Short-term movement and retreat sites of Leptodactylus labyrinthicus (Anura : Leptodactylidae) during the breeding season: A spool-and-line tracking study

Capture/recapture studies significantly increase our knowledge of the natural history of anuran amphibians. Many different methods have been employed in these studies, but a number of new techniques still require experimental validation. During two reproductive seasons in a Cerrado remnant in southeastern Brazil, we investigated the movement patterns and habitat use of the pepper frog, Leptodactylus labyrinthicus, using a spool-and-line device. This low-cost device did not appear to interfere with the activities of the frogs and allowed for constant monitoring, showing precise routes of movement and great predictability of relocations. Both sexes were active at night. During the day, males and females made use of retreat sites under vegetation or in burrows constructed by small- and medium-sized mammals. Males and females did not use standardized routes; there were no significant differences between their movements, and movements were not correlated with body size or environmental conditions. Individuals are able to move further than 100 m per day, a characteristic that may enable this species to colonize or recolonize open areas.

Screening and HPLC methods for carotenoids in sweetpotato, cassava and maize for plant breeding trials

Analytical methods for sweetpotato, cassava and maize were developed. In orange and salmon-fleshed sweetpotatoes, (all-E)-beta-carotene predominated and results of spectrophotometric screening and HPLC quantification did not differ significantly. In yellow-fleshed sweetpotato and cassava, however, spectrophotometric screening overestimated the HPLC values because of the presence of several minor carotenoids. Aside from (all-E)-beta-carotene, Z-isomers were present in cassava in appreciable amounts. For both crops, extraction with acetone or tetrahydrofuran: methanol. (1: 1), using a mortar and pestle or a Polytron homogenizer, gave equivalent results. Rehydration of dry maize at room temperature for 30 min or at 85 degrees C for 5, 10 or 15 min gave equivalent results. Concentrations obtained with the C18 and C30 columns did not differ significantly for zeaxanthin, lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin and beta-carotene in the all-E-configuration, but their Z-isomers were difficult to locate in the chromatogram obtained with the C30 column. Extraction with tetrahydrofuran:methanol (1:1) gave significantly lower results for zeaxanthin and lutein. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Breeding systems of shrubs and trees of a Brazilian savanna

The reproductive biology of shrubs and trees of a preserved savanna (''cerrado'') area in the municipality of Corumbatai São Paulo State, Brazil was studied. The floral sexuality of 135 species were characterized, with 85.2 % hermaphroditic, 9.4 % dioecious, 4.5 % monoecious, and one determine the breeding systems. Nine apomictic species were found, all belonging Melastomataceae. Among the twelve sexual reproducing species, seven (58.3 %) proved to be self-compatible, and five (41.7 %) self-incompatible. Anemophily was found in five species, although pollinations systems were not investigated in other species.

Reproductive phenology of climbers in a Southeastern Brazilian forest

The reproductive phenology of the entire climber community (96 species of lianas and 40 species of vines) in a semideciduous forest in Southeastern Brazil (22 degrees 49'45''S; 47 degrees 06'33''W and 670 m altitude) was observed from March 1988 to February 1991. Phenological observations were made weekly by walking along a 10.5 km trail in the interior and at the forest edges of the Santa Genebra Reserve (SGR). The most species-rich families of climbers were Bignoniaceae (22), Malpighiaceae (17), Sapindaceae (12) and Asteraceae (12). Flowering patterns for woody lianas and herbaceous vines differed. Lianas had two flowering peaks: a minor peak in March in the transition from wet to dry season, and a major peak in October during the transition from dry to wet season. The flowering peak for herbaceous vines was in April. Fruiting of lianas was highly seasonal, with one peak in the late dry season (July-August). Fruiting for vines was less seasonal with a slight peak in March. These differences were consistent with the predominance of wind-dispersed fruits among lianas (72% of species) versus vines (52%). Low rainfall, high leaf fall, and strong winds during the dry season favor wind dispersal. More species of vines (40%) have animal-dispersed seeds than lianas (19%), and most vines fruited during the wet season. Phenological patterns of climbers and trees and treelets at SGR differed. The life form of lianas and their system of reserve economy may allow them to reproduce during periods unfavorable to trees. Displacement of peak flowering periods of trees and climbers pollinated by bees and small generalist insects may decrease competition for pollen vectors among species of these two groups of plants. Whereas the fruiting patterns of wind-dispersed trees and climbers at SGR were similar (most species fruiting during the dry season), animal-dispersed trees and treelets fruited throughout the year while animal-dispersed climbers exhibited a pronounced peak in late wet season. The distinct phenological patterns of climbers, generally complementary to those presented by trees, resulted in constant availability of Bowers and fruits throughout the year and enhances the importance of this plant group in Neotropical forests.

Breeding of the Scuttle Fly Megaselia scalaris in a fish Carcass and Implications for the use in Forensic Entomology (Diptera: Phoridae).

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

A comparative study of the extracutaneous pigmentary system in three anuran amphibian species evaluated during the breeding season.

The present investigation examined the extracutaneous pigmentation pattern of three species of anuran amphibians, Dendropsophus nanus, Physalaemus cuvieri, and Rhinella schneideri, during the course of their breeding seasons. Pigmentation intensity in the different organs was graded on a 4-category scale, in which category 0 refers to organs without pigment and category 3 refers to intensely pigmented organs, with 2 intermediate stages of progressively stronger pigmentation. Rhinella schneideri showed testicular pigmentation, with intra-specific variation (categories 0 and 1). In P. cuvieri the pigmentation in the lungs varied in time: all the animals showed pigmentation (category 1) at the beginning of the breeding season, and as the season progressed the absence of pigments became the most common pattern. In the liver of the first animals collected, the pigment intensity was high (category 2) with many iridophores present, but in the last specimens collected no iridophores were found. The variation in D. nanus occurred in the kidneys, where animals collected at the beginning of the season did not show pigmentation. Renal veins displayed few melanocytes (category 1); animals collected at the end of the season showed more pigmentation in the kidneys (category 2), whereas in the renal veins the intensity remained the same. The changes observed in the extracutaneous pigment system in some organs, during the reproductive period, may be due to physiological alterations or may represent a species-specific characteristic.

The role of spatial and temporal descriptors for neotropical tadpole communities in southern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estimates of genetic parameters, and cluster and principal components analyses of breeding values related to egg production traits in a White Leghorn population

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

Fruiting phenology of palms and trees in an Atlantic rainforest land-bridge island

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