Ecologia alimentar e comportamento de forrageamento de Ameivula aff. ocellifera (Squamata: Teiidae) em área de caatinga do nordeste do Brasil

This study investigated the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the feeding ecology and foraging behavior of the whiptail lizard Ameivula aff. ocellifera, a new species widely distributed in the Brazilian Caatinga, and that is in process of description. In attendance to the objectives, the Dissertation was structured in two chapters, which correspond to scientific articles, one already published and the other to be submitted for publication. In Chapter 1 were analyzed the general diet composition, the relationship between lizard size and prey size, and the occurrence of sexual and ontogenetic differences in the diet. Chapter 2 contemplates a seasonal analysis of diet composition during two rainy seasons interspersed with a dry season, and the quantitative analysis of foraging behavior during two distinct periods. The diet composition was determined through stomach analysis of lizards (N = 111) collected monthly by active search, between September 2008 and August 2010, in the Estação Ecológica do Seridó (ESEC Seridó), state of Rio Grande do Norte. Foraging behavior was investigated during a rainy and a dry month of 2012 also in ESEC Seridó, by determining percent of time moving (PTM), number of movements per minute (MPM) and prey capture rate by the lizards (N = 28) during foraging. The main prey category in the diet of Ameivula aff. ocellifera was Insect larvae, followed by Orthoptera, Coleoptera and Araneae. Termites (Isoptera) were important only in numeric terms, having negligible volumetric contribution (<2%) and low frequency of occurrence, an uncommon feature among whiptail lizards. Males and females did not differ neither in diet composition nor in foraging behavior. Adults and juveniles ingested similar prey types, but differed in prey size. Maximum and minimum prey sizes were positively correlated with lizard body size, suggesting that in this population individuals experience an ontogenetic change in diet, eating larger prey items while growing, and at the same time excluding smaller ones. The diet showed significant seasonal differences; during the two rainy seasons (2009 and 2010), the predominant prey in diet were Insect larvae, Coleoptera and Orthoptera, while in the dry season the predominant prey were Insect larvae, Hemiptera, Araneae and Orthoptera. The degree of mobility of consumed prey during the rainy seasons was lower, mainly due to a greater consumption of larvae (highly sedentary prey) during these periods. Population niche breadth was higher in the dry season, confirming the theoretical prediction that when food is scarce, the diets tend to be more generalized. Considering the entire sample, Ameivula aff. ocellifera showed 61,0 ± 15,0% PTM, 2,03 ± 0,30 MPM, and captured 0,13 ± 0,14 per minute. Foraging mode was similar to that found for other whiptail lizards regarding PTM, but MPM was relatively superior. Seasonal differences were verified for PTM, which was significantly higher in the rainy season (66,4 ± 12,1) than in the dry season (51,5 ± 15,6). It is possible that this difference represents a behavioral adjustment in response to seasonal variation in the abundance and types of prey available in the environment in each season

Conhecimentos alternativos e ecologia dos saberes: o difícil diálogo do sistema de saúde oficial

Le present travail a pour objectif, discuter le dialogue entre deux des formes de penser le processos santé-maladie: la médécine traditionnelle et celle scientifique. Et cette dernière représentée par le Système Unique de Santé, particulièrement par une Équipe de Santé de la Famille. Partant du questionnement “quel est le rôle de chaque système de santé dans les problèmes sanitaires ainsi que dans la prévention des maladies?”, il s‟agit de vérifier si l‟ ”Écologie des Savoirs” discutée par Santos (2007) a été appliquée dans les deux manières de penser et pratiquer les politiques de santé; tenant em compte que chacune d‟elles ayant son champ de possibilites et d‟impossibilités agit directement sur le quotidien des aires géographiques concernés par la recherche: le District de São João do Abade dans le Municipe de Curuçá/PA et l‟Équipe de Santé de la Famille Abade localisée dans ce même district. Cette étude fut réalisée à partir d‟instruments de collecte de données comme la recherche de terrain, l‟observation directe et les interviews semi-structurés (HAGUETTE, 1997) e apports théoriques à partir de certains des concepts clés les plus utilisés par les Épistémologies du Sud où nous mettons en relief l' “Écologie des Savoirs” (Santos, 2007); le “travail de Traduction” (SANTOS, 2008); la “Sociologie des Absences et la Sociologie des Émergences” (SANTOS, 2004); le concept de “Santé-Maladie” (MINAYO, 1988); ainsi que les discussions autor des “Savoirs de la Tradition” (ALMEIDA, 2010; RAMALHO et ALMEIDA, 2011). La stratégie “Santé de la Famille fut pensée à travers la vision de Guedelha (2008) et Vilar et al. (2011) où à partir de cette dernière la discussion sur le concept de “Médécine Communautaire” (DONNANGELO e PEREIRA, 1976) comme recours importante dans la recherche de l‟ “Écologie des Savoirs” dans la Stratégie Santé de la Famille a été possible.

Relação entre ciclo de vida do produto turístico e estratégias de cooperação na faixa litorânea urbana do município de Natal

Tourism in the Northeast of Brazil was introduced as an alternative economic development for the Region by federal promoting policies that focused primarily in structuring the local geographic area. With the completion of these structuring actions, mass tourism expanding the area, as well as spread actions based on cooperation and formalization of governance institutions. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the life cycle of the tourism product 'Coastal Cities of Natal and the cooperation strategies in a historical perspective. Thus was submitted to the life cycle of the tourism product 'Coastal Cities of Natal ; the major projects of tourism development were mapped, the existing cooperation strategies were characterized, and investigated the influence of the cooperation actions for the current stage of product. The specific theoretical support to tourism was built on the perspective of the Theory of Population Ecology, System of Tourism and Touristic Product Life Cycle. Regarding to cooperation the theoretical foundation addressed issues of strategy, New Forms and Collective Efficiency. The survey consisted of a causal descriptive study, using a case study. We used the qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches, and data collected by consulting of secondary data and semistructured interviews with twelve staff working in tourism in Natal. Results showed that the life cycle graph of product 'Coastal Cities of Natal is moving from one stage of growth to a stage of maturity, with a primary upward trend and with crises that are up over the graph. They have been mapped six of tourism development projects of relevance to the product: The Politics of Mega Projects, PRODETUR/NE, Municipalization National Program of Tourism, Regionalization Program, Urbanization Project Beach do Meio and Actions for the Promotion of Destiny. They have been identified sixty-four participating players in process of tourism development, which twenty were considered relevant to the respondents. The main strategies identified for cooperation were the consortium, collective strategy and clusters. Results indicated that co-operation strategies were adopted so that the benefits were obtained at the collective level, dedicated to the strengthening of Natal Destiny and its products. The main reasons were the need of cooperative marketing, international market entry and actions inducing the state. Finally, it was concluded that strategies for cooperation related to product life cycle 'Coastal Cities of Natal' as that work in the consolidation of projects for development of tourism, when the efficiency of collective action is achieved

Diálogos e aprendizagens na formação em agronomia para assentados

This thesis aims to investigate the Agronomy course in the perspective of the graduation course for the settlers of the Universidade Federal do Pará- Marabá. This course requires a partnership with the social movements of the North region of the country, with the purpose to understand knowledge production and how learning process occurs from the point of interaction and reliable relationships which are established in the organization during the course. The base of theses studies is to reflect of how the dialogue and learning processes occurred during the Agronomy course and resulted in changing in the teachers behavior and in the other integrated members of the group and mainly in the graduating settlers students. These changings happens as a consenquence of the dialogue production between the most varied areas, different people and institutions which take collective decisions. I observe educational actions, researches, extention concepts of extension and also development researches presented in the educative actions discussed by Freire (1985), Simões (2001, 2003) e de Amartya Sen (2000). The theory in which I am basing these studies are based in Boaventura de Souza Santos Simões (2001, 2003) and Amartya Sen (2000). Methodologically I analyse knowledge production by sudying the thesis and scientific works related to rural education, social movements, university and higher education in the last 20 years. I analyze the scientific works of all settler students, and besides, I do open interviews with the students, as well as, with the teachers and the leaders of social movements (MST, FETAGRI, CPT, EFA/FATA). I organize and analyze all the speeches from the ecological knowledge as defined by Boaventura de Souza Santos (2006). Finally, I visit five towns of municipal districts of the southeast of Pará, which represents the final methodological part of the research, in order to verify in loco the practices of the experiments purposed as final activity of the Agronomy course. I organize the work in five areas composed by the occupational process and the initiatives which emerged from them; development model and the social and environmental consequences; I also organize the university role and the relationship established between people and institutions which gave origin to the Agronomy course of UFPA and the programs developed in the region; conjuncture of creation of the groups of settled students, curriculum, principles and focus on the course and the experienced actions; developed practices in the course and the relations of reliability experienced internally and externally to the Academy, the learning and dialogue promoted by the course. I believe that the dialogue has caused changes in the organization of the knowledge and in the educative practices of the teachers, as well as, in the socio-productive practices of the regressed settled students

Aninhamento em redes bipartidas

We present a nestedness index that measures the nestedness pattern of bipartite networks, a problem that arises in theoretical ecology. Our measure is derived using the sum of distances of the occupied elements in the adjacency matrix of the network. This index quantifies directly the deviation of a given matrix from the nested pattern. In the most simple case the distance of the matrix element ai,j is di,j = i+j, the Manhattan distance. A generic distance is obtained as di,j = (i¬ + j¬)1/¬. The nestedness índex is defined by = 1 − where is the temperature of the matrix. We construct the temperature index using two benchmarks: the distance of the complete nested matrix that corresponds to zero temperature and the distance of the average random matrix that is defined as temperature one. We discuss an important feature of the problem: matrix occupancy. We address this question using a metric index ¬ that adjusts for matrix occupancy

Influência da filogenia em redes de interações ecológicas

In this thesis we deal with a class of composed networks that are formed by two tree networks, TP and TA, whose end points touches each other through a bipartite network BPA. We explore this network using a functional approach. We are interested in what extend the topology, or the structure, of TX (X = A or P) determines the links of BPA. This composed structure is an useful model in evolutionary biology, where TP and TA are the phylogenetic trees of plants and animals that interact in an ecological community. We use in this thesis two cases of mutualist interactions: frugivory and pollinator networks. We analyse how the phylogeny of TX determines or is correlated with BPA using a Monte Carlo approach. We use the phylogenetic distance among elements that interact with a given species to construct an index κ that quantifies the influence of TX over BPA. The algorithm is based in the assumption that interaction matrices that follows a phylogeny of TX have a total phylogenetic distance smaller than the average distance of an ensemble of Monte Carlo realizations generated by an adequate shuffling data. We find that the phylogeny of animals species has an effect on the ecological matrix that is more marked than plant phylogeny

Uso de habitat, orçamento temporal e influência da maré da geomorfologia do fundo sobre o comportamento do boto Sotalia guianensis Van Bénéden, 1864 (Cetacea: Delphinidae) no Porto de Maceió - Alagoas, Brasil

The physical and environmental factors presented by each habitat and the rhythm of behavior patterns strongly influence the ecology and behavior of the all living beings. At same time this factors may provide clues about the structure of a population and its ecological balance. The organizational structure, ecology and behavior of a species appraised in a region if we know be in balance when compared to the same type of appraisal made in a degraded area can provide a clear view of how the anthropogenic influences acted on these species and what steps can be taken in order to mitigate the effects and keep the population. The region where this study was conducted is, like most areas of port, subject to intense physical and environmental degradation. With the emerging interest of change in the quality of these environments also by the companies themselves that use the port services, the proposed study aimed to characterize the use of habitat, the distribution of behavioral activities carried out throughout the day and influence of geomorphology of the bed, depth and variation of tide on the expression of the behavior of Sotalia guianensis in the port of Maceio - Alagoas. From this information will be possible establish parameters for comparison with other populations of S. guianensis and establish conservation measures for the population occurring in the port of Maceio - AL, serving also as a basis for conservation actions future performed in other port regions

Caracterização do repertório acústico do botocinza, sotalia guianensis, e impacto de embarcações no nordeste do brasil

The wide distribution along the Brazilian coast of specie Sotalia guianensis has been growing interest in searchers on the ecology of this species, addition to commercial interests by whalewatching. This work described the accoustic repertory of S. guianensis and their behavior associated and found if underwater noises affect this repertorie in Pipa-RN. It were analyzed 18:49h of recordings maked between april and june/2009. It were found 3258 whistles, 289 calls, 873 clicks and no gargle. The frequencies range of guiana dolphins was 1 a 48kHz and may be related to system response recorder and population s regionalization. The frequencies overlaps the noise made by motorboats, schooners and water bomb. The behavior travelling ocurred siletly in 72,58% and socialization presented no sound (56,4%) and presence of sound (43,6%). This great absence of sound may be relacioned to saving energy, probably because in this behaviors they can use physical and visual contacts. The foraging presented highest records of all class noise with 46,84% clicks, 33,84% whistles and 9,02% calls. All this sounds occurred differently in each behavior (travelling: x2 = 134,35 df = 3 p = 0,0001; foraging: x2 = 19,83 df = 3 p= 0,00018 and socialization x2 = 60,35 df = 3 p = 0,0001). It was possible to determine that underwater noise cause changes in the repertorie and does a considerable increase in whistle s number and reduce clicks. Also occurs changes in some whistles (FI: t=2,42, p=0,015; FF: t= -2,22, p=0,025), calls (FMI: t= -3,13, p=0,001; FMA: t= -3,49, p=0,0005; FD: t= -2,21, p=0,027; D: t=2,89, p=0,004) and clicks parameters (D: t= -3,85, p=0,0001; I: t= -5,32, p=0,0001) during presence of noise. These changes may be a strategy of these animals to win this sound barrier. We can not say which noise has more impact, ix however the water bomb seems to affect more the clicks and the motorboats seems to affect the others sounds. Little is know about auditive sensibility of this specie, but daily exposure to this noise may cause damage and this specie appears to have residence. The specie conservation is necessary because the population already seems to suffer damage as decrease in length of stay, number of individuals entering the inlet and the apparent diminution in the foragind during vessels presence and control standards and ambiental education can help. So, we can advance in knowledge about the ecology of this specie especially when it come to bioacoustics and their behaviors associated and reveals some of the impacts that the noise have brought to this population

Cuidado ambiental em tempos de sustentabilidade: explorando dimensões da conduta sustentável com estudantes universitários

The pro-ecological commitment (CPE) constitutes an important topic within Person- Environment Studies, here seen as a predisposition to practices that result in environmental protection. Under the framework of sustainability, the concept of sustainable behavior emerges, covering, in addition to CPE, new psychological dimensions such as: the future time perspective (PTF) and the ecological worldviews (VEM). The current study intended to explore the concept of sustainable behavior of university students, by means of the association among some of its dimensions: CPE, PTF and VEM. For this purpose, 380 undergraduate students of biology, ecology, nursing, geography, and social service answered a form containing: socio-demographic questionnaire, a question on self-assessment of environmental care, the Scale of Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Environmentalisms, the Scale Consideration of Future Consequences, and the Scale Ecological Worldviews. Based on descriptive and correlational procedures, it was found that 78% of the participants practice or have practiced environmental care (caregivers) and the spread of information has been the practice more frequently reported, and the source of influence for such practices were the school, social networks, and the contact with nature It was also observed the association between practice of environmental care and ecocentric environmentalism, consideration of future consequences and egalitarian worldview (worldview of fragile nature). The lack of environmental care was associated with anthropocentric environmentalism, apathy, and individualistic worldview (worldview of passivity). As expected, and suggested by the literature, positive association were found between the sustainable behavior dimensions investigated in this study and the practice of environmental care

Conhecimento sobre energia eólica: um estudo exploratório a partir das redes semânticas naturais de estudantes da cidade de Natal

The human being has a fundamental role in issues concerning scarcity of energy resources as well as in the success of technologies which favor the use of renewable sources, such as wind energy. But what does wind energy mean for people? What are the psychological meanings concerning this term? Aiming to answer these questions, the general objective of this dissertation was to identify and to analyze the knowledge about wind energy taking into account a network of psychological meanings. One hundred and ninety one (191) university students from Natal-RN participated in the study, being male the majority (53%); aged between 17 and 51 years old (M=23.3 years; SD=5.7). Participants responded to self reports using the Natural Semantic Networks (NSW) technique, as well as to several sociodemographic questions. The results showed a consistent, positive and useful general semantic network. In this semantic network, knowledge about wind energy was represented by words that correspond to the appeal of (pro) environmental stance (e.g., clean and nature), that evinced both the technological aspect (e.g., force) and the economic aspect (e.g., economy). Results from different groups were also analyzed. The first set of groups (non-environemental and environmental) was divided considering the course (e.g., ecology and economy). The second set of groups(non-caretaker and caretaker) was divided based on the practice of environmental care expressed. Subtle differences were observed in the semantic networks of caretakers, who emphasized environment, an attribute not mentioned by non-caretakes. This indicates a construction of knowledge that is influenced by the presence or absence of the environmental commitment. Such findings may be useful in the construction of instruments for surveys and in the development of public and educational policies. Additionally, they may assist the media towards a more objective performance concerning wind energy

Do amanhecer ao crepúsculo: o ambiente inteiro por minhas narrativas

The matrix of this dissertation research permeates the design of complex environmental education. Its purpose is the realistic utopia of sustainability focused on the elucidation of a cultural model, a way of life that can guarantee the preservation of the living and non-living wight, to compose a world in which all coexist in harmony. To do so, thinking that model permeates the understanding that we are nature. This understanding can be evidenced both in Karl Marx in his book, the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts says: "Nature is the essential body of the human being", and Joël de Rosnay, in his book The Symbiotic Man explains that we humans, "are the neurons of the earth." In this same perspective, Elisabet Sahtouris, in his book The Dance of the Earth, has pointed out how little is accurate to say that "there is life on Earth," because we are knowledgeable that our planet is a living organism, then there is the "life of the Earth ". Thus, we are part of this life, we are a part of the whole. With long experience in the environmental field, I seek the collective understanding that environmental education is a process belonging to all areas of knowledge, while margins for its subdivision occasion that begins the role of librarian I am, as a mediator of educational, cultural process, and disseminate information, is an environmental educator. Research conducted lead me to propose a revision of values and attitudes, from a certain reorganization of thought, an ecology of ideas and action, evidenced by readings of education and complexity, especially tuned to the writings of Edgar Morin. This thesis makes use of metaphor as a cognitive operator to emphasize the solar cycle, linking it to the development stages of this work. In summary, we have as a goal to emphasize the importance of the human condition, respect for nature and the principle of natural, cultural and social interdependence. In order for us to have a society that values relationships of solidarity with each other, respect and gratitude for living beings and Mother Earth. What leads me to converge, the reframing of the environment, understanding it as Integer Environment

Relação entre ciclo de vida do produto turístico e estratégias de cooperação na faixa litorânea urbana do município de Natal

Tourism in the Northeast of Brazil was introduced as an alternative economic development for the Region by federal promoting policies that focused primarily in structuring the local geographic area. With the completion of these structuring actions, mass tourism expanding the area, as well as spread actions based on cooperation and formalization of governance institutions. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the life cycle of the tourism product 'Coastal Cities of Natal and the cooperation strategies in a historical perspective. Thus was submitted to the life cycle of the tourism product 'Coastal Cities of Natal ; the major projects of tourism development were mapped, the existing cooperation strategies were characterized, and investigated the influence of the cooperation actions for the current stage of product. The specific theoretical support to tourism was built on the perspective of the Theory of Population Ecology, System of Tourism and Touristic Product Life Cycle. Regarding to cooperation the theoretical foundation addressed issues of strategy, New Forms and Collective Efficiency. The survey consisted of a causal descriptive study, using a case study. We used the qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches, and data collected by consulting of secondary data and semistructured interviews with twelve staff working in tourism in Natal. Results showed that the life cycle graph of product 'Coastal Cities of Natal is moving from one stage of growth to a stage of maturity, with a primary upward trend and with crises that are up over the graph. They have been mapped six of tourism development projects of relevance to the product: The Politics of Mega Projects, PRODETUR/NE, Municipalization National Program of Tourism, Regionalization Program, Urbanization Project Beach do Meio and Actions for the Promotion of Destiny. They have been identified sixty-four participating players in process of tourism development, which twenty were considered relevant to the respondents. The main strategies identified for cooperation were the consortium, collective strategy and clusters. Results indicated that co-operation strategies were adopted so that the benefits were obtained at the collective level, dedicated to the strengthening of Natal Destiny and its products. The main reasons were the need of cooperative marketing, international market entry and actions inducing the state. Finally, it was concluded that strategies for cooperation related to product life cycle 'Coastal Cities of Natal' as that work in the consolidation of projects for development of tourism, when the efficiency of collective action is achieved