Descrição do ciclo gametogênico do ouriço-branco, Tripneustes ventricosus (Lamarck, 1816), no Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha PE, Brasil

Sea urchins are common benthic organisms on coastal ecosystems of tropical and temperate shallow waters. The impact of sea urchins populations in shore communities is density-dependent, and therefore, knowledge of the life history of these animals is important to understand these interactions. Between 2000 and 2005 a population boom of Tripneustes ventricosus was observed in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. In 2004 a research program was started to monitor the population dynamics of T. ventricosus in the archipelago, when it noted a lack of basic information on the biology and reproduction of this species, despite its broad geographic distribution and economic importance in parts of its occurrence. In this context, this work focuses on the reproductive biology of T. ventricosus with emphasis on the description of the gametogenic stages. Between December 2006 and July 2007, ten urchins were collected by snorkeling in two sites of the archipelago, totaling 120 individuals. Gametogenic stages were described for both sexes through microscopic analysis, and were defined as: Recovery, Growing, Premature, Mature and Spawning. Results showed increasing in Gonad index throughout of months of sampling and suggest that the reproductive cycle of the species in the archipelago is annual

Dieta do ouriço-branco, Tripneustes ventricosus (Lamarck, 1816), no Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, PE

Sea urchins are benthic macroinvertebrates that inhabit shallow coastal waters in tropical and temperate zones. Urchins are usually classified as generalists or omnivores as they can adjust their diet according to the food resources available in the environment. Due to the strong grazing pressure they may exert, urchins have an important role in marine ecosystems, occupying different trophic levels and stimulating the intensification of the dynamics of communities where they occur. In 2004, a monitoring program focused on the population dynamics of the white sea urchin, Tripneustes ventricosus, has been initiated in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. At the same time, a surprisingly lack of information on the species biology has been noted, despite their wide geographical distribution and economic importance in many parts of its range. Hence, this work was developed to provide information on the feeding habits of T. ventricosus in the archipelago. Ten specimens were collected between December 2006 and July 2007 at two sites of the archipelago, Air France and Sueste Bay for biometrics and analysis of gut contents. Test diameters ranged from 9.19 cm (± 1.1) to 10.08 cm (± 0.58). Calculated stomach repletion index (IRE) was higher (p <0.05) in the Air France site and also during January and July. The IRE was not correlated to the gonad index. Fifteen different species of algae were detected in a total of 120 stomachs examined: 4 Chlorophytas, 4 Phaeophytas and 6 Rhodophytas. Food diversity (p <0.05) was higher in December 2006 and January 2007. Although several items had a high frequency of occurrence, they were low represented in terms of weight, and consequently, had a low level of relative importance. The brown algae Dictyopteris spp and Dictyota spp, followed by the green algae Caulerpa verticillata accounted for the greatest importance in T. ventricosus diet, comprising about 90% of the consumed items

Hydrodynamism and its influence on the density of the decorator crab Microphrys bicornutus (Mithracidae) on intertidal rocky shores from a subtropical region

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

Flutuação populacional e distribuição vertical de Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) em couve

O conhecimento da dinâmica populacional e da distribuição vertical de insetos pragas em plantas hospedeiras é fundamental para o desenvolvimento de programas de manejo integrado de pragas. No presente trabalho efetuou-se um levantamento populacional de formas ápteras do pulgão Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), visando determinar a época de maior densidade populacional e a distribuição vertical em plantas de couve, (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC.), cultivadas em Jaboticabal, SP. O estudo foi realizado durante as safras de brássicas de 1998 e 1999, efetuando-se correção da acidez do solo por meio de aplicação de calcário apenas no campo utilizado em 1998. A amostragem dos pulgões foi feita visualmente em folhas classificadas em três categorias: apical, mediana e basal. Nas duas safras estudadas, a infestação de B. brassicae na couve atingiu a maior densidade populacional em setembro, diminuindo rapidamente a seguir. Nos dois campos não se observou a mesma distribuição de B. brassicae em folhas apicais, medianas e basais. Os fatores que podem ter contribuído para as diferenças observadas no padrão de distribuição do pulgão devem estar relacionados com a precipitação pluvial e o calcário magnesiano.

Biologia populacional comparada de duas espécies de heliconius (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) em um ambiente sazonal de floresta atlântica do nordeste brasileiro

Tropical environments often face strong seasonal variations in climate, such as alternate periods of dry and rain, that may often be important influence in the annual X the organisms lives. Here we assess how population dynamics of two butterfly species (Heliconius erato and Heliconius mepomene) respond to environmental and seasonal variations. A mark-release-recapture study carried out in an Atlantic forest reserve, 15 Km from Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, for 3 years, during the dry and rainy season, with three visits weekly done. Information such as species, wing lenght, site of capture, pollen load and phenotype (number of spots) (in H. erato only) were noted for each capture. Seasonal variation exists in capture rates of the two species, with great capture rates during the rainy season. Despite finding differences in the mean density of individuals of the two species among the different collection areas, this difference was only significant between floodplain and central areas, and no influence of seasonality was observed in the mean density between the areas. Seasonality in wing size was only observed for H. erato, with larger wings during the rainy season. Females carried larger pollen loads than males both species, but species were similar. Only males differed seasonally, with larger pollen loads during the rainy season. The distribution of the number of wing spots did not vary between the dry and rainy seasons, and the number of spots in males and females was similar. Therefore, we conclude that there was a strong influence of seasonal variation in the population dynamic of the two Heliconius species, as well as in several aspects of their biology

Movimento de borboletas frugívoras e conectividade funcional em uma paisagem de Mata Atlântica

An organisms movement within and between habitats is an essential trait of life history, one that shapes population dynamics, communities and ecosystems in space and time. Since the ability to perceive and react to specific conditions varies greatly between organisms, different movement patterns are generated. These, in turn, will reflect the way species persist in the original habitat and surrounding patches. This study evaluated patterns of movement of frugivorous butterflies in order to estimate the connectivity of a landscape mosaic in an area of Atlantic Forest. For this purpose, we used the capture-mark-recapture method on butterflies trapped with fermented fruit bait in three distinct habitats. The first represents a typical Atlantic forest fragment, while the other two represent man-made matrix habitats. One contains a coconut plantation and the other a plantation of the exotic Acacia mangium species. Five traps were randomly placed in each landscape unit in areas of 40 x 40m. Using recapture data and relating it to distance between captures and habitat structure, I found that movement frequencies, both within and between landscape units were different for the analyzed species, suggesting that they do not interpret and react to the landscape in the same way. Thus this study was able to measure landscape functional connectivity. For most species, the exchange between forest and coconut plantations occurred with low frequency compared to exchanges between the forest and acacia plantations, which share more structural similarities. This seems to indicate that a matrix that is more similar to patches of native vegetation can shelter species, permit their movement and, consequently, contribute to the landscape connectivity

Biologia de Leptopharsa heveae Drake & Poor (Heteroptera: Tingidae) e a relação de suas exigências térmicas com a flutuação populacional em seringueira

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

Dinâmica populacional de Triozoida limbata, Costalimaita ferruginea e inimigos naturais em pomar orgânico e convencional de goiaba

We investigated the population dynamics of Triozoida limbata (Hemiptera: Triozidae) and Costalimaita ferruginea (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and its correlation with the population of natural enemies in organic and conventional orchard of guava. The experiments were performed in two distinct orchards of guava in the 2010/2011 harvest. For monitoring pests and natural enemies, we installed five yellow sticky traps in each orchard. To obtain the correlation between population densities of pests with natural enemies, we used Pearson linear correlation analysis (SAS). The population density of T. limbata remained low, and reaches the top in October in organic orchard of guava. The main pest in conventional orchard of guava was T. limbata and population reaches the top several times. The damage caused by T. limbata in new leaves of guava was more pronounced in conventional orchard. There was a low population density of C. ferruginea in both orchards; however we observed that the population reaches the top in November in organic orchard. The species C. ferruginea caused higher damage in young leaves of guava tree in organic orchard. The highest population density of natural enemies was observed in organic orchard, which presented positive correlation between T. limbata and the coccinellid predator Scymnus spp.

Dinâmica populacional de ovos e lagartas e parasitismo de ovos de Curuquerê-do-algodoeiro por Trichogramma pretiosum em cultivares convencionais e transgênica de algodoeiro

The introduction of new cotton cultivars in the Midwest region of Brazil resulted in a significant increase in productivity, but the use of inappropriate farming techniques brought many problems to field, as the higher incidence of pests, diseases and weeds. The aim of this work was to study the population dynamics of eggs and larvae of cotton leafworm and natural egg parasitism of the pest by Trichogramma pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) at different phenological stages of conventional and transgenic cultivars (Bollgard I) of cotton was carried out this experiment from December 2007 to April 2008 in Ipameri, Goias State, Brazil. The experimental design was a randomized blocks with five trataments and four replications. The treatments consisting of the conventional cotton cultivars DeltaOPAL, FMX 966, FMX 993, FMX 910 and the cultivar transgenic NuOPAL. Allabama argillacea Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) oviposited on all cultivars, not presented differences in relation to oviposition preference. Compared to the average number of eggs of A. argillacea parasitized by T. pretiosum, there were no differences between cultivars. In conventional cultivars, small, medium and large larvae occurred from 34 days after plant emergence until the end of the cycle, while in the transgenic cultivar were found only small caterpillars. Cultivar NuOPAL control cotton leafworm since the first larval stage, and does not interfere in egg parasitism by T. pretiosum compared with other cultivars.

Maize-Dwelling insects omnivory in Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) egg masses

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Exigências térmicas e tabelas de vida de fertilidade de Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) em laboratório

Este estudo visou determinar as exigências térmicas do pulgão Myzus persicae (Sulzer), calcular tabelas de vida de fertilidade, e prever a ocorrência de adultos no campo, por meio de modelo de graus-dia. Os pulgões foram mantidos individualmente em gaiolas fixadas em folhas de couve, Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC, em laboratório, às temperaturas de 15, 20, 23, 25 e 30ºC. O limite térmico inferior de desenvolvimento (Tb) e a constante térmica (K) foram 2,2ºC e 165,6 graus-dia, respectivamente. O modelo de graus-dia previu a ocorrência de adultos de M. persicae para 0 a1 dia antes da data em que eles foram observados no campo. Os parâmetros das tabelas de vida estimados na escala de tempo em graus-dia evidenciaram que as temperaturas de 23°C e 25°C foram as que proporcionaram as melhores condições térmicas para o crescimento populacional de M. persicae. Nessas temperaturas observou-se o maior valor da capacidade inata de aumentar em número (r m = 0,012), o menor valor da duração média da geração (T = 303,8 graus-dia e 272 graus-dia, respectivamente) e o menor tempo necessário para a população duplicar em número de indivíduos (TD = 57,8 graus-dia).

Avaliação da ocorrência sazonal de percevejos em cinco espécies de maracujazeiro, utilizando dois métodos de amostragem

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Impacto de inimigos naturais e de fatores meteorológicos sobre uma população de Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) em couve

Neste estudo, visou-se avaliar o impacto de inimigos naturais e de fatores meteorológicos na população do pulgão Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), na cultura da couve, usando-se correlação simples e análise de regressão múltipla com seleção de variáveis pelo método stepwise. A amostragem de B. brassicae foi realizada por procura visual e dos inimigos naturais através de armadilhas de sucção e de solo. Formas ápteras de B. brassicae começaram a infestar a couve em julho, atingindo pico populacional em setembro. Os fatores que apresentaram correlação significativa com a população de B. brassicae, no período que abrangeu todo o levantamento populacional, foram Diaeretiella rapae (Mc'Intosh), aranhas presentes no solo, precipitação pluviométrica e umidade relativa, sugerindo que tais fatores tiveram função importante na mortalidade do pulgão. No período de maior crescimento e declínio populacional de B. brassicae, aranhas presentes no solo mostraram-se como o fator de mortalidade mais significativo relacionado com a variação da densidade populacional do pulgão.

Tabelas de Vida de Fertilidade de Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) em Condições de Campo

Estudos relacionados com tabelas de vida são fundamentais para o entendimento da dinâmica populacional de insetos. Neste trabalho, a espécie Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) foi estudada durante a primavera, verão, outono e inverno por meio de tabelas de vida de fertilidade, visando-se avaliar a influência da temperatura sobre sua dinâmica populacional. Para a condução dos experimentos, os pulgões foram mantidos em pequenas gaiolas fixadas em folhas de couve, Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC. Os parâmetros das tabelas de vida, estimados na escala de tempo em graus-dia, evidenciaram que B. brassicae apresentou maior sobrevivência nas condiç ões térmicas de outono e inverno, o mesmo ocorrendo com sua fecundidade quando as fêmeas foram submetidas às temperaturas da primavera. As elevadas temperaturas registradas no verão influenciaram adversamente a dinâmica populacional de B. brassicae, pois afetaram negativamente seu desenvolvimento, sobrevivência, longevidade e reprodução.

Influência da Adubação Fosfatada - Potássica na Ocorrência de Pragas na Cultura da Soja

O estudo foi desenvolvido para se determinar o efeito da adubação fosfatada-potássica da soja sobre a ocorrência de insetos-praga. Os tratamentos constituíram um fatorial 4 x 4 (quatro doses de fósforo e quatro doses de potássio) com três repetições. Os níveis de fósforo utilizados foram, respectivamente (0, 80, 120 e 160 kg/ha) de P2O5 e (0, 40, 60 e 80 kg/ha) de K2O. Foram realizadas amostragens semanais a partir do estádio V2 da cultura, utilizando-se pano de amostragem. Os resultados indicaram uma tendência de aumento populacional de Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood) para as maiores doses dos nutrientes. A ocorrência de Diabrotica speciosa (Germar) foi correlacionada com alguns nutrientes das folhas.