Ecological distribution of the shrimp Nematopalaemon schmitti (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea) in three bays on the south-eastern coast of Brazil

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

Tide-topography interaction along the eastern Brazilian shelf

In the Tropics, continental shelves governed by western boundary currents are considered to be among the least productive ocean margins in the world, unless eddy-induced shelf-edge upwelling becomes significant. The eastern Brazilian shelf in the Southwest Atlantic is one of these, and since the slight nutrient input from continental sources is extremely oligotrophic. It is characterized by complex bathymetry with the presence of shallow banks and seamounts. In this work, a full three-dimensional nonlinear primitive equation ocean model is used to demonstrate that the interaction of tidal currents and the bottom topography of the east Brazil continental shelf is capable of producing local upwelling of South Atlantic Central Water, bringing nutrients up from deep waters to the surface layer. Such upper layer enrichment is found to be of significance in increasing local primary productivity. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular characterisation of Bartonella species in cats from Sao Luis, state of Maranhao, north-eastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ecological aspects of the free-living ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on animal trails within Atlantic rainforest in south-eastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Serological Evidence of Bovine Herpesvirus 5 (BoHV-5) in Cattle at the Colombia's Eastern Plains

Several diseases involve the nervous system of cattle, among which infections with Rabies Virus and Bovine Herpes Virus 5 (BoHV-5) are noteworthy. In order to detect seropositive animals to BoHV-5, 156 Brahman-Zebu bovines blood samples from Colombia's eastern plains were analyzed through seroneutralization assay; the area has a history of animals dying with nervous symptoms and which rule out the disease of rabies. All animals were over one year old and randomly selected from two different herds reporting no vaccination for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis in a period exceeding one year. Results indicated seropositivity for BoHV-5 in 91 cases (58.4%), of which 88 were also seropositive for bovine herpes virus 1 (BoHV-1), while 41 were seronegative for both agents. 22/64 seronegative cases for BoHV-5 were seropositive for BoHV-1 and 2/43 seronegative cases for BoHV-1 were seropositive for BoHV-5, and consequently, these animals could be only infected by encephalitis herpes virus. With these initial findings, emphasis its placed on the need establish the true impact of the disease in Colombia and proposes the epidemiological surveillance of cattle in the region studied in order to establish mechanisms for control of viral infection.

Diet of Eared Doves (Zenaida auriculata, Aves, Columbidae) in a sugar-cane colony in South-eastern Brazil

Agricultores no médio Vale do Paranapanema têm relatado problemas com bandos de pombas (Zenaida auriculata) que se alimentam de cotilédones de soja na época do plantio. Na região do município de Tarumã, SP, essas aves se reproduzem em uma colônia situada em um canavial, e sua dieta é composta de 70% do peso seco por 4 grãos cultivados (em ordem de importância: milho, trigo, arroz e soja). As sementes de três invasoras (Euphorbia heterophylla, Brachiaria plantaginea e Commelina benghalensis) são importantes. Essa informação sugere que as pombas se adaptaram particularmente bem à paisagem criada pelas práticas agrícolas da região, aproveitando vários alimentos oferecidos.

Ethnoveterinary knowledge and practices at Colares island, Para state, eastern Amazon, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Parturition intervals and distributions of parturitions by months of buffalo in Southern and South-eastern Brazil

Reproductive rate is an important component of economic success in livestock production. Parturition interval (IEP) is a direct measure of the productivity of the animal. Long IEP reduce the number of calves produced per year. The objective this study was to determine the distribution of parturitions across month and to evaluate factors affecting IEP. The data included 7,588 parturitions of Murrah, Mediterranean and Carabobo buffalo from 10 herds in Southern and South-eastern Brazil. The analysis of distribution of parturitions evaluated the effects of month, year and their interaction on birth date of calves by using a Chi-Square test in SAS PROC FREQ (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Parturition intervals (n = 2,630) were evaluated using analysis of variance in SAS PROC GLM. The model for IEP included the fixed effects of season (December to May = 1, June to November = 2), year, season x year, sex of the preceding parturition, age of weaning of the previous calf, and herd. All sources of variation were significant (P<0.0001) except sex of the preceding parturition (P <0.85). The mean IEP was 446.7 +/- 10.4 days, for seasons 1 and 2 IEP were 419.8 +/- 11.3 and 473.6 +/- 40.7 days, respectively, a difference of 54 days. As weaning age increased there was a lengthening of IEP. Buffalo in Brazil showed seasonal parturition with calving concentrated from January to April, although the frequency by month differed across years (P<0.0001). These months also had the lowest calving interval.

Helminth component community of the paradoxal frog Pseudis platensis Gallardo, 1961 (Anura: Hylidae) from south-eastern Pantanal, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

First assessment of the endoparasitic nematode fauna of four psammophilous species of Tropiduridae (Squamata: Iguania) endemic to north-eastern Brazil

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

Nematode infection in the lizard Bogertia lutzae (Loveridge, 1941) from the Atlantic forest in north-eastern Brazil

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

Spatial-temporal variation of Paralonchurus brasiliensis (Actinopterygii: Sciaenidae) density in relation to some environmental factors on the inner shelf of south-eastern Brazilian coast

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

Annual, seasonal and spatial variation of abundance of the shrimp Artemesia longinaris (Decapoda : Penaeoidea) in south-eastern Brazil

The influence of several environmental factors oil the abundance and spatial-temporal distribution of the shrimp Artemesia longinaris were investigated from January 1998 to December 1999 in the Ubatuba region of São Paulo State, Brazil. Collections were performed monthly in the bays of Ubatumirim (UBM), Ubatuba (UBA) and Mar Virado (MV). Six sampling transects were estabilshed in each bay, four were parallel to the shore line, and two were next to the rocky shores. A commercial shrimp fishing boat equipped with two 'double-rig' nets was used. A total of 11,503 individuals was collected, including 1633 from UBM, 6344 from UBA and 3526 from MV the majority of the captured specimens came from the deeper areas (15 to 20 m) with high salinity (34 to 36 ppt). The highest abundance of A. longinaris in Ubatuba bay was recorded in areas where fine and very fine sand comprised more than 70% of the sediment. Moreover, the abundance of A. longinaris followed a seasonal trend, being higher during the summer, when intrusions of cold South Atlantic Coastal Waters (SACW) are frequent. Thus, type of sediment, temperature and salinity are determinant factors in the distribution of A. longinaris in the studied region.

The relationship between environmental variation and species abundance in shrimp community (Crustacea : Decapoda : Penaeoidea) in south-eastern Brazil

The impact of shrimp fisheries in tropical regions has become comparable to the world's most intensively exploited temperate shed ecosystems. The increase in the fishing fleet in south-eastern Brazil and the decrease in landings of profitable shrimp species have contributed to the incorporation of additional species into those fisheries. The goal of the present study is to investigate the influence of environmental factors on the abundance patterns of shrimp communities on the south-eastern coast of Brazil, over a period of two years. Monthly collections were conducted in the Ubatuba and Caraguatatuba regions using a commercial shrimp fishing boat equipped with 'double-rig' nets. Each region was divided into 7 sampling stations up to 35 m deep. The relationship between the environmental factors and the abundance patterns in the shrimp communities was assessed using a canonical correlation analysis (CCorrA). The first set of variables used during the CCorrA included environmental characteristics and the second set of variables the abundance of the studied species. A total of 374,915 individuals were collected during the present study. Xiphopenaeus kroyeri showed the highest abundance (273,127), followed by Artemesia longinaris (73,422), and Pleoticus muelleri (15,262). In the first root, depth and temperature showed the highest factor loadings (0.9 and -0.7) and canonical weights (0.6 and -0.4). These environmental factors were strongly associated with the abundance of X. kroyeri (factor loading = - 0.9 and canonical weight = - 0.9). The second root demonstrated a positive relationship between abundance of P. muelleri and depth, and an inverse association with bottom temperature. The abundance patterns of X. kroyeri and P. muelleri were strongly affected by the water mass South Atlantic Central Water (cold waters =15 degrees C), which can lead to a temperature decrease in deeper areas (> 15 m). Thus, the opposite abundance trend for depth of these species might reflect bathymetric variation in temperature, a clear example of distinct behavioural differences of species of different origins, either tropical (X. kroyeri) or subantarctic (P. muelleri). The low overall association between environmental parameters and shrimp abundance patterns indicates that each studied species might have responded idiosyncratically to environmental variation, such that a general community-level response was not apparent. However, other confounding factors such as intraspecific migration patterns might have also played a role in generating the observed patterns.

BRACHYURAN CRABS (DECAPODA, BRACHYURA) ASSOCIATED WITH THE GREEN SPONGE AMPHIMEDON VIRIDIS (DEMOSPONGIAE) FROM ITAGUA BEACH, SOUTH-EASTERN COAST of BRAZIL

This study provides information on the community structure of brachyuran crabs associated with the green sponge, Amphimedon viridis Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864, from a beach on the south-eastern coast of Brazil. Monthly collections from May 2002 through August 2003 were carried out on the rocky bottoms off Itagua Beach (23 degrees 27'07 '' S 45 degrees 02'49 '' W). Crabs on the green sponge banks were hand-caught during snorkelling sessions, and 638 crabs belonging to 31 species, 19 genera, and 10 families were obtained. Biological parameters, including sponge volume, number of individuals, density, richness, diversity, evenness, and dominance changed considerably over time. Species recruitment and foraging habit are some of the factors that drive the richness, dominance, and diversity patterns of this community. The green sponge banks are important sites for recruitment, refuge, and feeding of many species of brachyurans. Therefore, they are also important for the conservation of this group on the south-eastern coast of Brazil.