Nesting architecture and population structure of the fungus-growing ant Cyphomyrmex transversus (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini) in the Brazilian coastal zone of Ilheus, Bahia

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Aquaculture Research and Development as an Entry-Point and Contributor to Natural Resources and Coastal Management

Recent, fervent international dialogue concerning the existence and magnitude of impacts associated with aquaculture has had both positive and negative outcomes. Aquaculture stakeholders have become sensitized to requirements for improved environmental management of aquaculture. on the other hand, in some cases aquaculture development has been negatively affected by some of the unwarranted and unproved allegations to the detriment of the stakeholders most in need of aquaculture development (i.e., resource users, particularly the poor, who are dependent on natural resources). These resource users are targeted by, and directly influence biodiversity and conservation agendas; hence the need to understand how to gain their active participation. This discussion focuses on examples of how aquaculture research and development can be a useful tool or strategy for resource management initiatives and provide tangible positive including increased stakeholder participation and cooperation, offering alternatives to resource extraction and use in otherwise difficult or intransigent resource management conflicts.

Natural infection of gastrointestinal nematodes in long-nosed armadillos Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 from Pantanal wetlands, Aquidauana sub-region, Mato Grosso do Sul State, with the description of Hadrostrongylus speciosum n. gen. et n. sp (Molineidae : Anoplostrongylinae)

This study evaluated the gastrointestinal helminth fauna of long-nosed armadillos, Dasypus novemcinctus, from the Pantanal wetlands, Aquidauana sub-region, Aquidauana County, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. Thirteen species of nematodes, comprising seven genera and four families, were recovered from their gastrointestinal tracts. The following descriptors of infection were determined: prevalence, variation of intensity, average intensity and abundance. Hadrostrongylus speciosum n. gen. et n. sp. is first described here. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Helminthological screening of free-ranging grey brocket deer Mazama gouazoubira Fischer, 1817 (Cervidae: Odocoileini) from Brazilian Pantanal wetlands, with considerations on Pygarginema verrucosa (Molin, 1860) Kadenatzii, 1948 (Spirocercidae: Ascaropsinae)

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

Anurans of the sandy coastal plains of the Lagamar Paulista, state of São Paulo, Brazil

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

Leaf nutritional levels in peach and nectarine grown in subtropical climate

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

Crescimento e produção de genótipos de bananeiras em clima subtropical

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar as características de crescimento e o potencial produtivo de genótipos de bananeira em Botucatu/SP. Foram avaliadas características de crescimento, tais como altura de planta, circunferência do pseudocaule, número de folhas e número de dias entre o florescimento e a colheita. Estas medidas foram realizadas na emissão da inflorescência. Foram mensuradas também as características de produção, como peso do cacho, número de frutos, peso médio dos frutos, produtividade, número de pencas; peso, número, comprimento e diâmetro dos frutos da 2a penca. O delineamento adotado foi o inteiramente casualisado, com 11 tratamentos (genótipos), cinco repetições e duas plantas úteis por parcela experimental. Os genótipos que apresentaram melhor desempenho agronômico, dentro de cada grupo genômico, foram 'Grand Naine'(AAA), 'Thap Maeo' (AAB) e 'Fhia 01' (AAAB).

Produção e qualidade dos frutos de pessegueiro e nectarineira em clima subtropical do estado de São Paulo

Tendo em vista que o conhecimento do comportamento de uma cultura, em determinada região, determina o sucesso da produção, a qualidade do produto final e a garantia de aceitação pelo mercado consumidor, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a produção e as características físicas e físico-químicas de frutos de cultivares de pessegueiro e nectarineira, cultivados ou não tradicionalmente em São Paulo, mas que possam vir a apresentar uma opção de diversificação aos fruticultores do município de Botucatu-SP, e regiões climáticas semelhantes. O experimento foi realizado durante três ciclos agrícolas: 2006/2007, 2007/2008 e 2008/2009, na Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, UNESP, Botucatu-SP. O clima da região é do tipo mesotérmico, Cwa, ou seja, subtropical úmido com chuvas no verão e seca no inverno. As cultivares de pessegueiro avaliadas foram: Turmalina, Cascata 968, Cascata 848, Cascata 587, Conserva 693, Precocinho, Diamante Mejorado, Oro Azteca, CP-9553CYN e Tropic Beauty. A cultivar de nectarineira avaliada foi 'Sun Blaze'. Foram avaliadas características de produção e qualidade dos frutos. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que a cultivar Turmalina foi a mais produtiva. As cultivares Cascata 968 e Diamante Mejorado apresentaram o maior teor de sólidos solúveis, e as cultivares Cascata 587 e CP 9553 CYN, a maior relação sólidos solúveis/acidez titulável.

Biomass and Stand Characteristics of a Highly Productive Mixed Douglas-Fir and Western Hemlock Plantation in Coastal Washington

Aboveground biomass predictive equations were developed for a highly productive 47-year-old mixed Douglas-fir and western hemlock stand in southwest Washington State to characterize the preharvest stand attributes for the Fall River Long-Term Site Productivity Study. The equations were developed using detailed biomass data taken from 31 Douglas-fir and 11 western hemlock trees within the original stand. The stand had an average of 615 live trees per hectare, with an average dbh of 35.6 cm (39.1 cm for Douglas-fir and 33.3 cm for western hemlock) and an average total tree height of 31.6 m (32.8 m for Douglas-fir and 30.2 m for western hemlock). Equations developed were of the form In Y = b(1) + b(2) In dbh, where Y = biomass in kg, dbh = diameter in cm at 1.3 m height, b(1) = intercept, and b(2) = slope of equation. Each tree part was estimated separately and also combined into total aboveground biomass. The total aboveground biomass estimation equations were In Y = -0.9950 + 2.0765 In dbh for Douglas-fir, and In Y = -1.6612 + 2.2321 In dbh for western hemlock. The estimate of the aboveground live-free biomass was of 395 Mg ha(-1) (235 Mg ha(-1) for Douglas-fir and 160 Mg ha(-1) for western hemlock), with 9.5, 29.3, 12.9, 308, and 32.7 Mg ha(-1) in the foliage, live branches, dead branches, stem wood, and stem hark, respectively. When compared with biomass estimates from six other studies, ranging in age from 22 to 110 years and from 96.3 to 636 Mg ha(-1), the biomass of the Fall River site was relatively high for its age, indicating very high productivity.

Spatial variations at different observational scales and the seasonal distributions of stream macroalgae in a Brazilian subtropical region

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Longitudinal distribution and seasonality of macroalgae in a subtropical stream impacted by organic pollution

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Seasonality of macroalgal communities in a subtropical drainage basin in Paraná state, southern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Determinação do coeficiente de decaimento bacteriano em wetland - alagado construído

Wetlands systems are considered nowadays as a treatment method that uses simple, easy operation and low cost technology, which has been used in various parts of the world and also in Brazil. Used alone or as a complement to other types of treatment systems, once it effectively removes nutrients, pathogens and other pollutants in the water. Due to the high complexity found in wetlands, making it difficult to predict the response of the system to treat wastewater, one should consider as ideal to base the sizing of the wetland system over the necessary removal of this parameter instead of scaling it from empiricism. The study was conducted to determine the coefficient of bacterial decrease in the Wetland unit located at Ponta Negra Station Sewage Treatment, located in Natal, the coastal region of Rio Grande do Norte. The most representative model to determine the bacterial decrease in this system was the one from Chick for hydraulic piston system. Kb of 0.37 d-1 were found for the flow rate of 15m³/d, while for the system operating at maximum design flow, 30m³/d, the Kb of 0.98 d-1 was found

Mapping Macrophyte Species in the Amazon Floodplain Wetlands Using Fully Polarimetric ALOS/PALSAR Data

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate attributes derived from fully polarimetric PALSAR data to discriminate and map macrophyte species in the Amazon floodplain wetlands. Fieldwork was carried out almost simultaneously to the radar acquisition, and macrophyte biomass and morphological variables were measured in the field. Attributes were calculated from the covariance matrix [C] derived from the single-look complex data. Image attributes and macrophyte variables were compared and analyzed to investigate the sensitivity of the attributes for discriminating among species. Based on these analyses, a rule-based classification was applied to map macrophyte species. Other classification approaches were tested and compared to the rule-based method: a classification based on the Freeman-Durden and Cloude-Pottier decomposition models, a hybrid classification (Wishart classifier with the input classes based on the H/a plane), and a statistical-based classification (supervised classification using Wishart distance measures). The findings show that attributes derived from fully polarimetric L-band data have good potential for discriminating herbaceous plant species based on morphology and that estimation of plant biomass and productivity could be improved by using these polarimetric attributes.

A report of 49 cases of cnidarian envenoming from southeastern Brazilian coastal waters

Forty-nine accidents caused by jellyfish (Cnidaria) were observed during a period of 5 years on the southeastern coast of Brazil. Most of them involved male patients (65.3%), the injured areas being mainly the legs (71.3%) and the trunk (65.3%). Twenty accidents with Chiropsalmus quadrumanus, four with Physalia physalis and 20 with unidentified jellyfish presented intense pain, linear plaques and systemic symptoms. The five cases with Olindias sambaquiensis caused mild pain, round plaques and no systemic symptoms. There are a few reports on accidents caused by jellyfish, in this country, and scarce clinical or epidemiological data are available up to the present moment. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.