Are We Misinterpreting Seed Predation in Palms?

The inadvertent inclusion of weevil-infested seeds when evaluating seed predation by vertebrates, and particularly rodents, may lead to an overestimation of predation rates, thereby confusing the roles of rodents and invertebrates as ecological filters. A study of weevils, rodents and Syagrus romanzoffiana palm seeds indicates the usefulness of X-rays to improve evaluation of invertebrate seed predation.

Comportamento alimentar de aves em Miconia rubiginosa (Melastomataceae) em fragmento de Cerrado, São Paulo

Birds of 11 species were observed feeding on fruits of Miconia rubiginosa (Bonpl.)DL between February and March 1985 in Itirapina cerrado, State of São Paulo, Brazil. The feeding strategies of birds with regards to fruit use, and the role of the fruits as food resources for the birds in cerrado are analyzed.

Microsatellite primers for Ficus racemosa and Ficus rubiginosa

We developed 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci each for the figs Ficus (Sycomorus) racemosa and Ficus (Urostigma) rubiginosa from AG- and TG-enriched genomic libraries. These 22 loci were investigated for cross-species amplification and polymorphism in 17–21 F. racemosa and 16–24 F. rubiginosa individuals from Townsville, Australia. Observed heterozygosities range from 0.12 to 0.90 in F. racemosa and from 0.25 to 1.0 in F. rubiginosa.

Secondary Metabolites of Miconia rubiginosa

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

Rosa rubiginosa L.

Von Christ

Mapping Intercellular CO2 Mole Fraction (Ci) in Rosa rubiginosa Leaves Fed with Abscisic Acid by Using Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging1 : Significance of Ci Estimated from Leaf Gas Exchange

Imaging of photochemical yield of photosystem II (PSII) computed from leaf chlorophyll fluorescence images and gas-exchange measurements were performed on Rosa rubiginosa leaflets during abscisic acid (ABA) addition. In air ABA induced a decrease of both the net CO2 assimilation (An) and the stomatal water vapor conductance (gs). After ABA treatment, imaging in transient nonphotorespiratory conditions (0.1% O2) revealed a heterogeneous decrease of PSII photochemical yield. This decline was fully reversed by a transient high CO2 concentration (7400 μmol mol−1) in the leaf atmosphere. It was concluded that ABA primarily affected An by decreasing the CO2 supply at ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Therefore, the An versus intercellular mole fraction (Ci) relationship was assumed not to be affected by ABA, and images of Ci and gs were constructed from images of PSII photochemical yield under nonphotorespiratory conditions. The distribution of gs remained unimodal following ABA treatment. A comparison of calculations of Ci from images and gas exchange in ABA-treated leaves showed that the overestimation of Ci estimated from gas exchange was only partly due to heterogeneity. This overestimation was also attributed to the cuticular transpiration, which largely affects the calculation of the leaf conductance to CO2, when leaf conductance to water is low.

Population dynamics of Tachigali rubiginosa (Mart. ex Tul.). Oliveira-Filho (Fabaceae) (2007-2014) in the Forest Gallery / Ecotone / Campo Sujo transition at Água Limpa Farm, Federal District, Brazil.

2016

Novas espécies de Desmiphorini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) da Costa Rica e do Equador

Novas espécies são descritas: Eupogonius lateralis sp. nov., Estola nigrodorsalis sp. nov., Pseudestoloides rubiginosa sp. nov de Heredia (Costa Rica); Pseudestoloides affinis sp. nov. de Guanacaste and Puntarenas (Costa Rica); Mimopogonius hovorei sp. nov. de Azuay (Equador).

Antimicrobial activity of Miconia species (melastomataceae)

This work evaluated the antimicrobial activity of the methanol and chloroform extracts of the leaves of Miconia cabucu, Miconia rubiginosa, and Miconia stenostachya using the disc-diffusion method. The results obtained showed that the methanol extracts of the leaves of M. rubiginosa and M. stenostachya and the chloroform extract of the leaves of M. cabucu presented antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms.

Trypanosoma cruzi-like bloodstream trypomastigotes in bats from the State of Piauí, Northeastern Brazil

One-hundred and thirty-five bats from 12 species were examined for thepresence of trypomastigotes by means of direct blood examination, xenodiagnosis, and hemoculture. Of those, 44 specimens (32.6%) from 8 species were infected with trypanosomes. Phyllostomus discolor discolor presented the highest rate of infection, being captured only in one locality, while Phyllostomus hastatus hastatus captured in four localities showed high rates. Two species, Anoura geoffroyii and Pteronotus (Phillodia) pamelli rubiginosa, were found infected by T. cruzi-like trypanosomes, apparently described for thefirst time. Flagellates from Artibeus jamaisensis jamaisensisa and A. geoffroyii were able toproduce detectable parasitaemia in young mice. One triatomine bug was found infected in natural conditions, Triatoma brasiliensis was associated with a P.h. hastatus colony, in which six captured bats were also found infected.

Gradiente florístico das florestas secundárias do Nordeste Paraense

O presente estudo descreve um gradiente florístico de uma cronosequência de florestas secundárias do Nordeste Paraense, a partir de 19 sítios de diferentes idades, avaliados em diferentes anos. Foram usados os dados de densidade e realizada análise de regressão para riqueza, diversidade, densidade, densidade relativa máxima e equibilidade em relação à idade. Foi usado o método de análise de agrupamento hierárquico, sendo a distância euclidiana utilizada como medida de dissimilaridade e aplicada uma Análise de Componente Principal (PCA) para confirmação dos grupos. Após a definição dos grupos, foi feita a análise indicadora de espécies (IndVal) sobre a mesma matriz utilizada para análise de agrupamento. Encontrou-se um gradiente geográfico na cronosequência analisada e as espécies Tapirira guianensis, Vismia guianensis, Inga alba, Lacistema aggregatum, Croton maturensis, Abarema jupunba, Inga rubiginosa, Guateria poepigiana e Thyrsodium paraense, são indicadoras das florestas secundárias do Nordeste Paraense analisadas neste estudo.

Estudo comparativo de técnicas de screening para avaliação da atividade anti-bacteriana de extratos brutos de espécies vegetais e de substâncias puras

In this work, the effectiveness of four screening techniques (three techniques of the diffusion method and one microdilution broth method) were compared. Evaluated were the ethanolic and dichloromethanic extracts of Miconia rubiginosa (Melastomataceae) against six standard bacteria (ATCC). The results showed statistical disagreement among the three diffusion techniques. Among the diffusion techniques, the well technique displayed the best result. However the microdilution broth method demonstrated to be the most adequate method to evaluate the antibacterial activity of plant crude extracts and pure compounds when compared to the other methodologies.

Chuva de sementes em remanescentes florestais de Campo Verde, MT

O objetivo deste trabalho consistiu em avaliar sazonalmente a produção de sementes provenientes de fragmentos florestais presentes na zona rural de Campo Verde, MT. Essa caracterização ocorreu em termos de produção de sementes e riqueza de espécies vegetais. Foram selecionados três fragmentos florestais caracterizados como Floresta Estacional Semidecidual. Em cada fragmento, cinco coletores foram instalados e confeccionados com canos de PVC (1 m²; malha de náilon de 0,001 m e 0,15 m de profundidade do bojo). O material foi coletado mensalmente, cujas sementes foram quantificadas e separadas conforme a síndrome de dispersão, etapa sucessional e forma de vida. Houve a determinação da densidade, frequência absoluta, índice de diversidade e equitabilidade. Ao todo, foram obtidas 3.622 sementes, pertencentes a 74 táxons. Maiores densidades de sementes foram observadas durante os meses de setembro, outubro e novembro. As lianas Gouania sp., Fridericia speciosa, Heteropterys sp. e Distictella sp. responderam com 55,95% do total de sementes aportadas. Das espécies que compuseram a chuva de sementes, 74% não são dispersas pelo vento. Todavia, quando se verificou a quantidade de diásporos coletados, formas dispersas pelo vento foram predominantes, representando 76% do total. Citam-se como táxons arbóreos importantes para a recomposição florestal na região de Campo Verde, situada no Sudeste de Mato Grosso: Tachigali rubiginosa, Siparuna guianensis, Nectandra sp., Cordia alliodora, Alibertia sp., Terminalia brasiliensis e Myrcia sp. Essas espécies devem ser alvo de estudos mais específicos relacionados ao seu potencial para recuperação de ambientes degradados, considerando-se as Áreas de Preservação Permanente e Reservas Legais.

Characterization of microsatellite markers for Sycoscapter nonpollinating fig wasps

We isolated 18 microsatellites from Sycoscapter australis, a nonpollinating fig wasp that develops in figs of Ficus macrophylla, and assessed their variability in 20 wasps. We further optimized nine of these loci for use in three other Sycoscapter species that develop in Ficus rubiginosa figs and assessed their variability in 47-140 wasps per species. These are the first microsatellites developed for nonpollinating fig wasps and show sufficient polymorphism to become important tools in evolutionary and genetical studies of Sycoscapter wasps.

Male morphology and dishonest signalling in a fig wasp

Despite theoretical predictions, dishonest signalling has rarely been observed in aggressive interactions. We present evidence of such signalling in the nonpollinating. g wasp Philotrypesis sp. A ex Ficus rubiginosa. First, morphometric data indicated that an alternative 'atypical' male morph (17.8% of individuals) exists that tends to be larger in body size and has longer mandibles for a given body size than other 'typical' males. Second, behavioural observations suggested that males use mandible gape width (which depends on mandible length) as a cue to assess opponents before fights and retreat without escalating if they are unlikely to win, and, probably because their greater mandible gape width causes more opponents to retreat without escalating, that atypical males engaged in fewer fights than typical males for a given body size but had higher mating success. Third, atypical males were less likely to win fights than typical males of similar mandible length relative to opponents. In addition, we found that atypical males incur more injuries (greater receiver-dependent signal costs) than typical males of similar body size relative to rivals. We discuss the implications of our findings for future work on dishonest signalling. (C) 2009 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.