respectively. Seeds were found in 100% of the samples. The FO of the Byrsonima orbignyana was high (62,5%), and evidences the potential of the yellow-armadillos as seed dispersers. The use of other techniques, such as the micro-histological...

Ecologia, consumo e sustentabilidade

O Desenvolvimento Sustentável tem sido pauta de diversos encontros globais que tentam solucionar as crises ambientais que vêm ocorrendo nas últimas décadas. Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as relações entre os impasses identificados na concepção de Desenvolvimento Sustentável e o modelo de desenvolvimento econômico capitalista tal como está configurado pelos princípios do neoliberalismo. Partimos da hipótese da inviabilidade do Desenvolvimento Sustentável em um sistema capitalista neoliberal. Utilizamos como metodologia de análise a cartografia, por meio da qual desenhamos as paisagens emergentes na dinâmica do poder ao indicar os limites do modelo de desenvolvimento econômico. Contrapomos as deficiências do modelo de desenvolvimento econômico com as premissas do que poderiam caracterizar o Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Desenvolvemos algumas reflexões acerca da sociedade de consumo e seus impactos na natureza. Apresenta-se as linhas de pensamento ecológico que discutem as maneiras de solucionar os problemas ambientais. Exercícios educacionais podem ser usados para a formação do compromisso de cada sujeito com a construção da comunidade. Refletir apenas nas contradições sociais não resolverá completamente a pressão exercida sobre os recursos naturais. A natureza não pode ser vista como um simples objeto estático que só se realiza a partir do trabalho humano, sua dinâmica deve ser considerada em sua totalidade. A sociedade não pode continuar a desenvolver meios de produção que aumentam a exploração da natureza. Uma nova estrutura social deve ser pensada, indo além das concepções marxistas e naturalistas, que promova justiça social e ambiental

Sensibilização comportamental ao etanol e neuroadaptações envolvendo a proteína (DELTA)FOSB: efeitos do tratamento com N-Acetilcisteína em camundongos

Pharmacological treatments currently used in ethanol addiction are inefficient, requiring new drugs for this purpose. The pro-drug N-Acetylcysteine (N-Ac) has shown efficacy in the treatment of addiction to cocaine and nicotine in preclinical research and clinical pilot studies. When administered, N-Ac is subsequently converted to cysteine, and cystine, which has an action on the central nervous system. However, there are few data about the possible application of N-Ac in the ethanol addiction. Behavioral sensitization is the gradual increase of the psychostimulant effects induced by repeated administration of drugs of abuse, including ethanol, and its development has been linked to important neuroadaptations in addiction. These neuroadaptations occur in neural circuits that mediate the reinforcing properties of these drugs and may involve several proteins. The ΔFosB protein accumulates in neurons after repeated activation and mediates long lasting changes in response to drugs of abuse. These changes are manifested mainly in the nucleus accumbens (Acb) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) neurons. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of N-Ac treatment in the development of ethanol behavioral sensitization and in alterations in the ΔFosB protein in mice. Swiss male mice were exposed to a standardized behavioral sensitization protocol to the experimental conditions of the laboratory and treated with N-Ac. At the end of behavioral sensitization procedure, animals were euthanized and their brains removed for ΔFosB quantification by Western blotting. Two experiments of behavioral sensitization were performed to the standardization of the protocol. The first, although effective in demonstrating the development of behavioral sensitization, was not effective in allowing the evaluation of the expression of the behavioral sensitization. The age of the animals and the conditions of luminosity and color of locomotion apparatus were changed and a new...