Estudos sôbre o quiabeiro II: efeitos da autofecundação e do cruzamento

The present work deals with the study of the effects of selfing and crossing in pures lines of okra inbred for five generations and the methods of breeding in this plant. This work is party of a large program of this Dept. to study heterosis in plants naturally self pollinated. The technic of selfing consists of tying with a string the floral bud before anthesis. To make controlled crosses, it is necessary to emasculate the flowers removing the anthers with small forceps, and to cover the flowers with a bag and wait for 1 or 2 days until the blooming. Also, the male parents are covered with paper bags prior to flowering. Finally, the pollen is brushed lightly over the stigma of the emasculated flowers and the females unit rebagged. The authors have tried without sucess the technic of soda fountain straw used for cotton. The treatments were: I) Fl of the cross pure-line x foreign variety (not improved by breeding). II) Fl of the cross pure-line x parental variety and III) pure-line 5 generations inbred. In order to compare the production of these three treatments, a randomized blocks with 4 replications was designed; since we had 6 families in each treatment, the total number was: 4 replications x 3 treatments x 6 families: = 72. Each familiy was planted in lines of 10 plants. Owing to the design devised, the present experiment corresponds to a split-plot. The analysis of variance of the number and the weight of the pods is given in tables 2 and 4, and shows the following: 1) The production expressed in both numbers and weights of the cross, - pure lines x foreign variety - was statistically smaller than the others treatments, i, e., the cross of pure-lines x parental variety and the pure-lines; 2) The production of the treatments pure-lines x parental variety and selfed purelines was the same. It was proved that the selfing do not produce harmful effects in okra, it was benefical, since after 5 inbred generations the production was the same when compared with Fl of the parental variety. Also, the methods of pure-lines are indicated to improve varieties of okra.

Doses and methods of distribution of potassium chloride on soybean crop (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) in a red latosol, affecting soil salinity, grain production and chemical composition of leaves

The present work deal t wi th an experiment under field conditions and a laboratory test of soil incubation the objectives were as follows: a. to study effects on soybean grain product ion and leaf composition of increasing doses of potassium chloride applied into the soil through two methods of distribution; b. to observe chemical modifications in the soils incubated with increasing doses of potassium chloride; and, c. to correlate field effects with chemical alterations observed in the incubation test, The field experiment was carried out in a Red Latosol (Haplustox) with soybean cultivar UFV - 1. Potassium chloride was distributed through two methods: banded (5 cm below and 5 cm aside of the seed line) and broadcasted and plowed-down. Doses used were: 0; 50; 100 and 200 kg/ha of K2O. Foliar samples were taken at flowering stage. Incubation test were made in plastic bags with 2 kg of air dried fine soil, taken from the arable layer of the field experiment, with the following doses of KC1 p,a. : 0; 50; 100; 200; 400; 800; 1,600; 3.200; 6,400 and 12,800 kg/ha of K(2)0. In the conditions observed during the present work, results allowed the following conclusions: A response by soybean grain production for doses of potassium chloride, applied in both ways, banded or broadcasted, was not observed. Leaf analysis did not show treatment influence over the leaf contents for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and CI, Potassium chloride salinity effects in both methods of distribution for all the tested closes were not observed.

Aspectos da biologia reprodutiva de Bothrops jararaca em cativeiro (Serpentes, Viperidae)

The reproduction of Bothrops jararaca (Wied, 1824) in captivity in ordened to determine the intercourse period, births, number of neonates, proportion of males and females per litter were performed between 1989 and 1999. Fifty eight females were observed, 16 intercourses in captivity, 45 females arrived already fertilized from nature and 53 litters, resulting on the birth of 426 live neonates, 67 infertile egg masses, 18 stillborn neonates and 4 abnormal neonates. The intercourse period was from february to december and the births happened between february and may. From the two gestacional periods observed, the shortest one was 152 days and the longest 239. The average amount of live neonates per litter was 8,04. Among 323 neonates, 47,68% were males and 52,32% were females. During the first year of life, 75,71% of the females and 71,54% of the males died, and 2,31% of the females and 0,81% of the males reached the fifth year of life.

Ocorrência de híbridos não naturais entre Bothrops jararaca e B. neuwiedi (Serpentes, Viperidae)

In May 1987, a female of Bothrops jararaca (Wied, 1824), from Carazinho, Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, was placed in the same vivarium with a male of Bothrops neuwiedi Wagler, 1824 coming from Guaíba, RS. There, they stayed for aproximately ten months. In March 1988, it was observed a delivery of five live and two still born, among them six presented morphologic characteristics of B. neuwiedi and one of B. jararaca. After the female died, in April 1988, through necropsy, two fetusus were found, one near the cloaca and, both identified as B. neuwiedi. The morphologic analysis and the origin of the progenitors suggest the hypothesis that the litter was resulted of cross-breeding.

On Nesticus from Meridional South America (Araneae, Nesticidae)

Five new species of Nesticus Thorell, 1869 are described: N. potreiro, N. taim from southern Brazil; N. brignolii from southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay; N. calilegua from southern Brazil and Argentina and N. ramirezi, from Argentina. The male palpus and female epyginum of N. brasiliensis Brignoli, 1979 are illustrated. Described species were collected in epigean habitats, in shrubs, leaf-litter, under stones, bricks, tiles or debris.

Envia garciai, a new genus and species of mygalomorph spiders (Araneae, Microstigmatidae) from Brazilian Amazonia

The genus Envia, comprising only the new species Envia garciai, is proposed. These small mygalomorph spiders were abundantly collected in soil cores and litter samples in primary rain forests near Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

Abundância de microartrópodes do solo em fragmentos de mata com araucária no sul do Brasil

The abundance of soil microarthropods from seven fragments of Araucaria Forest, Muitos Capões, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, was compared. The size of the fragments ranged from 0.25 ha to 35 ha, the two largest fragments are situated within the Aracuri Ecological Station and the remaining five are situated in a cattle ranching farm. In June 2000, three plots (10 m x 10 m) were established in the central area of each patch, and three soil cores (7 cm diameter x 6 cm deep) were taken per plot. The abundance of microarthropods in the upper six centimeters (soil + litter) varied between 63209 and 102704 ind.m-2, with oribatid mites (Acari, Cryptostigmata) being dominant in all fragments (between 46.9 % and 61.3 % of total individuals). Most microarthropod groups presented a decrease in abundance with decreasing fragment area, with a statistically significant difference between smaller and larger fragments. The proportion of oribatids also decreased with decreasing fragment area. The results suggest that the growing fragmentation process of Araucaria forests in southern Brazil, associated to a tendency for reducing the size of remnant fragments, can affect the abundance of soil microarthropods, and therefore, the quality and health of this ecosystem.

Species richness and community structure of arboreal spider assemblages in fragments of three vegetational types at Banhado Grande wet plain, Gravataí River, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The taxonomic composition, observed and estimated species richness, and patterns of community structure of arboreal spider assemblages in eleven sites surrounding the "Banhado Grande" wet plain in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, are presented. These sites represent three different vegetational types: hillside (four sites), riparian (five sites) and flooded forests (two sites). The spiders were captured by beating on foliage and "aerial litter". A sample was defined as the result of beating on twenty bushes, tree branches or "aerial litter" clusters, which roughly corresponds to one-hour search effort per sample. Fifty five samples (five per site) were obtained, resulting in an observed richness of 212 species present as adult or identifiable juveniles. The total richness for all samples was estimated to be between 250 (Bootstrap) to 354 species (Jackknife 2). Confidence intervals of both sample and individual-based rarefaction curves for each vegetation type clearly indicated that flooded forest is the poorest vegetation type with respect to spider species richness, with hillside and riparian forests having a similar number of species. The percentage complementarity between the eleven sites indicated that all sites contain a distinct set of species, irrespective of their vegetation types. Nevertheless, the spider assemblages in riparian and hillside forests are more similar with respect to each other than when compared to flooded forest. Both cluster and nonmetric multidimensional scaling analyses showed no strong correspondence between the spider arboreal fauna and the three vegetation types. Moreover, a Mantel test revealed no significant association between species composition and geographic distance among sites.

Seasonality, age structure and reproduction of Leptodactylus (Lithodytes) lineatus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) in Rondônia state, southwestern Amazon, Brazil

Leptodactylus(Lithodytes) lineatus (Schneider, 1799) is an Amazonian leaf litter frog considered rare or uncommon in several studies on anuran communities. Despite being a widely distributed frog in Amazonian forests, knowledge of the biology and ecology of this species is relatively scarce. This species has been reported to live in association with leaf-cutter ant nests (Atta spp.) during the breeding period. In this paper we present data on the seasonality of this species and some reproductive information gathered at a locality of Rondônia state, northwestern Brazil. Field work was carried out between April 2001 and March 2002, with the use of pitfall traps with drift fences as a survey method. Leptodactylus (L.) lineatus had a higher capture frequency in this locality compared to that of other studies carried out in other Amazonian localities, possibly because this species has secretive habits, such as calling and breeding from nests of leaf-cutting ants, and are difficult to find during visual encounter surveys. The breeding period occurs between October and March. Calling males and egg-bearing females were found between September and February and juvenile recruitment occurred mainly from the end of the rainy season to the beginning of the dry season (February to June). Males and females show sexual dimorphism in SVL, females being significantly larger than males. The number of ovarian eggs per female varies from 110 to 328 and analyses indicate that there is a significant correlation with SVL.

Oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) in a neotropical stream: a mesohabitat approach

This paper analyses the relationship among mesohabitat and aquatic oligochaete species in the Galharada Stream (Campos do Jordão State Park, state of São Paulo, Brazil). Between August 2005 and May 2006 a total of 192 samples were obtained in areas of four different mesohabitats: riffle leaf litter (RL), pool leaf litter (PL), pool sediment (PS) and interstitial sediment from rocky beds in riffle areas (IS). In the mesohabitats sampled, 2007 specimens were identified, belonging to two families (Naididae and Enchytraeidae). Among the oligochaetes identified Naididae was represented by six genera (Allonais, Chaetogaster, Nais, Pristina, Aulodrilus and Limnodrilus). Principal components analysis (PCA) revealed the first two axes explained 85.1% of the total variance of the data. Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Claparede, 1862 and Aulodrilus limnobius Bretscher, 1899 were associated with the pool areas (PL and PS). Most species of genera Pristina and Nais demonstrated apparent affinity with the riffle mesohabitats. The Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal) revealed that Nais communis Piguet, 1906, Pristina leidyi Smith, 1896 and Pristina (Pristinella) jenkinae (Stephenson, 1931) are indicative of RL mesohabitat, while family Enchytraeidae was considered indicative of PL mesohabitat.

Testing of stair climbing point-of-choice prompts in Barcelona at an outdoor set of stairs and scalators on the Montjuïc site

Regular stair climbing has well-documented health dividends, such as increased fitness and strength, weight loss and reduced body fat, improved lipid profiles and reduced risk of osteoporosis. The general absence of barriers to participation makes stair climbing an ideal physical activity (PA) for health promotion. Studies in the US and the UK have consistently shown that interventions to increase the accumulation of lifestyle PA by climbing stairs rather than using the escalators are effective. However, there are no previous in Catalonia. This project tested one message for their ability to prompt travelers on the Montjuïc site to choose the stairs rather than the escalator when climbing up the Monjuïc hill. One standard message, " Take the stairs! 7 minutes of stair climbing a day protects your heart" provided a comparison with previous research done in the UK. Translated into Catalan and Spanish, it was presented on a poster positioned at the point of choice between the stairs and the escalator. The study used a quasi-experimental, interrupted time series design. Travelers, during several and specific hours on two days of the week, were coded for stair or escalator use, gender, age, ethnic status, presence of accompanying children or bags by one observer. Overall, the intervention resulted in a 81% increase in stair climbing. In the follow-up period without messages, stair climbing dropped out to baseline levels. This preliminary study showed a significant effect on stair use. However, caution is needed since results are based on a small sample and, only a low percentage of the sample took the stairs at baseline or the intervention phase . Future research on stair use in Catalonia should focus on using bigger samples, different sites (metro stations, airports, shopping centers, etc) , different messages and techniques to promote stair climbing.

Plancto e hidrobiologia sanitária de tanques tropicais com dáfnias e rotíferos

The engineers of the modern University City are constructing a graceful bridge, named PONTE OSWALDO CRUZ, that crosses a portion of the Guanabara Bay (Fig. 1). The work at west pillar stopped for 3 years (The concret structure in Est. 1). As it will be seen from n.º 1 — 5 of the fig. 1, Est. I, the base of the structure will have five underground boxes of reinforcement, but, to-day they are just like as five uncovered water ponds, until at present: May 1963. (Est. I — fig. 3, n.º 3 — pond n.º 3; A. — old level of the water; B.— actual level of the water; c.— green water; E.— mass of bloom of blue algae Microcystis aeruginosa). Soon after SW portion, as 5 cells in series, of the pillar abutments, and also the NE portion nearly opposite in the Tibau Mount will be filled up with earth, a new way will link Rio City and the University City. We see to day Est. I, fig. 1 — the grasses on the half arenous beach of the Tibau Point. These natural Cyperaceae and Gramineae will be desappear because of so a new road, now under construction, when completed will be 33 feet above the mean sea level, as high as the pillar, covering exactly as that place. Although rainfall was the chief source of water for these ponds, the first water (before meterorological precipitations of whatever first rain it might fall) was a common tap water mixed with Portland Cement, which exuded gradually through the pores of the concret during its hardenning process. Some data of its first cement water composition are on the chemical table, and in Tab. n.º 4 and "Resultado n.º 1". The rain — receiving surface of each pond were about 15 by 16 feet, that is, 240 square feet; when they were full of water, their depth was of 2 feet 3", having each pond about 4,000 gallons. Climatic conditions are obviously similar of those of the Rio de Janeiro City: records of temperature, of precipitation and evaporation are seen on the graphics, figs. 2, 3, 4. Our conceptions of 4 phases is merely to satisfy an easy explanation thus the first phase that of exudation of concrete. We consider the 2nd. phase formation of bacterian and cyanophycean thin pellicel. 3rd. phase - dilution by rains, and fertilisation by birds; the 4th phase - plankton flora and fauna established. The biological material arrived with the air, the rains, and also with contaminations by dusts; with big portion of sand, of earth, and leaves of trees resulted of the SW wind actions in the storming days (See - Est. I, fig. 3, G. - the mangrove trees of the Pinheiro Island). Many birds set down and rest upon the pillar structure, its faeces which are good fertilizers fall into the ponds. Some birds were commonly pigeons, black ravens, swallows, sparrows and other sea mews, moor hens, and a few sea birds of comparatively rare occurence. We get only some examples of tropical dust contaminated helioplankton, of which incipient observations were been done sparcely. See the systematic list of the species of plankters. Phytoplankters - Cyanophyta algae as a basic part for food of zooplankters, represented chiefly by rotiferse, water-fleas Moinodaphnia and other Crustacea: Ostracoda Copepoda and Insecta: Chironomidae and Culicidae larvae. The polysaprobic of septic irruptions have not been done only by heating in summer, and, a good reason of that, for example: when the fifth pond was in polysaprobic phase as the same time an alike septic phase do not happened into the 3rd. pond, therefore, both were in the same conditions of temperature, but with unlike contaminations. Among the most important aquatic organisms used as indicatiors of pollution - and microorganisms of real importance in the field of sanitary science, by authorities of renown, for instance: PALMER, PRESCOTT, INGRAM, LIEBMANN, we choose following microalgae: a) The cosmopolite algae Scenedesmus quadricuada, a common indicator in mesosaprobio waters, which lives between pH 7,0 and it is assimilative of NO[3 subscripted] and NH[4 subscripted]. b) Species of the genus Chlamydomonas; it is even possible that all the species of theses genus inhabit strong-mesosaprobic to polysaprobic waters when in massive blooms. c) Several species of Euglenaceae in fast growing number, at the same time of the protozoa Amoebidae, Vorticellidae and simultaneous with deposition of the decaying cells of the blue algae Anacystis cyanea (= Microcystis) when the consumed oxygen by organic matter resulted in 40 mg. L. But, we found, among various Euglenacea the cosmopolite species (Euglena viridis, a well known polysaprobic indicatior of which presence occur in septic zone. d) Analcystis cyanea (= M. aeruginosa) as we observed was in blooms increasing to the order of billions of cells per litter, its maximum in the summer. Temperatures 73ºF to 82ºF but even 90ºF, the pH higher than 8. When these blue algae was joined to the rotifer Brachionus calyflorus the waters gets a milky appearance, but greenished one. In fact, that cosmopolite algae is used as a mesosaprobic indicator. Into the water of the ponds its predominance finished when the septic polysaprobic conditions began. e) Ankistrodesmus falcatus was present in the 5th pond from 26the. April untill the 26th July, and when N.NH[4 subscripted] gets 1.28 mg. L. and when chlorinity stayed from 0.034 to 0.061 mg. L. It never was found at N.NH[4 subscripted] higher than 1 mg. L. The green algae A. falcatus, an indicatior of pollution, lives in moderate mesosaprobic waters. f) As everyone knows, the rotifer eggs may be widely dispersed by wind. The rotifer Asplanchna brightwelli in our observation seemed like a green colored bag, overcharged by green cells and detritus, specially into its spacious stomach, which ends blindly (the intestine, cloaca, being absent). The stock of Asplanchna in the ponds, during the construction of the bridge "PONTE OSWALDO CRUZ" inhabits alkaline waters, pH 8,0 a 8,3, and when we observed we noted its dissolved oxygen from 3.5 to 4 mg. L. In these ponds Asplanchna lived in 0,2 P.PO[4 subscripted]. (Remember the hydobiological observations foreign to braslian waters refer only from 0.06 to 0,010 mg. L. P.PO[4 subscripted]; and they refer resistance to 0.8 N.NH[4 subscripted]). By our data, that rotiger resist commonly to 1.2 until 1.8 mg. L.N.NH[4 subscripted]; here in our ponds and, when NO[2 subscripted] appears Asplanchna desappears. It may be that Asplanchna were devoured by nitrite resistant animals of by Culicidae or other mosquitoes devoured by Due to these facts the number and the distribution of Asplanchna varies considerabley; see - plates of plankton successions. g) Brachionus one of the commonest members of class Rotatoria was frquently found in abundance into the ponds, and we notice an important biological change produce by the rotifer Brachonus colyciflorus: the occurence of its Brachionus clayciflorus forms pallas, is rare in Brazil, as we know about this. h) When we found the water flea MOinodaphnia we do not record simultanous presence of the blue algae Agmenellun (= Merismopedia).

Ecologie d'une population de Crocidura russula en milieu rural montagnard (Insectivora, Soricidae)

Crocidura russula is restricted to the vicinity of human dwellings in the northern parts of its range and in the mountain regions of Central and Western Europe. In order to better understand the causes of such a distribution, a population was studied in a rural mountain habitat (750 m above sea level), where the species was found almost exclusively in the neighbourhood of human dwellings. The study was conducted on a 2000 m2 area, over a period of 20 months, by live-trapping and radioactive tracking. The abundance, the local distribution and the behaviour of the shrews vary greatly throughout the year. In summer, they chiefly inhabit areas with a dense herbaceous cover or shruby vegetation; they are mainly active at ground level, in the litter. In autumn, changes in the environmental conditions (lowering of temperatures, subsidence of the herbaceous vegetation, presence of snow) create important energetic problems. At that time, the shrews gradually become more active around and inside compost-heaps and buildings. The microclimate of such environments is mild and prey are numerous. The winter population is reduced (reaching its lowest level in late winter) and consists only of shrews frequenting these sites. The observed spatial distribution is the result of the energetic dependence of the wintering shrews on human dwellings and their surroundings. This dependence is probably related to the physiological characteristics of the species. In the prospected region, Crocidura russula is the only shrew which regularly takes advantage of man-made habitats; the maintenance of the species in the rural mountain enviroment is probably favoured by the social organization of the populations in winter. The other native Soricids are observed only occasionaly int he neighbourhood of human dwellings.

Bacillus sphaericus mosquito pathogens in the aquatic environment

The fate of Bacillus sphaericus spores in the aquatic environment was investigated by suspending spores in dialysis bags in fresh and seawater. Spore viability was lost more rapidly in seawater. Neither B. sphaericus nor B. thuringiensis israelensis (B.t.i.) spores mixed with pond sediment appeared to attach to the sediment. However, rapid decrease in B.t.i. toxicity suggested attachment of parasporal bodies to sediment. B. sphaericus toxin settled more slowly and less completely. B. sphaericus spores fed to larvae of four aquatic invertebrates were mostly eliminated from the animal gut in less than one week. An exception was the cranefly (Tipula abdominalis) where spores persisted in the posterior gut for up to five weeks.

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in pregnant C57BL/6 mice infected with L. major at different gestational periods.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To assess if gestational factors affect the resistance of C57BL/6 mice to L major infection, this study determined the levels of IL-4 and IFN-gamma in popliteal lymph node cells of pregnant C57BL/6 mice infected with L. major at 16 hours, 5 days-, 10 days- and 15 days- post plug by PCR, ELISA and BIOASSAY. DESIGN/SETTING: Experimental. RESULTS: Infected pregnant C57BL/6 mice developed larger cutaneous footpad lesions compared with non-pregnant C57BL/6 mice (that showed signs of resolution 7-10 weeks after infection). But, the lesions in infected pregnant C57BL/6 mice and infected non-pregnant C57BL/6 mice were not as large as in susceptible BALB/c mice. The mean litter weight was also reduced in pregnant infected C57BL/6 mice particularly in the groups infected at later stages of pregnancy (day 10- and day 15-post plug). The levels of both IL-4 and IFN-gamma increased with gestation in pregnant infected C57BL/6 mice compared with pregnant non-infected group, while only IL-4 was raised in pregnant infected mice compared with infected non pregnant mice. CONCLUSIONS: It may be concluded that increased IL-4 in pregnant infected C57BL/6 mice caused the transient susceptibility to L major infection while reduced litter weight was associated with increased IFN-gamma. These effects were pronounced in C57BI/6 mice infected with L major in late pregnancy.