Two species of swimming crabs of the genus Achelous (Crustacea, Brachyura): environmental requirements determining the niche

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ontogenetic distribution of Callinectes ornatus (Decapoda, Portunoidea) in southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The influence of niche and neutral processes on a neotropical anuran metacommunity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Distributional potential of the Triatoma brasiliensis species complex at present and under scenarios of future climate conditions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The community-level effect of light on germination timing in relation to seed mass: a source of regeneration niche differentiation

Within a community, species may germinate at different times so as to mitigate competition and to take advantage of different aspects of the seasonal environment (temporal niche differentiation). We illustrated a hypothesis of the combined effects of abiotic and biotic competitive factors on germination timing and the subsequent upscale effects on community assembly. We estimated the germination timing (GT) for 476 angiosperm species of the eastern Tibetan Plateau grasslands under two light treatments in the field: high (i.e. natural) light and low light. We also measured the shift in germination timing (SGT) across treatments for all species. Furthermore, we used phylogenetic comparative methods to test if GT and SGT were associated with seed mass, an important factor in competitive interactions. We found a significant positive correlation between GT and seed mass in both light treatments. Additionally, small seeds (early germinating seeds) tended to germinate later and large seeds (late germinating seeds) tended to germinate earlier under low light vs high light conditions. Low light availability can reduce temporal niche differentiation by increasing the overlap in germination time between small and large seeds. In turn, reduced temporal niche differentiation may increase competition in the process of community assembly.

ONTOGENETIC DEVELOPMENT OF SENSORY STRUCTURES ON THE ANTENNULES AND ANTENNAE OF THE GIANT RIVER PRAWN MACROBRACHIUM ROSENBERGII (DE MAN)

In this study the occurrence of sensory structures on the antennules and antennae of the giant river prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man) during postembryonic ontogenetic development were examined. Larvae and postlarvae were obtained from hatchery recirculating tanks, juveniles from indoor nursery tanks, and adults from earthen grow-out ponds. The animals were fixed with Karnovsky fixative and dissected. Antennules and antennae were removed, metal-coated, and photodocumented using a scanning electron microscope. The antennules have aesthetascs and simple plumose and pappose setae; the antennae have simple, plumose and pappose setae. These structures increase in density, covered surface, and distribution during ontogeny and should be related to chemoreception and mechanoreception. The antennular statocyst that appears during larval stage VII of the giant river prawn has an array of sensory structures that enable the perception of chemical and tactile stimuli beginning with its early life stages. The ontogenetic changes observed allow an inference that initial-stage larvae, advance-stage larvae, juveniles, and adults have different capacities to exploit the environment.

Tracking climatically suitable areas for an endemic Cerrado snake under climate change

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Efeitos da diversidade funcional de detritos sobre a estrutura de comunidades e o funcionamento de ecossistemas de fitotelmatas

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Association between sleep quality and quality of life in nursing professionals working rotating shifts

Objective: To analyze the association between sleep quality and quality of life of nursing professionals according to their work schedules. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted between January and December 2010, with 264 nursing professionals, drawn from 989 subjects at Botucatu General Hospital and stratified by professional category. The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index and the WHOQOL-bref were administered to evaluate sleep quality and quality of life, respectively. Self-reported demographic data were collected with a standard form. Continuous variables were reported as means and standard deviations, and categorical variables were expressed as proportions. Associations were evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficient. The association of night-shift work and gender with sleep disturbance was evaluated by logistic regression analysis using a model adjusted for age and considering sleep disturbance the dependent variable. The level of significance was p < 0.05. Results: Night-shift work was associated with severe worsening of at least one component of sleep quality in the model adjusted for age (OR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.04; 3.50; p = 0.036). Female gender was associated with sleep disturbance (OR = 3.40; 95% CI 1.37; 8.40; p = 0.008). Quality of life and quality of sleep were closely correlated (R = -0.56; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Characteristics of the nursing profession affect sleep quality and quality of life, and these two variables are associated.

Effect of salinity on the metabolism and osmoregulation of selected ontogenetic stages of an Amazon population of Macrobrachium amazonicum shrimp (Decapoda, Palaemonidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Uranium metabolism associated with ontogenetic growth of birds: case studies with broilers and ducks

Cobb broilers and domestic ducks, both one-day-old, were treated using ration doped with 20 ppm of uranyl nitrate. Uranium concentrations in the tibia (μg-U/g-bone) were measured by neutron activation analysis as function of the animals’ age, from the neonatal period to maturity. Results show that Uranium and Calcium qualitatively follow the same metabolic pathway, and that adult ducks incorporate on average ten times more Uranium than broilers. Data interpretation shows that the Uranium clearance rate in broilers is substantially higher than that in ducks, suggesting that metabolic characteristics favoring Calcium retention in bone may hinder the elimination of Uranium in ducks. The need for further comparative biochemistry studies between Galliformes and Anseriformes is addressed.