High frequency of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection in armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus): an ecological study

The fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis has been isolated from nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in different regions where paracoccidiodomycosis (PCM) is endemic. The link between PCM and these animals has provided the first valuable clue in the effort to elucidate the ecological niche of P. brasiliensis. The present study was aimed at correlating P. brasiliensis infection in armadillos with local ecological features and, if possible, the presence of the fungus in the soil in the Botucatu hyperendemic area of PCM. In this region the mean temperature ranges from 14.8 to 25.8degreesC and the annual average precipitation is 1520 mm. The sites where 10 infected animals (positive group) were collected were studied and compared with the sites where five uninfected animals were found. The occurrence of the fungus in soil samples collected from the positive armadillos' burrows and foraging sites was investigated by the indirect method of animal inoculation. Environmental data from the sites of animal capture, such as temperature, rainfall, altitude, vegetation, soil composition, presence of water and proximity of urban areas, were recorded. All 37 soil samples collected from the sites had negative fungal cultures. Positive animals were found much more frequently in sites with disturbed vegetation, such as riparian forests and artificial Eucalyptus Or Pinus forests, in altitudes below 800 m, near water sources. The soil type of the sites of positive animals was mainly sandy, with medium to low concentrations of organic matter. The pH was mainly acidic at all the sites, although the concentrations of aluminum cations (H+Al) were lower at the sites where positive animals were found. Positive armadillos were also captured in sites very close to urban areas. Our data and previous studies indicate that P. brasiliensis occurs preferentially in humid and shady disturbed forests in a strong association with armadillos.

Feeding ecology of carnivores (Mammalia, Carnivora) in Atlantic Forest remnants, Southern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Bouchardia rosea, a vanishing brachiopod species of the Brazilian platform: taphonomy, historical ecology and conservation paleobiology

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

Evolutionary perspectives on seed consumption and dispersal by fishes

Fishes probably were the first vertebrate seed dispersers, yet little research has examined this phenomenon. We review evidence of fruit and seed consumption by fishes, and analyze the evolution of frugivory and granivory using South American serrasalmids as a model. Frugivory and granivory are observed among diverse fish taxa worldwide, although most reports are from the Neotropics. Frugivory and granivory among serrasalmids apparently are derived from omnivory, with powerful jaws and specialized dentition appearing as major adaptations. No particular fruit traits seem to be associated with seed dispersal by fishes (ichthyochory). Recent experimental evidence of ichthyochory suggests that fishes can influence riparian vegetation dynamics. Because of deleterious human impacts on aquatic ecosystems worldwide, many critical interactions between plants and fishes have been disrupted before they could be studied. Exotic frugivorous fishes have recently become established on foreign continents, with unknown ecological consequences.

Ecology of microfungal communities in gardens of fungus-growing ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a year-long survey of three species of attine ants in Central Texas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)National Science Foundation (NSF)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Nitrogen-tixing and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses in some tropical legume trees of tribe Mimoseae

Response to mineral fertilization and inoculation with rhizobia and/or arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) of the Anadenanthera colubrina, Mimosa bimucronata and Parapiptadenia rigida (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae) native trees from Brazilian riparian forests, were studied in nursery conditions. Each species was submitted to seven treatments, varying nitrogen and phosphorous fertilization and inoculation with rhizobia (r), mycorrhiza (m) or both (rm): NP, P, P + r, P + rm, N, N + m and N + rm. Results showed that AMF inoculations did not enhance the mycorrhizal colonization, and P uptake was not sufficient to sustain good growth of plants. The level of P mineral added affected negatively the AMF colonization in A. colubrina and M. bimucronata, but not in P. rigida. Native fungi infected the three legume hosts. The absence of mineral N limited growth of A. colubrina and P. rigida, but in M. bimucronata the lack of N was corrected by biological nitrogen fixation. N mineral added inhibited the nodulation, although spontaneous nodulation had occurred in A. colubrina and M. bimucronata. Rhizobia inoculation enhanced the number of nodules, nitrogenase activity and leghemoglobin content of these two species. Thus, the extent of rhizobial and mycorrhizal symbiosis in these species under nursery conditions can affect growth and consequently the post-planting success. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Artificial neural networks: A novel approach to analysing the nutritional ecology of a blowfly species, Chrysomya megacephala

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

The shared influence of phylogeny and ecology on the reproductive patterns of Myrteae (Myrtaceae)

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

Ecology and reproductive biology of two species of Aplastodiscus (Anura : Hylidae) in the Atlantic forest, Brazil

The present study was conducted in the Serra do Japi in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. From March 2004 to January 2006 we studied the ecology and reproductive biology of two sympatric species of Aplastodiscus in three different habitats: lake, stream, and swamp. The majority of A. leucopygius males in calling activity were recorded during the rainy season and during sporadic rains in the dry season (April to September). The same was observed for A. arildae. Most courtship displays of A. leucopygius were observed mainly during the rainy period and only one courtship behaviour was observed for A. arildae during a rainy night, in December 2005. Aplastodiscus leucopygius males were found in activity in the three habitats surveyed. In contrast, males of A. arildae were found in only one habitat (stream). Spatial distribution seems to be the main mechanism of reproductive segregation between the studied species.

Nutritional ecology of blowflies (Diptera, Calliphoridae): estimates of critical larval weight for pupation on two different diets

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Phylogeny, Ecology, and Heart Position in Snakes

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

The use of artificial neural networks in analysing the nutritional ecology of Chrysomya megacephala (F.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), compared with a statistical model

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

From forests to cattail: how does the riparian zone influence stream fish?

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