Expansao das lavouras de soja e trigo no Estado de São Paulo

Shows the viability of using the Trend Surface Analysis (TSA) in studies of the distribution of items of geographical interest in time and space; tests comparatively the techniques of cartographic representation conventionally used in TSA. It follows that the TSA offers more resources for analyses of the spatial items behaviour than the techniques commonly employed for the same purpose.- English summary

O encabecamento das armaduras urbanas nacionais: uma revisão

Starting from Jefferson's 'law of the primate city' and Zipf's 'rank-size rule', examines the question of the heading of national urban systems, seeking to stretch the analysis as far as possible in space and time. Thus, 131 countries were included in the study, most of them also viewed from the evolutive side. It was found that there is a main tendency for urban systems to evolve to the primate leadership, maintained by Jefferson as the normal pattern. Among the various factors that act in this direction, the attraction exercised by political power located in the capital cities is dominant.-English summary

Caracteristicas gerais e classificacao de solos basalticos da regiao Central do Estado de Sao Paulo.

Giving a special emphasis on soil classification relative to their positions in the landscape, five soil profiles in the Barra Bonita-Jau area were characterized through morphological, granulometric and chemical routine soil analysis. It was observed that the soil structure gradually changes from strong blocks with cutans (lowlands and smooth parts - Jau). In this direction, the silt/clay ratio and the base saturation is reduced, and the aluminium saturation increases. -from English summary

Relacoes entre a concentracao espacial dos ramos industriais 'motrizes' e o desenvolvimento regional: o caso do Estado de Sao Paulo.

This paper, having its conceptual basis in the Theory of Growth Poles, by F.Perroux, tests the effective existence of correlation between the spatial incidence and concentration of the 'propulsive' industrial groups and the industrial growth as a whole and the demographic increase. The selected case study was the state of Sao Paulo and data used was the 1970 census. As consequence of the techniques applied a industrial regionalization of the 'paulista' space was obtained, showing few areas of intense industrial concentration, especially of 'propulsive' groups, with multiple growth poles, and large areas with industrial rarefaction, with little or no poles.-after English summary

A significancia da densidade de drenagem para a analise geomorfologica.

Examines drainage density and networks in terms of methods of calculation, spatial and temporal variability, their relationship with hydrological basins and their paleoclimatic significance.-R.N.Gwynne

Algumas notas sobre as transformacoes do comercio na regiao administrativa de Campinas.

Examines the relationship between commerce and distribution, consumption and production, before describing the spatial evidence of recent change in the commercial sector in the Campinas region, Chile. -R.N.Gwynne

Swarming and incipient colonies of Coptotermes havilandi (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)

Coptotermes havilandi Holmgren is an oriental species introduced into Brazil. Despite its economic impact as structural pest, very little is known about the biology of this termite. This paper describes observations of C. havilandi swarming in the city of Rio Claro (SP, Brazil), and reports the first data on incipient colonies reared in a laboratory in Brazil. The preoviposition period lasted about a week after pairing; oviposition began in most of the incipient colonies during the second week. Antennal mutilation occurred on all reproductives. The mean number of the first batch of eggs was 13. In general, first instar brood hatched 60-70 days after set up of the colonies. After two years of pairing there was a small population (less than 100 individuals) and limited soldier production (n=2) in incipient colonies of C. havilandi.

Social organization of the eusocial wasp Mischocyttarus cerberus styx (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

The present study was carried out under field conditions in Rio Claro, Southeastern Brazil. The following average life-spans of adults of Mischocyttarus cerberus styx were observed: queens 191.1 days, workers 14.0 days, and males 10.7 days. The short longevity of workers is attributed to the early foraging activity which was performed since the first week of adult age. The life table of the workers revealed high mortality rates during the first three weeks of life. Twenty-four behavioral categories were reported for these wasps and a comparative behavioral catalogue showed that the solitary foundresses (pre-emergence stage) are significantly more active than the queens (post-emergence stage) because they have to perform all the tasks for the nest maintenance. On the other hand, the queens were highly active even in the presence of the workers. The small number of individuals on the nest was the probable cause of the high activity of the queens in the post-emergence colonies. There was no clear division of tasks among workers according to their age (in weeks), so that most of the behavior categories were potentially performed by any worker of any age. Dead queens were replaced by their daughters.

Nest architecture and population dynamics of the ponerine ant Ectatomma edentatum (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Twelve nests of Ectatomma edentatum (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) were collected from January to December 1996, in Rio Claro, SP, southeastern Brazil. This species excavates their nests up to 1, 10m deep, containing 2, 3, or 4 chambers with an entrance hole of up to 5mm diameter. Colonies with 104, 79, and 82 adult ants respectively were found in February, October, and November. These numbers decreased from March. Colonies with 21 and 16 adult ants were observed in May and July. The colonies' populations increased again in August. Immature stages were not seen January, February, and July, but there were many between March-April and September-November. There was no significant correlation between the number of individuals per colony and temperature or between the number of colonies and relative humidity and rainfall.

Preliminary studies on agonistic behavior between colonies of Coptotermes havilandi (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) in laboratory bioassays

Intercolonial aggression is being used to delimit foraging territory in termite species of subterranean termites. The advance of the introduced pest termite Coptotermes havilandi Holmgren in the interior of São Paulo State is increasing its economic impact as well as its interspecific and intraspecific competition in Brazil. In order to evaluate the intraspecific agonism among different colonies collected in urban areas of Sȧo Paulo State were set up a series of preliminary bioassays. Different combination of nestmates from field colonies of C. havilandi of Rio Claro city showed lack of agonistic behavior. Nevertheless, encounters among individuals from São Paulo and Rio Claro cities showed agonistic behaviors. These preliminary results suggest that caution should be taken in using intercolonial aggression to delimit the foraging territory of C. havilandi colonies in São Paulo State.

Birds of a eucalyptus woodlot in interior São Paulo.

Some 255 birds were recorded between 1982-2001 in and near a 2314-ha Horto of old eucalyptus plantations with native understory and a lake, near Rio Claro, in central São Paulo, Brazil. This is close to the 263 recorded in and around a ten-times smaller nearby 230-ha woodlot of semideciduous forest. Different species were 44, for a total of 307 in both areas. One hundred and fifty nonvagrant forest and border species were recorded in 1982-86, a number close to the 152 in the small native woodlot. With dry years and logging of plots in 1985-93, 21 of the 150 species were lost, 42 species decreased in numbers, 49 were stable, 19 increased (15 being border species), and 5 entered (one of dry forest and 4 of borders), so 129 species remained in 1996-2001 compared to 133 in the native woodlot. Open-area birds were 33, versus 50 in better-checked grassy swales in sugar cane near the natural woodlot, for a total of 53. Several species, like some border ones, did not enter the open but isolated and mowed interior lake area, or took years to do so. Water and marsh birds were 46 versus 40 in smaller creeks and ponds near the natural woodlot (total, 55) but many were migrants or infrequent visitors using distant areas, and perhaps should be counted as 0.1-0.9 local species rather than 1 species. Use of this more accurate method would reduce waterbird totals by 14 species in the Horto and by 11 around the native woodlot. I also recommend longer censusing at the edges in large woodlots or many edge species will be recorded only in small fragments of habitat. Several species increased and others decreased with occasional cat-tail and water-lily cleanups at the lake. A forested corridor between the Horto and natural woodlot is recommended, with old eucalyptus left to provide flowers for hummingbirds.

Partilha de néctar de Eucalyptus spp., territorialidade e hierarquia de dominância em beija-flores (Aves: Trochilidae) no sudeste do Brasil

Territorial behavior in hummingbirds minimizes competition through aggressive interactions, resulting in a dominance hierarchy among species and individuals. Interactions among seven hummingbird species visiting flowering eucalyptus in the Floresta Estadual near Rio Claro, São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil, were studied. Dominance was determined by weight and size with the largest species being the most dominant. Time spent in defense and the number of aggressive interactions were greater than recorded in literature, perhaps due to the relatively greater density of hummingbirds in the study area. Daily activity patterns differed among dominant and subordinate species, but were not correlated with either the quantity of available nectar or with nectar sugar concentration.

Estimates of Foraging Population and Territory of Heterotermes tenuis Colonies using Mark-Release-Recapture (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Heterotermes tenuis is an important economic pest in São Paulo state. Foraging populations of three field colonies of H. tenuis located on a University campus (UNESP, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil) were characterized. Foraging populations of H. tenuis colonies were calculated using four cycles of a mark-release-recapture program with a weighted mean method. The foraging population sizes of three colonies: A, B and C were 389,313±14,907; 265,589 ±12,635; and 641,600∓12,127; respectively. Foraging biomasses were 0.77 kg in the colony A, 0.51 kg in the colony B and 1.17 kg in colony C. Mean worker biomass was approximately 1.9 mg. Foraging territories occupied an area ranging from 70 m2 to 131 m2 per colony. The maximum linear foraging distance traveled by H. tenuis was 28m.

A new interpretation of the defense glands of neotropical Ruptitermes (Isoptera, Termitidae, Apicotermitinae)

Suicidal altruism has been reported for some species of eusocial insects, in which the individual dies in defense of the society. The termites of the genus Ruptitermes are known for the suicidal behavior of the workers which liberate a sticky defensive secretion by body bursting. In the present paper it is given a new interpretation of the defense glands of Neotropical Ruptitermes based on the morphological analysis of three species collected at Rio Claro, SP, Brazil. Before the current study, the suicidal defensive behavior was attributed to the dehiscence of the salivary gland reservoirs. The defense or dehiscent glands of Neotropical Ruptitermes are pair structures rounded in shape that are independent of the salivary glands. The dehiscent glands consist of multiple secretory units that are kept together by thin connective tissue. Each secretory unit is composed of one cell generally with one peripheral nucleus and characteristic secretion. The three species studied here present some histological differences in the secretory units, probably related to the chemical composition of the secretion.

Occurrence of polygyny in Procornitermes araujoi (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae)

Procornitermes araujoi is a mandibulate termite of the Nasutitermitinae subfamily that builds mounds in savannas of the Central and Southeastern regions of Brazil. This paper reports the occurrence of three imaginai queens in the same nest of this termite located in Rio Claro, (SP), Brazil. The associated queens were similar in size, degree of physogastry, and pigmentation. The king was not found. The polygyny and nest architecture of P. araujoi are discussed.