Microsatellite diversity and effective population size in a germplasm bank of Hymenaea courbaril var. stilbocarpa (Leguminosae), an endangered tropical tree: recommendations for conservation

Deforestation in southeast Brazil has led to the extinction of Hymenaea courbaril var. stilbocarpa and ex situ conservation has been established. In this study, the levels of genetic diversity and the effective population size of H. courbaril in a germplasm bank were investigated using six nuclear microsatellite loci. A total of 79 and 91 alleles were found in 65 seed-trees and their 176 offspring, respectively. Offspring have a higher average number of alleles per locus (A = 15.2) than seed-trees (A = 13.2), but lower observed heterozygosity (offspring: H (o) = 0.566; seed-trees: H (o) = 0.607). The estimate of outcrossing rate shows that the study population is perfectly outcrossed (t (m) = 0.978, P > 0.05). Significant deviations from random mating were detected through mating among relatives and correlated matings. The average variance in effective population size for each family was 2.63, with a total effective population size retained in the bank of 170.1. These results confirm that the preserved population of H. courbaril retains substantial genetic variability.

Survival, Population Size, and Gonotrophic Cycle Duration of Nyssomyia neivai (Diptera: Psychodidae) at an Endemic Area of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Southeastern Brazil

The survival, absolute population size, gonotrophic cycle duration, and temporal and spatial abundance of Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto) were studied in a rural area endemic for American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in Conchal, Sao Paulo State, southeastern Brazil, using mark-release-recapture techniques and by monitoring population fluctuation. The monthly abundance exhibited a unimodal pattern, with forest and domicile habitats having the highest relative abundances. A total of 1,873 males and 3,557 females were marked and released during the six experiments, of which 4.1-13.0% of males and 4.1-11.8% of females were recaptured. Daily survivorship estimated from the decline in recaptures per day was 0.681 for males and 0.667 for females. Gonotrophic cycle duration was estimated to be 4.0 d. Absolute population size was calculated using the Lincoln Index and ranged from 861 to 4,612 males and from 2,187 to 19,739 females. The low proportion of females that reach the age when they are potentially infective suggests that N. neivai has a low biological capacity to serve as a vector and that factors such as high biting rates and opportunistic feeding behavior would be needed to enable Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis Vianna transmission. This agreed with the epidemiological pattern of ACL in southeastern Brazil that is characterized by low incidence, with isolated cases acquired principally within domiciliary habitats.

Survival, population pize, and gonotrophic cycle duration of Nyssomyia neivai (Diptera: Psychodidae) at an endemic area of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Southeastern Brazil

The survival, absolute population size, gonotrophic cycle duration, and temporal and spatial abundance of Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto) were studied in a rural area endemic for American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in Conchal, Sõo Paulo State, southeastern Brazil, using mark-release-recapture techniques and by monitoring population fluctuation. The monthly abundance exhibited a unimodal pattern, with forest and domicile habitats having the highest relative abundances. A total of 1,873 males and 3,557 females were marked and released during the six experiments, of which 4.1-13.0 per cent of males and 4.1-11.8 per cent of females were recaptured. Daily survivorship estimated from the decline in recaptures per day was 0.681 for males and 0.667 for females. Gonotrophic cycle duration was estimated to be 4.0 d. Absolute population size was calculated using the Lincoln Index and ranged from 861 to 4,612 males and from 2,187 to 19,739 females. The low proportion of females that reach the age when they are potentially infective suggests that N. neivai has a low biological capacity to serve as a vector and that factors such as high biting rates and opportunistic feeding behavior would be needed to enable Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis Vianna transmission. This agreed with the epidemiological pattern of ACL in southeastern Brazil that is characterized by low incidence, with isolated cases acquired principally within domiciliary habitats

POPREP: a generic report for population management

Genetic variation provides a basis upon which populations can be genetically improved. Management of animal genetic resources in order to minimize loss of genetic diversity both within and across breeds has recently received attention at different levels, e. g., breed, national and international levels. A major need for sustainable improvement and conservation programs is accurate estimates of population parameters, such as rate of inbreeding and effective population size. A software system (POPREP) is presented that automatically generates a typeset report. Key parameters for population management, such as age structure, generation interval, variance in family size, rate of inbreeding, and effective population size form the core part of this report. The report includes a default text that describes definition, computation and meaning of the various parameters. The report is summarized in two pdf files, named Population Structure and Pedigree Analysis Reports. In addition, results (e. g., individual inbreeding coefficients, rate of inbreeding and effective population size) are stored in comma-separate-values files that are available for further processing. Pedigree data from eight livestock breeds from different species and countries were used to describe the potential of POPREP and to highlight areas for further research.

Structure of a Population of Hydromedusa maximiliani (Testudines, Chelidae) from Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, an Atlantic Rainforest Preserve in Southeastern Brazil

We studied the structure of a population of Hydromedusa maximiliani associated with a stream in Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Nucleo Itutinga-Piloes, southeastern Brazil, between October 2004 and October 2005. Twenty-five individuals were captured, and a population size of 43.72 +/- 23.7 individuals was estimated. This value is similar to that of the population of Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, another Atlantic forest reserve of southeastern Brazil. Males were recaptured more frequently than females, suggesting higher activity and/or greater movement of males.

Understanding the genetic diversity, spatial genetic structure and mating system at the hierarchical levels of fruits and individuals of a continuous Theobroma cacao population from the Brazilian Amazon

Understanding the mating patterns of populations of tree species is a key component of ex situ genetic conservation. In this study, we analysed the genetic diversity, spatial genetic structure (SGS) and mating system at the hierarchical levels of fruits and individuals as well as pollen dispersal patterns in a continuous population of Theobroma cacao in Para State, Brazil. A total of 156 individuals in a 0.56 ha plot were mapped and genotyped for nine microsatellite loci. For the mating system analyses, 50 seeds were collected from nine seed trees by sampling five fruits per tree (10 seeds per fruit). Among the 156 individuals, 127 had unique multilocus genotypes, and the remaining were clones. The population was spatially aggregated; it demonstrated a significant SGS up to 15m that could be attributed primarily to the presence of clones. However, the short seed dispersal distance also contributed to this pattern. Population matings occurred mainly via outcrossing, but selfing was observed in some seed trees, which indicated the presence of individual variation for self-incompatibility. The matings were also correlated, especially within ((r) over cap (p(m)) = 0.607) rather than among the fruits ((r) over cap (p(m)) = 0.099), which suggested that a small number of pollen donors fertilised each fruit. The paternity analysis suggested a high proportion of pollen migration (61.3%), although within the plot, most of the pollen dispersal encompassed short distances (28m). The determination of these novel parameters provides the fundamental information required to establish long-term ex situ conservation strategies for this important tropical species. Heredity (2011) 106, 973-985; doi:10.1038/hdy.2010.145; published online 8 December 2010

Population structure and inbreeding effects on growth traits of Santa Ines sheep in Brazil

The aim of this study was to describe the population structure, inbreeding and to quantify their effect for different weights, of Santa Ines sheep. For this reason, 6490 data of production and 17,097 animals in the pedigree data set were utilized to evaluate birth weight (BW), weight at 60 days (W60) and weight at 180 days (W180). The genetic structure analysis of the population was realized by the software ENDOG (v.4.6.), resulting in some level of inbreeding for 21.72% of the animals in the pedigree data, being 41.02% the maximum value, and average of 10.74% for the inbred individuals. The population average inbreeding was 2.33% and the average relatedness was 0.73%. The effective number of ancestors was 156 animals and the effective number of founders was 211 individuals. A significant depressive effect of the inbreeding can be verified for all traits. The monitored parameters related with the genetic variability on this population must be constant in order to prevent the decrease in the genetic progress. The utilization of a program for directed mating in the present flock is an appropriate alternative to keep the level of inbreeding under control. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence of a genetic bottleneck in an El Nino affected population of South American fur seals, Arctocephalus australis

The South American fur seal, Arctocephalus australis, was one of the earliest otariid seals to be exploited by humans: at least 6000 years ago on the Atlantic coast and 4000 on the Pacific coast of South America. More than 750,000 fur seals were killed in Uruguay until 1991. However, a climatological phenomenon-the severe 1997-1998 El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-was responsible for the decline of 72% Of the Peruvian fur seal population due to starvation as a consequence of warming of sea-surface temperatures and primary productivity reduction. Currently, there is no precise information on global population size or on the species` conservation status. The present study includes the first bottleneck test for the Pacific and Atlantic populations of A. australis based on the analysis of seven microsatellite loci. Genetic bottleneck compromises the evolutionary potential of a population to respond to environmental changes. The perspective becomes even more alarming due to current global warming models that predict stronger and more frequent ENSO events in the future. Our analysis found moderate support for deviation from neutrality-equilibrium for the Pacific population of fur seals and none for the Atlantic population. This difference among population reflects different demographic histories, and is consistent with a greater reduction in population size in the Pacific. Such an event could be a result of the synergic effects of recurrent ENSO events and the anthropogenic impact (sealing and prey overfishing) on this population.

Vigilância de Fatores de Risco para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico nas capitais dos 26 estados brasileiros e no Distrito Federal (2006)

OBJETIVO: Descrever métodos e resultados iniciais do Sistema de Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas não Transmissíveis por Inquérito Telefônico - VIGITEL implantado no Brasil em 2006. MÉTODOS: O VIGITEL estudou amostras probabilísticas da população com 18 ou mais anos de idade residente em domicílios conectados à rede de telefonia fixa de cada uma das capitais dos 26 Estados brasileiros e do Distrito Federal (54.369 indivíduos no total, sendo pelo menos 2.000 por cidade). A amostragem foi realizada a partir de cadastros eletrônicos completos das linhas residenciais fixas de cada cidade, envolvendo sorteio de linhas (domicílios) e sorteio de um morador por linha para ser entrevistado. O questionário aplicado investigou características demográficas e socioeconômicas, padrão de alimentação e de atividade física, consumo de cigarros e de bebidas alcoólicas, e peso e altura recordados, entre outros quesitos. Estimativas sobre a freqüência de fatores de risco selecionados, estratificadas por sexo e acompanhadas de Intervalo de Confiança de 95%, foram calculadas para a população adulta de cada cidade empregando-se fatores de ponderação que igualam a composição sociodemográfica da amostra em cada cidade àquela observada no Censo Demográfico de 2000. Estimativas para o conjunto das cidades empregam fator de ponderação adicional que leva em conta a população de adultos de cada cidade. RESULTADOS: Os cinco fatores de risco selecionados (tabagismo, consumo abusivo de bebidas alcoólicas, excesso de peso, consumo de carnes com excesso de gordura e sedentarismo) tenderam a ser mais freqüentes em homens do que em mulheres. Dentre os fatores de proteção, o consumo regular de frutas e hortaliças foi mais freqüente em mulheres do que em homens, observando-se situação inversa no caso da atividade física de lazer. Diferenças substanciais na freqüência dos fatores de risco e proteção foram observadas entre as cidades, com padrões de distribuição regional diferenciados por fator. DISCUSSÃO: O desempenho do sistema, avaliado a partir da qualidade dos cadastros telefônicos e de taxas de resposta e de recusas, mostrou-se adequado e, de modo geral, superior ao encontrado em sistemas equivalentes existentes em países desenvolvidos. O custo do sistema de R$ 31,15 por entrevista realizada, foi a metade do custo observado no sistema americano de vigilância de fatores de risco para doenças crônicas por inquérito telefônico e um quinto do custo estimado em inquérito domiciliar tradicional realizado recentemente no Brasil.

Vigilância de fatores de risco para doenças crônicas por inquérito telefônico nas capitais dos 26 estados brasileiros e no Distrito Federal (2006)

Objetivo: Descrever métodos e resultados iniciais do Sistema de Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas ão Transmissíveis por Inquérito Telefônico - VIGITEL implantado no Brasil em 2006. Métodos: O VIGITEL estudou amostras probabilísticas da população com 18 ou mais anos de idade residente em domicílios conectados à rede de telefonia fixa de cada uma das capitais dos 26 Estados brasileiros e do Distrito Federal (54.369 indivíduos no total, sendo pelo menos 2.000 por cidade). A amostragem foi realizada a partir de cadastros eletrônicos completos das linhas residenciais fixas de cada cidade, envolvendo sorteio de linhas (domicílios) e sorteio de um morador por linha para ser entrevistado. O questionário aplicado investigou características demográficas e socioeconômicas, padrão de alimentação e de atividade física, consumo de cigarros e de bebidas alcoólicas, e peso e altura recordados, entre outros quesitos. Estimativas sobre a freqüência de fatores de risco selecionados, estratificadas por sexo e acompanhadas de Intervalo de Confiança de 95%, foram calculadas para a população adulta de cada cidade empregando-se fatores de ponderação que igualam a composição sociodemográfica da amostra em cada cidade àquela observada no Censo Demográfico de 2000. Estimativas para o conjunto das cidades empregam fator de ponderação adicional que leva em conta a população de adultos de cada cidade. Resultados: Os cinco fatores de risco selecionados (tabagismo, consumo abusivo de bebidas alcoólicas, excesso de peso, consumo de carnes com excesso de gordura e sedentarismo) tenderam a ser mais freqüentes em homens do que em mulheres. Dentre os fatores de proteção, o consumo regular de frutas e hortaliças foi mais freqüente em mulheres do que em homens, observando-se situação inversa no caso da atividade física de lazer. ) Diferenças substanciais na freqüência dos fatores de risco e proteção foram observadas entre as cidades, com padrões de distribuição regional diferenciados por fator.Discussão: O desempenho do sistema, avaliado a partir da qualidade dos cadastros telefônicos e de taxas de resposta e de recusas, mostrou-se adequado e, de modo geral, superior ao encontrado em sistemas equivalentes existentes em países desenvolvidos. O custo do sistema de R$ 31,15 por entrevista realizada, foi a metade do custo observado no sistema americano de vigilância de fatores de risco para doenças crônicas por inquérito telefônico e um quinto do custo estimado em inquérito domiciliar tradicional realizado recentemente no Brasil

Density and survival rate of Culex quinquefasciatus at Parque Ecológico do Tietê, São Paulo, Brazil

Parity rate, gonotrophic cycle length, and density of a Culex quinquefasciatus female population was estimated at the Parque Ecológico do Tietê (PET), São Paulo, Brazil. Adult Cx. quinquefasciatus females were collected from vegetation along the edges of a polluted drainage canal with the use of a battery-powered backpack aspirator from September to November 2005 and from February to April 2006. We examined 255 Cx. quinquefasciatus ovaries to establish the parity rate of 0.22 and determined the gonotrophic cycle length under laboratory conditions to be 3 and 4 days. From these data, we calculated the Cx. quinquefasciatus survival rate to be 0.60 and 0.68 per day. Density of the Cx. quinquefasciatus female (5.71 females per m2) was estimated based on a population size of 28,810 individuals divided by the sampled area of 5,040 m2. Results of all experiments indicate medium survivorship and high density of the Cx. quinquefasciatus female population. This species is epidemiologically relevant in the PET area and should be a target of the vector control program of São Paulo municipality

Evaluation of algorithms used to order markers on genetic maps

When building genetic maps, it is necessary to choose from several marker ordering algorithms and criteria, and the choice is not always simple. In this study, we evaluate the efficiency of algorithms try (TRY), seriation (SER), rapid chain delineation (RCD), recombination counting and ordering (RECORD) and unidirectional growth (UG), as well as the criteria PARF (product of adjacent recombination fractions), SARF (sum of adjacent recombination fractions), SALOD (sum of adjacent LOD scores) and LHMC (likelihood through hidden Markov chains), used with the RIPPLE algorithm for error verification, in the construction of genetic linkage maps. A linkage map of a hypothetical diploid and monoecious plant species was simulated containing one linkage group and 21 markers with fixed distance of 3 cM between them. In all, 700 F(2) populations were randomly simulated with and 400 individuals with different combinations of dominant and co-dominant markers, as well as 10 and 20% of missing data. The simulations showed that, in the presence of co-dominant markers only, any combination of algorithm and criteria may be used, even for a reduced population size. In the case of a smaller proportion of dominant markers, any of the algorithms and criteria (except SALOD) investigated may be used. In the presence of high proportions of dominant markers and smaller samples (around 100), the probability of repulsion linkage increases between them and, in this case, use of the algorithms TRY and SER associated to RIPPLE with criterion LHMC would provide better results. Heredity (2009) 103, 494-502; doi:10.1038/hdy.2009.96; published online 29 July 2009

Worker demography in a large-colony, swarm-founding wasp

Neotropical swarm-founding wasps build nests enclosed in a covering envelope, which makes it difficult to count individual births and deaths. Thus, knowledge of worker demography is very limited for swarm-founding species compared with that for independent-founding species. In this study, we explored the worker demography of the swarm-founding wasp Polybia paulista, the colony size of which usually exceeds several thousand adults. We considered each wasp colony as an open-population and estimated the survival probability, recruitment rate, and population size of workers using the developments of the Cormack-Jolly-Seber model. We found that capture probability varied considerably among the workers, probably due to age polyethism and/or task specialization. The daily survival rate of workers was high (around 0.97) throughout the season and was not related to the phase of colony development. On the other hand, the recruitment rate ranged from 0 to 0.37, suggesting that worker production was substantially less important than worker survival in determining worker population fluctuations. When we compared survival rates among worker groups of one colony, the mean daily survival rate was lower for founding workers than for progeny workers and tended to be higher in progeny workers that emerged in winter. These differences in survivorship patterns among worker cohorts would be related to worker foraging activity and/or level of parasitism.

Mitochondrial DNA Variability Among Eight Tikuna Villages: Evidence for an Intratribal Genetic Heterogeneity Pattern

To study the genetic structure of the Tikuna tribe, four major Native American mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) founder haplogroups were analyzed in 187 Amerindians from eight Tikuna villages located in the Brazilian Amazon. The central position of these villages in the continent makes them relevant for attempts to reconstruct population movements in South America. In this geographic region, there is particular concern regarding the genetic structure of the Tikuna tribe, formerly designated ""enigmatic"" due to its remarkable degree of intratribal homogeneity and the scarcity of private protein variants. In spite of its large population size and geographic distribution, the Tikuna tribe presents marked genetic and linguistic isolation. All individuals presented indigenous mtDNA haplogroups. An intratribal genetic heterogeneity pattern characterized by two highly homogeneous Tikuna groups that differ considerably from each other was observed. Such a finding was unexpected, since the Tikuna tribe is characterized by a social system that favors intratribal exogamy and patrilocality that would lead to a higher female migration rate and homogenization of the mtDNA gene pool. Demographic explosions and religious events, which significantly changed the sizes and compositions of many Tikuna villages, may be reflected in the genetic results presented here. Am J Phys Anthropol 140:526-531,2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Density and survival rate of Culex quinquefasciatus at Parque Ecologico do Tiete, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Parity rate, gonotrophic cycle length, and density of a Culex quinquefasciatus female population was estimated at the Parque Ecologico do Tiete (PET), Sao Paulo, Brazil. Adult Cx. quinquefasciatus females were collected from vegetation along the edges of a polluted drainage canal with the use of a battery-powered backpack aspirator from September to November 2005 and from February to April 2006. We examined 255 Cx. quinquefasciatus ovaries to establish the parity rate of 0.22 and determined the gonotrophic cycle length under laboratory conditions to be 3 and 4 days. From these data, we calculated the Cx. quinquefasciatus survival rate to be 0.60 and 0.68 per day. Density of the Cx. quinquefasciatus female (5.71 females per m(2)) was estimated based on a population size of 28,810 individuals divided by the sampled area of 5,040 m(2). Results of all experiments indicate medium survivorship and high density of the Cx. quinquefasciatus female population. This species is epidemiologically relevant in the PET area and should be a target of the vector control program of Sao Paulo municipality.