Population dynamics, life stage and ecological modeling in Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Comparative bark anatomy of root and stem in Styrax camporum (Styracaceae)

The bark of Styrax camporum Pohl (Styracaceae) differs anatomically in the root and stem. Roots have layered secondary phloem; short sieve tubes with simple, transverse or more or less inclined sieve plates; fibres in tangential bands; astrosclereids; wide rays, and a poorly developed periderm. Stems have non-layered secondary phloem; longer sieve tubes with compound, scalariform, inclined sieve plates; sclerified cells and brachyselereids; a developed periderm, and a non-persistent rhytidome. Prismatic crystals, starch grains, phenolic compounds and lipidic contents were observed in root and stem bark cells. The differences between the secondary phloem of root and stem are discussed.

Structural variations in root and stem wood of Styrax (Styracaceae) from Brazilian forest and cerrado

The genus Styrax L. (Styracaceae) has a wide distribution in Brazil, occurring in diverse ecosystems. To get a better insight into the ecological adaptations of wood structure, we studied two species, S. camporum and S.ferrugineus from the cerrado, and three species, S. latifolium, S. martii and S. leprosus from the Atlantic forest. For each species, the wood of root and stem was analyzed separately and observations included qualitative as well as quantitative wood characteristics. The results show that there were significant anatomical differences between the forest and cerrado species as well as between the root and stem wood within single species. Quantitatively, the most informative features in the root wood that separated the forest from the cerrado, species were diameter, length and number of vessels, length of fibres, and width and frequency of rays. In the stem wood, length and frequency of vessels, length of fibres, and width and frequency of rays were the most informative features. In contrast to the forest species, which had larger vessel diameters in their stem wood, the cerrado species had larger vessel diameters in their root wood. The calculated vulnerability index indicates that all Sryrax species have adaptations to mesic conditions. The cerrado species had the smallest index values, which could be related to the seasonally dry condition of this environment.

Anatomy and ontogeny of the pericarp of Pterodon emarginatus Vogel (Fabaceae, Faboideae), with emphasis on secretory ducts

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

Morfologia de nectários em Leguminosae senso lato em áreas de caatinga no Brasil

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

The oleoresin secretory system in seedlings and adult plants of copaiba (Copaifera langsdorffii Desf., Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae)

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

The evolution of jumping performance in anurans: morphological correlates and ecological implications

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

Ecological study of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in soil: growth ability, conidia production and molecular detection

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

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis: phylogenetic and ecological aspects

The knowledge on the biological aspects of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis has evolved greatly since the first description of the disease in 1908. From the pioneers, who were able to clearly demonstrate the fungal nature of the agent, to the recent genomic era, important advances have been achieved. P. brasiliensis is a true fungus, belonging to the Ascomycetous Division, although its sexual phase has not been demonstrated morphologically. A better understanding of the fundamental aspects of the agent, especially its phylogeny and evolutionary history, will provide us with valuable insights allowing a better comprehension of the disease and our capacity to deal with the problem. Concerning the fungus's ecology, although some progress had been observed, the ecological niche of the pathogen has not been determined yet. The aim of the present review is to focus on the biological aspects of P. brasiliensis from an evolutionary point of view, addressing the fungus's phylogenetic aspects, in those special points that might be relevant for the pathogen/host interactions, the biological forces that have been acting on its origin and maintenance of virulence, as well as in determining the fungus's ecology and epidemiology.

Locomotor performance of closely related Tropidurus species: relationships with physiological parameters and ecological divergence

Tropidurid lizards have colonized a variety of Brazilian open environments without remarkable morphological variation, despite ecological and structural differences among habitats used. This study focuses on two Tropidurus sister-species that, despite systematic proximity and similar morphology, exhibit great ecological divergence and a third ecologically generalist congeneric species providing an outgroup comparison. We quantified jumping capacity and sprint speed of each species on sand and rock to test whether ecological divergence was also accompanied by differences in locomotor performance. Relevant physiological traits possibly associated with locomotor performance metabolic scopes and fiber type composition, power output and activity of the enzymes citrate synthase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase of the iliofibularis muscle - were also compared among the three Tropidurus species. We found that the two sister-species exhibited remarkable differences in jumping performance, while Tropidurus oreadicus, the more distantly related species, exhibited intermediate values. Tropidurus psamonastes, a species endemic to sand dunes, exhibited high absolute sprint speeds on sand, jumped rarely and possessed a high proportion of glycolytic fibers and low activity of citrate synthase. The sister-species Tropidurus itambere, endemic to rocky outcrops, performed a large number of jumps and achieved lower absolute sprint speed than T. psamonastes. This study provides evidence of rapid divergence of locomotor parameters between sister-species that use different substrates, which is only partially explained by variation in physiological parameters of the iliofibularis muscle.

Ecological aspects of hermit crabs (Crustacea, Anomura, Paguroidea) off the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil

The occurrence of species of hermit crabs and their ecological distribution in soft bottoms off Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil were analyzed. To better understand the distribution of the species in relation to environmental factors, the similarity and species-diversity indexes were calculated. Paguroideans were sampled monthly from January through December 2000. The trawls were made with two otter-trawl nets at 13 different sites, at depths of 2-40 m. Water temperature, salinity, sediment texture, and organic matter content were measured. Gastropod shells occupied by hermit crabs were also assessed. A total of 1,238 specimens was collected, belonging to the families Diogenidae and Paguridae, comprising seven genera and thirteen species. The most abundant hermit crab species were Dardanus insignis (761 specimens) and Loxopagurus loxochelis (351 specimens). Phimochirus holthuisi is newly reported from the São Paulo coast. The highest diversity index was found for the shallower sites near rocky shores. The results of the grouping analysis for sites and species indicated three distinct groups for sites, and four groups for species. This suggests that the occurrence of these anomurans is associated with the environmental and biotic factors analyzed.

Ecological distribution and reproductive period of the hermit crab Loxopagurus loxochelis (Anomura, Diogenidae) on the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil

The present study aimed to determine the ecological distribution of Loxopagurus loxochelis as a function of selected environmental factors, as well as its reproductive period based on the combined analysis of the presence of ovigerous females and the development of the gonad. The collections were carried out monthly from January to December 2000 in the region of Ubatuba (SP), using a fishing boat equipped with two double rig nets, in isobaths of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 m, at which depths samples of sediment and water were collected. The cephalothoracic shield length and sex of the animals were determined; the abdomen was dissected to verify gonad development stages. A total of 334 individuals was obtained ( 196 males, 48 ovigerous females and 90 non-ovigerous females) with sizes varying from 3.0 to 8.6 mm (5.7 +/- 1.0 mm). A greater abundance of L. loxochelis (95.2%) was observed at depths of 20 and 25 m. These sites mainly revealed a substratum stable with a very fine sand fraction, which facilitates the habit of embedding shown by this hermit. With regard to gonadal analysis, it was possible to classify four gonad development stages for each sex: immature, rudimentary, developing and developed. It was observed that in the winter months about 71% of the females had gonads either developing or developed and 67% were ovigerous. Therefore, the winter period can be considered the peak of reproduction for this species, characterizing a typical seasonal-continuous reproduction.

Comparative anatomy of the male reproductive internal organs of 51 species of bees

A anatomia dos órgãos internos do aparelho reprodutor de machos (ARM) adultos e pupas foi comparada em 51 espécies de abelhas, incluindo representantes de seis famílias. Foram obtidos quatro tipos diferentes de ARM. O tipo I está presente em machos das famílias mais basais (Colletidae, Andrenidae e Halictidae) e é caracterizado por três túbulos seminíferos por testículo, o qual é quase totalmente envolvido pela membrana escrotal. O tipo II é um tipo intermediário entre os tipos I e III e está presente em Mellitidae e Megachilidae, como também em alguns Apidae estudados, sendo caracterizado por possuir dutos deferentes pós-vesiculares fora da membrana escrotal e possuir três ou quatro túbulos seminíferos por testículo, exceto Apis mellifera L., a qual possui secundariamente um número aumentado de túbulos. O tipo III foi achado somente nos Apidae estudados e é caracterizado por apresentar os testículos e dutos genitais (exceto o duto deferente pós-vesicular) encapsulados separadamente, as glândulas acessórias são bem desenvolvidas e o duto ejaculador é calibroso, apresentando fissuras em sua parede externa, as quais podem ocorrer também no tipo II. O tipo IV está presente exclusivamente na tribo Meliponini e é caracterizado pela ausência de glândulas acessórias.

Cryptic sexual populations account for genetic diversity and ecological success in a widely distributed, asexual fungus-growing ant

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

Floral anatomy of Bromeliaceae, with particular reference to the evolution of epigyny and septal nectaries in commelinid monocots

Floral anatomy is described in ten genera of Bromeliaceae, including three members of subfamily Bromelioideae, three Tillandsioideae, and four genera of the polyphyletic subfamily Pitcairnioideae (including Brocchinia, the putatively basal genus of Bromeliaceae). Bromeliaceae are probably unique in the order Poales in possessing septal nectaries and epigynous or semi-epigynous flowers. Evidence presented here from floral ontogeny, vasculature, and the relative positions of nectary and ovules indicates that there could have been one or more reversals to apparent hypogyny in Bromeliaceae, although this hypothesis requires a better-resolved phylogeny. Such evolutionary reversals probably evolved in response to specialist pollinators, and in conjunction with other aspects of floral morphology of Bromeliaceae, such as the petal appendages of some species. The ovary is initiated in an inferior position even in semi-epigynous or hypogynous species. The ovary of all so-called hypogynous Bromeliaceae is actually semi-inferior, because the septal nectary is infralocular; in these species the nectaries have a labyrinthine surface and many vascular bundles. Brocchinia differs from most other fully epigynous species in that each carpel is secretory at the apex and reproductive, rather than secretory, at the base.