Diversity of the euglossine bee community (Hymenoptera, Apidae) of an Atlantic Forest remnant in southeastern Brazil

Diversity of the euglossine bee community (Hymenoptera, Apidae) of an Atlantic Forest remnant in southeastern Brazil. Euglossine bees, attracted to scent baits of cineole, eugenol and vanillin, were collected with entomological nets, from December 1998 to November 1999. Samplings were carried out once a month simultaneously by two collectors positioned in two different sites in an Atlantic Forest remnant in northeastern São Paulo state, Brazil. A total of 859 male euglossine bees, belonging to 13 species and four Euglossini genera were collected. Of the total sample, 506 (12 species) males were captured at site A and 353 (10 species) were collected at site B.In both sites, Euglossa pleosticta Dressler, 1982 was the most abundant species (45.79%), followed by Eulaema nigrita Lepeletier, 1841 (20.79%). The results of this study supply new information about the diversity of orchid bee fauna in Atlantic Forest remnants as well as show that more than one site is needed to sample these bees in a fragmented landascape.

Diversity of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae (Diptera, Oestroidea) in continuous forest and gaps at different stages of regeneration in the Urucu oilfield in western Brazilian Amazonia

Diversity of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae (Diptera, Oestroidea) in continuous forest and gaps at different stages of regeneration in the Urucu oilfield in western Brazilian Amazonia. The diversity of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae in continuous forest and gaps at different stages of regeneration was studied in the Urucu river basin, in Coari, state of Amazonas, Brazil. The flies were collected at 16 sampling points, 12 in gaps at different stages of regeneration (early _ C1, mid- C2 and late successional _ C3) and four in continuous forest _ MT. The diversity of blowflies was similar in the two less regenerated habitats (C1 and C2), and lower than that in the late successional (C3) and continuous forests (MT). By contrast, the diversity of flesh flies was much higher in all three types of gaps (C1, C2 and C3) in comparison with continuous forest (MT). Ordination (NMDS) and similarity (ANOSIM) analyses revealed that the blowflies communities were grouped by habitat type, which affected species composition more than diversity. Analysis of the flesh flies revealed two main groupings, gaps (C1, C2 and C3) and continuous forest (MT), with no evidence of any influence of successional stage on the diversity of the community.

Drosophila intestinal response to bacterial infection: activation of host defense and stem cell proliferation.

Although Drosophila systemic immunity is extensively studied, little is known about the fly's intestine-specific responses to bacterial infection. Global gene expression analysis of Drosophila intestinal tissue to oral infection with the Gram-negative bacterium Erwinia carotovora revealed that immune responses in the gut are regulated by the Imd and JAK-STAT pathways, but not the Toll pathway. Ingestion of bacteria had a dramatic impact on the physiology of the gut that included modulation of stress response and increased stem cell proliferation and epithelial renewal. Our data suggest that gut homeostasis is maintained through a balance between cell damage due to the collateral effects of bacteria killing and epithelial repair by stem cell division. The Drosophila gut provides a powerful model to study the integration of stress and immunity with pathways associated with stem cell control, and this study should prove to be a useful resource for such further studies.

Local-scale spatial variation in diversity of social wasps in an Amazonian rain forest in Caxiuanã, Pará, Brazil (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae)

Polistine wasps are important in Neotropical ecosystems due to their ubiquity and diversity. Inventories have not adequately considered spatial attributes of collected specimens. Spatial data on biodiversity are important for study and mitigation of anthropogenic impacts over natural ecosystems and for protecting species. We described and analyzed local-scale spatial patterns of collecting records of wasp species, as well as spatial variation of diversity descriptors in a 2500-hectare area of an Amazon forest in Brazil. Rare species comprised the largest fraction of the fauna. Close range spatial effects were detected for most of the more common species, with clustering of presence-data at short distances. Larger spatial lag effects could also be identified in some species, constituting probably cases of exogenous autocorrelation and candidates for explanations based on environmental factors. In a few cases, significant or near significant correlations were found between five species (of Agelaia, Angiopolybia, and Mischocyttarus) and three studied environmental variables: distance to nearest stream, terrain altitude, and the type of forest canopy. However, association between these factors and biodiversity variables were generally low. When used as predictors of polistine richness in a linear multiple regression, only the coefficient for the forest canopy variable resulted significant. Some level of prediction of wasp diversity variables can be attained based on environmental variables, especially vegetation structure. Large-scale landscape and regional studies should be scheduled to address this issue.

Sweet diversity: Colonial goods and the rise of European living standards after 1492

When did overseas trade start to matter for living standards? Traditional real-wage indices suggest that living standards in Europe stagnated before 1800. In this paper, we argue thatwelfare rose substantially, but surreptitiously, because of an influx of new goods as a result ofoverseas trade. Colonial luxuries such as tea, coffee, and sugar transformed European diets afterthe discovery of America and the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope. These goods became household items in many countries by the end of the 18th century. We use three different methodsto calculate welfare gains based on price data and the rate of adoption of these new colonialgoods. Our results suggest that by 1800, the average Englishman would have been willing to forego 10% or more of his income in order to maintain access to sugar and tea alone. These findings are robust to a wide range of alternative assumptions, data series, and valuation methods.

Diversity of Braconidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera) of the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil

Braconidae is a highly diversified family of Hymenoptera and usually known by their role in biological control both in agricultural and natural ecosystems. Despite of that, little is known about its diversity in the Amazon region. The present work inventoried the braconid fauna of an Open Ombrophylous Forest with Palm Trees of the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, RO. Insects were collect from June/2008 to May/2009 using six Malaise traps in different parts of the reserve. A total of 377 wasps were captured, 17 subfamilies and 56 genera identified. Braconinae, Microgastrinae, Doryctinae and Rogadinae subfamilies were very abundant, and also the genera Aleiodes, Bracon, Capitonius, Compsobracon, Heterospilus, Hymenochaonia, Opius, Pedinotus, Rogas and Stantonia. The calculated Shannon diversity index was 2.15 and 3.3 for subfamily and genera, respectively, which were, generally, higher than the values found for other regions in Brazil. Generally, parasitoids were more abundant during the rainy season. The present work contributes with new genera records and faunistic data of Braconidae in Rondonia State, western Amazon.

Diversity of Ephemeroptera (Insecta) of the Serra da Mantiqueira and Serra do Mar, southeastern Brazil

The aim of this study was to inventory the mayfly fauna, based on nymphal and alate stages, in Serra da Mantiqueira and in Serra do Mar, São Paulo State, as well as to present information about habitats used by the genera. Nymphs were collected in several streams and mesohabitats with a Surber sampler and the winged stages with light attraction methods, entomological nets, and Malaise traps. In all, eight families and 33 genera were recorded, representing a very significant portion of the Brazilian fauna (80% of families and 49% of genera). Furthermore, it was possible to identify 11 species, of which two are new records for the state: Tricorythodes santarita Traver and Caenis reissi Malzacher. Despite the high diversity recorded, the accumulation curves presented an ascending form, indicating an increase in the number of genera with additional sampling effort. The high richness found in these areas are in agreement with the high biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest biome and the sampling effort employed, which included the use of different methods, the collection of both nymphs and winged stages, and the sampling of a large area with diverse streams and habitats.

Regional diversity in the fruit sector in the European Union

This article aims to identify the key groups of regions with respectto farms oriented to fruit and citrus production.Twenty variables of fruit and citrus oriented farms corresponding toforty-one regions of the European Union were analyzed. Seven groupsemerged from cluster analysis. Only two of them showed good perspectives. Regions in the South of the Community need an important modernisation and restructuring process, which entails serious social consequences.

Correlation between placental bacterial culture results and histological chorioamnionitis: a prospective study on 376 placentas.

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between the bacteriological and histopathological findings in placentas from women with suspected or proven chorioamnionitis (CA). METHODS: Over a 1-year period, 376 placentas were prospectively collected and processed for bacteriological and pathological studies in cases of confirmed or suspected maternal or neonatal infection. RESULTS: Histological CA was diagnosed in 26.9% of placentas (101/376), and 27.7% (28/101) of these placentas had positive bacteriological cultures. A monomicrobial culture, mainly represented by Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative bacilli, was identified in 27% of the positive bacterial cultures. The proportion of positive cultures was higher (p=0.03) when CA was associated with funisitis, as compared with placental samples with early CA. In placentas without histological CA, bacteriological cultures were mostly negative (230/275), although pathogenic bacteria were identified in 16.3% of them (45/275). CONCLUSIONS: The histological and bacteriological results were concordant in about 70% of the examined placentas, with 61.1% negative cases (CA absent and negative bacterial cultures), and only 7.4% placentas with positive histological and bacteriological results. Discordant results (positive histology with negative bacteriology) were obtained in placentas with early CA documented by histology although possibly in relation with antibiotic prophylaxis and the presence of fastidious bacteria. Conversely, negative histology with positive bacteriology could be explained by the presence of an early-stage bacterial infection that has not yet led to detectable microscopic lesions.

Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus from JYG Chinese Wild Mice: Absence of Bacterial Insertion Sequences in the Cloned Viral gag Gene.

Mammary tumors of a newly isolated strain of Chinese wild mouse (JYG mouse) harbor exogenous mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV). The complete nucleotide sequence of exogenous JYG-MMTV was determined on the proviral 5' long terminal repeat (LTR)(partial)-gag-pol-env-3' LTR (partial) fragment cloned into a plasmid vector and the cDNA sequence from JYG-MMTV producing cells. Similarly to the other MMTV species the LTR of JYG-MMTV contains an open reading frame (ORF). The amino acid sequence of the JYG-MMTV ORF resembles that of SW-MMTV (92% identity) and endogenous Mtv-7 (93% identity) especially at the C-terminal region. Thus, a functional similarity in T-cell receptor V beta recognition as a superantigen is implicated among these MMTV species. Analysis of the viral gag nucleotide sequence revealed that this gene is not disrupted by the bacterial insertion sequence IS1 or IS2, which have been reported to be present in the majority of the plasmids containing the gag region. Comparison of amino acid sequences of JYG-MMTV with those of BR6-MMTV showed that over 96% of the amino acids of gag, pol, protease and env products are identical. These results suggest the intact nature of the nucleotide sequence of the near full-length MMTV genome cloned in the plasmid.

Comparative abundance and diversity of Dryininae (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) in three savannah phytophysiognomies in southeastern Brazil, under three sampling methods

Comparative abundance and diversity of Dryininae (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) in three savannah phytophysiognomies in southeastern Brazil, under three sampling methods. This study aimed to assess the abundance and diversity of Dryininae in riparian vegetation, Brazilian savannah, and savannah woodland vegetation at the Estação Ecológica de Jataí, in Luiz Antônio, State of São Paulo, Brazil, by using Moericke, Malaise, and light traps. The sampling was carried out from December 2006 to November 2009, and 371 specimens of Dryininae were caught, with the highest frequencies in spring and summer. Fourteen species of Dryinus Latreille, 1804 and one of Thaumatodryinus Perkins, 1905 were identified. The highest frequencies of Dryinus in the riparian vegetation differed significantly from those obtained in the Brazilian savannah and savannah woodland vegetation. In the riparian vegetation, the highest number of Dryinus was collected using light traps and the interactions between abundance and the collection method used were significant. The number of specimens of Dryinus collected in the Brazilian savannah and savannah woodland vegetation using Malaise traps did not differ significantly from those obtained using Moericke traps. Males significantly outnumbered females in the sex ratio of Dryinus. The species diversity of Dryinus based on females collected using Malaise traps was high in the Brazilian savannah. Furthermore, high species richness of female Dryinus was observed in riparian vegetation (six species) and Brazilian savannah (five). The light trap was the most successful method for sampling diversity of Dryininae.

Mesenteric fat-control site for bacterial translocation in colitis?

In Crohn's disease bacteria could be detected in the adjacent mesenteric fat characterized by hypertrophy of unknown function. This study aimed to define effector responses of this compartment induced by bacterial translocation during intestinal inflammation. Dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis served as a model of intestinal inflammation. Translocation of peptides and bacteria into mesenteric fat was evaluated. Innate functions of mesenteric fat and epithelium were characterized at whole tissue, cellular, and effector molecule levels. Orally applied peptides translocated in healthy wild-type (WT) mice. Bacterial translocation was not detected in healthy and acute but increased in chronic colitis. Mesenteric fat from colitic mice released elevated levels of cytokines and was infiltrated by immune cells. In MyD88(-/-) mice bacterial translocation occurred in health and increased in colitis. The exaggerated cytokine production in mesenteric fat accompanying colonic inflammation in WT mice was less distinct in MyD88(-/-) mice. In vitro studies revealed that fat not only increases cytokine production following contact with bacterial products, but also that preadipocytes are potent phagocytes. Colonic inflammation is accompanied by massive cytokine production and immune cell infiltration in adjacent adipose tissue. These effects can be considered as protective mechanisms of the mesenteric fat in the defense of bacterial translocation.

Diversity and aspects of the ecology of social wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae) in Central Amazonian "terra firme" forest

Diversity and aspects of the ecology of social wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae) in Central Amazonian "terra firme" forest. The knowledge of social wasp richness and biology in the Amazonian region is considered insufficient. Although the Amazonas state is the largest in the region, until now only two brief surveys were conducted there. Considering that the systematic inventory of an area is the first step towards its conservation and wise use, this study presents faunal data on social wasp diversity in a 25 km² area of "terra firme" (upland forest) at the Ducke Reserve, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Wasps were collected in the understory, following a protocol of three collectors walking along 60 trails 1,000 m in extension for 16 days between August and October 2010. Methods used were active search of individuals with entomological nets and nest collecting. Fifty-eight species of social wasps, allocated in 13 genera, were recorded; 67% of the collected species belong to Polybia, Agelaia and Mischocyttarus; other genera were represented by only four species or less. The most frequent species in active searches were Agelaia fulvofasciata (DeGeer, 1773), Agelaia testacea (Fabricius, 1804) and Angiopolybia pallens (Lepeletier, 1836). Twelve species were collected in nests. Prior to this study, 65 Polistinae species were deposited at the INPA Collection. Collecting in the study grid, an area not previously sampled for wasps, resulted in an increase of 25% species, and species richness was 86. According to the results, there is evidence that the diversity of social wasps at the Ducke Reserve is even higher, making it one of the richest areas in the Brazilian Amazonia.

Improved statistical analysis of low abundance phenomena in bimodal bacterial populations.

Accurate detection of subpopulation size determinations in bimodal populations remains problematic yet it represents a powerful way by which cellular heterogeneity under different environmental conditions can be compared. So far, most studies have relied on qualitative descriptions of population distribution patterns, on population-independent descriptors, or on arbitrary placement of thresholds distinguishing biological ON from OFF states. We found that all these methods fall short of accurately describing small population sizes in bimodal populations. Here we propose a simple, statistics-based method for the analysis of small subpopulation sizes for use in the free software environment R and test this method on real as well as simulated data. Four so-called population splitting methods were designed with different algorithms that can estimate subpopulation sizes from bimodal populations. All four methods proved more precise than previously used methods when analyzing subpopulation sizes of transfer competent cells arising in populations of the bacterium Pseudomonas knackmussii B13. The methods' resolving powers were further explored by bootstrapping and simulations. Two of the methods were not severely limited by the proportions of subpopulations they could estimate correctly, but the two others only allowed accurate subpopulation quantification when this amounted to less than 25% of the total population. In contrast, only one method was still sufficiently accurate with subpopulations smaller than 1% of the total population. This study proposes a number of rational approximations to quantifying small subpopulations and offers an easy-to-use protocol for their implementation in the open source statistical software environment R.