Non-volant mammals from Nucleo Santa Virginia, Serra do Mar State Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil

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

Removal of clay by stingless bees: load size and moisture selection

Some organisms disperse energy, associated with the transportation of resource, which is not necessarily food. Stingless bees of Central Amazonia (Melipona flavolineata and M. lateralis) collect clay in banks along streams for nest building. The moisture of the clay varies along the bank, and bees collect clay from specific location, indicating that there is some sort of preference regarding their selection. This study aims at identifying: if larger bees carry more clay; if there is a preference for moisture of substrates; and if bees are less efficient accumulating and transporting clay when it is wet. In order to do so, I measured the size of the bees and of the pellets of clay found in the corbicula. I set up a field experiment to test substrate preferences. The amount of clay transported, increased exponentially in accordance to the size of the bee, and the preferred substrate was the driest clay. The amount and the efficiency of removal of clay were not affected by the moisture of the substrate. Despite the wet clay being denser, it does not reduce the efficiency of exploitation of the resource, but suggests that bees spend more energy to carry the same quantity of wet clay, which may be the underlying mechanism explaining their preference for removing drier clay.

Biocontrole de formigas-cortadeiras utilizando o fungo Escovopsis

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

Patogenicidade de Syncephalastrum racemosum nos jardins de formigas cortadeiras

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

Diferenças individuais no comportamento forrageiro de Polistes versicolor Olivier, 1872 (Vespidae, Polistinae)

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBRC

Sistemática e filogenia do fungo parasita Escovopsis associado às formigas Attini

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Produção de uva passa de BRS Morena: pré-tratamento, caracterização físico-química e composição fenólica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Composição fenólica das partes comestíveis das uvas BRS Carmem e BRS Magna

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Metabolismo nutricional em Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel, 1908: voo nupcial, fundação e desenvolvimento da colônia

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Proteção de Plantas) - FCA

Diferenças comportamentais de poedeiras em diferentes ambientes térmicos

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Seletividade de inseticidas a alguns dos inimigos naturais na cultura do algodão

The aim of this work was study the selectivity of insecticides in favor of natural enemies in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum latifolium Hurtch Lr), DeltaOpal cultivar, in the city of Malhada (BA), and to know the associated beneficial fauna. The study was conducted at the agricultural year of 2010/2011. The design was conducted in randomized blocks with six treatments and four replications. The treatments were: (1) Fipronil 200 SC (0.38 L.ha-1); (2) Alphacypermethrin 100 SC (0.30 L.ha-1), (3) Lufenuron 50 EC (0.30 L.ha-1), (4) Imidacloprid 200 SC (0.30 L.ha-1), (5) Methyl parathion 600 EC (1.00 L.ha-1), and (6) control (water). The product was applied 80 days after emergence, and the evaluations were performed one day before application and 1, 7 and 14 days after application (DAA). The samples were taken using the sampling method beating cloth and Moericke traps. Natural enemies were brought to the laboratory for sorting, counting and identification by family. The toxicity of the products ranged according to the group of natural enemies. Imidacloprid is selective to the spiders and insecticides are moderately toxic (Methyl Parathion and Alphacypermethrin: 1 and 14th DAA; Lufenuron: 14th DAA) or toxic (Fipronil and Alphacypermethrin: 7th DAA). Fipronil (1 DAA), Alphacypermethrin (7th DAA) and Methyl  Parathion (14th DAA) are moderately toxic to adult ladybirds. The analyzed insecticides are toxic to the larvae of ladybirds, with more impact until seven days after the application, with the exception of Methyl Parathion classified, as innocuous until this period. The occurrence of 13 families of spiders and 18 families of parasitic Hymenoptera is registered in cotton agroecosystems in the region of Malhada, in the state of Bahia.

Conteúdo energético das operárias da formiga cortadeira, Atta sexdens

The knowledge of the workers energy content is essential to measure the energy availability for maintenance and performance of activities essences for the colony growth. But little is known about the workers energy content, and how much will be available to carry out activities, for example, the excavation of the nest. The present study determined the lipid content and energy content of the worker ants inactive before and after excavation activity. Through the lipids determination, it can be calculated the energy content of workers resting (standing) with those which excavated. The lipid content and energy content of the workers were on average 9.1±0.8% and energy content of the workers was on average 111.31±54.71J, respectively, however, the experimental series did not differ significantly. Additionally, catabolic flux rate based in workers body mass was 14.76±10.11µW. It was concluded that the energy resource for the excavation of the nest is not coming from reserve lipid body, and thus the energy content of the workers did not change before and after excavation activity.

Influência do ambiente no desenvolvimento de colônias iniciais de formigas cortadeiras (Atta sexdens rubropilosa)

Annually, mature colonies of Atta ants produce winged males and females, where leave the colony in which they were produced to form new colonies and thus continue the species perpetuation. The foundation of Atta spp. colonies always involves high queen effort, solely responsible for growing the fungus and the care with itself and its offspring. During the foundation there is consumption of body reserves. This study investigated how the environment influences the development of newly founded colonies of leaf cutting ant, Atta sexdens rubropilosa. Therefore, it was compared field colonies collected five months after the nuptial flight and colonies maintained in the laboratory since the nuptial flight. It was analyzed the weight and size of the population (number of workers, larvae, pupae and eggs), the workers size, the volume and weight of the fungus garden and queen effort for the nest foundation (lipid content and weight of queens). In comparison to the field colonies, the laboratory colonies showed higher values in the weight and size of population, the volume and weight of the fungus garden. Measures of workers by class size did not vary between colonies from field and laboratory. The queen effort for nest foundation was higher in field colonies, which showed a lower percentage of fat and lower weight compared to laboratory colonies. These results show that the environment has a strong influence on the colonies development during the foundation, as well as on the physiological status of the queens, and therefore the survival, development and success of the colony, it is a reflection of the queen efforts and of the environment conditions.

Estudo das propriedades ópticas de pós cerâmicos à base de Zn3Ga2Ge2O10: X% Cr3+ (X = 0 ; 0,5 ; 0,75 ; 1,0)

Ceramic powders based on Zn3Ga2Ge2O10: Cr3+ X% (X = 0.0; 0.5; 0.75; 1.0) were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The gallium-zinc germanate doped with chromium presents an interesting property of phosphorescence, that means, it is capable of emitting light when excited by a source of radiation, and such emission remains for some time after stopping the source. For this reason, these materials can be widely applied in night-vision surveillance, (through the use of solar energy, for example), electronic devices screen, emergency routes signals, control panels indicators in dark environments, etc. In this job were considered different amounts of dopant in order to perform a comparison of structural and photoluminescent properties. For that, some analyses were performed on samples, such as XRD, FT-Raman, SEM, UV-vis and photoluminescence measurements (PL). Such analysis allowed to infer that the presence of chromium results in no phase transformation, so that the four compositions have the same set of phases: cubic, rhombohedral and hexagonal. Although the structure was not changed, chromium influences other properties / characteristics of these materials. Examples are: increase of band-gap, decrease of average particle size, small changes in binding energy checked by Raman and especially the increase of photoluminescent property. The chromium ions have great ease in replacing gallium ions in octahedral sites, resulting in emission of light with a wavelength of about 700 nm (infrared region), which is justified by the spin-forbidden 2E 4A2 transition. In other words, chromium is a favorable luminescent center, acting as a trap in the crystal structure, since it imprisons the excitation energy easily and releases it gradually, allowing the phosphorescence. It was observed that the composition ... (Complete abastract click electronic access below)

Estudo das propriedades ópticas de pós cerâmicos à base de Zn3Ga2Ge2O10: X% Cr3+ (X = 0 ; 0,5 ; 0,75 ; 1,0)

Ceramic powders based on Zn3Ga2Ge2O10: Cr3+ X% (X = 0.0; 0.5; 0.75; 1.0) were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The gallium-zinc germanate doped with chromium presents an interesting property of phosphorescence, that means, it is capable of emitting light when excited by a source of radiation, and such emission remains for some time after stopping the source. For this reason, these materials can be widely applied in night-vision surveillance, (through the use of solar energy, for example), electronic devices screen, emergency routes signals, control panels indicators in dark environments, etc. In this job were considered different amounts of dopant in order to perform a comparison of structural and photoluminescent properties. For that, some analyses were performed on samples, such as XRD, FT-Raman, SEM, UV-vis and photoluminescence measurements (PL). Such analysis allowed to infer that the presence of chromium results in no phase transformation, so that the four compositions have the same set of phases: cubic, rhombohedral and hexagonal. Although the structure was not changed, chromium influences other properties / characteristics of these materials. Examples are: increase of band-gap, decrease of average particle size, small changes in binding energy checked by Raman and especially the increase of photoluminescent property. The chromium ions have great ease in replacing gallium ions in octahedral sites, resulting in emission of light with a wavelength of about 700 nm (infrared region), which is justified by the spin-forbidden 2E 4A2 transition. In other words, chromium is a favorable luminescent center, acting as a trap in the crystal structure, since it imprisons the excitation energy easily and releases it gradually, allowing the phosphorescence. It was observed that the composition ... (Complete abastract click electronic access below)