Diet and niche breadth and overlap in fish communities within the area affected by an Amazonian reservoir (Amapá, Brazil)

Nós investigamos a amplitude e a sobreposição de nicho de espécies de peixes que ocorrem em quatro ambientes afetados pelo reservatório Coaracy Nunes, no Estado brasileiro do Amapá. Amostras sazonais de peixes foram coletadas usando uma configuração padrão com malhadeiras, tarrafas, linhas e armadilhas. Quinhentos e quarenta conteúdos estomacais, representando 47 espécies de peixes, foram analisados e quantificados. Amplitude e sobreposição de nichos foram estimadas usando os índices de Levin e Pianka, respectivamente, enquanto a competição interespecífica foi avaliada usando (RA3) modelo nulo. ANOVA e o teste de Kruskal¬Wallis foram usados para avaliar, respectivamente, as diferenças de amplitude e sobreposição de nichos entre áreas. Os dados indicaram que a maioria das espécies de peixes pertence às guildas de psicívoros, onívoros e detritívoros. Estas espécies provavelmente colonizaram os ambientes devido à disponibilidade de adequados recursos alimentares e às favoráveis condições físicas criadas pelo represamento do rio. De maneira geral, poucas espécies têm nichos amplos, mas muitas delas são altamente especializadas. Variação sazonal de recursos tem pouco efeito no comportamento alimentar da maioria das espécies nas áreas de estudo. Os modelos nulos indicaram que competição não foi um fator determinante na estrutura da comunidade.

Momentos fracionários e localização dinâmica para o modelo de Anderson discreto multidimensional

Pós-graduação em Matematica Aplicada e Computacional - FCT

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)

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

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

Do woody and herbaceous species compete for soil water across topographic gradients? Evidence for niche partitioning in a Neotropical savanna

Savannas are characterized by sparsely distributed woody species within a continuous herbaceous cover, composed mainly by grasses and small eudicot herbs. This vegetation structure is variable across the landscape, with shifts from open grassland to savanna woodland determined by factors that control tree density. These shifts often appear coupled with environmental variations, such as topographic gradients. Here we investigated whether herbaceous and woody savanna species differ in their use of soil water along a topographic gradient of about 110 m, spanning several vegetation physiognomies generally associated with Neotropical savannas. We measured the delta H-2 and delta O-18 signatures of plants, soils, groundwater and rainfall, determining the depth of plant water uptake and examining variations in water uptake patterns along the gradient. We found that woody species use water from deeper soil layers compared to herbaceous species, regardless of their position in the topographic gradient. However, the presence of a shallow water table restricted plant water uptake to the superficial soil layers at lower portions of the gradient. We confirmed that woody and herbaceous species are plastic with respect to their water use strategy, which determines niche partitioning across topographic gradients. Abiotic factors such as groundwater level, affect water uptake patterns independently of plant growth form, reinforcing vegetation gradients by exerting divergent selective pressures across topographic gradients. (C) 2013 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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.

Desenvolvimento de um instrumento multidimensional para avaliação de práticas de ensino no processo de aprendizagem

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Refinement and partial validation of the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale for assessing postoperative pain in horses

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

Validez y confiabilidad de la versión en español de la escala multidimensional de la UNESP-Botucatu para evaluar el dolor postoperatorio en gatos

This study focused on the validation of the Spanish version of the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale to assess postoperative pain in cats. The original scale in Portuguese was translated into Spanish by two independent translators, and summarised in one version by a third individual. The summarised version was back-translated and minor adjustments were made. The scale was reviewed by three anesthesiologists with Spanish as their first language, and the final version was submitted to psychometric testing. Thirty cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy were video recorded during the perioperative period. Six observers from different spanish speaking countries, who had Spanish as the first language watched the videos and determined the pain scores using the Spanish version of the scale, identifying the cats that should receive analgesics. Videos were reanalysed in a different order about 2 months after the first assessment. The sensitivity to change, content and construct validity were established by the significant change in pain scores in response to surgery and analgesics. The agreement between the evaluations of the 'gold standard'(researcher that developed the scale) and the other observers confirmed the criterion validity. Inter- and intra-rater reliability, evaluated by intra-class correlation coefficient, ranged from good to very good for all scale items. The cut-off point for rescue analgesia identified by Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was > 7 with 92% of sensitivity and 91% of specificity. The Spanish version of the UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional composite pain scale is interpretable (has an optimal analgesic intervention score), valid and reliable instrument for assessing acute pain in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.

Adaptação cultural e validação do JAMAR - Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report para a artrite idiopática juvenil

Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva - FMB

Efeito túnel multidimensional em reações nucleares

Pós-graduação em Física - IFT

Desenvolvimento e validação de um questionário multidimensional de avaliação da qualidade de vida relacionada ao melasma (HRQ-Melasma)

Pós-graduação em Enfermagem (mestrado profissional) - FMB

Niche Specialization and Conservation Biology of Cicindela nevadica lincolniana

As with many organisms across the globe, Cicindela nevadica lincolniana is threatened with extinction. Understanding ecological factors that contribute to extinction vulnerability and what methods aid in the recovery of those species is essential in developing successful conservation programs. Here we examine behavioral mechanisms for niche partitioning along with improving techniques for captive rearing protocol and increasing public awareness about the conservation of this local insect. Ovipositional selectivity was examined for Cicindela nevadica lincolniana, Cicindela circumpicta, Cicindela togata, Cicindela punctulata, and Cicindela fulgida. Models reflect that these species of co-occurring tiger beetles select different ranges of salinity in which to oviposit thereby reducing the potential for interspecific competition. In a second study, thermoregulatory niche partitioning was examined for the same complex of tiger beetle species. Time spent in the sun, on different substrates, and engaging in various behaviors associated with thermoregulation were significantly different during different parts of the day and between species. I continued along a previous line of study to develop a viable captive rearing program. So far fourteen adult Cicindela nevadica lincolniana have been successfully reared in captivity. Overwintering mortality has been determined as a key factor in the mortality of this species in captivity. Finally, I examined the potential for using the visual arts to promote the conservation of Cicindela nevadica lincolniana and associated saline wetlands. The results from surveys conducted at the exhibit suggest that art exhibits can have a strong positive impact on members of the community.

Class-specific metrics for multidimensional data projection applied to CBIR

Content-based image retrieval is still a challenging issue due to the inherent complexity of images and choice of the most discriminant descriptors. Recent developments in the field have introduced multidimensional projections to burst accuracy in the retrieval process, but many issues such as introduction of pattern recognition tasks and deeper user intervention to assist the process of choosing the most discriminant features still remain unaddressed. In this paper, we present a novel framework to CBIR that combines pattern recognition tasks, class-specific metrics, and multidimensional projection to devise an effective and interactive image retrieval system. User interaction plays an essential role in the computation of the final multidimensional projection from which image retrieval will be attained. Results have shown that the proposed approach outperforms existing methods, turning out to be a very attractive alternative for managing image data sets.