Variação no tamanho corpóreo e cantos de anúncio de hilídeos (ANURA) na Serra do Mar

Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal - IBILCE

Diversidade de anfibios da floresta com Araucária

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Mucorales de solo contaminado com metais pesados na região do pólo cerâmico de Santa Gertrudes, SP: ocorrência e capacidade de biossorção de chumbo e zinco

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Microbiologia Aplicada) - IBRC

Estudos cromossômicos em anuros das famílias Hylidae rafinesque, 1815 e Leptodactylidae werner, 1896 (Amphibia: Anura)

Embora exista uma grande diversidade de complementos cromossômicos em Leptodactylidae (2n = 18 a 2n = 26) e Hylidae (2n = 20 a 2n = 32), a elevada fragmentação de dados limita o acesso a informações sobre as origens e os mecanismos responsáveis por esta diversidade. Isto provavelmente tem influenciado que os dados citogenéticos tenham sido principalmente utilizados na caracterização do status de espécies mais do que incluídos amplamente em análises filogenéticas. Este trabalho aborda, por meio de dados citogenéticos, aspectos evolutivos de três grandes grupos de anuros de ampla distribuição na região Neotropical. O gênero Leptodactylus é agrupado com Hydrolaetare, Paratelmatobius e Scythrophrys na família Leptodactylidae. Os antecedentes cromossômicos neste gênero indicam variações nos números diplóides de 2n = 18 a 2n = 26, assim como variações nos números fundamentais (número de braços autossômicos, NF) e nas posições das Regiões Organizadoras do Nucléolo (NOR). Os resultados das análises de 26 espécies de Leptodactylus empregando diversas técnicas representa, provavelmente, a análise citogenética mais inclusiva realizada no gênero Leptodactylus até o momento, e os resultados constituem um marco para a proposição de hipóteses consistentes de evolução cromossômica no gênero. A tribo Lophyiohylini agrupa atualmente 81 espécies distribuídas em 10 gêneros. A informação citogenética é escassa e restrita apenas a 12 espécies. São aqui apresentados comparativamente dados citogenéticos em espécies dos gêneros Argenteohyla, Itapotihyla, Phyllodytes, Trachycephalus e Osteocephalus. Os resultados indicam que, com exceção de O. buckleyi (2n = 26; NF = 50) e P. edelmoi (2n = 22; NF = 44), todas as demais espécies analisadas coincidem com os dados citogenéticos disponíveis, que indicam um 2n = 24 (NF = 48) na maioria das espécies cariotipadas, com NOR e constrições secundarias (CS) localizadas no par 11. Entretanto, em Phyllodytes edelmoi e Argentohyla siemersi pederseni, essas regiões localizam-se nos pares 2 e 5, respectivamente. Blocos heterocromáticos foram associados às CS adicionais (sítios frágeis) em Osteocephalus, mas não em Trachycephalus. Dados citogenéticos nos gêneros Nyctimantis e Tepuihyla, assim como técnicas com maior poder de resolução e estudos mais inclusivos, são necessários para compreender melhor a evolução cromossômica da tribo. A tribo Dendropsophini atualmente agrupa os gêneros Scinax, Pseudis, Scarthyla, Sphaenorhynchus, Xenohyla e Dendropsophus. Os dados citogenéticos registrados em todos os gêneros revelaram uma elevada diversidade cariotípica com grandes variações nos números diplóides (2n = 22 em Scarthyla; 2n = 24 em Scinax e Xenohyla; 2n = 24, 24 +1-2B e 26 em Sphaenorhynchus; 2n = 24 e 28 em Pseudis; e, 2n = 30 em Dendropsophus). O 2n = 24 observado em X. truncata indica que o 2n = 30constitui uma sinapomorfia do gênero Dendropsophus. A localização das NOR no par 7 é uma característica compartilhada por espécies dos gêneros Scarthyla, Xenohyla, Pseudis e Sphaenorhynchus, com algumas exceções nos dois últimos (P. caraya e S. carneus). Entretanto, o gênero Dendropsophus exibe uma interessante diversidade em relação a número e localização das NOR. Por outro lado, a distribuição de heterocromatina apresentou padrões variáveis, particularmente gênero Pseudis. Embora exista uma excepcional variação cromossômica neste grupo, a informação fragmentária em alguns gêneros dificulta a formulação de hipóteses consistentes sobre o papel dos cromossomos na evolução do grupo.

Ecologia de Lithobates catesbeianus (SHAW, 1802) e relações com anfíbios da região de Botucatu, SP (Amphibia, Anura)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo comparativo da taxocenose de anuros de quatro municípios do Lagamar Paulista

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

Helmintofauna associativa à anfíbios da Ilha Anchieta, litoral norte do estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia) - IBB

Chromosome Evolution in Dendropsophini (Amphibia, Anura, Hylinae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Screening, immobilization and utilization of whole cell biocatalysts to mediate the ethanolysis of babassu oil

The screening. biomass growth of lipase-producing fungus isolated from different sources and available at URM (University Recife Mycologia). as well as, the immobilization and utilization of the whole cells for the transesterification of babassu oil were investigated. Rhizopus oryzae (URM 3231, 4692), Mucor circinelloides (URM 4140, 4182) and Penicillium citrinum URM 4216 were considered to be good intracellular lipase producers whereas those from Mucor hiemalis URM 4144 and Mucor piriformis URM 4145 were weaker. Fungi biomass containing high lipase activities was immobilized on different biomass support particles (BSPs) and with the exception of Penicillium citrinum URM 4216 all the other fungi strains exhibited high lipase activity (20-50 Ug(-1)) when immobilized in situ using polyurethane foam particles. Transesterification activities of the immobilized whole cells were evaluated in the ethanolysis reaction with babassu oil and the highest performance was attained by M. circinelloides URM 4182 giving 83.22 +/- 3.68% ester yield in less than 96 h reaction. The biocatalyst operational stability was also assessed and an inactivation profile was found to follow the Arrhenius model, revealing values of 26 days and 2.6 x 10(-2)day(-1), for half-life and a deactivation coefficient, respectively. The purified product (biodiesel) exhibited viscosity (6.63 cSt) close to the value to attend specifications by the ASTM 06751 to be used as biofuel. Results are favorable compared with data already reported in the literature and demonstrated that M. circinelloides URM 4182 whole cells is a cheaper biocatalyst that can be used in the biodiesel synthesis. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Water balance and spatial distribution of an anuran community from Brazil

Terrestrial amphibians may dehydrate when exposed to low humidity, representing an important factor affecting spatial distribution and community composition. In this study we investigated whether rates of dehydration and rehydration are able to explain the spatial distribution of an anuran community in a Restinga environment at the northern coast of the State of Bahia, Brazil, represented by 11 species distributed in 27 sample units. The environmental data set containing 20 variables was reduced to a few synthetic axes by principal component analysis (PCA). Physiological variables measured were rates of dehydration, rehydration from water, and rehydration from a neutral substrate. Multiple regression analyses were used to test the null hypothesis of no association between the environmental data set (synthetic axes of PCA) and each axis representative of a physiological variable, which was rejected (P < 0.001). Of 15 possible partial regressions only rehydration rate from neutral substrate vs. PC1. and PC2, rehydration rate from water vs. PC1, and dehydration rate vs. PC2 were significant. Our analysis was influenced by a gradient between two different groups of sample units: a beach area with high density of bromeliads and an environment without bodies of water with low density of bromeliads. Species of very specific natural history and morphological characters occur in these environments: Phyllodytes melanomystax and Scinax auratus, species frequently occurring in terrestrial bromeliads, and Ischnocnema paulodutrai, common along the northern coast of Bahia and usually found in forest remnants within environments with low number of bodies of water. In dry environments species with lower rates of dehydration were dominant, whereas species showing greater rates of dehydration were found predominantly in microhabitats with greater moisture or abundance of bodies of water.

Diatom biostratigraphy and datum levels of sediments from ODP Leg 167 sites

Ocean Drilling Program Leg 167 represents the first time since 1978 that the North American Pacific margin was drilled to study ocean history. More than 7500 m of Quaternary to middle Miocene (14 Ma) sediments were recovered from 13 sites, representing the most complete stratigraphic sequence on the California margin. Diatoms are found in most samples in variable abundance and in a moderately well-preserved state throughout the sequence, and they are often dominated by robust, dissolution-resistant species. The Neogene North Pacific diatom zonation of Yanagisawa and Akiba (1998, doi:10.5575/geosoc.104.395) best divides the Miocene to Quaternary sequences, and updated ages of diatom biohorizons estimated based on the geomagnetic polarity time scale of Cande and Kent (1995, doi:10.1029/94JB03098) are slightly revised to adjust the differences between the other zonations. Most of the early middle Miocene through Pleistocene diatom datum levels that have been proven to be of stratigraphic utility in the North Pacific appear to be nearly isochronous within the level of resolution constrained by sample spacing. The assemblages are characterized by species typical of middle-to-high latitudes and regions of high surface-water productivity, predominantly by Coscinodiscus marginatus, Stephanopyxis species, Proboscia barboi, and Thalassiothrix longissima. Latest Miocene through Pliocene assemblages in the region of the California Current, however, are intermediate between those of subarctic and subtropical areas. As a result, neither the existing tropical nor the subarctic (high latitude) zonal schemes were applicable for this region. An interval of pronounced diatom dissolution detected throughout the Pliocene sequence apparently correspond to a relatively warmer paleoceanographic condition resulting in a slackening of the southward flow of the California Current.

(Table 3) Collembola species density and diversity in control and OTC plots near Abisco Research Station

Ecosystems at high northern latitudes are subject to strong climate change. Soil processes, such as carbon and nutrient cycles, which determine the functioning of these ecosystems, are controlled by soil fauna. Thus assessing the responses of soil fauna communities to environmental change will improve the predictability of the climate change impacts on ecosystem functioning. For this purpose, trait assessment is a promising method compared to the traditional taxonomic approach, but it has not been applied earlier. In this study the response of a sub-arctic soil Collembola community to long-term (16 years) climate manipulation by open top chambers was assessed. The drought-susceptible Collembola community responded strongly to the climate manipulation, which substantially reduced soil moisture and slightly increased soil temperature. The total density of Collembola decreased by 51% and the average number of species was reduced from 14 to 12. Although community assessment showed species-specific responses, taxonomically based community indices, species diversity and evenness, were not affected. However, morphological and ecological trait assessments were more sensitive in revealing community responses. Drought-tolerant, larger-sized, epiedaphic species survived better under the climate manipulation than their counterparts, the meso-hydrophilic, smaller-sized and euedaphic species. Moreover it also explained the significant responses shown by four taxa. This study shows that trait analysis can both reveal responses in a soil fauna community to climate change and improve the understanding of the mechanisms behind them.

Soil characteristics and Collembola and Acari abundance in control and warming plots at Abisco Research Station

Extreme weather events can have negative impacts on species survival and community structure when surpassing lethal thresholds. Extreme winter warming events in the Arctic rapidly melt snow and expose ecosystems to unseasonably warm air (2-10 °C for 2-14 days), but returning to cold winter climate exposes the ecosystem to lower temperatures by the loss of insulating snow. Soil animals, which play an integral part in soil processes, may be very susceptible to such events depending on the intensity of soil warming and low temperatures following these events. We simulated week-long extreme winter warming events - using infrared heating lamps, alone or with soil warming cables - for two consecutive years in a sub-Arctic dwarf shrub heathland. Minimum temperatures were lower and freeze-thaw cycles were 2-11 times more frequent in treatment plots compared with control plots. Following the second event, Acari populations decreased by 39%; primarily driven by declines of Prostigmata (69%) and the Mesostigmatic nymphs (74%). A community-weighted vertical stratification shift occurred from smaller soil dwelling (eu-edaphic) Collembola species dominance to larger litter dwelling (hemi-edaphic) species dominance in the canopy-with-soil warming plots compared with controls. The most susceptible groups to these winter warming events were the smallest individuals (Prostigmata and eu-edaphic Collembola). This was not apparent from abundance data at the Collembola taxon level, indicating that life forms and species traits play a major role in community assembly following extreme events. The observed shift in soil community can cascade down to the micro-flora affecting plant productivity and mineralization rates. Short-term extreme weather events have the potential to shift community composition through trait composition with potentially large consequences for ecosystem development.

Diatoms and Silicoflagellates from ODP Hole 114-699A and Site 114-704

The stratigraphic ranges and relative abundances of selected diatoms and silicoflagellates are presented from three Neogene sedimentary sequences from the subantarctic South Atlantic. These data were compiled from Hole 699A in the southwest South Atlantic and Holes 704A and 704B in the southeast South Atlantic. Thirty-five samples were examined from a 67.5-m section of Hole 699A, which is mostly late Miocene or younger in age. A total of 225 samples was examined from the upper 569.1-m lower Miocene to Quaternary section in Holes 704A and 704B. Although the partial census of the Site 704 sequences is only preliminary, it reveals that the Neogene is remarkably complete and serves as a reference for further detailed examination of an important biostratigraphic-magnetostratigraphic reference section for the Neogene record of the Southern Ocean.

Middle Miocene to Quaternary diatom biostratigraphy of DSDP Site 90-594

A diatom biostratigraphy is presented for middle Miocene through Quaternary sediments recovered from the Chatham Rise east of New Zealand's South Island. The upper 590 m of the 639.5-m composite-section Site 594 represents approximately 16 m.y. and is characterized by moderately to very poorly preserved diatoms of antarctic to temperate affinity. Pliocene through Quaternary assemblages are poorly preserved and dominated by antarctic-subantarctic species which provide detailed biostratigraphic control. Recognized are 11 of 14 zones of the middle upper Miocene to Quaternary Neogene Southern Ocean diatom zonation (NSD 7-NSD 20) of Ciesielski (1983; this chapter). Four Neogene Southern Ocean diatom zones (NSD 3-NSD 6) are recognized in the lower middle Miocene to middle upper Miocene of Site 594. Assemblages of this interval have a mixed high-latitude and temperate affinity; however, poor preservation limits correlation to high- and temperate-latitude zonal schemes. Neogene North Pacific diatom zones and subzones of NNPD 3 through NNPD 5 (Barron, in press, b) are correlated to Neogene Southern Ocean diatom zones NSD 3 through NSD 7: the upper portions of the Actinocyclus ingens Zone (NNPD 3) is correlative to the upper Nitzschia maleinterpretaria Zone (NSD 3); the Denticulopsis lauta Zone (NNPD 4) and Subzones a and b are correlative to the lower Coscinodiscus lewisianus Zone (NSD 4); and the D. hustedtü-D. lauta Zone (NNPD 5) and its Subzones a through d encompass the upper C. lewisianus Zone (NSD 4), N. grossepunctata Zone (NSD 5), N. denticuloides Zone (NSD 6), and the lower D. hustedtii-D. lauta Zone (NSD 7). A major disconformity spans the late Gilbert to early Gauss Chron (3.9-2.8 Ma). A second disconformity brackets the Miocene/Pliocene boundary; the section missing covers late Chron 5 and the early Gilbert chron (5.5-4.6 Ma). The remainder of the siliceous-fossil-bearing Miocene sediments at Site 594 appear to be correlative to lower paleomagnetic Chronozone 5 through upper Chronozone 16. Uppermost lower Miocene or lowermost middle Miocene sediments in the basal 50 m of Hole 594A are barren of diatoms.