Historically, the tallgrass prairie (TGP) was the largest ecosystem in North America, but today only about 10-15% of the original extent exists today. Some areas have experienced more extreme loss, for example in the state of Illinois less than 0.01% of high-quality native tallgrass prairie remains. Non-native invasive species are a recent phenomenon that threatens the integrity of surviving TGP communities. Ecotypes of dominant C4 grasses are the basis of numerous cultivars, many of which are utilized in prairie restorations. In this study, the effects of three invasive species (Bromus inermis, Schedonorus phoenix, and Poa pratensis) on two lowland (`Alamo' and `Kanlow') and three upland (`Blackwell', `Cave in Rock', and `Trailblazer') cultivars of the dominant C4 grass Panicum virgatum were tested. Two simple pair-wise greenhouse experiments were established in which cultivars were sown as a monoculture or as a mixture of the cultivars with one of three invasive species. Pots were subjected to one of two water treatments with three replicates of each treatment combination. Response variables (height, number of leaves, tiller density, and biomass) and resources (soil moisture, soil pH, soil electrical conductivity, and light intensity) were measured. The greenhouse studies showed that response variables were affected by the presence of invasive species and that the time of growth affected resource levels. Resources are allocated to different areas (i.e growth and reproduction) when competition and stress are implemented on the dominant species. This study was the first to experimentally test for the presence of the physiological stress marker, trigonelline, in a prairie grass. Trigonelline was highest in upland cultivars under low moisture and highest in lowland cultivars under low moisture treatments. The results of these greenhouse studies suggest that invasive species may differentially affect cultivars of Panicum virgatum that may be sown in a prairie restoration. Performance of the P. virgatum cultivars was dependent on the timing of growth, the pot size, the invasive species, as well as soil moisture level. Therefore, when choosing a cultivar source for restoration, resources (i.e. soil moisture) should be looked into to maximize the output of the cultivar.

The timing of biological events in autumn, or autumn phenology, is an important factor in many ecosystem processes. Leaf senescence terminates the growing season, fruiting is important for seed dispersal and frugivorous wildlife, bird migration concludes the breeding season and is a high-mortality event, and insect diapause ends the active season for insects. Climate change and the spread of invasive species have the potential to shift autumn events and ecological processes. However, autumn has been neglected in the phenology literature, and there are many gaps in our knowledge of basic phenological patterns in this season, as well as how they are affected by anthropogenic changes. To address these gaps, I first synthesized the literature on how climate change affects autumn phenology. I found that shifts in autumn phenology can alter reproductive capacities, exacerbate invasions, increase disease transmission rates, reshuffle enemy-prey dynamics, and alter interactions between species. With a focus on autumn interactions between birds and fleshy-fruited plants, my colleagues and I then observed patterns of fruit phenology, using herbarium specimens of 55 species collected across New England, and over 400 species in the living collections of 5 international botanical gardens. Last, I monitored fleshy fruit phenology and abundance at Manomet, a migratory stopover site in coastal Massachusetts, and compared those patterns to seeds identified from landbird fecal samples collected across the autumn season. I found that the sequence of fruiting is moderately consistent from year to year and place to place, and has a significant phylogenetic signal. In wild plants, invasive species fruit, on average, nearly one month later than native species. Considering many landbirds are migrating through New England later over time and in warm years, this suggests birds are increasingly likely to encounter invasive fruits during late-autumn migration. However, bird diets do not reflect the increased availability of invasive fruits in late-autumn; rather, birds show a preference for native fleshy fruits throughout the autumn season. These findings add to our knowledge of how climate change and species invasions affect autumn synchrony, and highlight the importance of native, rather than invasive, fruits as a food source for migratory landbirds. / 2019-11-07T00:00:00Z

Environmental degradation is accelerating worldwide, yet environmental conservation remains limited by funding. Tackling this limitation requires not only absolute increases in funding, but improved prioritisation of actions. On a global scale island ecosystems are of high priority, with invasive species one of their most significant threats. In this thesis I investigate prioritisation of invasive grazing species control, incorporating ecological, economic, and social concerns, on the island of Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands. To enable the trade-off of potential grazer control options for their ecological impacts I modelled the relationship between of grazer density and vegetation, and watershed vegetation and the coral reef. I found negative relationships for goat and pig grazing with grass presence, and for donkey grazing with ground cover. Coral cover below 10m showed a positive relationship to ground cover, and, surprisingly, a negative relationship to tree biomass. Because conservation action is most likely to be sustainable when connected to funding, I conducted choice experiments with SCUBA divers, which estimated a positive willingness to pay for reef health improvements achieved using terrestrial grazer control. Through communication with local policy makers and practitioners I identified three options for grazer control, eradication, population reduction, or fencing, and estimated costs and social acceptability for each option. Though the ecological models predicted eradication to have the highest impacts on the terrestrial and marine ecosystem, lower costs and higher social acceptability identified fencing as the most suitable option for grazer control on Bonaire in the short term, with the potential to be funded through a fee on SCUBA divers. Through linking ecological, economic, and social considerations within a real world conservation context I illustrate the importance of looking beyond only ecological improvements when prioritising conservation action. This research is directly applicable to policy and practise on Bonaire.

The aim of this study was to carry out a research about the invasions of alien species of herpetofauna and their impacts, to present contemporary state of the studies of alien species in Europe, to analyze success of the invasions in terms of their taxonomic groups, to analyze the impacts of successful inavasions, to evaluate the results and suggest the project of appropriate precausions. Database Web of Science, Zoological Records and web browser Google Scholar were used as sources for searching scientific papers. These were the key words: "alien, reptiles/reptilia; alien, amphibians/ambhibia, invasive". The scientific studies which mentioned introduction of alien reptiles and amphibians to Europe were chosen from database. Population which was viable and reproduced repeatedly was considered as the stable population. Eight species from order salamanders, 20 frogs, eight turtles, 23 lizards and 11 snakes were introduced into geografic part of Europe. The most of the introduced species of alien herpetofauna belonged into families: Ranidae, Lacertidae and Emydidae. The most common pathways for introduction of alien species of herpetofauna were: pet trade, intentional release and cargo stowaway. In the future, the restriction of breeding certain problematic species (ban of import Lithobates catesbeianus and Trachemys scripta scripta into the Europe), more thorough controls of cargo transportation and especially information campaign in schools and media could be solution to the issue of introduction of alien species.

Trophic interactions within aquatic ecosystems are complex, with many different pathways facilitating transfer of energy and nutrients among trophic levels and many different mechanisms that influence energy and nutrient transfer. This is illustrated in the “top down” and “bottom up” regulatory effects on aquatic food webs, through which primary producer biomass and, therefore, herbivore and carnivore densities, are influenced by both nutrient availability (bottom up) and densities of consumers at higher trophic levels (top down). In an aquatic food web, planktivore presence can directly alter zooplankton density via consumption, while indirectly shaping phytoplankton biomass via reduced herbivore abundance and the release of nutrients due to excretion, egestion, and decomposition. Novel species introduced into an established food web may have important consequences. An invasive species may impact an invaded food web through competition, predation, alteration of nutrient cycling, or, potentially, through facilitation of native species or other invasives. For example, an invasive planktivore may shift zooplankton density or community composition, thereby facilitating phytoplankton blooms. Such a planktivore may also compete with and, potentially, replace native species. Moreover, an invasive species that reaches high densities within its invaded range may serve as an important nutrient sink as it consumes a high biomass of native species or a nutrient source via excretion or decomposition. Two such invasive species with the capacity to dramatically alter native food web dynamics are bighead (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix; collectively, bigheaded carp). Bigheaded carp are large-bodied, planktivorous fishes that were introduced into the United States in the 1970s and have since spread throughout much of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. These species currently threaten the Great Lakes, where they may constitute a threat to native planktivores such as gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) and commercially important species such as walleye (Sander vitreus), although there remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding their potential ecosystem impacts. Consumption of both zooplankton and phytoplankton has been observed in bigheaded carp, although their impact on primary producer biomass is not well understood. Although field observations suggest that condition and abundance of native planktivores, including gizzard shad and bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus), as well as zooplankton density, have declined following the bigheaded carp invasion, there is little direct, experimental evidence of bigheaded carp food web impacts. Therefore, I sought to examine the effects of bigheaded carp on native ecosystems through a series of mesocosm experiments at the Southern Illinois University pond facility. My primary objectives were to 1) observe potential competition between bigheaded carp and the native gizzard shad, 2) evaluate effects of bigheaded carp predation on zooplankton and phytoplankton communities, 3) assess impacts of bigheaded carp decomposition on nitrogen and phosphorus availability, and 4) measure the rate at which bigheaded carp excrete nitrogen and phosphorus. In order to elucidate the impacts of bigheaded carp on gizzard shad growth and survival, zooplankton and phytoplankton densities, and nitrogen and phosphorus availability in the pelagic and benthic pools and to determine whether gizzard shad experience a diet shift in response to bigheaded carp presence, I performed two mesocosm experiments with three treatments: gizzard shad only, gizzard shad, bigheaded carp, and fishless control (Chapter 1). I predicted that bigheaded carp would reduce zooplankton densities but that gizzard shad, which are both detritivorous and planktivorous, would be unaffected due to their ability to use detritus as an alternative food source. Additionally, both predator release via zooplankton consumption and increased nutrient availability from bigheaded carp excretion would stimulate phytoplankton. I found that gizzard shad survival was reduced by bigheaded carp presence but that surviving gizzard shad did not experience a decline in growth in the bigheaded carp plus gizzard shad treatments. This may have been due to the ability of gizzard shad to consume detritus, as foreguts of sampled gizzard shad in Experiment 2 contained mostly detritus. Moreover, phytoplankton density declined in the presence of silver carp in Experiment 2, suggesting silver carp herbivory. In addition, nitrogen and phosphorus availability in either the pelagic or benthic pools did not appear to be impacted by bigheaded carp presence. After demonstrating experimentally the overall negative impact of bigheaded planktivory on native food webs, I focused my remaining two chapters on the effects of silver carp on nutrient availability. In Chapter 2, I outline a decomposition experiment testing for potential changes in pelagic and benthic nitrogen and phosphorus availability and, in turn, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrate densities in response to silver carp decomposition. Although silver carp die offs have been reported throughout the Midwest, little is known about the magnitude of those die offs and their consequences for the ecosystem. In this study, silver carp decomposition did not appear to alter nutrient availability or densities of phytoplankton or invertebrates. However, in comparison to northern streams in which salmon spawning and decomposition provide an important nutrient subsidy, the mesocosms used in this study have relatively higher background nutrient concentrations. Thus, silver carp decomposition, at least at the densities studied, may have little importance to in-stream nutrient availability. Lastly, because I am interested in how bigheaded carp, particularly silver carp, alter nutrient dynamics in invaded food webs, it is necessary to calculate silver carp nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates, as well as body nitrogen and phosphorus content (Chapter 3). Nutrient stoichiometry theory predicts a balance between the relative consumption of nutrients by an organism and the extent to which the organism retains nutrients in its tissues or excretes them. Thus, it is a useful tool in determining how an invasive species may alter nutrient availability via consumption and excretion. In Chapter 3, I describe the body and excretion N:P ratios for silver carp, which exhibit a lower body N:P ratio than excretion N:P, suggesting that these organisms may serve as a sink for phosphorus. Moreover, silver carp body excretion N:P ratios were higher than those reported for gizzard shad, suggesting that, in regions where silver carp may replace gizzard shad or lower gizzard shad population density via competition (Chapter 1), silver carp may alter nutrient cycling processes in aquatic ecosystems by shifting the overall available N:P ratio. Bigheaded carp may pose a significant threat to invaded ecosystems through their potential to compete with native species, reduce plankton densities, and alter nutrient availability. However, although bigheaded carp are expanding in range and approaching the Great Lakes, the full extent of their ecosystem impacts remain uncertain. Through my work on bigheaded carp food web impacts, particularly the influence of silver carp on native species and nutrient cycling processes, I have found that bigheaded carp have the capacity to negatively impact invaded ecosystems overall by reducing zooplankton, phytoplankton, and forage fish densities. Moreover, as bigheaded carp in particular continue to reach high densities as they expand in range, their capacity to alter relative nitrogen and phosphorus availabilities must be monitored to understand the extent of their influence. Due to their ability to disrupt top down and bottom up processes in freshwater ecosystems, bigheaded carp constitute a critical environmental issue in the Great Lakes area and throughout the Midwest and, thus, it is imperative to continue to experimentally assess how bigheaded carp interact with native species to the detriment or benefit of U.S. freshwater communities.

This dissertation presents the results of a multi-year interdisciplinary study of a dynamic coastal dune ecosystem restoration effort in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in British Columbia, Canada. The research is the result of a collaboration with Parks Canada Agency (PCA) who, under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), are mandated to restore habitat for SARA listed species within the dune complex. In response, PCA committed to, and implemented, a dynamic dune ecosystem restoration program that involved widespread removal of invasive vegetation (Ammophila spp.), transplanting of native vegetation, introduction of an endangered species, and volunteer programs to prevent re-growth of Ammophila. A comprehensive monitoring program was developed with PCA and undertaken by the author and PCA collaborators from start of the project in Summer 2008 to Fall of 2012. This dissertation is the product of independent research by the author carried out under the supervision of the advisory committee and does not reproduce written materials prepared for, or by, PCA. The dissertation consists of three separate journal manuscripts (the first two published by completion of the dissertation) that stand alone as independent investigations but are structured here to provide a natural progression of research findings and allow for an overall synthesis of ideas and broader contributions of the research. The dune restoration program afforded an opportunity to review restoration trends and methods and implement a strategy and monitoring protocols based on leading edge science. Accordingly, the first manuscript, Chapter 2, summarises recent trends in coastal dune restoration, discusses relevant research surrounding beach-dune morphodynamics and coastal dune activity, and reviews preliminary data from the project. The study identifies usable control data for the project and builds the criteria for assessing the project as a whole. The second manuscript, Chapter 3, presents and analyses the core data obtained for the dissertation - 5 years of geomorphic monitoring from detailed land surveys with 3 years of analysis of beach-foredune-transgressive dune sediment budget responses derived from aerial LiDAR surveys. This chapter identifies several trends in the dune systems’ response to restoration that, with reference to the indicators developed in Chapter 2, suggest improved levels of dynamism in the landscape. Finally, Chapter 4 (manuscript 3), extends the findings of the restoration study and utilises the rich data set obtained from the restoration program to develop a dynamic mapping technique that better conveys the spatial-temporal morphodynamic behaviour of dune ecosystems. The study comments broadly on the potential to apply these data and techniques to the study of disturbance events in beach-dune systems. The dissertation is concluded (Chapter 5) with an overall summary of key research objectives and contributions, and presents recommendations for future research. / Graduate

Invasões biológicas estão entre as principais causas da perda de biodiversidade no planeta. Ambientes isolados como as ilhas oceânicas e ambientes sujeitos a distúrbio antrópico são considerados mais propensos à invasão. Para as plantas, o sucesso na invasão pode ter relação com a superioridade na competição com as espécies nativas, que pode ocorrer através da produção de substâncias alelopáticas. Dentre as 100 principais espécies invasoras do planeta está a Leguminosa Leucaena leucocephala, que produz substâncias com potencial alelopático e está estabelecida em ilhas oceânicas tropicais em todo o mundo. No Brasil, a invasora foi introduzida na ilha de Fernando de Noronha, onde ocupa vastas áreas. Apesar da relevância desta ilha para a conservação da biodiversidade, não há informações essenciais para o manejo da invasora, como a situação da invasão e seus fatores determinantes. Neste trabalho, realizado em Fernando de Noronha, utilizamos experimentos para investigar a alelopatia como mecanismo associado à invasão e para avaliar o efeito de L. leucocephala sobre o estabelecimento de Erythrina velutina (Leguminosae), espécie nativa comum na ilha, mas frequentemente excluída das áreas invadidas por L. leucocephala. Não encontramos indícios de efeitos alelopáticos de L. leucocephala sobre a germinação de E. velutina, mas a exótica reduziu o crescimento e a sobrevivência da nativa. O efeito negativo é potencializado quando L. leucocephala está associada à Capparis flexuosa (Capparaceae), única espécie nativa frequentemente encontrada em áreas invadidas. Isoladamente, o efeito de C. flexuosa sobre E. velutina varia de positivo a neutro, evidenciando que o saldo das interações entre espécies nativas é alterado na presença de uma exótica. Adicionalmente, diagnosticamos a extensão atual da invasão e sua expansão nos últimos 20 anos, seus fatores determinantes e o impacto sobre a comunidade de plantas nativas em Fernando de Noronha. O diagnóstico da invasão mostrou que L. leucocephala está amplamente distribuída pela ilha, povoando densamente a maioria dos locais onde ocorre. A área ocupada pela espécie aumentou cerca de 40% nos últimos 20 anos, e não há restrições ambientais para o estabelecimento da exótica, embora ela seja favorecida pela atividade agropecuária. Em áreas invadidas o número de espécies nativas diminui quase pela metade e observamos uma tendência à homogeneização da comunidade. É provável que o alto grau de perturbação antrópica em Fernando de Noronha gere limitações à dispersão e modifique os ambientes tornando-os desfavoráveis para o estabelecimento de espécies nativas. Entretanto, há fortes evidências de que L. leucocephala causa mudanças ecológicas na ilha influenciando na perda espécies nativas. Considerando a importância biológica de Fernando de Noronha, ações de controle da expansão da exótica e restauração das áreas invadidas demonstram-se urgentes / Biological invasions are among the main causes of biodiversity loss on the planet. Isolated environments such as oceanic islands and disturbed environments are considered more prone to invasion. For plants, the invasion success may be related to advantages in competition with native species, which may occur through the production of allelopathic substances. Among the 100 most invasive species on the planet is the legume Leucaena leucocephala, which produces substances with putative allelopathic effects and is established on tropical oceanic islands worldwide. In Brazil, the invader was introduced on the island of Fernando de Noronha, where it occupies vast areas. Despite the relevance of this island for biodiversity conservation, important information for the management of the invasion, as its extension and determinants, do not exist. In this work we use experiments to investigate allelopathy as a mechanism associated with the invasion and to evaluate the effect of L. leucocephala on the establishment of Erythrina velutina, a native species common on the island, but often absent from invaded areas. We found no evidence of allelopathic effects of L. leucocephala in the germination of E. velutina, but the exotic reduced the growth and survival of the native. The negative effect is enhanced when L. leucocephala is associated with Capparis flexuosa, the only native species often found in heavily invaded areas. When alone, the effect of C. flexuosa on E. velutina varies from positive to neutral, indicating that the balance of interactions between native species is altered in the presence of an exotic. Additionally, we describe the current distribution of L. leucocephala and its expansion in the last 20 years in Fernando de Noronha. We also investigate the environmental and anthropic factors determining the invasion and the impact of L. leucocephala on the plant community. We found that L. leucocephala is widely distributed throughout the island, densely populating most places where it occurs. The area occupied by the species increased about 40% in the last 20 years, and there are no environmental restrictions for the establishment of exotic, although it is favored by farming. In invaded areas, the number of dominant native species decreased by almost half and we observed a tendency towards homogenization of the community. It is likely that the high degree of human disturbance in Fernando de Noronha poses dispersal limitations and modifies the environments making them unsuitable to the establishment of natives. However, there are strong evidences that L. leucocephala is driving ecological changes on the island that influence in native species loss. Considering the biological importance of Fernando de Noronha, actions to control the expansion of exotic and to restore the invaded areas are urgent

Resumo: A ventilação mecânica invasiva é recurso fundamental em unidades de terapia intensiva. Sua aplicação ocorre em quase metade dos pacientes dessas unidades. Entretanto, a VMI associa-se a várias complicações, especialmente quando utilizada por período prolongado. Desse modo, preconiza-se que a interrupção do suporte ventilatório seja realizada assim que possível. A intempestividade em realizar tanto o desmame como a extubação pode gerar graves conseqüências ao paciente, incluindo a necessidade de reintubação. Esta, por sua vez, está relacionada à elevada incidência de pneumonia hospitalar, o que leva ao maior tempo de ventilação mecânica, de permanência na terapia intensiva, aumento no custo hospitalar e da mortalidade. Visto que tanto a ventilação mecânica prolongada como sua retirada prematura podem ser prejudiciais, faz-se necessário o reconhecimento do momento ideal do desmame e extubação. Vários índices fisiológicos foram propostos com o intuito de identificar os pacientes capazes de reassumir a ventilação espontânea. Poucos ofereceram poder preditivo satisfatório e o índice de respiração rápida e superficial parece ser o mais útil devido sua simplicidade e confiabilidade. No entanto, o melhor ponto de corte dos índices fisiológicos raramente foi estabelecido por curva ROC, evidenciando a necessidade de novos estudos. Neste trabalho, foram revisados os estudos que demonstraram a importância da utilização de protocolos de desmame e extubação e avaliaram o papel preditivo dos índices propostos. / Abstract: Invasive mechanical ventilation is crucial in intensive care units and its application becomes necessary in almost half of the patients. However it has been associated to several complications especially under prolonged use. Therefore it is reccomended that the discontinuation of ventilator support must be attemped as soon as possible. The premature weaning or extubation also can gerate negative consequences to the patient, including the need of reintubation. This is most related to higher incidence of nosocomial pneumonia, increased IMV use and ICU length of stay, hospital costs and elevated mortality rates. Because of both, prolonged IMV and it's premature discontinuation can be harmful, it is necessary to recognize the optimal moment for weaning and extubation. Many physiological indexes were proposed to distinguish patients ready to breath spontaneously, but fewness demonstrated satisfatory predictive power. Rapid shallow breathing index seems to be the most useful parameter because of its simplicity and reliability. However, in rare studies the best threshold for these indexes was established by ROC curve, making evident the need of further investigations. The present study reviewed articles that demonstrated importance of weaning and extubation protocols utilization and that assessed the predictive role of physiological indexes. / Orientador: Luis Cuadrado Martin / Coorientador: Ana Lúcia Gut / Banca: Letícia Cláudia de Oliveira Antunes / Banca: Silvia Regina Barrile / Mestre

abstract: A noninvasive optical method is developed to monitor rapid changes in blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. The system depends on an optical cell built with a LED that emits light of wavelength 535nm that is a peak absorbance of hemoglobin. As the glucose concentration in the blood decreases, its osmolarity also decreases and the RBCs swell and decrease the path length absorption coefficient. Decreasing absorption coefficient increases the transmission of light through the whole blood. The system was tested with a constructed optical cell that held whole blood in a capillary tube. As expected the light transmitted to the photodiode increases with decreasing glucose concentration. The average response time of the system was between 30-40 seconds. The changes in size of the RBC cells in response to glucose concentration changes were confirmed using a cell counter and also visually under microscope. This method does not allow measuring the glucose concentration with an absolute concentration calibration. It is directed towards development of a device to monitor the changes in glucose concentration as an aid to diabetic management. This method might be improvised for precision and resolution and be developed as a ring or an earring that patients can wear. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Bioengineering 2013

Submitted by Isaac Francisco de Souza Dias (isaac.souzadias@ufpe.br) on 2016-03-03T17:04:26Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertaçao Carolina Maria da Silva.pdf: 976111 bytes, checksum: 727eabad7b0e248858d85fdda9638e23 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-03T17:04:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertaçao Carolina Maria da Silva.pdf: 976111 bytes, checksum: 727eabad7b0e248858d85fdda9638e23 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-29 / CNPQ / Infecções fúngicas invasivas têm se tornado cada vez mais freqüentes em neonatos, principalmente devido ao aumento da sobrevivência de prematuros e a deficiência do sistema imune. Dessa forma, torna-se relevante o conhecimento dos fatores epidemiológicos e susceptibilidade aos antifúngicos, uma vez que permitem o melhor conhecimento dos fatores associados à doença e a resistência dos agentes etiológicos, além da concentração ideal do medicamento a ser administrado para inibir e /ou matar o agente causal da infecção. Nesse contexto, os objetivos deste estudo foram diagnosticar candidemia em neonatos, associando os fatores epidemiológicos predisponentes e o perfil de susceptibilidade às drogas antifúngicas dos agentes etiológicos. No período de março de 2010 a julho de 2011, foram feitas coletas das amostras clínicas em neonatos de Unidades de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal do Hospital Agamenon Magalhães e do Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira. O diagnóstico micológico foi realizado através do exame direto, cultura e identificação dos agentes etiológicos. Foram coletadas amostras de sangue de 301 pacientes e isoladas 30 culturas, sendo identificadas Candida albicans (11), C. parapsilosis (11), C. pelliculosa (5), C. glabrata (1), C. guilliermondii (1) e C. tropicalis (1). Dos 30 pacientes com hemoculturas positivas para fungos, 90% eram pré-termos, 60% do sexo masculino, 93,4% possuíam peso ao nascer inferior a 2,5kg e as condições clínicas mais associadas foram icterícia e síndrome do desconforto respiratório. A grande maioria dos pacientes fazia uso de dispositivo terapêutico invasivo, destacando-se nutrição parenteral (96,7%) e cateterismo umbilical (73,3%). Quanto à susceptibilidade antifúngica todos os isolados de levedura foram sensíveis a anfotericina B, porém foi observada resistência ao fluconazol e voriconazol, principalmente por C. albicans, e 7 dos 11 isolados de C. parapsilosis foram resistentes a anidulafungina. As infecções fúngicas invasivas são frequentes em neonatos, permanecendo as espécies de Candida como as mais isoladas. Pacientes prematuros de baixo peso e que fazem uso de dispositivos invasivos são os mais acometidos, o conhecimento destes dados aliados aos resultados de susceptibilidade antifúngica in vitro possibilitam a prevenção e o tratamento mais adequado destas infecções. / Invasive fungal infections have become increasingly frequent in neonates, due to the increased survival of premature and disability of the immune system. The knowledge of epidemiological factors of these infections, as well as testing susceptibility to antifungal agents is relevant in this group of patients, because they allow a better understanding of the factors associated with the disease, the evaluation of the occurrence of fungal resistance, and the optimal concentration of the drug to be administered to inhibit and / or kill the agent of infection. In this context, the objectives of our study were to detect candidemia in neonates, the epidemiological factors associated with these infections and determine the antifungal susceptibility profile of the isolates. The samples were collected in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units from Agamenon Magalhães Hospital and Institute of Integrative Medicine Fernando Figueira, according to the medical request, from March 2010 to July 2011. The samples were manipulated to perform the direct examination and culture and then purified and identified. Samples were collected from 301 patients and we had isolated yeasts in 30 samples of blood , they were identified as Candida albicans (11), C. parapsilosis (11), C. pelliculosa (5), C. glabrata (1), C. guilliermondii (1), C. tropicalis (1). Of the 30 patients with positive blood cultures for fungi, 90% were preterm, 60% male, 93.4% had birth weight below 2.5 kg and the more usual conditions associated were clinical jaundice and respiratory distress syndrome. The vast majority of patients used invasive therapeutic device, especially parenteral nutrition (96.7%) and umbilical catheterization (73.3%). The antifungal susceptibility showed that all isolates were sensible to amphotericin B but some were resistente to fluconazole and voriconazole, mainly species of C. albicans, and 7 of 11 isolates of C. parapsilosis were resistant to anidulafungin. Invasive fungal infections are common in neonates, remaining Candida species as the most isolated. Preterm infants with low birth weight and use of invasive devices are the most affected and this knowledge combined with the in vitro antifungal susceptibility results enables a better prevention and treatment of these infections.