As moscas-das-frutas são pragas da fruticultura nas regiões tropicais e subtropicais sendo que a Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera, Tephritidae) é a espécie de maior importância econômica na Região Neotropical. Na realidade, A. fraterculus corresponde a um complexo de espécies crípticas que apresentam variações com relação ao uso de plantas hospedeiras. O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar se a utilização de diferentes frutos hospedeiros resulta em diferenças morfológicas e/ou reprodutivas em indivíduos de amostras populacionais de A. sp.1 aff. fraterculus derivadas de diferentes frutos hospedeiros coletados em áreas de simpatria. Foram realizadas análises (a) morfológicas das asas e de conjuntos de cerdas da cabeça, além da descrição dos tipos de sensilas dos flagelos das antenas e (b) da escolha de parceiros reprodutivos entre espécies provenientes de diferentes frutos hospedeiros. As análises de morfometria mostraram variação nas asas relacionadas a diferentes frutos e que o grau de assimetria das estruturas varia entre as diferentes amostras. As análises dos tricomas das asas mostraram que não existe variação numérica de células entre as asas com formas diferentes, indicando que essa variação deve ser devida a diferenças na forma e/ou tamanho das células. As análises de assimetria flutuante em relação ao número de cerdas da cabeça indicaram diferenças entre as amostras. Em relação à assimetria posicional das cerdas, as populações apresentaram diferentes graus de assimetria. A análise das sensilas mostrou que existem diferenças na distribuição de cada tipo ao longo do flagelo, sendo a maior variação na região mediana, mas para quatro dos tipos não foram observadas diferenças nas amostras dos diferentes frutos. No experimento de escolha de parceiro reprodutivo houve uma tendência das fêmeas em escolher machos provenientes do mesmo fruto hospedeiro. No experimento de troca de fruto hospedeiro com uma população de laboratório, os resultados mostraram que houve um decréscimo na taxa de emergência de adultos, além de outros que apresentaram malformações. Os efeitos provocados por essa mudança de substrato do desenvolvimento larval foram distintos para as asas e cerdas, havendo manifestação no aumento da assimetria flutuante apenas nessas últimas. A diferença de resposta das estruturas pode resultar de distinção na robustez dos mecanismos que promovem a estabilidade ontogenética dessas estruturas. No presente estudo foi possível avaliar que o fruto hospedeiro no qual a larva se desenvolve, influencia a morfologia das asas, o reconhecimento de parceiros reprodutivos e pode ser um fator de estresse durante a ontogenia de A. sp.1 aff. fraterculus / The fruit flies of Tephritidae family are insect pests distributed around the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Among these flies, Anastrepha fraterculus is one of the most important pest species in the Neotropical Region. In reality, A. fraterculus correspond to a complex of cryptic species that shows differences in relation to the usage of host plants for larval development. The present study aimed to investigate if the use of distinct host fruits causes morphological and/or reproductive alterations in individuals from population samples of A. sp.1 aff. fraterculus derived from distinct sympatric fruits. To attain this goal, two series of experiments were conducted: (a) morphological analyses of the wings and of head bristles, besides the description of the sensilla types in the flagellum, and (b) tests on choice of reproductive partners derived from different host fruits. Morphometric analyses show variation in the wings to be associated to distinct fruits and that asymmetry vary among samples. The number of trichomes was invariable in the wings exhibiting subtle morphological distinctions, indicating that the differences might be due to shape and/or size of the cells. Fluctuating asymmetry in the number and position of head bristles is varied significantly among the flies derived from distinct fruits. The analysis on the distribution of sensilla along the flagellum revealed that the distribution of each one is distinct, most of variation occurring at the median region; however for four sensilla types no differences were detected. Experiments on mating choice showed a tendency of females to elect males derived from the same fruit type. The experiments on effects of host fruit changing in a laboratory colony of flies showed that a decrease in adult emergence did occur. An increase in the number of malformed adults was observed. The observed effects of changing the substrate for larval development were distinct for wings and bristles with an increase in the asymmetry of the latter. The distinction in response of the structures is suggestive that differences may exist in the robustness of the mechanisms that afford ontogenetic stability of wings and bristles. The present study indicates that the fruit in which the larvae develop has influence in the morphology of the wings, in the recognition of reproductive partners and may be a stressing factor during the ontogeny of A. sp.1 aff. fraterculus

Os efeitos negativos da ocorrência de baixas temperaturas sobre o arroz são de difícil controle e manejo, por ser um fator imprevisível. Embora não seja uma tarefa fácil, em diversas regiões do mundo, já foram desenvolvidas cultivares com adequada tolerância ao frio. O caminho para o desenvolvimento de cultivares deve envolver, a adoção de várias estratégias para tornar o processo de melhoramento desse caráter ágil e preciso. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a diversidade genética existente entre os acessos de arroz da subespécie Japonica do Banco de Germoplasma da ESALQ/USP e caracterizá-los a fim de identificar fontes de tolerância ao frio durante a fase reprodutiva. O trabalho foi conduzido em dois anos agrícolas sendo o primeiro experimento em 2013 e o segundo em 2014. No primeiro experimento, foi feita a identificação da diversidade genética por caracteres agromorfológicos e a avaliação do seu rendimento em condições de estresse por baixas temperaturas na fase reprodutiva. A divergência genética entre os acessos foi quantificada por meio de análises estatísticas multivariadas, sendo que foi utilizada a distância generalizada de Mahalanobis. O método de agrupamento utilizado foi o algoritmo de otimização de Tocher e foi feita análise de componentes principais para determinar as variáveis que mais contribuíram para a variabilidade dos acessos. No segundo experimento, os genótipos que apresentaram bom desempenho foram avaliados novamente a fim de identificar aqueles tolerantes ao frio na fase reprodutiva. Foi observada a presença de variabilidade genética para os caracteres avaliados. No primeiro experimento, os acessos japoneses apresentaram em média maior rendimento e massa de mil grãos e menor esterilidade quando comparados com as cultivares comerciais, indicando possível existência de fontes de tolerância ao frio na fase reprodutiva. Considerando simultaneamente as variáveis analisadas, de acordo com o algoritmo de otimização de Tocher, os acessos e cultivares foram reunidos em 37 grupos de similaridade. Os genótipos avaliados no segundo experimento apresentaram elevada esterilidade (próxima a 100%). No entanto, deve-se destacar que foram registradas temperaturas críticas baixas (inferiores a 15°C) ao longo de quase todo o ciclo, especialmente durante o período reprodutivo. / Being an unpredictable factor, the negative effects of occurrence of low temperatures on rice are difficult to control and managed. Although it is not an easy task, in various regions of the world, cultivars have been developed with adequate cold tolerance. The path to the development of cultivars should involve the adoption of various strategies to make the process of improvement of this character more agile and precise. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity among rice accessions of Japonica subspecies of the Germplasm Bank of ESALQ / USP and characterize them morphological in order to identify sources of cold tolerance during the reproductive phase. The work was conducted in two years with the first trial in 2013 and the second in 2014. In the first trial, the identification of the genetic diversity of agronomic characters and the evaluation of its performance under stress conditions by low temperatures in the reproductive phase. The genetic divergence among accessions was quantified by means of multivariate statistical analysis, using the Mahalanobis distance. The clustering method used was Tocher optimization algorithm and it was also performed made principal component analysis to determine the variables that contributed the most to the variability of accessions. In the second trial, the genotypes that performed better were evaluated again in order to identify those that were cold tolerant in the reproductive phase. It was observed the presence of genetic variability for all the characters. In the first trial, the Japanese accessions showed on average higher yield and thousand grain weight, and also less sterility compared to commercial cultivars, which may indicate the existence of cold tolerance sources in the reproductive phase. Considering the variables analyzed, according to the Tocher optimization algorithm, accessions and cultivars were divided into 37 groups of similarity. The genotypes used in the second test showed high sterility (close to 100%). However, it should be noted that low critical temperatures were recorded (below 15 ° C) over almost the entire cycle, especially during the breeding season.

Submitted by isabela.moljf@hotmail.com (isabela.moljf@hotmail.com) on 2016-08-09T13:49:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 anacristinaatalaalves.pdf: 6650791 bytes, checksum: 635340f2a060916599b1c5e7d0a1e1c2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-08-09T14:42:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 anacristinaatalaalves.pdf: 6650791 bytes, checksum: 635340f2a060916599b1c5e7d0a1e1c2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-09T14:42:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 anacristinaatalaalves.pdf: 6650791 bytes, checksum: 635340f2a060916599b1c5e7d0a1e1c2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-10 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A anatomia ecológica vegetal investiga estratégias adaptativas das plantas quanto ao local que habitam. As folhas são os órgãos vegetativos com maior plasticidade fenotípica em resposta aos fatores ambientais: radiação solar, temperatura, umidade relativa do ar e velocidade do vento. As flores apresentam pistas de como ocorrem interações químicas com seus polinizadores. O Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca (PEIB), Minas Gerais, Brasil, apresenta um mosaico de fitofisionomias, e suas respectivas condições edafoclimáticas podem influenciar na adaptação das Orchidaceae, família de plantas mais representativa do parque, quanto à estrutura e química das folhas e dos recursos florais. Objetivou-se verificar: 1- A estrutura do elaióforo e a composição química de sua secreção em Oncidium donianum Bateman ex W.H.Baxter e O. warmingii Rchb.f.; 2- As adaptações morfo-anatômicas, fisiológicas e químicas das folhas das orquídeas Hadrolaelia coccinea (Lindl.) Chiron, Pleurothallis rubens Lindl. e Prosthechea pachysepala (Klotzsch) Chiron & V.P. Castro no interior (I) e na borda (B) da nanofloresta nebular; 3- As adaptações morfo-anatômicas, fisiológicas e químicas das folhas das orquídeas Zygopetalum maculatum (Kunth) Garay e Epidendrum secundum Jacq. em duas cotas altimétricas, à 1200 e 1784m. Aferições climáticas foram realizadas com o termohigrógrafo Instrutherm Thall 300 em todas as fitofisionomias estudadas nas quatro estações do ano. Elaióforos de flores jovens, maduras e senescentes de O. donianum e de O. warmingii foram coletados para análises morfo-anatômicas, microscópicas de varredura, confocal de varredura à laser, transmissão e cromatografia gasosa acoplada à espectrometria de massas (CG-EM). Para as análises morfo-anatômicas foram coletadas folhas de H. coccinea, P. rubens, P. pachysepala no I e B; e folhas de Z. maculatum e E. secundum, em diferentes altitudes. Quantificação de clorofilas, testes histoquímicos e análises químicas por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência acoplada a detector de arranjo de fotodiodo (CLAEDAD) foram realizadas em três folhas coletadas de três indivíduos de cada espécie por fitofisionomia. O índice de plasticidade fenotípica (IPF) foi calculado para cada variável morfológica, anatômica e fisiológica. Para avaliar as diferenças de cada variável entre as duas fitofisionomias utilizou-se teste t-student ou teste não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney. A radiação solar global (µmmolm-2s-1) foi maior na B em comparação ao I. Os elaióforos de O. donianum e de O. warmingii são do tipo epidermal e secretam material lipídico representado quimicamente por hidrocarbonetos de cadeia longa. Hadrolaelia coccinea e P. pachysepala apresentaram respostas morfo-anatômicas semelhantes, configurando tipos funcionais similares. Pleurothallis rubens apresentou diferenças significativas apenas para três variáveis no inverno e duas no verão. Maiores teores de flavonoides foram produzidos por P. pachysepala e P. rubens na B, como resposta fotoprotetora. Diferenças significativas para produção de flavonoides foram observadas apenas nas estações verão e inverno, com maiores produções no I e B, respectivamente, para P. pachysepala e o contrário para P. rubens, o que provavelmente esteja relacionado à defesa constitutiva na primeira e fotoproteção na segunda. Hadrolaelia coccinea foi a orquídea de maior IPF, o que possibilita maiores sobrevivência às oscilações climáticas e amplitude de distribuição geográfica. A umidade relativa do ar e a velocidade do vento foram maiores na alta altitude. Zygopetalum maculatum e E. secundum apresentaram respostas adaptativas diferenciadas quanto às cotas altimétricas. Maiores teores de flavonoides foram produzidos por Z. maculatum na baixa altitude como resposta ao maior estresse hídrico. Epidedrum secundum obteve maior IPF. Este trabalho gerou contribuições para a compreensão da dinâmica das adaptações das orquídeas no PEIB e para adoção de medidas preventivas à sua conservação e ao ecossistema no qual elas se encontram. / Plant ecological anatomy investigates plants adaptive strategies as to the place they inhabit. The leaves are the vegetative organs of higher phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental factors: solar radiation, temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. The flowers have important clues as occurring chemical interactions with their pollinators. The Ibitipoca State Park (PEIB), MG, Brazil, presents a mosaic of vegetation types, and their soil and weather conditions may influence the adaptation of Orchidaceae, family most representative plants of the park. The goals were to assess: 1- The structure of the elaiophore and the chemical composition of its secretion in Oncidium donianum Bateman ex W.H.Baxter and O. warmingii Rchb.f. of the PEIB; 2- The morphological, anatomical, physiological and chemical leaves adaptations of orchids Hadrolaelia coccinea (Lindl.) Chiron, Pleurothallis rubens Lindl. and Prosthechea pachysepala (Klotzsch) Chiron & VP Castro inside and on the edge of nebular nanofloresta of PEIB; 3- The morphological, anatomical, physiological and chemical leaves adaptations of orchids Zygopetalum maculatum (Kunth) Garay and Epidendrum secundum Jacq. in two elevations, the 1200 and 1784m, of PEIB. Climate measurements were performed with Instrutherm Thal 300 thermohygrograph, in all vegetation types studied in the four seasons. Elaiophores of young, mature and senescent flowers of O. donianum and O. warmingii were collected for morphological and anatomical analysis, as well as for analyses with scanning confocal microscope, laser scanning microscope, transmission microscope and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). For morphological and anatomical analyzes were collected H. coccinea, P. rubens, P. pachysepala leaves in the nebular nanofloresta and edge; and Z. maculatum e E. secundum leaves at different altitudes. Quantification of chlorophylls, histochemical tests and chemical analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD) were conducted in three leaves collected from three individuals of each species per vegetation type. The phenotypic plasticity index (IPF) was calculated for each morphological, anatomical and physiological variable. To assess the significant difference of each variable between the two vegetation types we used Student t test or nonparametric Mann-Whitney.The global solar radiation (µmmolm-2s-1) was higher at the edge compared to nanofloresta nebular. The elaiophores of O. donianum and O. warmingii are epidermal and secrete lipid material chemically represented by long chain hydrocarbons. Higher flavonoid content was produced by P. pachysepala and P. rubens at the edge, as photoprotective response. The flavonoid synthesis was statistically significant only in the summer and winter seasons, with higher yields and inside edge, respectively, for P. pachysepala and the opposite to P. rubens, which is probably related to the constitutive defense in the first and the second photoprotection. Hadrolaelia coccinea was the most IPF, so most likely to survive the environmental fluctuations and shows greater geographical distribution. The relative humidity and wind speed were higher at 1784m. Zigopetalum maculatum and E. secundum showed different adaptive responses regarding altitudes. Higher average content of flavonoids was produced by Z. maculatum at the 1200m. Epidendrum secundum detected the higher IPF. This work led to contributions to the understanding of the dynamics of adaptations of orchids in PEIB and to adopt preventive measures for its conservation and ecosystem in which they operate.

This thesis is the first known study to relocate Acropora cervicornis across multiple regions of the Florida Reef Tract. Since 2006, A. cervicornis has been listed as a threatened coral species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In response, restoration efforts utilizing coral nursery methods have been implemented throughout the Caribbean. The primary objective of this research was to determine the response of A. cervicornis colonies to being relocated between two coral nurseries separated by approximately 150km along the Florida Reef Tract. To accomplish this, a reciprocal transport was conducted between coral fragments with known genotypes from Broward County and Monroe County, Florida. A subset of coral ramets (fragments of a single genotype) was removed from the nursery of origin and relocated to the opposing coral nursery, while the remaining ramets stayed in their original nursery to serve as controls. Following transplant, both relocated and non-relocated corals were monitored for 14 months and survivorship, growth rates, branching frequency, and coral condition data were collected. In addition, tissue samples were collected twice during the monitoring period to determine zooxanthellae densities. Reaction norms were used to predict the responses of each measured variable for each genotype in response to being relocated. Relocated coral colonies from both nurseries exhibited equal or greater survivorship than the non-relocated corals from their original nursery. Growth rates, branching frequency, and zooxanthellae densities were highest in the corals that were previously in or relocated to Broward County. Within each nursery, relocated and non-relocated corals were not significantly different in any of the measured parameters. Throughout the study period, there were no signs of disease, bleaching, or predation on any of the corals. These findings demonstrate that A. cervicornis colonies can be successfully relocated across regions of the Florida Reef Tract suggesting that colonies throughout the FRT may be used for collaborative restoration efforts. Reaction norm analysis indicated phenotypically plastic responses in each growth parameter with some instances of genotype-by-environment interactions. Finally, these results suggest the need for additional research to investigate regional differences in A. cervicornis populations for proper management and restoration approaches.

Understanding the strategies that plant populations implement to increase evolutionary responsiveness to better survive environmental changes induced by climate change is a critical challenge for ecology and evolutionary studies. This dissertation investigates the role of hybridization, local adaptation, and phenotypic plasticity in plant population responses to environmental change. Specifically, I utilized meta-analysis techniques to investigate the prevalence of local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity as the two main mechanisms used to adapt to heterogeneous environments, and experimentally explored the genetic pathway of plasticity in phenology traits such as bolting time in Arabidopsis thaliana under high temperatures. Furthermore, A. thaliana was used to create artificial hybrids to test if novel trait combinations allow hybrids to outperform their parental source in novel and stressful environments. In the second chapter, I included reciprocal transplant plant studies and found that local adaptation is more common than adaptive plasticity as an evolutionary response to environmental heterogeneity. Although local adaptation was more common, plastic responses have been reported as a mechanism to tolerate increases in global temperature; however, the underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms are only starting to be elucidated. To address this, the third chapter determined whether alternative splicing of the ambient temperature flowering pathway gene FLOWERING LOCUS-M (FLM), and expression of SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP), can explain flowering time plasticity in ecotypes of A. thaliana under 18°C and 26°C. Although the expression of SVP and FLM-β tracks reaction norms, I failed to find evidence that alternative FLM splicing plays a role in phenotypic plasticity in intraspecific flowering time variation. Intraspecific hybridization (admixture) disrupts divergent genetic architectures between populations to generate phenotypic novelty and raw material for environmental selection to act upon. In order to understand the effect of this disruption to local adaptation of A. thaliana ecotypes separated along geographic and locally adaptive genetic distances, the fourth chapter used experimentally created F1-hybrids between geographically distant ecotypes, and used single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data to estimate (putatively neutral) background and adaptive genetic distances. My results suggest that disruption of locally adaptive genomic loci decreases the performance of offspring between distantly related parents, but that crosses between very closely related parents also reduce performance, suggesting that during admixture selection may have to balance the consequences of disrupting local adaption while also avoiding inbreeding depression. Lastly, I examined the effect of recombination events under limiting and novel growing conditions (i.e. drought, high temperatures, and freezing field over-wintering conditions) in A. thaliana F2-hybrids. I provide empirical data for the effect of limiting growing environment on phenology, growth, and fitness traits on the admixed and parental ecotypes. I found that recombination events generate novel phenotypes. Generally, offspring phenotypic variation increases and shifts from the parental ecotype phenotypes, and in some cases, offspring display transgressive segregation, heterosis, or outbreeding depression. This work provides a novel contribution towards understanding mechanisms that plant implement to deal with rapid environmental changes. Specifically, plastic responses and hybridization events may interplay to maintain and increase genotypic diversity.

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) / The expansion of the South African aquaculture industry coupled with the lack of effective parasite management strategies may potentially have negative effects on both the freshwater biodiversity and economics of the aquaculture sector. Koi and goldfish are notorious for the propagation of parasites worldwide, some of which have already infected indigenous fish in South Africa. Koi and goldfish have been released into rivers in South Africa since the 1800’s for food and sport fish and have since spread extensively. These fish are present in most of the river systems in South Africa and pose an additional threat the indigenous cyprinids in the Western Cape. Monogenean parasites of the genus Gyrodactylus are of particular concern, as their unique biology renders them a possible threat. Gyrodactylus kherulensis and G. kobayashii were identified from koi and goldfish respectively imported from Asia, Europe and locally bred fish. Morphometrics and the use of statistical classifiers, which includes univariate (ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis), bivariate (Pearson’s correlation) and multivariate (Principal Component Analysis) placed the two species within their respective groups. There was some intraspecific variation among the different populations collected from the various locations, especially in the hamulus and ventral bar features, but the marginal hooklets, however, remained static for both helminth species. This illustrates again the importance of the minor variations in the marginal hook features in gyrodactylid taxonomy. Infection trials conducted by co-habitation of infected koi and goldfish with two indigenous redfin minnow species, Pseudobarbus burchelli and P. phlegethon showed that both G. kherulensis and G. kobayashii could successfully transfer and establish themselves on P. phlegethon, where the infection increased rapidly initially, but remained relatively constant thereafter. P. burchelli appeared to be inherently resistant as the parasite population growth rate initially remained steady, until the infection died off. The wild-caught indigenous fish were however not infected with any exotic Gyrodactylus species, but a new species, G. burchelli n. sp. described from the body surfaces of P. burchelli. / South Africa

The present study adopted an integrative approach to conduct a population comparison of vulnerability to environmental stress in a commercially important species of ectotherm. Specifically, I investigated how differing environmental conditions in native habitats may drive intra-species divergence and alter performance when conditions shift. This study used northern prawn (Pandalus borealis Krøyer 1838) populations with known morphological differences from two spatially proximate fjord sites differing in oxygen regime as a model system. The genetic population structure was analysed and whole organism, physiological, and metabolomic performance under hypoxia and thermal stress were assessed. Genetic analyses displayed no significant dissimilarities between P. borealis from the normoxic and the seasonally hypoxic site. It was hypothesised that phenotypic plasticity may act as mechanism by which P. borealis may persist in the seasonally hypoxic fjord. Subsequently, a common garden experiment, in which individuals from the two fjords were exposed to hypoxia and the additional stress of elevated temperature, was carried out. The populations did not show significantly different physiological performance as determined by metabolic rates and stamina. However, the experiment did confirm the negative impacts of hypoxia on this species. Finally, P. borealis were exposed to hypoxia in the field in a translocation experiment. As the laboratory methods used would not have been possible to replicate, performance was assessed by survivorship and metabolite regulation. P. borealis from the two fjords showed significantly different levels of survivorship and the metabolomic profiles demonstrated that both populations possess different levels or forms of phenotypic plasticity, as they responded differently to translocation. This thesis presents the first use of the mtDNA control region of this species being used to determine its genetic variation and emphasises the need for multidisciplinary, holistic and multi-population approaches to assessing species vulnerability.

Temperature variation affects most biological parameters from the molecular level to community structure and dynamics. Current studies on thermal biology assess how populations vary in response to environmental temperature, which can help determine how populations differentially respond to climate change. To date, temperature fluctuation effects on endothermic poikilotherms such as the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) are unknown even though bumblebees are the most important natural pollinators in North America. A cold-acclimation experiment with B. impatiens colonies revealed individuals acclimated to 5°C or 10°C at night did not differ in resting metabolic rate, flight metabolic rate, wingbeat frequency, or morphological measurements, compared to the control group. Moreover, an infrared camera showed that all colonies maintained maximum nest temperature consistently above 36.8°C. A latitudinal sampling of flight metabolic rate and morphological measurements of B. impatiens from four locations spanning Ontario (N 45°; W 75°) to North Carolina (N 34°; W 77°) indicated no latitudinal trend in the measured variables. This study shows that bumblebees are well equipped to face a wide range of environmental temperatures, both in the short term and long term, and can use a combination of behavioural and physiological mechanisms to regulate body and nest temperatures. These results are reassuring on the direct effects of climate change on bumblebee ecology, but further studies on the indirect effect of temperature variation on North American bumblebees are required to predict future ecosystem dynamics.

Body size varies according to nutritional availability, which is of ecological and evolutionary relevance. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that differences in adult body size are realized by increasing juvenile growth rate for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Harvest records are used to construct growth rate estimates by empirical nonlinear curve fitting. Results are compared to those of previous models that include additional parameters. The rate of growth increases during the study period. Models that estimate multiple parameters may not work with harvest data in which estimates of these parameters are prone to error, which renders estimates from complex models too variable to detect inter-annual changes in growth rate that this simpler model captures

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-04-12T12:41:55Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese Taciana Martins Barbosa Biblioteca Central.pdf: 2266957 bytes, checksum: c72479b848ff65eb617cd5065338256f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-12T12:41:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese Taciana Martins Barbosa Biblioteca Central.pdf: 2266957 bytes, checksum: c72479b848ff65eb617cd5065338256f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-31 / FACEPE / O octocoral Carijoa riisei é um cnidário colonial que possui ampla distribuição geográfica no Oceano Atlântico Sul, Caribe, Pacífico e Indo-Pacífico. Com intuito de conhecer a estrutura e a conectividade das populações da espécie, abordagens diferentes foram realizadas. Em pequena escala geográfica espacial (6-125 km) a partir de diferentes ambientes (recifes costeiros, naufrágios e estuários) da costa de Pernambuco (Brasil), análises do DNAmt, morfológicas e reprodutivas foram realizadas. Verificou-se que houve variação morfológica em 10 dos 11 caracteres morfológicos avaliados quando comparadas as localidades estudadas. No entanto, não há diferenciação genética entre as sete populações estudadas devido ao alto fluxo gênico, indicando que a espécie em Pernambuco consiste em uma população panmítica. Portanto, a alta variabilidade morfológica de C. riisei encontrada neste estudo é devido à plasticidade fenotípica em resposta às mudanças ambientais e não ao acúmulo de diferenças genéticas devido à interrupção do fluxo gênico entre as populações. Para análise em grande escala geográfica espacial (108-2781 km), o exame da conectividade genética por meio do DNAmt foi realizado em populações do Atlântico Sul/Brasil e comparado com resultados encontrados de outras regiões do Atlântico (Leste e Norte) e do mundo (Pacífico/Havaí e Indo-Pacífico). Estruturação genética foi observada em duas das seis populações estudadas no Atlântico Sul/Brasil. Contudo, foi verificado fluxo gênico suficiente para conectar todas as populações, tanto dentro do Atlântico Sul, como entre as populações desta região com as demais. O Atlântico Sul apresentou a maior diversidade genética entre todas as regiões do Atlântico estudadas. Quando a comparação é realizada entre as regiões geográficas do mundo, a maior diversidade genética foi encontrada no Indo-Pacífico e a menor no Atlântico Norte. De acordo com esses resultados e aliado com o que existe na literatura, encontra-se suporte à ideia de que C. riisei é nativa do Indo-Pacífico. A conectividade genética das populações em organismos sésseis é alcançada pela dispersão larval. Este estudo descreve pela primeira vez a embriogênese, desenvolvimento e assentamento larval de C. riisei. Foram recolhidas colônias na costa norte de São Paulo, Brasil e mantidos vivos em aquários. Através da observação direta, verificou-se que a liberação dos gametas predominantemente ocorreram entre 05h00-10h00. A fertilização é externa e os ovos fertilizados tem um diâmetro médio de 403 ± 6,0 μm, apresentando geralmente flutuabilidade positiva. As clivagens são superficiais, o primeiro ciclo de divisão ocorre perto de 3h30-5 h após a liberação dos gametas. A divisão citoplasmática é rápida (15-20 min), facilmente visível nas fases de 16 e 32 células. As larvas plânulas são formadas entre 27-36 h após a liberação dos gametas; podem nadar por toda a coluna dágua e atingir 1,8 mm de comprimento. As plânulas assentam entre 10-18 dias após a liberação dos gametas. O pólipo primário é translúcido, e os tentáculos emergem como oito pequenos botões arredondados. Portanto, a espécie tende a ter um potencial de dispersão de longa distância, que aliado ao nível considerável de variação morfológica (que favorece a adaptação da espécie em condições ecológicas heterogêneas) e a conectividade ocorrendo entre populações em pequena e grande escala geográfica espacial, auxiliam a compreender a ampla distribuição deste octocoral. / The octocoral Carijoa riisei is widely spread in the South Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, Pacific and Indo-Pacific. Seeking to know the structure and connectivity of populations of the species, different approaches have been undertaken. In small spatial geographic scale (6-125 km) from different environments (coastal reefs, shipwrecks and estuaries) from the coast of Pernambuco (Brazil), analysis of mtDNA, morphological and reproductive were held. It was found that there is morphological variation in 10 of 11 morphological characters evaluated when compared the locations studied. However, there is no genetic differentiation among the populations studied due to high gene flow, indicating that the species in Pernambuco consists of a panmitic population. Therefore, the high morphological variability of C. riisei found in this study is due to phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental changes and not the accumulation of genetic differences due to the interruption of gene flow between populations. For analysis in large spatial geographic scale (108-2781 km), examination of genetic connectivity through mtDNA was held in South Atlantic/Brazil populations and compared with results from other regions of the Atlantic (East and North) and the world (Pacific/Hawaii and Indo-Pacific). Genetic structure was observed in two of the six studied populations in the South Atlantic/Brazil. However, it was found sufficient gene flow to connect all populations, both within the South Atlantic, as among populations of this region with others. The South Atlantic showed the highest genetic diversity among all regions of the Atlantic studied. When a comparison is performed among the geographic regions of the world, the greatest genetic diversity was found in the Indo-Pacific and the smallest in the North Atlantic. According to these results and allied with what exists in the literature, it supports the idea that C. riisei is native to the Indo-Pacific. Genetic connectivity of populations in sessile organisms is achieved by larval dispersal. This study describes for the first time embryogenesis, development and larval settlement of this octocoral. Colonies were collected on the north coast of São Paulo, Brazil and kept alive in aquariums. Through direct observation, it was found that spawns predominantly occurred in the morning between 05h00-10h00. The fertilization is external and fertilized eggs have an average diameter of 403 ± 6.0 μm, usually presenting positive buoyancy. The cleavages are superficial, the first division cycle occurs near 3h30-5 h after spawning. The cytoplasmic division is rapid (15-20 min), easily visible in stages 16 and 32 cells. The larvae planula are formed 27-36 h after spawning; can swim throughout the water column and reach a length of 1.8 mm. Planulae settle 10-18 days after spawning. The primary polyp is translucent, and the tentacles emerge as eight small round buttons. Therefore, the species tends to have a potential for long-distance dispersal, that coupled with the considerable level of morphological variation (that favors the adaptation of the species in heterogeneous ecological conditions) and connectivity between populations occurring in small and large spatial geographic scale assists to understand the wide distribution of this octocoral.