Biogeography of Glandulocaudinae (Teleostei : Characiformes : Characidae) revisited: phylogenetic patterns, historical geology and genetic connectivity

The biogeography of the Glandulocaudinae ( former Glandulocaudini) is reviewed. The major pattern of diversification presented by this group of freshwater fishes can be clearly associated to the main aspects of the tectonic evolution of the southern portion of the Cis-Andean South American Platform. The phylogenetic relationships within the group suggest that the clade represented by Lophiobrycon is the sister-group of the more derived clade represented by the genus Glandulocauda and Mimagoniates. Lophiobrycon and Glandulocauda occur in areas of the ancient crystalline shield of southeastern Brazil and their present allopatric distribution is probably due to relict survival and tectonic vicariant events. Populations of Glandulocauda melanogenys are found in contiguous drainages in presently isolated upper parts of the Tiete, Guaratuba, Itatinga, and Ribeira de Iguape basins and this pattern of distribution is probably the result of river capture caused by tectonic processes that affected a large area in eastern and southeastern Brazil. The species of Mimagoniates are predominantly distributed along the eastern and southeastern coastal areas, but M. microlepis is additionally found in the rio Iguacu and Tibagi basins. Mimagoniates barberi occurs in both SW margin of the upper rio Parana basin and the lower Paraguay and Mimagoniates sp. occurs in the upper Paraguay river basin. Tectonic activations of the Continental Rift of Southeastern Brazil along the eastern margin of the Upper Parana basin promoted population fragmentation responsible of the present day distribution presented by Glandulocauda melanogenys. We hypothesize that occurrence of Mimagoniates along the lowland area around the Parana basin was due to a single or a multiple fragmentation of populations along the W-SW border of the upper Parana Basin, probably due to the major tectonic origin of the Chaco-Pantanal wetland foreland basins since the Miocene as well as Cenozoic tectonic activity along the borders of the upper Parana basin, such as in the eastern Paraguay, in the Asuncion Rift. Distributional pattern of Mimagoniates suggests that its initial diversification may be related to the tectonic evolution of the Chaco-Pantanal foreland basin system and a minimum age of 2.5 M.Y are proposed for this monophyletic group. Previous hypotheses on sea level fluctuations of the late Quaternary as being the main causal mechanism promoting cladogenesis and speciation of the group are critically reviewed. Phylogeographic studies based on molecular data indicate significant differences among the isolated populations of M. microlepis. These findings suggest that a much longer period of time and a paleogeographic landscape configuration of the Brazilian southeastern coastal region explain the present observed phylogenetic and biogeographic patterns.

Feeding non-preference by Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera eridania on tomato genotypes

Lagartas do gênero Spodoptera spp. são altamente polífagas, podendo causar danos econômicos em diversas culturas agrícolas. em vista de sua emergente importância na cultura do tomate, principalmente o destinado à indústria, este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a não preferência, para alimentação, de lagartas de Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) e Spodoptera eridania (Cramer, 1782) por genótipos de tomateiro, e classificá-los quanto aos graus de resistência. Como padrão susceptível, utilizou-se o cultivar comercial Santa Clara e, como resistente, a linhagem PI 134417, sendo avaliadas, ainda, as linhagens PI 134418, PI 126931, LA 462 e LA 716. Realizaram-se testes de não preferência, para alimentação, com e sem chance de escolha, avaliando-se a atratividade dos genótipos de tomateiro para as lagartas, em tempos pré-estabelecidos após sua liberação, além da massa foliar consumida. em geral, os genótipos LA 716 e PI 126931 foram os menos atrativos para a S. frugiperda, enquanto Santa Clara foi o mais atrativo e consumido. Quanto a S. eridania, os genótipos PI 126931, LA 462, LA 716 e PI 134418 foram os menos preferidos, para a alimentação, pelas lagartas, e Santa Clara e PI 134417 foram os mais atrativos e consumidos. Os genótipos LA e PI 126931 são moderadamente resistentes, do tipo não preferência para alimentação, para a S. frugiperda e S. eridania; PI 134418 e LA 462 são moderadamente resistentes a S. eridania; PI 134417 é susceptível a S. frugiperda e S. eridania; Santa Clara é altamente susceptível a S. frugiperda e S. eridania.

Dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates with atomic pumping and dissipative processes

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

Flavonoid increase in soybean as a response to Nezara viridula injury and its effect on insect-feeding preference

The ability of the stink bug (Nezara viridula) to induce and/or increase production of chemical defenses, i.e., flavonoids, in immature seeds of five genotypes of soybean (BR-16, IAC-100, PI 227687, PI 229358, and PI 274454) was investigated under greenhouse and laboratory conditions. Samples from pods of each genotype damaged by stink bug were analyzed for flavonoid content with high performance liquid chromatography. A dual-choice test was conducted to evaluate the feeding preference of N. viridula comparing BR-16 pods treated with extracts of PI 227687 seeds (with and without stink-bug injury), with water-treated pods. Seeds of PI 227687 damaged by N. viridula presented the highest concentration (352 mug/g) of daidzin (4'-hydroxyisoflavone-7-glucoside). The same trend was observed with genistin (4',5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone-7-glucoside): PI 227687 contained 142.4 mug/g, PI 274454, 31.6 mug/g, and PI 229358, 38.9 mug/g. Seeds damaged by stink bugs had higher isoflavone contents (daidzin and genistin), compared to controls. However, after being damaged, PI 274454 and PI 229358 produced less genistin than the other genotypes and no differences in concentration between damaged and nondamaged plants of this genotypes were observed. The numbers of observations of the insect feeding and the numbers of stylet sheaths left in water-treated BR-16 pods were greater than in those treated with PI 227687 extracts. The insects fed for longer periods on BR-16 pods treated with extract of PI 227687 without injury compared to those that were treated with extract of PI 227687 previously injured by stink bugs. Extracts of PI 227687 pods ( damaged or not) were deterrent to adults of N. viridula, and insect injury increased concentrations of daidzin and genistin in PI 227687 seeds. The deterrence seemed to be more pronounced after pods had suffered stink-bug injury.

Contemporary pollen flow, mating patterns and effective population size inferred from paternity analysis in a small fragmented population of the Neotropical tree Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae)

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

A tobacco cDNA reveals two different transcription patterns in vegetative and reproductive organs

In order to identify genes expressed in the pistil that may have a role in the reproduction process, we have established an expressed sequence tags project to randomly sequence clones from a Nicotiana tabacum stigma/style cDNA library. A cDNA clone (MTL-8) showing high sequence similarity to genes encoding glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins was chosen for further characterization. Based on the extensive identity of MTL-8 to the RGP-1a sequence of N. sylvestris, a primer was defined to extend the 5′ sequence of MTL-8 by RT-PCR from stigma/style RNAs. The amplification product was sequenced and it was confirmed that MTL-8 corresponds to an mRNA encoding a glycine-rich RNA-binding protein. Two transcripts of different sizes and expression patterns were identified when the MTL-8 cDNA insert was used as a probe in RNA blots. The largest is 1,100 nucleotides (nt) long and markedly predominant in ovaries. The smaller transcript, with 600 nt, is ubiquitous to the vegetative and reproductive organs analyzed (roots, stems, leaves, sepals, petals, stamens, stigmas/styles and ovaries). Plants submitted to stress (wounding, virus infection and ethylene treatment) presented an increased level of the 600-nt transcript in leaves, especially after tobacco necrosis virus infection. In contrast, the level of the 1,100-nt transcript seems to be unaffected by the stress conditions tested. Results of Southern blot experiments have suggested that MTL-8 is present in one or two copies in the tobacco genome. Our results suggest that the shorter transcript is related to stress while the larger one is a flower predominant and nonstress-inducible messenger.

Co-feeding of pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg (1887), larvae with Artemia naupili and a microencapsulated diet

Aiming at a precocious substitution of live prey by artificial diet, a 20-day experiment with pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus, larvae using co-feeding and abrupt weaning strategies was set up. At the end of the experiment, larvae fed Artemia showed the best results (P < 0.05) in weight, total length and biomass, compared with other treatments. Larvae fed exclusively a microencapsulated diet never ingested the diet. Diet ingestion in co-fed and abrupt-weaned larvae was low, but did increase during the experiment; however, Artemia influenced diet ingestion on co-fed larvae. Careful considerations should be given to diet processing and formulation to ensure survival and growth of larvae fed exclusively on prepared diets. © 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Surface electromyography of facial muscles during natural and artificial feeding of infants

Objective: To measure and compare the activity of the masseter, temporalis and buccinator muscles in different infant feeding methods. Method: Cross-sectional study of 60 full-term infants with no intercurrent diseases, aged between two and three months, classified into the following groups: 1) exclusive breastfeeding; 2) breastfeeding plus bottle-feeding; and 3) exclusive breastfeeding plus cup feeding. Surface electromyography was performed during infant feeding. The Krushal-Wallis test was used, complemented by multiple paired comparisons of the groups. A 5% significance level was chosen for the tests. Results: Statistically higher results were verified in the breastfeeding group in relation to the bottle-feeding one, both in the range of movement and the mean contraction of the masseter. With regard to the temporalis muscle, statistically higher results were found in the breastfeeding group comparatively to the bottle-feeding one. As to the buccinator muscle, statistically higher results were observed in the breastfeeding group in relation to the bottle-feeding one, although in this case, the difference concerned only the range of contraction. Conclusion: The similarities between the muscle activity in the breastfeeding and in the cup-feeding groups suggests that cup-feeding can be used as an alternative infant feeding method, being better than bottle-feeding, due to the hyperactivity of the buccinator muscle, which could result in changes to the structural growth and development of the stomatognathic system functions. Copyright © 2006 by Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.

Differences in dietary pattern between obese and eutrophic children

Background: Excessive consumption of energy is a decisive factor of obesity, but a simple quantitative assessment of consumption between obese and eutrophic individuals not always explains the problem, raising questions about the importance of the qualitative aspects of food. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in nutrient composition and meal patterns between eutrophic and obese schoolchildren. Methods. The diet of 83 children (42 obese and 41 eutrophic), aged between 7 and 11 years of age, was assessed by two non-consecutive dietary recalls. After the software analysis of macro and micronutrients composition, the different types and amount of legumes, fruits and vegetables were analyzed to verify the dietary patterns. Results: No differences were verified in energy consumption between the groups (eutrophic = 1934.2 672.7 kcal, obese = 1835.8 621.2 kcal). In general, children showed consumption within the recommended ranges of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The average consumption of fiber was higher in the eutrophic group (20.7 g) when compared to the obese group (14.8 g). The dietary fiber was strongly correlated with the number of servings of beans (r = 0.77), when compared to fruits (r = 0.44) and leafy vegetables (r = 0.13). It was also observed that the higher the consumption of fiber and beans, the lower the proportion of dietary fat (r = -0.22) in the diet. Generally, there was a low consumption of fiber (20.7 g = eutrophic group/14.8 g = obese group), beans (1.1 portions in the eutrophic and obese groups), fruits (0.7 portions eutrophic group and 0.6 obese group) and vegetables (1.3 eutrophic group and 1.1 obese group). Conclusions: It is concluded that the obesity was more related to a dietary pattern of low intake of dietary fiber than excessive energy consumption and macronutrients imbalance. © 2011 de Oliveira et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Diet and feeding strategy of smooth butterfly ray Gymnura micrura in northeastern Brazil

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

Species delimitation, patterns of diversification and historical biogeography of the Neotropical frog genus Adenomera (Anura, Leptodactylidae)

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

Diversity and Localization of Bacterial Endosymbionts from Whitefly Species Collected in Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Historical Observations of Humpback And Blue Whales in the North Atlantic Ocean: Clues to Migratory Routes and Possibly Additional Feeding Grounds

The seasonal distributions of humpback and blue whales (Megaptera novaeangliae and Balaenoptera musculus, respectively) in the North Atlantic Ocean are not fully understood. Although humpbacks have been studied intensively in nearshore or coastal feeding and breeding areas, their migratory movements between these areas have been largely inferred. Blue whales have only been studied intensively along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and their seasonal occurrence and movements elsewhere in the North Atlantic are poorly known. We investigated the historical seasonal distributions of these two species using sighting and catch data extracted from American 18th and 19th century whaling logbooks. These data suggest that humpback whales migrated seasonally from low-latitude calving/ breeding grounds over a protracted period, and that some of them traveled far offshore rather than following coastal routes. Also, at least some humpbacks apparently fed early in the summer west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, well south of their known present-day feeding grounds. In assessing the present status of the North Atlantic humpback population, it will be important to determine whether such offshore feeding does in fact occur. Blue whales were present across the southern half of the North Atlantic during the autumn and winter months, and farther north in spring and summer, but we had too few data points to support inferences about these whales’ migratory timing and routes.

Structural and mechanical analysis for the optimization of PVD oxide coatings for protection against metal dusting

The evolution of the structure and properties of Cr/Cr oxide thin films deposited on HK40 steel substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering (RMS) was investigated and linked to their potential protective behavior against metal dusting. Deposition time, mode of oxygen feeding, and application of bias voltage were varied to assess their effect on the density, adhesion, and integrity of the films. All the films showed a very fine columnar microstructure and the presence of amorphous Cr oxide. Both, an increasing time and a constant oxygen flow during deposition led to the development of relatively low density films and mud-like cracking patterns. A graded oxygen flow resulted in films with fewer cracks, but a careful control of the oxygen flow is required to obtain films with a truly graded structure. The effect of the bias voltage was much more significant and beneficial. An increasing negative bias voltage resulted in the development of denser films with a transition to an almost crack-free structure and better adhesion. The amorphous oxide resulted in low values of hardness and Young's modulus. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic patterns in recovered specimens of Caretta caretta from the Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is considered a feeding and developmental area for Mediterranean loggerhead turtles, but this area is severely threatened by human impacts. In the Adriatic Sea loggerhead turtles are often found stranded or floating, but they are also recovered as by-catch from fishing activities. Nevertheless, information about population structuring and origin of individuals found in the Adriatic Sea are still limited. Cooperation with fishermen and a good network of voluntary collaborators are essential for understanding their distribution, ecology and for developing conservation strategies in the Adriatic Sea. In this study, a comparative analysis of biometric data and DNA sequence polymorphism of the long fragment of the mitochondrial control region was carried out on ninety-three loggerheads recovered from three feeding areas in the Adriatic Sea: North-western, North-eastern and South Adriatic. Differences in turtles body sizes (e.g. Straight Carapace Length) among the three recovery areas and relationship between SCL and the type of recovery were investigated. The origin of turtles from Mediterranean rookeries and the use of the Adriatic feeding habitats by loggerheads in different life-stages were assessed to understand the migratory pathway of the species. The analysis of biometric data revealed a significant difference in turtle sizes between the Southern and the Northern Adriatic. Moreover, size of captured turtles resulted significantly different from the size of stranded and floating individuals. Actually, neritic sub-adults and adults are more affected by incidental captures than juveniles because of their feeding behavior. The Bayesian mixed-stock analysis showed a strong genetic relationship between the Adriatic aggregates and Mediterranean rookeries, while a low pro¬portion of individuals of Atlantic origin were detected in the Adriatic feeding grounds. The presence of migratory pathways towards the Adriatic Sea due to the surface current system was reinforced by the finding of individuals bearing haplotypes endemic to the nesting populations of Libya, Greece and Israel. A relatively high contribution from Turkey and Cyprus to the Northwest and South Adriatic populations was identified when the three sampled areas were analyzed independently. These results have to be taken in account in a conservative perspective, since coastal hazards, affecting the population of turtles feeding in the Adriatic Sea may also affect the nesting populations of the Eastern Mediterranean with a unique genetic pattern.