Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) foi um dos grandes nomes da ciência alemã na segunda metade do século XIX e início do século XX. Parte de sua produção científica foi devotada a defender e divulgar as ideias darwinianas de modificação das espécies. Entre as ideias propostas por Haeckel, destaca-se a Lei Biogenética Fundamental, na qual ele afirmava que os estágios de desenvolvimento pelos quais passam os embriões recapitulam a história evolutiva do filo. Para mostrar esse fato, Haeckel utilizou ilustrações de embriões que geraram grande repercussão. As imagens presentes na obra Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte (1868) foram alvo de críticas e acusações de fraude e plágio. Apesar da importância histórica dessas ilustrações, esse episódio raramente é abordado nos livros didáticos de Biologia aprovados pelo PNLD 2012 - Ensino Médio. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo discutir o uso que Ernst Haeckel fez dessas ilustrações de embriões em sua obra Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte, bem como as reações geradas pelo uso dessas imagens. Além disso, este trabalho apresenta uma análise dos livros didáticos de Biologia aprovados pelo Programa Nacional do Livro Didático (PNLD) 2012 - Ensino Médio sobre a forma como a biografia e a produção científica de Ernst Haeckel são abordadas. Essa análise revelou que a vida e os trabalhos de Ernst Haeckel são citados em todas coleções aprovadas pelo PNLD 2012 - Ensino Médio, porém de maneira superficial e com incorreções de pequena monta na maioria dos casos / Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) was one of the greats of German science in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Part of his scientific production was devoted to defend and disseminate the Darwinian ideas on modification of species. Among the ideas proposed by Haeckel, the Biogenetic Law Fundamental is one of the most important. In that Law he affirmed that the development of an embryo recapitulates the evolutionary history of the phylum.To show this fact, Haeckel used pictures of embryos that generated great impact. The images present in the work Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte (1868) were the target of criticism and accusations of fraud and plagiarism. Despite the historical significance of these illustrations, this episode is rarely addressed in the textbooks of Biology approved by the Programa Nacional do Livro Didático (National Program for Textbooks, PNLD) 2012. This study aimed to discuss the use that Ernst Haeckel made of pictures of embryos in his work Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte, as well as the reactions generated by the use of these images. Furthermore, this work presents an analysis of the Biology textbooks approved by the about how biographic and scientific informations about Ernst Haeckel are addressed. This analysis revealed that the life and work of Ernst Haeckel are cited in all collections approved by PNLD 2012, however superficially and with minor inaccuracies in most cases

Este trabalho buscou unir três metodologias referenciadas como potencial promotoras de aprendizagem a respeito de conteúdos descritos como \"difíceis\" e a respeito de natureza da ciência: sequências didáticas, jogos eletrônicos e história da ciência aplicada ao ensino. Na sequência didática, elaborada como uma contação de história interrompida por momentos de investigação, retratou-se alguns pensado-res que discutiram modificação de espécies antes de Charles Darwin (1809-1882) e se estende até a publicação do Origem das Espécies. Em particular, o período em que Darwin voltou da viagem a bordo do HMS Beagle foi transformado em um jogo virtual. Toda a sequência didática foi avaliada pelos membros dos Laboratório de História da Biologia e Ensino e sua aprovação contou como uma etapa de validação. Paralelamente, a a proposta de ensino foi avaliada e validada segundo referências específicas sobre sequência didática e interações discursivas, e o jogo foi validado segundo ferramenta de análise para jogos educativos. Após essas etapas de \"vali-dação prévia\" aplicou-se a sequência didática a alunos de 9º ano como um estudo de caso. A análise de indícios de aprendizagem, obtidos a partir de filmagens, pro-duções dos alunos e caderno de campo do professor-pesquisador, permitiu \"valida-ção in loco\" da sequência didática. Os dados aqui apresentados dizem respeito à versão final dessa sequência, refinada a partir das validações e reaplicada a alunos de 9º ano. Os indícios de aprendizagem conceitual sobre seleção natural foram dis-cutidos a partir da concepção de modificação de zonas de perfis conceituais e a aprendizagem a respeito de natureza da ciência foi discutida tendo em vista a ideia de ciência como um processo coletivo e complexo de ser produzido. Para ambos os aspectos, foi possível mapear uma transição de discursos a princípio desinformados para discursos informados. / This work sought to unite three methodologies referenced as potential pro-moters of learning about contents described as \"difficult\" and about the nature of sci-ence: teaching-learning sequences, electronic games and history of science applied to teaching. The teaching-learning sequence, organized as a storytelling interrupted by moments of investigation, presents some of those who discussed modification of species before Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and extends itself to the publication of the Origin of the Species. Particularly, the time Darwin returned from the voyage aboard the HMS Beagle was transformed into a virtual game. The entire teaching-learning sequence was evaluated by the members of the Laboratory of History of Bi-ology and Teaching and their approval counted as a validation step. In parallel, the sequence was evaluated and validated according to specific references on teaching-learning sequence and discursive interactions, and the game was validated accord-ing to an analysis tool for educational games. After this \"prior validation\", the teach-ing-learning sequence was applied to 9th grade students as a case-study. The anal-ysis of learning cues, obtained from filming, student productions and the teacher-researcher\'s field notebook, allowed an \"in situ validation\" of the sequence. The data presented here refer to the final version of this sequence, refined from the validations and reapplied to 9th grade students. Conceptual learning inferences about natural selection were discussed from the concept of changes in conceptual-profile zones, and learning about the nature of science was discussed regarding the idea of science as a collective and complex process. For both aspects, it was possible to map a tran-sition from naïve discourses at first to posterior informed discourses.

Este estudo tem por objetívo trazer contribuições para os cursos de Biologia da escola secundária, focalizando o ensino de Evolução. As concepções dos estudantes foram estudadas e comparadas com alguns detalhes fundamentais do desenvolvimento das teorias originais de Charles Darwin, bem como com escritos de quatro estudiosos de sua obra, que se mostraram relevantes para os conteúdos escolares. Parte do trabalho de Emanuel Radl (1873-1942), John C. Greene, Robext Maxwell Young e Ernst Mayr foi apresentado criticamente. Alguns deles entendem que o darwinismo seja uma visão de mundo, outros o pensam como um grupo de teorias biológicas particulares. A presença do Homem no Orígin of Species foi discutida após pesquisas realizadas com os manusritos originais de Charles Darwin, particularmente com o capítulo 6 do \"Longo Manuscrito\". Foram apresentadas evidências que algumas razões inesperadas podem ter impedido que uma seção sobre o Homem fosse escrita no Orígin of Species. Foram apresentados livros escritos por Julian Huxley e Kettleweil, nos anos 60, e Richard Dawkins, mais recentemente, na tentativa de mostrar algumas fontes de influência sobre o entendimento que o grande público tem das teorias evolutivas. Onze estudantes de nível secundário foram entrevistados e 192 estudantes responderam a um questionário, de maneira a explicitar suas concepções após o ensino desse tópico. O livro didático utilizado nos seus cursos foi analisado, com o objetivo de verificar se suas concepções erróneas poderiam ter sido confirmadas quando estudavam esse tópico. As recomendações de 19 Secretarias de Educação foram também analisadas. Os resultados mostram pequeno entendimento das teorias biológicas. O significado da Evolução parece ser muito mais amplo do que seria de se esperar do ponto de vista do entendimento do darwinismo enquanto conjunto de teorias biológicas particulares. Evolução é entendida como estando ligada primordialmente ao Homem. Os alunos tendem a entender Evolução como progresso, crescimento, multiplicação e melhoramento. Evolução Biológica e Cultural parecem estar intimamente ligadas a uin mesmo amplo significado. Adaptação é vista como um processo individual, que ocorre durante o transcorrer da vida do organismo. Este estudo mostrou que existem algumas razões específicas para esses resultados, uma vez que o conhecimento aparece distorcido nas escolas. Uma versão simplista do desenvolvimento das teorias biológicas é apresentada aos estudantes, sem levar em consideração suas próprias concepções a esse respeito. Versões que não são mais aceitas no campo académico continuam a ser veiculadas por livros didáíicos, revistas de ampla circulação e livros destinados ao grande público. Foram apresentadas algumas evidências de que existem razões ideológicas para essas distorções, especialmente das relações entre os trabalhos de Darwin e Mendel Novas estratégias de ensino se mostram necessárias, bem como uma nova versão do desenvolvimento do darwinismo deveria ser oferecido aos alunos. Nesse sentido, as obras de August Weismann e Herman Muller deveriam ser consideradas na reconstrução do desenvolvimento das teorias biológicas entre 1837 e 1937. / This study aims at further improving quality to general high school Biology courses, focusing on the teaching of Evolution. Students\' conceptions were studied and compared with some critical details of the development of Charles Darwin\'s original theories, as well as with the writings of four Darwin Scholars, which are relevant to school contents. Part of the work of Emanuel Radl (1873-1942), John C. Greene, Robert Maxwell Young and Ernst Mayr was presented critically. Some of them regard darwinism as a world view others as a group of particular biological theories The presence of Man in Origin of Species was discussed, as the result of some pieces of research done with Charles Darwin\'s original papers, particularly with chapter 6 of the \"Long Manuscript\". Evidences were presented showing thaí some unpredictable reasons may have prevented the writing of a section on Man in Orígin of Species. Books written by Julian Huxley and Kettlewell, in mid 60Js, and by Richard Dawkins, more recently, were presented, trying to show some sources of influences on the public understanding of this topic. Eleven High School pupils were interviewed and 192 were tested, in order to show their conceptions after they had been taught the topic. The Biology textbook used in their courses was analyzed, in order to know whether their misconceptions could have been confirmed when studying the topic. The directions set by 19 Brazilian Educational Authorities were analyzed too. Results show a very poor understanding of the biological theories. The meaning QÍ Evolution seems to be far broader than what was expected, as far as darwinism, as a group of particular biological theories, is concerned. Evolution is seen as primarily related to Man. Pupils tend to understand Evolution as progress, growth, multiplication, and improvement. Biological and Cultural Evolution seem to be tied up with the same broad meaning. Adaptation is seen as an individual process, that occurs just during organisms life span. This study showed that there are some specific reasons for these results, as knowledge is distorted at schools. A very simplistic version of the development of the biological theories is presented to pupils, disregarding their own conceptions. Versions that are no longer accepted in academic grounds have been presented by textbooks, popular magazines and books aimed at the general public. Some evidence is given that there are ideological reasons for these distortions, particularly the relations between Darwin\'s and Mendels works. New teaching strategies are needed, as well as a new version of the development of darwinism should be offered to pupils. In this regard, August Weismann\'s and Herman Muller\'s work should be considered to reconstruct the development of biological theories between 1837 and 1937.

The peptide hormone, ghrelin, exerts its physiological effects through a G-protein-coupled receptor called the ghrelin-R. The ghrelin-R displays a high degree of constitutive activity, signalling through the inositol phosphate pathway in the absence of bound agonist. TMs III and VI have been reported to be central to the activation of Family A GPCRs, with interactions between the two helices stabilising the ground state. During activation conformational rearrangements result in these interactions being broken, with new contacts forming and stabilising the active state. Investigation of the ghrelin-R constitutive activity gives an insight into the mechanisms involved in receptor activation. In this study the role of specific individual residues in the ghrelin-R has been investigated and the effect of disrupting or introducing intramolecular interactions was addressed. Site-directed mutagenesis and functional assays revealed that ghrelin-R constitutive activity can be increased and decreased with mutation of residues within the TM domains, specifically TMs III, VI and VII. The extracellular loops have been found to be involved in ligand binding and activation in a number of Family A GPCRs. The residues within ECL2 of the ghrelin-R were systematically mutated to alanine to determine their role. In particular, one residue, Asn196, was identified as being critical in ghrelin-R function and may be forming stabilising interactions which maintain ghrelin-R constitutive activity. The data presented in this thesis provide an insight into the structure and function of the ghrelin-R and the underlying molecular mechanisms of ghrelin-R constitutive activity.

Circadian rhythms are biochemical, physiological, or behavioural over 24 hours. The avian circadian system is complex, involving numerous oscillators in the brain. I characterised two hypothalamic input mechanism (melatonin receptors and light) and one output mechanism (vasotocin) in the zebra finch. Melatonin receptors were cloned and expression levels investigated in the brain and in peripheral tissues. Receptors were found in all tissues, with some pronounced rhythmic mRNA expression. Tissue-specific differences in temporal distribution, peak expression and amplitude suggests melatonin have varied roles in different tissues and different receptors control/influence these roles. Effect of light in the hypothalamus was investigated by exposing light into the dark phase of an LD cycle and studying the difference in C-FOS expression. C-FOS was found in hypothalamic nuclei associated with photic transduction. C-FOS-IR cells were also found in the two known avian hypothalamic oscillators, the LHN and SCN. Arginine-Vasotocin is a neuropeptide involved in numerous bodily and nervous tissue functions, secreted within the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Immunofluorescent experiments showed marked differences in expression, as different zeitgeber times and between species. This study has improved our understanding of avian circadian systems, providing new insights into the hypothalamic oscillator of a complex circadian organisation.

This dissertation examines how the modern dinosaur—fully mounted, freestanding assemblages of vertebrate fossils such as we are accustomed to seeing at the natural history museum—came into being during the late 19th and early 20th century, focusing especially on the United States. But it is not just, or even primarily a history of vertebrate paleontology. Rather, I use dinosaurs as an opportunity to explore how science was embedded in broader changes that were happening at the time. In particular, I am interested in tracing how the culture of modern capitalism—the ideals, norms, and practices that governed matters of value and exchange—manifested itself in the way fossils were collected, studied, and put on display. During the second half of the 19th century, America experienced an extended period of remarkable economic growth. By the eve of WWI, it had emerged as the world’s largest producer of goods and services. At the same time, paleontologists were unearthing the fossil remains of marvelous creatures the likes of which no one had ever dreamed in the American west. The discovery of dinosaurs like Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, and Triceratops prompted the nation’s wealthy elite to begin cultivating an intense interest in vertebrate paleontology. In part, this is because dinosaurs meshed well with a conventional narrative that celebrated American exceptionalism. Dinosaurs from the United States were widely heralded as having been larger, fiercer, and more abundant than their European counterparts. Not only that, but their origins in the deep past meant that dinosaurs were associated with evolutionary theory, including the conventional notion that struggle was at the root of progress. Finally, it did not hurt that America’s best fossils hailed from places like Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. This is precisely where most of the raw materials consumed by factories could also be found. As they coalesced into a coherent social class, American capitalists began to patronize a number of elite cultural institutions. Just as Gilded Age entrepreneurs invested considerable resources in the acquisition of artworks, so too did they invest in natural history. However, whereas the acquisition of artworks functioned as a display of refined aesthetic sensibilities, the collection of natural history specimens primarily represented another form of social distinction, one that combined epistemic virtues like objectivity with older notions of good stewardship and civic munificence. Capitalists who had grown rich off of the exploitation of America’s natural resources turned to dinosaur paleontology as a form of cultural resource extraction. / History of Science

Phenotypic differences within a species significantly contribute to the variation we see among plants and animals. Plasticity as a concept helps us to understand some of this variation. Phenotypic plasticity plays a significant role in multiple ecological and evolutionary processes. Because plasticity can be driven by the environment it is more likely to produce beneficial alternative phenotypes than rare and often deleterious genetic mutations. Furthermore, differences in phenotypes that arise in response to the environment can affect multiple individuals from the same population (or entire populations) simultaneously and are therefore of greater evolutionary significance. This allows similar, beneficial alternative phenotypes to increase quickly within a single generation and allow new environments to produce and select for new phenotypes instantly. The direction of the present thesis is to increase our understanding of how phenotypic plasticity, coupled with contrasting environmental conditions, can produce alternative phenotypes within a population. Plasticity provides a source of variation for natural selection to act upon, and may lead to genetic isolation as a by-product. For example, there are multiple cases of polymorphic populations of fish, where groups belonging to multiple isolated gene pools, have arisen in sympatry. Here it is shown that although plasticity is important in sympatric speciation events, plasticity alone is not responsible for the frequency in which sympatric polymorphic populations occur. The most frequently observed differences among sympatric polymorphic populations are morphological differences associated with parts of the anatomy used in the detection, handling and capture of prey. Moreover, it is shown here that there are physiological effects associated with foraging on alternative prey that may significantly contribute towards ecological speciation. It is also shown in this study that anthropogenic abiotic factors can disrupt developmental processes during early ontogeny, significantly influencing morphology, and therefore having ecological consequences. Phenotypic structuring in postglacial fish is most frequently based around a divergence towards either pelagic or littoral benthic foraging specialisms. Divergences that deviate from this pattern are of greater scientific interest as they increase our understanding of how evolutionary processes and selection pressures work. Here we describe a rare divergence not based around the typical pelagic/littoral benthic foraging specialisms. Finally, in this study, the effectiveness of local level conservation policy shows that species of fish which are highly variable in their life history strategies are harder to effectively manage and often poorly represented at a local level.

A hereditariedade e a variação biológica são centrais para a evolução biológica. Apesar das diferentes abordagens sobre esse tema, sempre se mostra recorrente no discurso de cientistas, filósofos, historiadores e sociólogos da ciência a problematização do genecentrismo. Desse modo, uma questão relevante é entender o lugar do genecentrismo no pensamento evolutivo - é preciso perguntar como e por que esse tema tem sido problematizado de uma determinada maneira. Essa dissertação tem como objetivo principal, portanto, procurar as condições históricas que possibilitaram a organização do genecentrismo no pensamento evolutivo. A principal ideia defendida nesse estudo é de que a constituição do genecentrismo, e seu lugar central na teoria evolutiva, foram possibilitados pela emergência da racionalidade genética e pela construção de uma identidade genética intrínseca no início do século XX. A partir de evidências históricas, defendo também que a emergência da racionalidade genética permitiu enunciar muitas proposições novas, formando saberes e produzindo discursos, como a demonstração da seleção natural e uma síntese teórica da evolução biológica. Mas também a partir dela se operou “constrições” no conhecimento evolutivo, como a exclusão da Embriologia e a diminuição da importância de fatores ontogenéticos e ambientais. / Heredity and variation are central focus of evolutionary studies. Despite the different approaches to heredity and evolution, the gene-centered version of evolution is a central theme in the discourse of philosophers, historians and sociologists of science. Thereby, my aim here is to understand the place of gene-centered view in the evolutionary thought and to trace the historical conditions of possibility which set up this discourse. The main idea of this dissertation is that the origin of gene-centered view of evolution was made possible by the emergence of genetic rationality and the creation of ‘genetic identity’ at the turn of the twentieth century. Historical evidence is presented to support that the emergence of genetic rationality allowed new propositions to be made, forming knowledge and producing discourse in the evolutionary theory, as the demonstration of natural selection and a theoretical synthesis. But also from the genetic rationality there are effects of “evolutionary constriction", as the exclusion of Embryology from the Evolutionary Synthesis and the decrease importance of ontogenetic and environmental factors.

abstract: This dissertation begins to lay out a small slice of the history of morphological research, and how it has changed, from the late 19th through the close of the 20th century. Investigators using different methods, addressing different questions, holding different assumptions, and coming from different research fields have pursued morphological research programs, i.e. research programs that explore the process of changing form. Subsequently, the way in which investigators have pursued and understood morphology has witnessed significant changes from the 19th century to modern day research. In order to trace this shifting history of morphology, I have selected a particular organ, teeth, and traced a tendril of research on the dentition beginning in the late 19th century and ending at the year 2000. But even focusing on teeth would be impossible; the scope of research on this organ is far too vast. Instead, I narrow this dissertation to investigation of research on a particular problem: explaining mammalian tooth morphology. How researchers have investigated mammalian tooth morphology and what counts as an explanation changed dramatically during this period. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2017

The endangered population of Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the Russian Far East (RFE) faces an increasing risk of extinction due to infection with canine distemper virus (CDV). Short-lasting CDV infections are unlikely to be maintained in small populations of species with limited connectivity like tigers, where viruses fade out as susceptible hosts are depleted. Multi-host pathogens can persist in more abundant host species that can act as reservoirs of infection for threatened populations. This study combines assessments of host demography, serology and viral phylogeny to establish the relative contribution of domestic dogs and small bodied wild mesocarnivores to the maintenance of CDV, and as sources of infection for tigers. No antibodies were detected among tigers sampled prior to 2000 (n=19), but were measured in 35.7% of tigers in subsequent years (n=56), with at least five discrete transmission events occurring in one well-monitored population. Viral sequences from three tigers and one Far Eastern leopard (P. pardus orientalis) aligned within the Arctic-like clade of CDV, and shared recent common ancestry with viruses from 22 other wild carnivores from the region. Extensive spatial mixing of wild carnivore lineages suggested long chains of transmission consistent with a maintenance population. The exposure of tigers following 2000 coincides with increases in sable (Martes zibellina) numbers and hunting pressure, which could lead to greater pathogen prevalence and potential for spill over from a wild reservoir. The ratio of humans to dogs in rural areas in the RFE are among the lowest in the world (1.73), but the overall number of dogs has been stable during the period of increased CDV exposure in tigers. The only CDV sequence obtained from dogs shared high identity with Asia-4 clade viruses from dogs in Thailand, and was distantly related to wildlife sequences from the RFE. Serum antibodies were detected in dogs in all 26 communities where households were surveyed, but seroprevalence was higher in remote, less densely populated areas, suggesting possible transmission from wildlife. Although the maintenance of CDV in Russian dogs remains unconfirmed, the strong support for a wildlife reservoir limits options for managing the impact of CDV on tiger populations. The high turnover of large and often inaccessible populations of mesocarnivores combines with limitations in vaccine safety, efficacy and delivery, to render the control of CDV in a wildlife reservoir untenable. Managing the impact of CDV on Amur tigers must therefore focus on restoring the size and integrity of remaining tiger populations to withstand future outbreaks. The safety and efficacy of vaccine products for tigers should also be investigated, for use in low coverage vaccination strategies that could enhance the long-term persistence of tiger populations.