Africanized honeybees: Biological characteristics, urban nesting behavior and accidents caused in Brazilian cities (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

In 1956 African honeybee queens (Apis mellifera scutellata) were imported from South Africa and Tanzania to Brazil, as part of a government project to increase Brazilian honey production. The European honeybees existing in that country had not adapted well to the tropical conditions and consequently, had a low productivity. The newly introduced bee was known to produce substantially more honey than the other subspecies, but was also famous for its great aggressiveness and quicker attack of intruders with less disturbance. Hoping to create a new hybrid bee that would be both docile and productive, the scientist Warwick Estevam Kerr tried to cross the African and the European subspecies under controlled conditions. However, an accident resulted in the escape of 26 swarms into the Brazilian countryside, where their queens mated with drones of the European resident honeybees. The poly-hybrid bees resulting from these crossings expressed scutellata-like reproductive, foraging, and defensive behaviors and, for this reason, were called Africanized honeybees. They spread rapidly from the introduction area of the African honeybees (near Rio Claro, São Paulo state) to as far south as mid-Argentina and to the north of Texas, also settling in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Nevada, due to their high adaptability to variable ecological conditions. In spite of a few undesirable behaviors, these bees have been invoking larger economic interest because they produce much more honey, have good resistance to diseases and are excellent pollinators. In Brazil, because people frequently disturb the environment, the occupation of urban refuges by Africanized honeybees has been increasing in the last years. The concern with accidents is generally associated with the high swarming frequency recorded during the year and the variety of shelters available in urban areas. This paper deals with the biological characteristics of the Africanized honeybees, their nesting behavior in urban environments, and accidents caused by these bees in Brazilian cities.

Desenvolvimento de três cultivares de mangueira sobre quatro porta-enxertos

The experiment was conducted at the physics structure of the Rio Grande do Norte State Farming Research Company (EMPARN) in Açu-RN, with the objective of evaluate the behavior of grafts-holder cultivates in the plants formation of cultivates used as tops. The experimental design was randonizated blocks in the factorial outline 3 x 4, with 3 repetitions. The analyzed factors were four cultivates of grafts-holder and three cultivates of grafts. As grafts-holders were used the cultivates Carabao and Manga d'agua, originated at the Campinas Agrarian Institute, and the cultivates Rosinha and Espada, obtained from the EMPARN collection. The cultivates used as tops were Tommy Atkins, Van Dyke and Keitt, with the fork that were also obtained at EMPARN. In a period of six months was observed the diameters of the grafts-holder, grafts and hight of the plants. The Cultivar Manga d'agua, as a graft-holder, provided the smallest growing to the mango tree and the Cultivar Tommy Atkins, used as graft, was the one who presented the tallest hight.

Diques clásticos na formação corumbataí (p) no nordeste da bacia do paraná, SP: Análise sistemática e significações estratigráficas, sedimentológicas e tectônicas

This paper aims to present the results of systematic survey on clastic dykes in the Corumbataí Formation (Permian), in the northeast region of the State of São Paulo. Besides this, the paper analyses genetic aspects of those features as well as their stratigraphic and sedimentologic implications in terms of geologic evolution of the northeastern Paraná Sedimentary Basin during Permian times. The field works had been developed in 3 main Corumbataí Formation outcrops (2 road cuts and a quarry) supposed to show the most important clastic dikes occurrences in the studied area. Basically, the sedimentary intrusions are formed by fine sand or silt size particles and had penetrated host rocks as near-vertical, centimeter thick, dykes (most common form) or as horizontal sheets, forming clastic sills (subsidiary form), both with variable geometric forms and dimensions. A lot of dyke walls show undulations suggesting pre-diagenetic clastic intrusions, probably near the ancient depositional surface. Almost all intrusions occur in the superior third portion of the Corumbataí Formation and some similar features seem to appear in the adjoining superposed Pirambóia Formation base. In this article the authors defend a seismic origin hypothesis for the clastic intrusions. It is important to mention that clastic intrusions tend to occur linked to expressive seismic events, with magnitude upper to 5. The analysis of isopach maps of the Permian and Mesozoic units of the Paraná Sedimentary Basin in the study area suggests a depositional system changing, from epicontinental sea conditions to shallow platform and, finally, to coastal deserts. Probably, this environmental change was driven by regional uplift accompanied by seismic events. It is possible that ancient seismicity triggered liquefaction processes and the resulting clastic intrusions. In this sense, those clastic features might be properly namedseismites.

Evolução geológica do sudoeste do cráton amazônico região limítrofe Brasil-Bolívia - Mato Grosso

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Efeito do inseticida fipronil em abelhas africanizadas e na expressão de gene relacionado ao sistema imunológico

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FMVZ

Interploidy hybridization in sympatric zones: the formation of Epidendrum fulgens x E. puniceoluteum hybrids (Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae)

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

Testosterone Regulates Bone Response to Infl ammation

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

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Phagocytes From Patients With Chronic Periodontitis Are Primed for Osteoclast Formation

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

Influence of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on the Use of the Most Abundant and Attractive Floral Resources in a Plant Community

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Africanized honeybees in urban areas: a public health concern

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

Ontogenia condrocraniana de Rhinella schneideri

Os estudos sobre ontogenia e heterocronia geram dados importantes para análises filogenéticas, taxonômicas, ecológicas e evolutivas das espécies. Neste trabalho foi realizada a descrição da ontogenia condrocraniana de Rhinella schneideri, que pertence à grande e cosmopolita família Bufonidae (GAUDIN, 1978). Foram utilizados girinos já coletados e tombados na Coleção CFBH (Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP, Rio Claro, SP) em diferentes estágios de desenvolvimento, classificados pela tabela Gosner (1960). Esses indivíduos foram diafanizados seguindo a técnica de Taylor & Van Dyke (1985) modificada, analisados sob o uso de estereomicroscópios e quando necessário foram desarticulados, fotografados e desenhados. A descrição do condrocrânio do girino de R. schneideri foi feita em estágio 29 de desenvolvimento e foram realizadas comparações morfológicas deste semaforonte escolhido com os demais membros do gênero e da família, além de comparações mais generalizadas dentro de Anura. Foi descrita em detalhes a ontogenia das cartilagens e ossos cranianos indicando o estágio de aparecimento do osso, localização e formato dos centros de ossificação, além da direção de crescimento destes centros. Além disto, foram analisadas heterocronias da espécie R. schneideri através de comparações de desenvolvimento ontogenético entre indivíduos de outras espécies do gênero e família. Com estas descrições e análises além de se ampliar o conhecimento sobre a espécie R. schneideri, os dados e hipóteses gerados a partir deste estudo influenciarão determinantemente no status taxonômico e filogenético da espécie

Descrição da morfologia do aparato hiobranquial e da musculatura condrocraniana larval em espécies de Hylodidae

Estudos sobre a morfologia de larvas e adultos de anuros são importantes para apoiar hipóteses ecológicas, filogenéticas e taxonômicas das espécies. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo descrever o aparato hiobranquial larval e a musculatura condrocraniana para a família Hylodidae, utilizando-se de sete espécies: Megaelosia goeldii, Megaelosia massarti, Crossodactylus dispar, Hylodes magalhaesi, Hylodes meridionalis, Hylodes perplicatus e Hylodes heyeri. Os girinos, já fixados, pertencem à Coleção CFBH (Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP, Rio Claro) e estão entre os estágios de desenvolvimento 25 e 32 de acordo com a tabela de Gosner (1960). Os espécimes foram diafanizados seguindo a técnica de Taylor e Van Dyke (1985) para, posteriormente, serem fotografados e analisados sob estereomicroscópios. Para a estrutura do aparato hiobranquial, os resultados revelaram uma maior semelhança entre os gêneros Hylodes e Megaelosia e uma maior diferença entre esses dois gêneros com Crossodactylus. Para a origem e a inserção da musculatura condrocraniana, não houve diferenças significativas entre os gêneros, ocorrendo um padrão dentro das espécies analisadas. A morfologia do aparato hiobranquial larval e de sua musculatura associada para a família Hylodidae tem muitas semelhanças com a família Bufonidae, um táxon considerado aparentado

Androgen receptors and experimental bone loss - an in vivo and in vitro study

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

Maxwell Arboretum Anniversary Celebration

What a pleasure it is to have this opportunity to welcome you to campus today as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Earl G. Maxwell Arboretum. Henry Van Dyke once wrote that "He that planteth a tree ... provideth a kindness for many generations, and faces that he hath not seen shall bless him."