Boto cinza (Sotalia guianensis, Van Benédén, 1864) (Cetacea, Delphinidae): Atividade aérea, forrageio e interações inter-específicas, na Praia de Pipa (Tibau do Sul RN) e estudo comparativo entre duas populações do Nordeste do Brasil

Sotalia guianensis is a small cetacean of the Delphinidae family, with coastal habits and whose area of distribution ranges from Florianópolis (27º35'S, 48º34'W), in Brazil, to Honduras (15º58'N, 85º42'W). At Pipa beach, on the south coast of RN state, in Brazil, the species occur throughout the year. The present study was carried out in two bays, which are bordered by cliffs. The animals were monitored from vantage points, using the "Ad libitum" and "all the occurrences" methods; during the years of 1999 and 2004. The study was divided in 4 chapters: Behavioral standards of two populations of gray dolphin, (Sotalia guianensis, Van Benédén, 1864) in the northeast of Brazil; Aerial activity of the gray dolphin: its possible function and the influence of environmental and behavioral factors; The influence of daily and monthly variation of the tides, of the period of the day and group size on the gray dolphin forage activity; kleptoparasitism interactions of frigatebird (Fregata magnificens, Mattheus, 1914) during the gray dolphin forage activity. The results have shown that the gray dolphin has a varied and complex behavioral repertoire. The leap is the most frequent behavior; the aerial activity is diffuse during daylight and is influenced by some factors, such as the level of the tide and social factors. The gray dolphin, when in the bay, most frequently feeds isolate or in small groups. The forage is diffuse during daylight; however, being more frequent in the morning and is influenced by the daily and monthly variation of the tide. At Pipa beach, kleptoparasitarian interactions were registered between the gray dolphin and the frigatebird (Fregata magnificens). The frigatebird forage strategy consists basically of two ways: to fly over great extensions searching for dead fish and to steal food (kleptoparasitism). These interactions were predominantly carried out between immature and female adult birds and adult and immature dolphins, and occurred during daylight. The present study can be considered an initial landmark to a better knowledge on the gray dolphin surface behavior, especially regarding the aerial behavioral repertoire and forage strategy of this species. However, it is necessary to continue these studies, so that we can understand better the complex social life of these animals and thus create effective measures for its conservation

Ritmo de atividade de forrageio de Dinoponera quadríceps em ambiente natural

In order to characterize the seasonal and daily rhythm of Dinoponera quadriceps foraging activity in natural environment, four colonies of D. quadriceps were observed in an area of secondary Atlantic forest in northeastern Brazil. Data collection was performed during 72 hours every three months during an annual cycle. Colonies of D. quadriceps exhibited seasonal variation in foraging activity, peaking in the early dry season, followed by a sudden decline at the end of this season and increasing again at the late rainy season. The seasonal rhythm of foraging was positively related to the duration of the daylight and luminosity, and negatively to the time of sunrise and rainfall. Regarding the daily rhythm, foraging activity was predominantly diurnal independent of season. At the early dry season, the colonies had two activity peaks, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, with a decrease in foraging at midday, while in the rest of the year foraging activity was distributed more evenly throughout the daylight. The daily rhythm of foraging activity had a stronger and positive relation with light intensity. The second most important factor determining the daily rhythm of foraging was temperature that was also positively related for most of the year. Relative humidity showed a weak and negative relation with the daily rhythm of foraging in just one month of observation

Atividade de forrageio de trachymyrmex tucumanus FOREL, 1914 (hymenoptera, formicidae) em áreas antropizadas

As formigas da tribo Attini são especializadas na produção de fungos com os quais possuem uma relação de mutualismo, e para tanto, possuem várias estratégias de forrageamento de substrato de acordo com o gênero. Sabe-se que a atividade de forrageio é um comportamento social que varia sob influência de diversos fatores ambientais, tais como a estação do ano, temperatura, umidade relativa, estágio de desenvolvimento do ninho e período de reprodução. Neste contexto, ainda se conhece muito pouco sobre as técnicas utilizadas pelas formigas do gênero Trachymyrmex para busca de alimento. Por esta razão, o objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a atividade de forrageio e coleta de substrato por colônias de Trachymyrmex tucumanus em áreas antropizadas, verificando o período do ano e do dia em que a atividade ocorre com maior intensidade, e quais as categorias de alimentos coletados por esse grupo de formigas. Durante o estudo, que transcorreu de dezembro de 2009 à setembro de 2010, foram acompanhados 10 ninhos, quatro por estação, sendo que alguns se repetiram em diferentes estações. No total foram feitos quatro dias de observações, um a cada três meses. Foi feita a contagem de operárias que entram no ninho a cada 2h por 20 minutos consecutivos com auxílio de um contador. Ao longo das observações foi possível identificar um padrão de atividade que se intensifica no final da tarde, quando a temperatura do solo é mais amena e a umidade do ar aumenta. Quando comparada a atividade de busca das operárias ao decorrer do ano constatou-se uma queda na atividade conforme se aproxima o período de seca. A maior atividade de forrageio se deu durante a primavera e o verão, que são estações mais chuvosas. Através da observação do material coletado pelas operárias foi possível identificar materiais vegetais, tais como, folhas secas, sementes, casca de frutas e algumas folhas verdes de gramíneas

Atividade de morcegos em cinco hábitats de uma paisagem fragmentada de Floresta Atlântica do sul do Brasil

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

Otimização no uso de martelos e bigornas para quebrar sementes por macacos prego (Cebus flavius e C. libidinosus) no Bioma Caatinga

Recently, capuchin monkeys (Cebus spp.) inhabitants of dry environments and with restriction of fleshy fruits, have been the subject of several studies regarding the use of instruments. During behaviour of using stones to crack open nuts there is evidence of selection of more effective hammers, as well as selection of anvils related to reducing the risk of predation. The aim of this study was to determine whether two groups of capuchin monkeys (C.flavius and and C.libidinosus) inhabitants of the Caatinga of Rio Grande do Norte make choice of hammers and anvils. The record of weight and location of stones indicated active choices of with what (choice of hammers) and where (selection of anvils) to crack open encapsulated seeds. The choice of hammers to break nuts depended on the type and degree of ripeness seed. Thus, smaller seeds were smashed with lighter hammers and larger seeds with heavier hammers. Still, C. flavius was the only species that presented a refinement in the choice of hammers that depended on the ripeness of seeds. For both species of capuchin monkeys studied, the nut-crack sites were not spread in accordance with the spatial distribution of seed-producing species, suggesting that the capuchin monkeys promote active choice of anvils. Thus, in environments with more escape routes through the trees, the nut-crack sites were found further apart than in regions that had less chance of escape through the trees. Also, there was a difference in the spacing of the anvils to depend on the type of seed: sites used to crack larger and more caloric seeds were found farther apart than the sites used to crack smaller and less caloric seeds, suggesting a pattern of avoiding direct competition. We conclude that the capuchin monkeys maximize energy savings and reduced risk of predation and the costs of food competition during the behaviour of using stones to crack open nuts

Preferential consumption of larger fruits of Piper arboreum (Piperaceae) by Carollia perspicillata (Phyllostomidae) in the Brazilian tropical dry forest

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Decisões comportamentais em contexto de forrageamento de dinoponera quadriceps

The behavioral decisions of animals do not occur randomly, because behaviors are adjusted to ensure the survival and reproduction of the animal. In this research, I examined behavioral decisions in the foraging context of the ant Dinoponera quadriceps with regard to orientation, food avaliation and foraging dynamic to individual level. The study was conducted at the Laboratory of Behavioral Biology at UFRN and in an area of secondary Atlantic Forest in FLONA-ICMBio Nísia Floresta/RN. In all observations and experiments, ants were marked individually with an alphanumeric code label fixed on the thorax. In the first part of the study, I analyzed the orientation cues used by D. quadriceps. The tests were performed in a maze of 17 compartments. Each forager was tested for 10 min in three sessions for six different treatments. The treatments consisted of the presence or absence of odor and superior or frontal visual cues. The workers demonstrated that the presence of odor is indispensable and front visual cues are more effective than superior visual cues. In the second part, I investigated the discrimination of food, considering the parameters, size, weight and volume. In a 'cafeteria' experiment, I offered cylindrical pieces of food (mortadella) in a Petri dish, within an experimental arena 1m². Initially, the pieces were of four different sizes; in a second step, the pieces were of the same size but with different weight; in the last step, the pieces had the same weight but different volumes. The results showed the effect of the size and weight parameters for food choice. In the third part of the study, I evaluated the influence of the activity of active foragers on inactive ones. In this part, the colonies were observed in a natural environment. The observations took place on three consecutive days in 10 episodes, total of 30 days for each colony, 12 hours/day. On the first day, I registered the output and input of workers; on the second day, the most active ants on the first day were taken and given back at the end of the observations; on the third day, the observations were similar to the first day. As a result, the workers of D. quadriceps show autostimulation and they do not show social facilitation and the colony compensates the absence of the most active workers. Based on the stated, I conclude that workers of D. quadriceps use chemical, frontal and superior visual orientation cues during their displacements. They discriminate the chosen food by size and weight. The regulation of activity dynamics of foragers is by autostimulation, an active worker does not influence the activity of an inactive worker, the successful search previous is the stimulus to the successful worker itself to continue foraging activity.

Ritmo circadiano de atividade motora e distribuição diária dos comportamentos afiliativos ao longo da fase juvenil em saguis (callithrix jacchus)

The temporal allocation of the active phase in relation to light and dark cycle (LD) changes during puberty in humans, degus, rats and rhesus. In marmosets, the animal model used in several biomedical researches, there is evidence of a delay at the beginning of the active phase and an increase in total daily activity after onset of puberty. However, as this aspect was evaluated in animals maintained in natural environmental conditions, it was not possible to distinguish between the effects of puberty and of seasonality. Furthermore, as motor activity is the result of different behaviors in this species, it is also important to characterize the diurnal distribution of other behaviors in juvenile stage. With the aim of characterizing the circadian rhythm of motor activity and the diurnal profile of affiliative behavior in marmosets, the motor activity of 5 dyads juveniles between 4 and 12 months of age and their parents was recorded continuously for actímetro. The families were maintained under artificial LD 12:12 h, constant temperature and humidity. The duration of grooming behavior, proximity and social play among juveniles was recorded 2 times a week in sessions of 15 minutes each hour of the active phase. Afetr onset of puberty in juvenile, it was observed that there was no change in the parameters of circadian motor activity rhythm which were common to most animals. Despite the absence of pubertal modulation, it was observed that the circadian activity profiles have stronger synchrony between individuals of the same family than that of different families, which may indicate that the circadian activity rhythm was modulated by the dynamics of social interactions. In relation to age, the total daily activity and the ratio between evening and morning activity (EA/MA) were higher in juveniles than in adults, which may be associated with differences in the circadian timing system between age groups. Furthermore, the onset of the 10 consecutive hours of higher activity (M10) occurred earlier in adult males than in other members of the group, probably as a way to avoid competition for resources in one of the first activities of the day that is foraging. During the juvenile stage, there was an increase in total daily activity that may be associated with increased motor ability of juveniles. In addition to the circadian activity rhythm, the daytime profile of proximity and social play behaviors was similar between the 5th and 12th month of life of juveniles, in which the interval between 7- 10 h in the morning showed the highest values of proximity and lower values of play social. Moreover, the duration of the grooming showed a similar distribution to adults from the 8th month, wherein the higher values occurring at the interval between 11 14 h of day. Considering the results, the parameters of the circadian activity rhythm had a greater influence of social factors than puberty. In relation to age, there were no changes related to the allocation of the active phase in relation to the LD cycle, but total daily activity, the ratio AV/AM and the start of the M10 is possible to observe differences between juveniles and adults

Estudo sobre orçamento de atividade do Boto Cinza (Sotalia guianensis) no litoral sul do Rio Grande do Norte

A fundamental analysis on Behavioral Ecology is the construction of Activities Budget, which can be defined as the quantification of the time that each animal uses in activities that are important for its survival and reproduction. Initially developed for theoretical studies about Optimal Foraging, the construction of Activities Budgets has recently being used for analyses in Conservation Biology. However, the measurement of behavior through an adequate methodology that allows the comparison between different samples is a challenge for researchers in the area of Ethology. This problem is even bigger for the students of cetaceans behavior due to the difficulty of visualization of these animals. The present work deals with two aspects of the specialized literature on cetaceans: i) it explores possible variations of results in quantification of behavioral states decurrent of the application of different methods of data collection, and ii) it describes the activity budget of a population of Sotalia guianensis that inhabits coastal waters, south Rio Grande do Norte. The results showed that the use different methods of data collection result in significant differences, but of small scale, in the quantification of the behavioral frequency. The activity budget of Sotalia in the area here analyzed was similar to that described for other populations of this species inhabiting typically estuarine habitats. Tide and day-hour did not influence the dolphin s behavior, however, significant differences were found related to the position of the animals within the area. These results are discussed considering the dietary and behavioral flexibility of the species, contributing to the scientific knowledge and offering information that will be useful in comparative studies and for analyses on the determination of areas for species conservation

Variação diária e anual de freqüência e atividade do Boto Cinza Sotalia guianensis em Pipa, Nordeste do Brasil

The aim of this study was to investigate the daily and annual variation in frequency and in activity of an estuarine dolphin population, Sotalia guianensis, in Brazilian northeastern. Thus we estimated the daily variation and seasonality in frequency of adult and immature and in behavior of socialization, aerial activity, foraging of a boto equatorial population in the Curral inlet (6º13 00 S; 35º3 36 W). We detect some variation. Thus we associate the daily variation with daily period, tide fluctuation and annual season. And the seasonality variation we associate with the fotoperíodo and precipitation variation. From October 1999 to September 2003, through collect four times at month, we made instantaneous record at each five minute in six hours of survey. The surveys hours were ranged into light time of 24 hours, that is, between 06:00 and 17:00 o clock. These observations were developed simultaneous for two observers in a land-based survey at coastline cliff top of which observer have a fully visualization of whole inlet. We found that animals were more active and frequent during the morning. They were more active during low tide than high tide. However they did not show association with tide. We found yet that in a period from June to November (winter-spring) there was the highest socialization, aerial activity and foraging frequency. However adult and immature individual number did not have significance variation along the year. The larger concentration of this behaviors were not associate with photoperiod neither precipitation in the region. These results showed the existence of behavioral daily variation and seasonality in a species that live in equatorial region

Propondo um problema de forrageio como meio de enriquecer o cativeiro: um estudo comparativo de duas espécies de primatas brasileiros (Callithrix penicillata e Saguinus imperator)

O presente estudo analisou a influência de um simples aparelho que simulou o forrageamento ativo por insetos, funcionando como um alimentador enigmático denominado puzzle, sobre o comportamento de duas espécies de calitriquíneos (Callitrichinae, Primates) mantidos em cativeiro no Centro Nacional de Primatas (CENP). Buscou-se comparar a reação das duas espécies frente ao aparelho proposto, e verificar a viabilidade deste artifício no enriquecimento ambiental das condições de cativeiro para estes primatas. Foram utilizados três casais de Saguinus imperator, conhecido por sagui imperador e três casais de Callithrix penicillata, conhecido por mico estrela, as comparações foram feitas entre as espécies e entre os sexos. Foram gravadas através de vídeo cassete seções de observação com duração de três horas, divididas em dois períodos, um controle (ausência do puzzle) e outro experimental (presença do puzzle), com um total de 36 horas de observação para cada casal. As sessões de controle foram usadas para calcular a linha base do orçamento de atividade para comparações com padrões de comportamento durante as sessões experimentais. As fitas foram transcritas, e todos os eventos de comportamento foram cronometrados, e registrados as medidas da freqüência e duração de eventos. Nas duas espécies a manipulação do puzzle não alcançou uma proporção de tempo muito elevada, porém demonstrou uma diferença clara entre as duas espécies, ocupando 3,96% do tempo total dos micos e 1,99% do tempo dos saguis. Os micos gastaram com repouso, durante as seções experimentais, 17% menos tempo em comparação com a situação controle. Considerando que a ociosidade reduziu em menos de 7% nos saguis, com a atividade geral aumentada em 10%. Entre os sexos, notou-se uma inversão, onde as fêmeas de sagui tiveram um aumento de 18% na ociosidade e queda de 14% na atividade, enquanto as fêmeas de mico tiveram uma diminuição nas duas categorias de pouco menos de 10%. Os machos responderam mais ao puzzle, os saguis aumentaram em 58% a atividade e diminuíram em 23% a ociosidade, os micos aumentaram a atividade em 4% e diminuíram a ociosidade em menos de 10%. Todos os animais aprenderam a manipular o equipamento e capturar os insetos, sendo que os micos tiveram um maior êxito no número de larvas capturadas, superando aos saguis em cerca de 54% de seu índice. As fêmeas tiveram mais êxitos em ambas as espécies, porém superficialmente nos micos. Em contraste, nos saguis as fêmeas foram 16% mais prósperas que os machos. O puzzle foi eficiente em enriquecer o ambiente cativo dos animais e estimular o comportamento manipulativo, sendo um instrumento importante na busca do bem estar para as duas espécies.

A reserva estatal de atividade econômica e a propriedade do petróleo e do gás natural

A partir de uma pesquisa histórica sobre a regulação da atividade petrolífera nacional, constatou-se que as jazidas de petróleo e de gás natural são bens públicos cuja exploração é constitucionalmente reservada ao Estado. Ademais, a delegação da exploração desses bens, por meio de concessão ou de partilha de produção, mantém a propriedade estatal desses recursos naturais.

Produção legislativa nas democracias consolidadas e a eficácia da atividade propositiva

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XIX - Ciência Política, Sociologia Política, História, Relações Internacionais.

Política e gestão ambiental da atividade minerária e sustentabilidade

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XI - Meio Ambiente e Direito Ambiental, Organização Territorial e Desenvolvimento Urbano e Regional.

Análise das implicações legais e jurídicas da transferência de patrimônio de uma instituição beneficente para uma sociedade de fins econômicos, bem como, da destinação dos dividendos decorrentes da atividade lucrativa que a instituição passa a exercer

Consultoria Legislativa - Área VII - Sistema Financeiro, Direito Comercial, Direito Econômico, Defesa do Consumidor.