1000 resultados para CNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::ZOOLOGIA::COMPORTAMENTO ANIMAL
Resumo:
Food habits and morpho-histology of the digestive tract of marbled swamp eel, Synbranchus marmoratus (Block, 1917) were investigated. The fish samples were captured during August, 2007 to July, 2008 in the Marechal Dutra reservoir, Acari, Rio Grande do Norte. The rain fall data was obtained from EMPARN. The fish captured, were measured, weighed, dissected, eviscerated and individual stomach weights were registered. The stomach contents analyses were carried out based on volumetric method, points, frequency of occurrence and applying the Index of Relative Importance. The degrees of repletion of the stomachs were determined besides the Index of Repletion relating to feeding activity variations and frequency of ingestion during the rainy and dry seasons. The rainfall varied from 0 mm a 335 mm with a mean value of 71.62 mm. Highest rainfall of 335.5 mm was registered in March, 2008 and August to December was the dry period. During the dry period the study species presented high degrees of repletion of the stomachs, with a peak value in the month of September (mean = 4.54; ± SD = 0.56). The minimum mean value of = 3.99 ± SD = 0.25 was registered in the month of May during the rainy period. The stomach contents of S. marmoratus registered show that this fish prefers animals, 78.22% of crustaceans 2.85% of mollusks, 3.25% of fish, 1.4% of insects and 13.5% of semi-digested organic matter, thus characterizing the study species as a carnivore with a preference for crustaceans. The morpho-histological aspects of the digestive tract of S. marmoratus indicate that the mouth is terminal adapted to open widely, thin lips with taste buds, small villiform teeth forming a single series on maxillas, four pairs of branchial arches with short and widely spaced branchial rays. The oesophagus is short and cylindrical with a small diameter. The oesophagus wall is thick with mucas surface and internal parallel folds. The stomach is retilinical in form, presenting cardiac, caecal and pyloric portions. The caecal portion is long and is intermediary in position between the cardiac and pyloric portions. The cardiac portion of the stomach is short and cylindrical formed of simple epithelial cylindrical mucus cells. The caecal portion is long with narrow walls, a big cavity and smaller folds which give rise to gastric glands. The phyloric portion has no glands and primary or secondary mucas folds. The morphohistological aspects of the digestive tract of S. marmoratus indicate its adaptation to a carnivorous feeding habit
Resumo:
The vitamin A is essential to animals because of its participation in a great number of biological functions. The investigation of this vitamin s concentrations is important to serve as reference to normality parameters. This study had as aim to analyse the serics and hepatics concentrations of vitamin A in two groups of bovines and to compare the hepatics concentrations to the present requeriments of vitamin A for pregnant women. It was also appraised the consume habit of bovine liver by pregnant women through of the alimentary frequency quest. Two groups of bovine were studied and the first was formad by Nelore bovine breed and the second by bovine without defined breed (WDB). It was analysed 120 samples: 60 of liver and 60 of serum. The method used to dose retinol was High Performance Liquid Cromatography (HPLC). The average (+ sd) of retinol concentrations in Nelore breed bovine and WDB liver were 16947,8 + 6866,9 and 5213,1 + 2517,2 µg of retinol/100g and at serum 39,6 + 17,9 e 28,6 + 9,4 µg of retinol/dL, respectively. No statistically significant correlation was found between hepatic and the serum retinol. The bovines in this study had adequate vitamin A levels. Independently of animal breed, the daily ingestion of bovine liver is not advised for pregnant women who show adequate support of vitamin A. The consume of bovine liver by pregnant women consulted on school maternity hospital Januário Cicco, UFRN, Natal RN, was considered high
Resumo:
Toxoplasmosis is one zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii protozoan. Goats, amongst the production animals, are one of the species most susceptible to this parasite, being one them main involved agents in ovine and goat abortions, determining great economic losses and implications for public health, since the presence it parasite in the products of goat origin, consist in one of the main sources of infection for the man. In this study 244 blood samples in 8 farms situated in 4 cities from the Sertão do Cabugi region, Rio Grande do Norte State, northeast of Brazil and, tested by ELISA assay. The results had shown a prevalence of 47.13% for anti- T. gondii antibodies and a significant association between positivity and variable evaluated as age, locality and property. The IgG avidity assay evaluated in 115 positive samples was carried to discriminate acute and chronic infection. Twelve samples (10.4%) had presented antibodies of low avidity while 103 (89.6%) presented high avidity antibodies; indicating that most of the animals was precocious exposure to the parasite. Significant difference was verified only for the variable sex. We also evaluate the capacity of recombinant adenoviruses codifying SAG1, SAG2, SAG3 and CMV in inducing activation of specific immune response in goat. These 109 animals received 109 pfu of the AdSAG1, AdSAG2, AdSAG3, AdCMV or PBS in vaccine protocol with 3 immunizations. Serum samples of the each animal, before and after mmunization, had been submitted to the ELISA. The results demonstrate that the immunizations had induced the production of IgG antibodies specific against T. gondii proteins
Resumo:
Sea urchins are common benthic organisms on coastal ecosystems of tropical and temperate shallow waters. The impact of sea urchins populations in shore communities is density-dependent, and therefore, knowledge of the life history of these animals is important to understand these interactions. Between 2000 and 2005 a population boom of Tripneustes ventricosus was observed in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. In 2004 a research program was started to monitor the population dynamics of T. ventricosus in the archipelago, when it noted a lack of basic information on the biology and reproduction of this species, despite its broad geographic distribution and economic importance in parts of its occurrence. In this context, this work focuses on the reproductive biology of T. ventricosus with emphasis on the description of the gametogenic stages. Between December 2006 and July 2007, ten urchins were collected by snorkeling in two sites of the archipelago, totaling 120 individuals. Gametogenic stages were described for both sexes through microscopic analysis, and were defined as: Recovery, Growing, Premature, Mature and Spawning. Results showed increasing in Gonad index throughout of months of sampling and suggest that the reproductive cycle of the species in the archipelago is annual
Resumo:
Sea urchins are benthic macroinvertebrates that inhabit shallow coastal waters in tropical and temperate zones. Urchins are usually classified as generalists or omnivores as they can adjust their diet according to the food resources available in the environment. Due to the strong grazing pressure they may exert, urchins have an important role in marine ecosystems, occupying different trophic levels and stimulating the intensification of the dynamics of communities where they occur. In 2004, a monitoring program focused on the population dynamics of the white sea urchin, Tripneustes ventricosus, has been initiated in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. At the same time, a surprisingly lack of information on the species biology has been noted, despite their wide geographical distribution and economic importance in many parts of its range. Hence, this work was developed to provide information on the feeding habits of T. ventricosus in the archipelago. Ten specimens were collected between December 2006 and July 2007 at two sites of the archipelago, Air France and Sueste Bay for biometrics and analysis of gut contents. Test diameters ranged from 9.19 cm (± 1.1) to 10.08 cm (± 0.58). Calculated stomach repletion index (IRE) was higher (p <0.05) in the Air France site and also during January and July. The IRE was not correlated to the gonad index. Fifteen different species of algae were detected in a total of 120 stomachs examined: 4 Chlorophytas, 4 Phaeophytas and 6 Rhodophytas. Food diversity (p <0.05) was higher in December 2006 and January 2007. Although several items had a high frequency of occurrence, they were low represented in terms of weight, and consequently, had a low level of relative importance. The brown algae Dictyopteris spp and Dictyota spp, followed by the green algae Caulerpa verticillata accounted for the greatest importance in T. ventricosus diet, comprising about 90% of the consumed items
Resumo:
This study aimed to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of variation in trophic state and its relation with the structure and dynamics of planktonic community of a large reservoir located in semi-arid tropical region of Northeast Brazil. The reservoir Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves is the biggest reservoir of the Rio Grande do Norte State and is responsible for about 53% of all surface water accumulated in the State. The samples of water and plankton were taken monthly in 10 points distributed throughout the longitudinal axis of the reservoir and over a full hydrological cycle. The samples were collected to determine concentrations of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a and suspended solids (fixed and volatile) and for determining the composition and abundance of phytoplanktonic and zooplanktonic species. During the study period, the reservoir was characterized as eutrophic and there was no trend of increasing the trophic state of the reservoir in the period of drought. The concentrations of total phosphorus and suspended fixed solids decreased towards the dam while the N:P ratios increased in the same direction due to the reduction in the phosphorus concentrations and relative constancy in the nitrogen concentrations. The N:P ratios observed were indicative of greater limitation by phosphorus than by nitrogen. However, as concentrations of both nutrients were high and the water transparency was very low, with secchi depth usually lower than one meter, it seems likely that the planktonic primary production of the reservoir is more limited by the availability of light than the availability of nutrients. High nutrient concentrations coupled with low availability of light may explain the continuing dominance of filamentous cyanobacteria such as Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in the plankton of the reservoir.These cyanobacteria are potentially toxic and pose a serious environmental problem because it compromises the water quality for public supply, recreation and fishing when present in high densities as in this study. The mesozooplankton of the reservoir was dominated by the calanoid Notodiaptomus cearensis and the cladoceran Diaphanosoma spinulosum. In general, the structure of zooplankton community seems to be particularly influenced by the spatial variation of cyanobacteria. The results of the regression analyses show that both the chlorophyll a concentrations and the cyanobacteria biovolume were more strongly correlated with the nitrogen than with phosphorus and that the water transparency was more strongly correlated with algal biomass than with other sources of turbidity. The maximum load of phosphorus to attain the maximum permissible concentration of total P in the reservoir was estimated in 63.2 tonnes P/ year. The current external P load to the reservoir is estimated in 324 tonnes P / year and must be severely reduced to improve the water quality for water supply and allow the implementation of aquaculture projects that could contribute to the socio-economic development of the region
Resumo:
The major aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the introduction of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and the enrichment with nutrients (N and P) interact synergistically to change the structure of plankton communities, increase phytoplankton biomass and decrease water transparency of a semi-arid tropical reservoir. One field experiment was performed during five weeks in twenty enclosures (8m3) to where four treatments were randomly allocated: with tilapia addition (T), with nutrients addition (NP), with tilapia and nutrients addition (T+NP) and a control treatment with no tilapia or nutrients addition (C). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was done to test for time (t), tilapia (T) and nutrient (NP) effects and their interaction on water transparency, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, phytoplankton and zooplankton. The results show that there was no effect of nutrient addition on these variables but significant fish effects on the biomass of total zooplankton, nauplii, rotifers, cladocerans and calanoid copepods, on the biovolume of Bacillariophyta, Zygnemaphyceae and large algae (GALD ≥ 50 μm) and on Secchi depth. In addition, we found significant interaction effects between tilapia and nutrients on Secchi depth and rotifers. Overall, tilapia decreased the biomass of most zooplankton taxa and large algae (diatoms) and decreased the water transparency while nutrient enrichment increased the biomass of zooplankton (rotifers) but only in the absence of tilapia. In conclusion, the influence of fish on the reservoir plankton community and water transparency was greater than that of nutrient loading. This finding suggests that biomanipulation should be a greater priority in the restoration of eutrophic reservoirs in tropical semi-arid regions
Resumo:
The aims of this study were: i) assessing the trophic state of the Mendubim reservoir (semi-arid, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; 05° 38 99,0 S 36°55 98,0 W) based on chlorophyll-a, total phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations and water transparency; ii) relating the patterns of temporal variation of zooplankton and phytoplankton to the trophic state of the reservoir and iii) investigating the carrying capacity of the reservoir for cage fish farming. The samplingwas done monthly from July 2006 to July 2007 in three stations at the reservoir: next to the dam (barrage), in the central region and in the mouth of the main tributary. The abiotic and biotic variables analyzed were: Secchi depth, volatiles and fixed suspended solids, chlorophyll-a, total phosphorus and nitrogen, TN:TP ratio and mesozooplankton and phytoplankton composition and biomass. The results showed that the reservoir can be considered as mesotrophic with mean concentrations of total nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a equal to 1711, 1 μg.L-1, 30,8 μg.L-1 and 5,62 μg.L-1 respectively. The Cyanophyceae class was the most representative in terms of density, with the presence of potentially toxic species such as Microcystis aeruginosa, Planktothrix planctonica, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Aphanizomenon sp. ,Aphanocapsa delicatissima and Pseudanabaena acicularis. Among the zooplankton, the genus Notodiaptomus presented the largest biomass values. Overall, our results show that the light limitation should explain the weak relationship between chlorophyll-a and total phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations. We concluded that the water of Mendubim reservoir is suitable for intensive fish cage aquaculture. Based on the carrying capacity calculations for this reservoir, we found that the maximum sustainable yield of tilapias in cages in the reservoir is 126 ton per year assuming a factor of food conversion of 1.5: 1.0 and a phosphorus content in the fish food of 1%
Resumo:
The feeding habits and biological aspects of the reproductive cycle of two-spot astyanax, Astyanax cf. lacustris (Reinhardt, 1874) were investigated. Fish samples were captured on a monthly basis, using gillnets of 4 cm mesh size, from the Piató Lake, Assu, Rio Grande do Norte, during the period of September, 2006 to August, 2007. Physico-chemical parameters, such as, temperature, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen of the lake were registered. The monthly values of rainfall also were obtained. The 360 individuals captured, were measured, weighed, dissected, and stomach weight and the stage of gonadal maturity were registered. The stomach contents analyses were carried out based on volumetric method, points, frequency of occurrence and applying the Index of Relative Importance. The degrees of repletion of the stomachs were determined besides the Index of Repletion relating to feeding activity variations and frequency of ingestion with limnological parameters and rainfall. The food items identified were separated into distinct groups according to their origin. Sex ratio and Gonadosomatic Relation of females were verified to determine the spawning period and fecundity. The physico-chemical parameters presented the following annual mean values: temperature = 28.8ºC, electrical conductivity = 992.5 µS.cm-1; dissolved oxygen = 4.9 mg.L-1 during the study period. The annual mean of the rainfall was 63.5 mm. The results indicate that this species present an omnivorous feeding habit with a tendency towards insectivory, with an increase in feeding activity during the dry season. The aquatic oxygen to interfere very importance in the feeding activity than the others factors physico-chemicals of water and rainfall. There was a predominance of females, with a sex proportion of 1M:7F. The macroscopic characteristics of the ovaries and testicles revealed four stages of gonadal development: immature, maturing, mature and spent. A temporal variation was observed for the gonadal development of males and females. There was reproductive activity through out the year, with peaks in the months of February, April and June to correspond with the rain of precipitation of the region. The mean fecundity was 7.681 mature oocytes, varying from 4.476 to 12.036, with mean of 7.681. There was positive relation between fecundity and body mass. Condition Factor is not an efficient indicator of the reproductive period of this species. The species A. cf. lacustris is an opportunist and is well adapted to the conditions of the semi-arid Caatinga Biome
Resumo:
The mollusks present a great taxon variety and life habits in coral reefs being good environmental indicators. It is important to know the distribution pattern of the mollusks and the processes that influence it, so that disturbances in sea ecosystems could be monitored. The present study aims to accomplish the inventory and distribution of epibenthic mollusks in the Parracho of Maracajaú. 23 sites in different habitats of the Parracho were settled: 11 in the reef habitat, 3 in the sandy bottom and 9 in the seagrass bed. Qualitative and quantitative samplings have been done through snorkeling and scuba diving. Three band transects (10m²) were sampled in each site and the data were obtained to each m² of the transect, where the species were counted and the environmental variables (rugosity and recovery of the substratum) were valued. The data were submitted to multivariate analyses in order to find possible distribution patterns that could be associated to the substratum variables. The diversity indexes were calculated for each reef sites and compared with each other. A number of 46 species were registered. The reef habit at should to be the richnest area while the sandy bottom was poorest one. In the reef habitat, the mollusks were associated to rugosity and recovering of frondose algae and zoanthids, while for the seagrass bed, the animals exhibited a richness variation associated to the muddy and sandy sediment. There were found 3 species economically explored, what requires an appropriate management for the maintenance and conservation of the area resources in a sustainable way
Resumo:
This work aimed to study the structure and dynamic of Phytoplankton and Bacterioplankton in a complete cycle of shrimp cultivation (Litopenaeus vannamei) and determine the environmental factors responsible for the structural changes of these communities. The study was realized in a saltwater shrimp farm (Macaíba, RN), between September/2005 and February/2006, and in a freshwater shrimp farm (Ceará Mirim, RN), between May/2007 and September 2007. The samplings were collected weekly in saltwater farm and every fifteen days in freshwater farm. Total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and environmental parameters (pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, depth and water transparency) were measured. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the phytoplankton and bacterioplankton were carried out. The Shannon-Wiener ecologic indexes of diversity and the Pielou equitability indexes were calculated to the phytoplankton. Bacterial density was determined by epifluorescence microscopy. The data were statistically analyzed by Pearson correlation and t-Test. Chlorophycea were predominat in salt water and in the captation/drainage point (24 to 99%). Diatoms had higher wealth. The species Choricystis minor had the highest occurrence (100%) and dominance (90-100%), thus showing its adaptation to the high temperatures, salinity and low water transparency conditions. Filamentous Cyanobacteria like Oscillatoria sp., Pseudoanabaena sp. and Phormidium sp. had constant levels. The negative correlation between chlorophycea and water transparency, and the positive correlation between chlorophyll a and salinity, showed that the phytoplankton was well adapted to the low transparency and to the high salinity. The bacterioplankton was negatively correlated with the total phosphorus and salinity. In freshwater, Cyanobacteria were predominant (>80%), presenting some producers of toxins species like Microcystis sp., Aphanizomenon sp., Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii e Anabaena circinalis. Cyanobacterial density and total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations exceeded the maximum value allowed by legislation. The means of total phosphorus varied from 264 to 627 Wg.L-1 and the means of chlorophyll a oscillated between 22 and 182 Wg.L-1. The phytoplankton species were selected by low availability of the light, high pH, temperature and high availability of total phosphorus. The bacterioplankton showed high densities (5,13 x 107 to 8,50 x107 Bac.mL-1). The studied environments (ponds and rivers) presented a high level of trophic state based on the high concentrations of chlorophyll a and total phosphorus and cyanobacteria dominance. The composition of species in the ponds and rivers was similar, as well as high concentrations of total phosphorus and chlorophyll a, highlighting the pollution caused by the discharges of the farms in natural environment
Resumo:
The industrial effluents are one of the main sources of water pollution. For an appropriate characterization and control of their discharges, the most efficient strategy is the integrated use of chemical, physical and ecotoxicological analyses. The aims of this study were to asses the efficiency of the treatment plant of a textile industry performing acute toxicity tests and physical-chemical analyses of the effluents before and after the treatment, besides evaluate the toxicity of the effluents of the Treatment System of Liquids Effluents (Sistema de Tratamento de Efluentes Líquidos - SITEL) of Distrito Industrial de Natal (DIN) and some of their physical-chemical variables. The species used in the ecotoxicological tests was the fish Danio rerio. The results showed that the treatment plant reduced significantly (around 50%) the toxicity of the raw textile effluent in only three of the seven tests but, in general, it promoted the reduction of the physical-chemical parameters analyzed. The toxicity and the physical-chemical factors of the effluents of SITEL of DIN varied among the tests and show the importance of monitoring their discharges in the Potengi river, one of the most important rivers of the Rio Grande do Norte state
Resumo:
The seaweed Gracilaria domingensis is a common species in the coast of Rio Grande do Norte. This species lives in the intertidal zone, where colour strains (red, green and brown) co-occur during the whole year. Seaweeds that live in this region are exposed to daily changes and to the rhythm of the tide. During the low tide they are exposed to dissection, hiper-or hipo-osmotic shock, high temperatures and high irradiance. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the pigment and protein content of the colour strains of G. domingensis is affected by some environmental parameters in a temporal scale. The seaweeds were collected during 10 months in the seashore of Rio do Fogo (RN). The total soluble proteins and the phycobiliprotein were extracted in phosphate buffer and the carotenoids were analyzed by a standardized method through HPLC-UV. The pigments analysis showed that phycoerithrin is the most abundant pigment in the three strains. This pigment was strongly correlated with nitrogen and the photosynthetically active radiation. Chlorophyll presented higher concentrations than carotenoids during the whole, but the ratio carotenoid/chlorophyll-a was modified by incident radiation. The most abundant carotenoid was ß-carotene and zeaxanthin, which had higher concentrations in the higher radiation months. The concentration increase of zeaxanthin in this period indicated a photoprotective response of the seaweed. The three strains presented a pigment profile that indicates different radiation tolerance profile. Our results pointed that the green strain is better adapted to high irradiance levels than the red and brown strains
Resumo:
The eutrofization is a natural process of accumulation of nutrients in aquatic´s body that it has been accelerated for the human´s actives, mainly the related with the activities of camp, industrial and the inadequate disposition of the domestic sewage. The enrichment of the aquatic´s body with nutrients, mainly the nitrogen and the phosphorus, and the consequent proliferation of algae and Cyanobacteria can commit the quality of the water for the public provisioning, for the fish farming and for other ends. The problem becomes more critical when there is a shortage of water naturally as in the semi-arid area of the Brazilian northeast. Before that problem this work had as objective evaluates the trophic state of six reservoirs of the basin of River Seridó of Rio Grande of Norte and also estimate the capacity of load of match of the reservoir and risk probabilities based on the established limits by the resolution Conama 357/05. The results demonstrate that the six reservoirs are eutrofization, with concentration of total phosphorus and cloro a in the water upster to 50 e 12 μg l-1. The results show that space homogeneity exists in the state trophic of the reservoirs, but a significant variation interanual in function of the increase of the concentrations of nutrients and decrease of the transparency of the water with the reduction of the body of water accumulated in the reservoirs.The results of the simulation risk estocastic show that the reservoirs could receive annually from 72 to 216 Kg of P, assuming a risk of 10% of increasing in more than 30 μg l-1 the annual medium concentrations of total match in the water of these reservoirs. This load could be high in until 360 kg of P a year in case the managers assume a risk of 10% of increasing in more than 50 μg l-1 the annual medium concentrations of total phosphorus in the waters of these reservoirs
Resumo:
The objectives of this research were to investigate the agrotoxic most used in the Gramorezinho region in the green belt of Natal, and to evaluate the acute toxicity of these, based on the LC50-48h values estimated in tests for Danio rerio, internationally used as test organism. The acute toxicity tests were performed under laboratory conditions, according to standardized methods (ABNT/NBR/15088/04) for this species. The LC50-48h estimated to Tamaron BR was 352.89 mg.L-1, which characterizes that as practically non-toxic, according to toxicological classes cited by Zucker. For Decis 25EC, the LC50-48h estimated was 0.0004156 mg.L-1 (4.156 X 10-4 mg.L-1), which classifies it as highly toxic to this species