Componentes do valor adaptativo e investigação do polimorfismo genético do gene Cyp6g1 (exons 1 e 2) em linhagens resistentes e suscetíveis de Drosophila melanogaster e de Drosophila simulans

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo do valor adaptativo anual de fêmeas da raça Nelore utilizando modelos de regressão aleatória

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Valor adaptativo do parasitóide Apanteles galleriae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) de população natural e da população mantida em laboratório

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Valor adaptativo e habilidade competitiva de azevém resistente e suscetível ao iodosulfuron em competição com o trigo.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar e comparar valores adaptativos dos biótipos de azevém (Lolium multiflorum) resistente e suscetível ao herbicida iodosulfuron e avaliar sua habilidade competitiva com o trigo (Triticum aestivum). Para avaliar o valor adaptativo, os biótipos foram semeados em vasos e coletados a cada 10 dias após a emergência, até os 80 dias. Em cada coleta, avaliaram-se estatura, área foliar e massa seca da parte aérea, e, a partir destas avaliações, foram calculadas variáveis indiretas para comparar o crescimento entre os biótipos. A habilidade competitiva foi determinada em experimento de série de substituição, tendo-se variado a proporção da cultura e do competidor. As proporções testadas foram: 100:0 (estande puro do trigo), 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 e 0:100% (estande puro do biótipo de azevém resistente ou suscetível); já as variáveis avaliadas foram área foliar e massa seca. Os resultados dos estudos comparativos de crescimento mostraram similaridade entre os biótipos de azevém resistente e suscetível ao iodosulfuron, o que não caracterizou efeito pleiotrópico decorrente da resistência. Quanto à habilidade competitiva, a competição interespecífica é prejudicial para o biótipo resistente, enquanto, para o biótipo suscetível, independe o competidor. A cultura do trigo mostra habilidade competitiva superior a dos biótipos de azevém resistente e suscetível.

El contenido de la EGB a través de sus textos.

Estudiar el vocabulario escolar a través de los textos de Educación General Básica. Hacer un estudio estadístico de los vocablos aparecidos en los libros de texto. Ciento catorce libros de texto de Educación General Básica. Se han divido los textos por áreas, como son: lectura, Lenguaje, Matemáticas, Ciencias Sociales, Ciencias Naturales, Plástica, Pretecnología y Religión. Se han estudiado ciento catorce libros de texto. Análisis estadístico: frecuencia absoluta, frecuencia relativa, índice de especificidad, frecuencia específica, valor informativo y valor adaptativo. El alumno de EGB domina un vocabulario muy amplio a través de sus libros de texto, que va creciendo a medida que aumenta el curso. El trabajo pone además de manifiesto en qué momento un determinado contenido deja de ser algo misterioso y lejano para entrar a formar parte del haber intelectual ordinario del alumno. Midiendo la frecuencia de repetición de los vocablos en los libros de texto, se estudia el margen de vocabulario que utiliza un alumno de EGB.

Miedos en adultos : estructura, evolución y correlatos.

Resumen tomado de la publicación

¿Cuál es el campo de estudio propio de la Psicología? : una crítica de los planteamientos computacionales.

Notas al final

Un debate sobre la explicación computacional de la memoria.

En su libro, Ruiz- Vargas (1994) nos ofrece una 'síntesis ordenada, actualizada y rigurosa de lo que constituye el núcleo de interés fundamental de la Psicología Cognitiva de la Memoria actual. El simple intento de definir el término memoria nos permitirá comprender la importancia de su estudio desde los diferentes niveles de análisis. El nivel computacional especifica el contenido informativo del input y del output y define el objetivo y la lógica del acto de memoria. En este punto hay que especificar no sólo qué hace la memoria sino para qué necesitamos la información. Ruíz- Vargas considera que la función de la memoria tiene un valor adaptativo es por tanto el resultado de complejos procesos de adaptación biológica. La aportación de Ruiz- Vargas al considerar los mecanismos de olvido como factores restrictivos de la ejecución en memoria es un buen comienzo para la comprensión a nivel computacional de la memoria..

Produção, acúmulo e decomposição da serapilheira em uma restinga da Ilha do Mel, Paranaguá, PR, Brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Modelo de avaliação de risco : São o crescimento e a estequiometria dos girinos afetados pelo efeito interativo entre a presença do predador e da densidade de coespecíficos?

Many prey organisms change their phenotype to reduce the predation risk. However, such changes are associated with trade-offs, and can have negative effects on prey growth or reproduction. Understand how preys assess the predation risk is essential to evaluate the adaptive value of predator-induced phenotypic and its ecological consequences. In this study, we performed a mesocosm experiment to test: i) if growth and stoichiometry of Lithobates catesbeianus tadpoles is altered in response to giant water bug presence (Belostoma spp.); ii) if these responses depend on tadpoles density in environment. Here, we show that tadpoles growth and stoichiometry are not changed by predator presence, neither in low nor in high densities. Our results suggest that tadpoles exposed to predation risk regulate their physiology to preserve the elemental stoichiometric homeostase of their body and excretion. Further, point out to need for future studies that elucidate under what conditions growth and stoichiometry are changed in response to predation risk

Escolha de parceiros na adolescência

Mate choice is a component of sexual selection. Trying to understand the patterns of this process, several studies have emphasized the adaptive value of sexual differences and their influence on the assessment of the market value. The pattern for adults presented on the scientific literature, which is based on the preference for certain characteristics, shows that men search a partner who shows high value of fecundity and fertility, thus looking for partners with the ability of being pregnant and nursing their offspring. On the other hand, women look for partners with high socioeconomic status, which is strongly associated with the ability to protect and provide resources for them and their offspring. Surprisingly, there is few works that investigated the mate choice patterns during the beginning of the period of sexual differentiation on the morphological, physiological and behavioral traits. The aim of this study was to investigate mate choice patterns in adolescence in order to describe their preferences and contribute to the understanding of human reproductive behavior. Took part of this research 1,232 students from educational institutions of Natal, Brazil, and visitors to the Scientific, Technological and Cultural Fair UFRN. In the Experimental Study 1, we applied a questionnaire to evaluate the importance of certain characteristics, assessed the degree of romantic involvement and real and ideal partners age preference. In the Experimental Study 2, we did a survey of characteristics considered relevant and evaluate the importance of these characteristics in mate choice. The Experimental Study 3 brought an investigation of mate choice patterns based on self-assessment of adolescents, evaluating ideal partner for a short-term and long-term relationships and actual partner. We found that adolescents are motivated to live romantic experiences. We also observed a preference for partners of similar age to that described for adults. Finally, we found similarities and differences in the preferences for characteristics in real and ideal partners in relation to the adult pattern. In addition, we observed high similarity on the self-assessment and assessment of real and ideal partners. We suggest that in the mate choice, adolescents are similar to young adults in some aspects but not all. Our results show the relevance of the reproductive behavior investigation in this human developmental period and reinforce that further studies should contribute to the understanding of human behavior in terms of ontogenetic development and their evolutionary history.

Fatores que influenciam a cooperação em humanos

Human cooperation is fundamentally affected by reciprocal exchange, but it is also remarkably common on the context of large and symbolically marked in-groups, which promote cooperation through the feeling of belonging to a group. In this thesis, two empirical articles were produced in order to investigate how human cooperation is affected by factors such as reciprocity, in-group behavior, in-group markers and gender. We investigated this subject through the administration of online games consisting of token donations, on which the subjects faced virtual players controlled by the experiment. We found that cooperative behavior is strongly influenced by reciprocity, and it is also affected by the in-group behavior, observed on the context of the social variables place of birth, ethnicity, and religions, once all of them acted as in-group markers. The subjects´ in-group behavior was enhanced when they played with generous in-group opponents, but weakened when their in-group opponents were non-generous. It was also found that cooperation is not affected by gender, but men and women cooperated in different ways under the influence of reciprocity and in-group behavior. Women are much more reciprocal on their cooperative behavior and men are less willing to cooperate with outgroupers, even when they act generously. The overall results contribute to a better understanding of the adaptive value of cooperation, reciprocity and in-group behavior on the solution of important challenges through the human evolutionary history

Avaliação dos efeitos do biperideno, diazepam e neuropeptídeos S sobre a memória e a ansiedade na tarefa do labirinto em T elevado em camundongos

Anxiety is an emotional phenomenon, and normally it is interpreted as an adaptative behavior front to adversities. In its pathological form, anxiety can severely affect aspects related to the personal and professional life. Studies have shown a close relationship between anxiety disorders and aversive memory processing. Considering that the pharmacotherapy of anxiety disorders is still limited, innovative anxiolytic agents are needed. In this regard, neuropeptides systems are interesting therapeutic targets to the treatment of psychopathologies. Neuropeptide S (NPS), a 20-aminoacid peptide, is the endogenous ligand of a G-protein coupled receptor (NPSR), which has been reported to evoke hyperlocomotion, awakefull states, besides anxiolysis and memory improvements in rodents. This study aimed to investigate the effects of biperiden (BPR; an amnesic drug), diazepam (DZP; an anxiolytic drug) and NPS at three distinct times: pre-training, post-training, and pre-test, in order to assess anxiety and memory process in the same animal model. The elevated Tmaze (ETM) is an apparatus derived from the elevated plus-maze test, which consists of one enclosed and two open arms. The procedure is based on the avoidance of open spaces learned during training session, in which mice were exposed to the enclosed arm as many times as needed to stay 300 s. In the test session, memory is assessed by re-exposing the mouse to the enclosed arm and the latency to enter an open arm was recorded. When injected pre-training, BPR (1 mg/kg) impaired learning and memory processing; DZP (1 and 2 mg/kg) evoked anxiolysis, but only at the dose of 2 mg/kg impaired memory; and NPS 0.1 nmol induced anxiolysis without affecting memory. Post-training injection of DZP (2 mg/kg) or BPR (1 and 3 mg/kg) did not affect memory consolidation, while the post-trainning administration of NPS 1 nmol, but not 0.1 nmol, improved memory in mice. Indeed, pre-trainning administration of NPS 1 nmol did not prevent memory impairment elicited by BPR (2 mg/kg, injected before training). In the open field test, BPR 1 mg/kg and NPS 1 nmol induced hyperlocomotion in mice. In conclusion, the proposed ETM task is practical for the detection of the anxiolytic and amnesic effects of drugs. The anxiolytic and memory enhancement effects of NPS were detected in the ETM task, and reinforce the role of NPS system as an interesting therapeutic target to the treatment of anxiety disorders

Intraspecific and interspecific pre-adult competition on the neotropical region colonizer Zaprionus indianus (Diptera: Drosophilidae) under laboratory conditions

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

Fitness components of a recently-established population of Zaprionus indianus (Diptera, Drosophilidae) in Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)