Identification of the shark species Rhizoprionodon lalandii and R-porosus (Elasmobranchii, Carcharhinidae) by multiplex PCR and PCR-RFLP techniques

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

On the Apterous Line of the Termite Velocitermes heteropterus (Isoptera: Termitidae): Developmental Pathways and Cellulose Digestion

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

Tunnelling behaviour of the Asian subterranean termite in heterogeneous soils: presence of cues in the foraging area

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

Diet of fishes in Passa Cinco stream, Corumbataí River sub-basin, São Paulo state, Brazil

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

Construction of a river buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) whole-genome radiation hybrid panel and preliminary RH mapping of chromosomes 3 and 10

The buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) not only is a useful source of milk, it also provides meat and works as a natural source of labor and biogas. To establish a project for buffalo genome mapping a 5,000-rad whole genome radiation hybrid panel was constructed for river buffalo and used to build preliminary RH maps from two chromosomes (BBU 3 and BBU10). The preliminary maps contain 66 markers, including coding genes, cattle ESTs and microsatellite loci. The RH maps presented here are the starting point for mapping additional loci, in particular, genes and expressed sequence tags that will allow detailed comparative maps between buffalo, cattle and other species to be constructed. A large quantity of DNA has been prepared from the cell lines forming the RH panel reported here and will be made publicly available to the international community both for the study of chromosome evolution and for the improvement of traits important to the role of buffalo in animal agriculture.

Diversity of social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) in three fragments of semideciduous seasonal forest in the northwest of São Paulo State, Brazil

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

A degradação social do trabalho e da natureza no contexto da monocultura canavieira paulista

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Reproductive behavior and parental roles of the cichlid fish Laetacara araguaiae

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Thermodynamic properties of water sorption of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) as a function of moisture content

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Collection of Fafia [Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen] in northwestern state of Parana-Brazil

Interviews were conducted with fafia (Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen) collectors from the municipal districts of Querencia do Norte and Porto Rico, where enterprises and buyers of this plant are concentrated. The results allowed us to conclude that both the adults and children make collection. Each adult collects from 50 to 150 kg of roots/day, depending on the collection area, for about 8 months/year. Collections mostly occur all over the year, but the activity becomes more intense from May to August. All families are not exclusively dedicated to fafia collection and also develop other rural activities. They have been collecting fafia for 2 to 13 years, indicating that an intensive exploitation has been present in the region for over a decade. During collection, no plant part is used for replanting the species. The roots are commercialised by regional buyers. The price of the roots varies from US $ 0.07 to US $ 0.13/kg and average gain is about US $ 2,055/family/year, representing a considerable profit for the collectors.

Breeding of the Scuttle Fly Megaselia scalaris in a fish Carcass and Implications for the use in Forensic Entomology (Diptera: Phoridae).

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

Dominance hierarchy in different stages of development in colonies of the primitively eusocial wasp Mischocyttarus cerberus styx (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

In primitively eusocial insect societies, reproductive division of labor is established by dominance-submission interactions which determine a linear dominance hierarchy. As previously observed for other species, in Mischocyttarus cerberus styx (Hymenoptera, Vespidae), the dominant female is the main egg layer. Most of her attacks were to the females directly beneath in the rank establishing a hierarchy. During the pre-emergence stage, the hierarchy was already defined and in the post-emergence stage, pre-male substage, the frequency of dominance interactions were strong but the hierarchy was still maintained by the first-ranked female. In the decline stage there were many neutral individuals which could be the reproductives of a new colony.

Behavior of the wild coriander (eryngium foetidum L.) in subtropical conditions

The adaptability of wild coriander (Eryngium foetidum L.) a seasoning and medicinal herb indigenous of the Amazon region was evaluated in a subtropical city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Germination of seeds was extremely irregular with the first seeds germinating 10 days after the sowing, but the process lasted 90 days. The exploitation of this specie is possible in subtropical conditions without interruption of production but further study on the feasibility elimination of seed and flower are necessary to permit a greater yield of foliage.

Collection of Fáfia [Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen] in Northwestern State of Paraná - Brazil

Interviews were conducted with fáfia (Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen) collectors from the municipal districts of Querência do Norte and Porto Rico, where enterprises and buyers of this plant are concentrated. The results allowed us to conclude that both the adults and children make collection. Each adult collects from 50 to 150 kg of roots/day, depending on the collection area, for about 8 months/year. Collections mostly occur all over the year, but the activity becomes more intense from May to August. All families are not exclusively dedicated to fáfia collection and also develop other rural activities. They have been collecting fáfia for 2 to 13 years, indicating that an intensive exploitation has been present in the region for over a decade. During collection, no plant part is used for replanting the species. The roots are commercialised by regional buyers. The price of the roots varies from US $ 0.07 to US $ 0.13/kg and average gain is about US $ 2,055/family/year, representing a considerable profit for the collectors.

An integrated approach to identification and conservation of medicinal plants in the tropical forest - A Brazilian experience

An integrated and interdisciplinary research programme with native medicinal plants from tropical forests has been performed in order to obtain new forest products for sustainable use in regional markets vis-à-vis ecosystem conservation. For the success of this programme ethnopharmacological studies are very important with respect to (i) identification of useful plants including medicinal and aromatic species; (ii) recuperation and preservation of traditional knowledge about native plants; and (iii) identification of potential plants with economic value. The plants are selected with a view to evaluate efficacy and safety (pharmacological and toxicological studies), and phytochemical profile and quality control (phytochemical and chromatographic characterization). These studies are very important to add value to plant products and also to mitigate unscrupulous exploitation of medicinal plants by local communities, since multiple use of plants represents an excellent strategy for sustaining the tropical ecosystem through ex situ and in situ conservation. Thus, conservation of tropical resources is possible in conjunction with improvements in the quality of life of the traditional communities and production of new products with therapeutic, cosmetic and 'cosmeceutic' value. © NIAB 2005.