Short communication: Principal components and factor analytic models for test-day milk yield in Brazilian Holstein cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Habitat use and home range of brown-nosed coati, Nasua nasua (Carnivora: Procyonidae) in the Brazilian Cerrado biome

The brown-nosed coati (Nasua nasua) is a carnivorous species found in all the Brazilian biomes, some of which are endangered areas. The aim of this work was to determine the habitat use and selection, home range and core area of N. nasua in the Cerrado biome, central region of Tocantins, Brazil. The study was carried out in an area of approximately 20 000ha from May 2000 to July 2002. A total of seven box traps were placed in the area for 13 months, three of 11 captured animals were followed and monitored by radio-tracking during 13 months. The monitoring was conducted once a day, three times a week using a car and walking through the study area (radio-tracking and visual contact). The results demonstrate that these three males used more frequently the gallery forest formation, followed by cerrado and wetlands. The use of gallery forest by these animals indicated an habitat selection (Proportion test, z=12.98, p< 0.01). Besides, adult males used the gallery forest more frequently (Fisher's exact test, p<0.01) and wetlands less frequently (Fisher's exact test, p<0.01) than juvenile males, without significant differences between animal ages for cerrado percentage of habitat use. Besides, results also showed a gallery forest selection by adult (Proportion test z= 13.62, p<0.01) and juvenile (Proportion test z=2.68, p<0.01) males, and a wetland selection by the juvenile male (Proportion test z=3.90, p<0.01). The home ranges varied from 2.20 to 7.55km2 for the Minimum Convex Polygon 100% (MCP 100%) and from 4.38 to 13.32km2 for the Harmonic Mean 95% (HM 95%). The smallest home range overlap occurred between the adult males (Nm1 and Nm3), and the greatest between the juvenile Njm2 and the adult Nm1. The average of the core area (HM 75%) for the three monitored animals represented 21.29% of the home range calculated with HM 95%. No overlap between core areas was observed for adult males, but, it was an overlap between the core area of the juvenile male and its band with that of the two adult males. The present study provides new data on core area size and frequency habitat use by adult and juvenile males of N. nasua in the Brazilian Cerrado, that may support conservation efforts. Rev. Biol. Trop. 58 (3): 1069-1077. Epub 2010 September 01.

Random regression models to estimate genetic parameters for test-day milk yield in Brazilian Murrah buffaloes

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Genetic association between body composition measured by ultrasound and visual scores in Brazilian Nelore cattle

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Mycoplasma ovis in Selected Free-Ranging Brazilian Deer Populations

Mycoplasma ovis is a hemoplasma that may cause anemia and mortality in small ruminants. Our aim was to determine whether M. ovis infects populations of free-ranging deer in Brazil. Bully coat samples from 64 Blastocerus dichotomus from Porto Primavera, 18 Ozotocerus bezoarticus from Pantanal, and 21 O. bezoarticus from Emas National Park were tested. Using a M. ovis PCR protocol to amplify extracted DNA, 46/64 (72%) of deer froth Porto Primavera, 10/18 (56%) from Pantanal, and 4/21 (19%) from Emas National Park were positive, giving an overall positive rate of 58% for hemoplasma in these wild deer. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 168 rRNA gene revealed 3 genetically distinct hemoplasmas including M. ovis, 'Candidatus Mycoplasma erythrocervae', and a hemoplasma most closely related to M. ovis. Phylogenetic analysis of the 23S rRNA gene from selected sequences confirmed these relationships.

Genetic diversity of two Brazilian populations of the Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus, Linnaeus 1758)

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

Genetic relatedness among wild, domestic and Brazilian fighting roosters

Except for the meat- and egg-type strains used in commercial poultry farms in Brazil, there are no scientific reports about the origin of birds from the genus Gallus that have been introduced in this country with domestication or fighting purposes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the position of the Brazilian Game Bird in the phylogenetic tree of the genus Gallus by nucleotide sequence analysis of the mitochondrial DNA D-loop region. The results indicate that fighting roosters comprise two different clusters within the species Gallus gallus domesticus. One of the clusters is related to the wild ancestors, while the other one is more related to the birds raised by the poultry industry. In conclusion, Brazilian fighting roosters have originated from the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) and belong to the subspecies Gallus gallus domesticus.

Transferability of microsatellite loci from exotic Cervidae to Brazilian brocket deer (Mazama spp, Mammalia: Cervidae)

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

Random regression models using different functions to model test-day milk yield of Brazilian Holstein cows

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

Milk yield persistency in Brazilian Gyr cattle based on a random regression model

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Phenology of Caryocar brasiliense in the Brazilian cerrado region

The objective was to study the phenology of Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Caryocaraceae), a type of fruit of the Brazilian cerrado, in three areas (cerrado, pasture and in the campus of the Federal University of Minas Gerais) of the municipality of Montes Claros, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, during 3 years. The plants of C brasiliense presented linear growth with about 50 cm of height and 35 cm of crown width per year. Soils with loamy texture, dystrophic, rich in aluminum and with low pH favor the production of this species. C. brasiliense produced higher quantity of flowers in the middle third, followed by the apical and basal parts of the crown, while the fruit production was higher in the basal third, followed by the middle and apical parts of the canopy of this species. C brasiliense bloomed during the dry period and produced fruits in the rainy season. Its fruits presented about 6, 8 and 6 cm of width, length and height, respectively, and 160 g of gross weight. The extrativism without control has strong impact on the propagation of C brasiliense because only about 7.96 and 10.65% of plants up to 1.0 m height and 59.58 and 44.73% higher than 3.0 m (reproductive phase) was observed in the cerrado and pasture, respectively. This indicates that fruit collectors, practically, remove all fruits of this tree and thus they reduce, considerably, the propagation of C. brasiliense in the cerrado areas of Brazil. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of four trap types for ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera, Scolytidae) in Brazilian Eucalyptus stands

Eucalyptus spp. plantations represent >60% of the reforested area in Brazil. Although ambrosia beetle attacks on live trees were at first nonexistent, they have begun to appear with greater frequency. Monitoring for pest insects is a key factor in integrated pest management, and baited traps are one of the most widely used methods for insect population detection and survey. We compared the efficiency of the most widely used trap in Brazil to survey for ambrosia beetles and other Scolytidae, the ESALQ-84 type, with other traditionally employed traps: the multiple funnel (Lindgren trap); drainpipe; and slot (Theyson) traps, in a Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden stand in Brazil. The ESALQ-84 trap was the most efficient in trapping Hypothenemus eruditus Westwood and Hypothenemus obscurus (F.); the multiple funnel trap caught significantly more Cryptocarenus diadematus Eggers; whereas the slot trap caught more Premnobius cavipennis Eichhoff and Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff than the other traps. The drainpipe trap was the least effective trap overall. When corrected for number of beetles caught per trap surface area, catches were significantly higher on the ESALQ-84 trap for the majority of the species analyzed, probably because of a smaller trap surface area. The slot trap was recommended for it caught overall more beetles of the three most economically important scolytid species in eucalypt plantations in Brazil, P. cavipennis, X. affinis, and X, ferrugineus.

Phosphorus fractions in Brazilian Cerrado soils as affected by tillage

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

Molecular characterization of two Brazilian isolates of Lettuce mosaic virus with distinct biological properties

Efetuou-se a clonagem e seqüenciamento do gene que codifica a proteína capsidial de dois isolados do vírus do mosaico da alface (Lettuce mosaic virus, LMV) provenientes do estado de São Paulo, previamente caracterizados como pertencentes aos patótipos II (AF198, incapaz de infetar cultivares com os genes de resistência mo1¹ ou mo1²) e IV (AF199, capaz de quebrar a resistência propiciada pelos genes mo1¹ e mo1²), com base na virulência em cultivares diferenciadoras. Análise comparativa das seqüências de nucleotídeos de isolados provenientes da Europa, América do Norte, Oriente Médio e os dois isolados brasileiros não permitiu sua separação em estirpes, pois as porcentagens de homologia foram sempre superiores a 95%. Entretanto, análise filogenética dos isolados sugere uma origem comum entre o isolado AF-198 e os isolados LMV-R e LMV-0 (patótipo II, provenientes dos Estados Unidos e da França, respectivamente). O isolado AF199 apresentou uma alta homologia de seqüência com os isolados LMV-Aud e LMV-13, ambos provenientes da França. Esses isolados também são relacionados a isolados provenientes do Chile, embora uma origem comum não seja proposta. Eventos independentes de mutação podem estar ocorrendo em diferentes partes do mundo, propiciando o surgimento de novas estirpes de LMV capazes de quebrar a resistência conferida pelos genes mo1¹ e mo1².