Water quality in the Vaalharts region in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa, decreased over the past few years and there was a need for the microbiological and physico-chemical assessment. This problem was identified through discussions with Vaalharts Water (Vaalharts Water User Association) in 2010 when the issue of the impact of deteriorating water quality on drinking water production was raised. It was thus important to investigate concerns of the water users association pertaining to water quality issues. The aim of this study was to assess the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of household water in the Vaalharts irrigation scheme. The main residential areas were Hartswater, Pampierstad, Jan Kempdorp and Warrenton. Faecal coliforms were detected in the raw water of all the drinking water distribution systems during 2011 and 2012. No faecal coliforms were detected in the household water during 2011. This was a very positive result, because not only did the household water comply with the SANS 241 (2011) standard (0 CFU/100ml), but the purification processes were successful by removing all the E. coli’s from the raw water. However, during March 2012 faecal coliforms were detected in the household water of Jan Kempdorp (191CFU/100ml). This could be due to point pollution and possible breakage of faecal coliforms in the distribution system. Low amounts of total coliforms were detected in the raw water of some of the drinking water distribution systems. This could be due to high amounts of other colonies (pink and purple) growing on the m-Endo agar which suppress the growth of the metallic green sheen (total coliform) colonies. The total coliform numbers complied with the SANS 241 (2011) standard of ≤10 CFU/100ml at most of the distribution systems, except for Hartswater during July 2011 (14CFU/100ml) and Warrenton during March 2012 (256 CFU/100ml). Heterotrophic plate count bacteria were very high in the household water of some of the distribution systems during 2011 and 2012 which exceeded the SANS 241 (2011) standard of ≤1000 CFU/ml. A large number of pigmented (yellow, orange, pink) and non-pigmented (white) colonies were isolated on R2A agar. This can be an indication of some failure in treatment processes. Other microbiological parameters that were tested such as faceal streptococci, Clostridia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungi did not indicate any danger, but there were high levels of total anaerobic bacteria in the raw water during 2011 and 2012. A high level of anaerobic bacteria was detected in the household water of Hartswater during July 2011. Clostridia were also present in the household water of some of the distribution systems during 2011 and 2012. Sequencing results of the mdh, lacZ and uidA genes indicated that one of the isolates was identified as Enterobacter cloacae and the other isolates were E. coli. Four of the isolates were identified as Escherichia coli O104:H4. This is a pathogenic strain and raised concern. The physicochemical parameters that were measured complied with the SANS 241 (2011) standards during 2011 and 2012, but some of the parameters increased gradually from 2011 to 2012. Statistical analysis indicated that physico-chemical parameters had an influence on microbiological parameters and that deteriorating raw water may have an impact on drinking water quality. Another concern currently is that there is no SANS 241 (2011) for faecal streptococci, Clostridia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, fungi and anaerobic bacteria. These are all opportunistic pathogenic bacteria and consuming water with high levels of these bacteria may cause health problems. This study indicated good progress in the treatment processes of the distribution systems over the two years. This may be due to the feedback given to Vaalharts Water during this study regarding the water quality of the residential areas. The physico-chemical and microbiological results of the present study indicated possible biofilm formation in the distribution systems. This may have impacts on the drinking water quality of the distribution systems. It was also evident that deteriorating raw water sources may have an impact on drinking water production. / Thesis (MSc (Environmental Sciences))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Water quality in the Vaalharts region in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa, decreased over the past few years and there was a need for the microbiological and physico-chemical assessment. This problem was identified through discussions with Vaalharts Water (Vaalharts Water User Association) in 2010 when the issue of the impact of deteriorating water quality on drinking water production was raised. It was thus important to investigate concerns of the water users association pertaining to water quality issues. The aim of this study was to assess the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of household water in the Vaalharts irrigation scheme. The main residential areas were Hartswater, Pampierstad, Jan Kempdorp and Warrenton. Faecal coliforms were detected in the raw water of all the drinking water distribution systems during 2011 and 2012. No faecal coliforms were detected in the household water during 2011. This was a very positive result, because not only did the household water comply with the SANS 241 (2011) standard (0 CFU/100ml), but the purification processes were successful by removing all the E. coli’s from the raw water. However, during March 2012 faecal coliforms were detected in the household water of Jan Kempdorp (191CFU/100ml). This could be due to point pollution and possible breakage of faecal coliforms in the distribution system. Low amounts of total coliforms were detected in the raw water of some of the drinking water distribution systems. This could be due to high amounts of other colonies (pink and purple) growing on the m-Endo agar which suppress the growth of the metallic green sheen (total coliform) colonies. The total coliform numbers complied with the SANS 241 (2011) standard of ≤10 CFU/100ml at most of the distribution systems, except for Hartswater during July 2011 (14CFU/100ml) and Warrenton during March 2012 (256 CFU/100ml). Heterotrophic plate count bacteria were very high in the household water of some of the distribution systems during 2011 and 2012 which exceeded the SANS 241 (2011) standard of ≤1000 CFU/ml. A large number of pigmented (yellow, orange, pink) and non-pigmented (white) colonies were isolated on R2A agar. This can be an indication of some failure in treatment processes. Other microbiological parameters that were tested such as faceal streptococci, Clostridia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungi did not indicate any danger, but there were high levels of total anaerobic bacteria in the raw water during 2011 and 2012. A high level of anaerobic bacteria was detected in the household water of Hartswater during July 2011. Clostridia were also present in the household water of some of the distribution systems during 2011 and 2012. Sequencing results of the mdh, lacZ and uidA genes indicated that one of the isolates was identified as Enterobacter cloacae and the other isolates were E. coli. Four of the isolates were identified as Escherichia coli O104:H4. This is a pathogenic strain and raised concern. The physicochemical parameters that were measured complied with the SANS 241 (2011) standards during 2011 and 2012, but some of the parameters increased gradually from 2011 to 2012. Statistical analysis indicated that physico-chemical parameters had an influence on microbiological parameters and that deteriorating raw water may have an impact on drinking water quality. Another concern currently is that there is no SANS 241 (2011) for faecal streptococci, Clostridia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, fungi and anaerobic bacteria. These are all opportunistic pathogenic bacteria and consuming water with high levels of these bacteria may cause health problems. This study indicated good progress in the treatment processes of the distribution systems over the two years. This may be due to the feedback given to Vaalharts Water during this study regarding the water quality of the residential areas. The physico-chemical and microbiological results of the present study indicated possible biofilm formation in the distribution systems. This may have impacts on the drinking water quality of the distribution systems. It was also evident that deteriorating raw water sources may have an impact on drinking water production. / Thesis (MSc (Environmental Sciences))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Orientador: Adriane Pinto Wasko / Resumo: O Brasil apresenta umas das maiores diversidades de avifauna do mundo, sendo estimada a ocorrência de 1.919 espécies distribuídas em todo seu território. Entretanto, a destruição de habitats, poluição e captura excessiva, muitas vezes associadas ao comércio ilegal, têm levado a um declínio no número de indivíduos desse grupo animal. Uma das formas de combater esse tipo de crime ambiental e de reverter ou minimizar seus efeitos concerne à implementação de um banco de dados forenses com registros de ocorrências e informações biológicas sobre os animais apreendidos e desenvolvimento de ações de conscientização da população sobre esta problemática. Desta forma, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver estratégias multidisciplinares para a proteção jurídica à conservação biológica de aves oriundas do tráfico de animais. Amostras de DNA de aves comercializadas ilegalmente e encaminhadas ao Centro de Medicina e Pesquisa em Animais Silvestres (CEMPAS), mantido pela Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade Estadual Paulista, foram utilizadas para geração de perfis genéticos sexo-específicos, por meio da amplificação de segmentos dos genes CHD-Z e CHD-W (Chromo Helicase DNA Binding). Adicionalmente, perfis de duas subespéciesde papagaio-verdadeiro (Amazona aestiva aestiva e Amazona aestiva xanthopteryx foram gerados por meio da amplificação e sequenciamento nucleotídico de segmentos dos genes mitocondriais citocromo C oxidase subunidade I (COI) e citocrom... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Brazil has one of the largest avifauna diversity in the world, with estimated 1,919 species distributed throughout its territory. However, habitat destruction, pollution and over-harvesting, often associated with illegal trade, have led to a decline in the number of individuals of this animal group. One possible approach to combat this type of environmental crime and to reverse or minimize its effects concerns the implementation of a forensic database with records of occurrences and biological information about the captured animals and the development of actions to raise population awareness about this problem. Therefore, the present work aimed to develop multidisciplinary strategies for the legal protection to the biological conservation of birds originated from the animal traffic. DNA samples of illegally traded birds, that were sent to the Center for Medicine and Research in Wild Animals (CEMPAS) maintained by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the São Paulo State University, were used to generate sex-specific genetic profiles, through the amplification of segments of the CHD-Z and CHD-W (Chromo Helicase DNA Binding) genes. In addition, profiles of two subspecies of the Blue-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva aestiva and Amazona aestiva xanthopteryx) were generated, through amplification and nucleotide sequencing of segments of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (CYB) and a segment of the 5S ribosomal DNA gene (... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:51:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1109551 bytes, checksum: 5f0d13927b00626f1a0d15b78536b7bc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-07-13 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This is the first study of genetic diversity of the Archaea community associated to coffee fruits (Coffea arabica L.). It was performed in cherry coffee fruits of cultivars Bourbon Amarelo, Bourbon Vermelho, Catuaí Amarelo, Catuaí Vermelho and Catucaí Vermelho in different altitudes. The archaeal diversity during natural drying of depulped grains in cement covered yard was also studied. The addition of proteases during the coffee fruits metagenomic DNA extraction cell lysis step provided better recovery of DNA from Archaea. Comparing different hypervariable regions of 16S rDNA by DGGE (Denaturing Gradiente Gel Electrophoresis), the highest diversity resolution was obtained with the V3 region, for the cultivar Catucaí Vermelho at an altitude of 936m. The Archaea endophytic community analysis in four C. arabica cultivars revealed varied genotypic profiles among the samples. Three samples that showed distinct DGGE profiles were chosen for 16S rDNAs libraries construction. Sequencing of 63 clones revealed 12 OTUs and the prevalence of sequences related to Euryarchaeota phylum, mainly the halophylic genera Halobacterium, Halococcus, and Haloferax. Sequences with high identity with Methanobrevibacter, with the thermophilic Thermoplasma, and sequences related to uncultivated Archaea from marine environment were also found in the Euryarchaeota phylum. Of the four sequences belonging to the Crenarchaeota phylum, three phylogenetically clustered with uncultivated archaea from soil, and one with sequences from a marine environment. Rarefaction curve analysis and the estimated Coberture pointed out that the libraries constructed were large enough to cover the most of Archaea diversity in cherry coffee. The archaeal diversity study during natural drying revealed higher increase in OTUs number beginning at the seventh day up to the last day. Cluster analysis of DGGE fingerprints distinguished the population of the first days of drying from those in the last ones. The absence of physiological studies of uncultivable Archaea, especially in mesophilic environments, limits the knowledge of metabolism of these microorganisms and the determination of endophytes role in coffee fruits. Although, metagenomic studies of microbial community associated to coffee fruits will help to identify archaeal genes and establish relations among the presence of certain microorganisms and precursors of those compounds that make up the aroma and the flavor in the final quality of the beverage. / Este é o primeiro estudo de diversidade genética da comunidade de Archaea associada a frutos de café (Coffea arabica L.). Ele foi realizado em amostras de frutos no estádio cereja das cultivares Bourbon Amarelo, Bourbon Vermelho, Catuaí Amarelo, Catuaí Vermelho e Catucaí Vermelho, em diferentes altitudes. A diversidade de arqueas presentes durante a secagem natural de grãos despolpados em terreiro revestido com cimento também foi estudada. A adição de proteases durante a etapa de lise celular para extração de DNA metagenômico de frutos de café propiciou melhor recuperação de DNA de Archaea. A maior resolução da diversidade na comparação de diferentes regiões hipervariáveis do rDNA 16S por DGGE foi obtida quando se utilizou a região V3 para a amostra da cultivar Catucaí Vermelho em altitude de 936m. A análise da comunidade endofítica de Archaea em quatro cultivares de C. arabica revelou um variado perfil genotípico entre as amostras. Três amostras que apresentaram perfis de DGGE distintos entre si foram escolhidas para construção de bibliotecas de rDNAs 16S. O sequenciamento de 63 clones revelou a existência de 12 UTOs e a prevalência de sequências relacionadas ao filo Euryarchaeota, principalmente de arqueas halofílicas dos gêneros Halobacterium, Halococcus e Haloferax. Ainda no filo Euryachaeota, foram identificadas sequências com alta identidade com Methanobrevibacter, com a hipertermófila Thermoplasma e com sequências relacionadas à arqueas não cultiváveis de ambiente marinho. Das quatro sequências pertencentes ao filo Crenarchaeota, três agruparam filogeneticamente com sequências de arqueas não cultiváveis do solo, e uma com sequências de ambiente marinho. A análise das curvas de rarefação e o cálculo das coberturasmostraram que as bibliotecas construídas foram grandes o suficiente para cobrir a maior parte da diversidade de Archaea presentes em frutos de café cereja. No estudo da diversidade de Archaea durante a seca natural observou-se um aumento do número de UTOs a partir do sétimo dia,permanecendo até o último dia do processo. A análise de agrupamento dos perfis distinguiu as populações presentes nos dias finais de secagem. A ausência de estudos fisiológicos de arqueas não cultiváveis, especialmente de ambientes mesófilos, limita o conhecimento do metabolismo destes micro-organismos e a determinação do papel das endofíticas dos frutos de café. Contudo, estudos metagenômicos da comunidade microbiana associada a frutos de café ajudarão a identificar genes de Archaea e a estabelecer relações entre a presença de determinados micro- organismos e de compostos precursores daqueles que compõe o aroma e sabor na qualidade final da bebida.

Submitted by BIANCA PICADO GONÇALVES null (bi_picado@hotmail.com) on 2018-03-27T19:06:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_versão final 1.pdf: 3691717 bytes, checksum: 54912fed5f6b404afadb8be90dd16bf8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Pizzani null (luciana@btu.unesp.br) on 2018-03-28T15:29:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 gonçalves_bp_dr_bot.pdf: 3691717 bytes, checksum: 54912fed5f6b404afadb8be90dd16bf8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-28T15:29:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 gonçalves_bp_dr_bot.pdf: 3691717 bytes, checksum: 54912fed5f6b404afadb8be90dd16bf8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-02 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O Brasil apresenta umas das maiores diversidades de avifauna do mundo, sendo estimada a ocorrência de 1.919 espécies distribuídas em todo seu território. Entretanto, a destruição de habitats, poluição e captura excessiva, muitas vezes associadas ao comércio ilegal, têm levado a um declínio no número de indivíduos desse grupo animal. Uma das formas de combater esse tipo de crime ambiental e de reverter ou minimizar seus efeitos concerne à implementação de um banco de dados forenses com registros de ocorrências e informações biológicas sobre os animais apreendidos e desenvolvimento de ações de conscientização da população sobre esta problemática. Desta forma, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver estratégias multidisciplinares para a proteção jurídica à conservação biológica de aves oriundas do tráfico de animais. Amostras de DNA de aves comercializadas ilegalmente e encaminhadas ao Centro de Medicina e Pesquisa em Animais Silvestres (CEMPAS), mantido pela Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade Estadual Paulista, foram utilizadas para geração de perfis genéticos sexo-específicos, por meio da amplificação de segmentos dos genes CHD-Z e CHD-W (Chromo Helicase DNA Binding). Adicionalmente, perfis de duas subespéciesde papagaio-verdadeiro (Amazona aestiva aestiva e Amazona aestiva xanthopteryx foram gerados por meio da amplificação e sequenciamento nucleotídico de segmentos dos genes mitocondriais citocromo C oxidase subunidade I (COI) e citocromo b (CYB) e de um segmento do gene de DNA ribossomal 5S (DNAr 5S), a partir de amostras de animais mantidos no CEMPAS. A sexagem molecular, em exemplares de aves de diferentes famílias, permitiu a identificação de um ou de dois fragmentos de DNA em machos e fêmeas, respectivamente. Entre os marcadores moleculares utilizados para caracterizar Amazona aestiva, apenas o citocromo b evidenciou diferenças nucleotídicas entre as duas subespécies. Os dados dos perfis genéticos foram utilizados para implementação de uma plataforma online denominada de Forensic Bird Base, com acesso para fins de pesquisa e criminalística. Como produtos adicionais desse trabalho, foram gerados uma cartilha educativa visando popularizar a aplicação das Ciências Forenses no combate ao tráfico de aves silvestres e um manual jurídico para profissionais das áreas de biológicas, visando demonstrar as normas e leis vigentes no país acerca dos direitos dos animais, e as condutas que podem ser tipificadas ou não como crime contra a fauna. Os resultados e produtos gerados podem servir de subsídio para o delineamento de programas de manutenção e/ou reprodução de espécies de aves em cativeiro, elaboração de estratégias de reintrodução de exemplares em ambiente natural e para combater ou minimizar o tráfico ilegal de animais e seus efeitos, / Brazil has one of the largest avifauna diversity in the world, with estimated 1,919 species distributed throughout its territory. However, habitat destruction, pollution and over-harvesting, often associated with illegal trade, have led to a decline in the number of individuals of this animal group. One possible approach to combat this type of environmental crime and to reverse or minimize its effects concerns the implementation of a forensic database with records of occurrences and biological information about the captured animals and the development of actions to raise population awareness about this problem. Therefore, the present work aimed to develop multidisciplinary strategies for the legal protection to the biological conservation of birds originated from the animal traffic. DNA samples of illegally traded birds, that were sent to the Center for Medicine and Research in Wild Animals (CEMPAS) maintained by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the São Paulo State University, were used to generate sex-specific genetic profiles, through the amplification of segments of the CHD-Z and CHD-W (Chromo Helicase DNA Binding) genes. In addition, profiles of two subspecies of the Blue-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva aestiva and Amazona aestiva xanthopteryx) were generated, through amplification and nucleotide sequencing of segments of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (CYB) and a segment of the 5S ribosomal DNA gene ((DNAr 5S), from animal samples kept at CEMPAS. Molecular sexing, in different Family birds, allowed the identification of one or two fragments of DNA in males and females, respectively. Among the molecular markers used to characterize Amazona aestiva, only cytochrome b evidenced nucleotide differences between the two subspecies. Genetic profile data were used to implement an online platform called Forensic Bird Base, with access for research and criminalistic purposes. As an additional product of this work, an educational booklet was created, to popularize the application of Forensic Sciences against the traffic of wild birds, and a legal manual for professionals of the biological areas, aiming to demonstrate the norms and laws in force in the country regarding animals rights, and conducts that may be criminalized as a crime against wildlife. The generated results and products can be used as a subsidy to the design of programs for the maintenance and/or reproduction of bird species in captivity, the elaboration of strategies to reintroduce specimens in natural environments and to combat or minimize animals´s illegal trade and its consequences.

The Fairy shrimp Branchinecta gaini Daday, 1910 is the largest freshwater invertebrate in Antarctica and the top-level consumer of local freshwater food webs. Ecological demands of B. gaini that are accompanied by 'ruderal' life strategy together with its spatial distribution that exceeds to Patagonia indicate that it had survived last glacial period in South America and expanded to Antarctica shortly after this epoch endeed. On James Ross Island that is the most extreme environment where B. gaini occurs today was this fairy shrimp considered extinct until year 2008. Its disappearance was based on paleolimnological analysis of several lake sediment cores according to which it inhabited this island between years 4200 to approximately 1500 before present when it died out because of changes in lake catchments caused by harsh neoglacial conditions. Paleolimnological analysis of Monolith Lake presented in this study has shown that this assumption was wrong and B. gaini has lived on James Ross Island throughout neoglacial period up to recent time. Phylogeographic analysis of 16S rDNA of specimens from Patagonia, South Orkneys, South Shetlands and James Ross Island revealed that its high morphological diversity is not supported by this gene and that all examined populations of B. gaini is one species with very few...

The amount of data obtained by barcoding of prokaryotic 16S rDNA from natural habitats is increasing exponentially. Thus, methods enabling us to extract useful information from these data are of increasing importance. In this thesis microbial communities from water, sludge and drilling dust were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing in three geologically well described sedimentary aquifers in Bohemian Massif. The main goal of this research was to establish how different analytical approaches can be useful in interpretation of groundwater biogeochemical processes. Three approaches were used: First, taxonomy and metabolic traits of the most abundant microorganisms were assessed. Second, ordination methods showing metabolic and taxonomic variability between communities were used. Last the analysis of phylogenetic dissimilarity using UniFrac metrics was performed. When analyzing individual localities separately, the shift in microbial community composition corresponds with the change of environmental conditions. The unconstrained ordination method based on the variability in metabolic traits indicated, that sludge samples are more informative than water samples when asking which electron donor is used in microbial communities. On the other hand, unconstrained ordination methods were useless when the...

O mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus tem grande importância médica no mundo devido à sua habilidade como vetor de arboviroses e filarioses. O principal fator limitante dos métodos de controle populacional para Cx. quinquefasciatus é a microevolução dessa espécie, fenômeno que freqüentemente resulta em aumento da sua resistência a inseticidas e da sua tolerância à poluição. No Estado de São Paulo existem duas populações vivendo sob diferentes condições ambientais. Uma delas, próxima ao Rio Pinheiros (PIN), está sujeita à alta poluição e aplicações de piretróides e outra, em Pariquera-Açu (PAR), vive em local semi-rural na ausência de inseticidas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar se essas populações provenientes de ambientes distintos possuem polimorfismos genéticomorfológicos e se a população PIN apresenta variações morfológicas ao longo do tempo. Os parâmetros utilizados nas comparações foram morfometria geométrica alar, análises do DNA ribossômico (DNAr) e de cromossomos politênicos. Não obtivemos sucesso na caracterização cariotípica devido a pouca nitidez das bandas e interbandas. A morfometria geométrica de 286 asas de PIN, amostras coletadas em 2004 (PIN04) e 2007 (PIN07), e 150 asas de PARI, amostras coletadas em 2008 demonstrou variações morfológicas. As duas populações PIN04 e PIN07 revelaram alto dimorfismo sexual de forma e tamanho, sendo asas de fêmeas maiores que asas de machos em ambas as populações. A assimetria bilateral não é significante para tamanho e é tênue para forma, sendo ligeiramente mais pronunciada em machos e em PIN07. Os espécimes de PIN07 são maiores e mais assimétricos que PARI, fenômenos possivelmente relacionados à maior disponibilidade de alimento e à contínua exposição a altos níveis de inseticida, respectivamente. Análises de DNAr revelaram padrões equivalentes para PIN07 e PARI. Em suma, supomos que o fluxo gênico entre as populações geográficas pode ter ocorrido até recentemente. Este estudo mostrou que é possível ocorrer variação de tamanho e forma de asas em Culicidae em um intervalo de tempo de três anos. O próximo passo poderia ser uma investigação aprofundada a respeito da relação entre variação geográfica-temporal e algumas de suas possíveis causas tais como poluição e inseticida. / The mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus has medical importance due to its ability of vectoring arboviruses and filariases. Microevolution resulting in insecticide resistance is a remarkable limiting factor for populational control of this species. In the State of São Paulo there are two populations under different environmental conditions. One, near Rio Pinheiros (PIN), is subjected to pollution and pyrethroids applications and another, in Pariquera-Açu (PAR), lives in a semi-rural place in the absence of insecticides. The objective of this work was to investigate if these populations from different environments have geneticmorphological polymorphisms and if PIN population exhibits morphological variations during the time. Parameters used in the comparisons were wing geometric morphometrics, ribosomal DNA (rDNA), and polytene chromosomes. Karyotypic characterization was unsuccessful due to the poor definition of bands and interbands. Morphometrical analyses of 286 wings of PIN, collected in 2004 (PIN04) and 2007 (PIN07), and 150 wings of PARI, collected in 2008, demonstrate morphological variations. The two populations PIN04 and PIN07 revealed strong intrapopulational sexual dimorphism concerning shape and size, being the wings of females larger than those of males in both populations. The wing asymmetry is non-significant for size and tenuous for shape, being slightly more conspicuous in males and in PIN07. The specimens of PIN07 are larger and more bilaterally asymmetric than PARI, possibly due to higher food availability and to continuous exposition to high level of insecticide, respectively. Analysis of rDNA revealed restriction patterns equivalent for PIN07 and PARI populations. Thus, one may suppose that gene flow may have occurred until recently. This study showed that it is possible to occur size and shape variation of wings in Culicidae in time intervals as short as three years. The next step would be to evaluate in depth the relationship between geographical-temporal variation and some of possible causes like pollution and insecticides.

<p>U&nbsp; okviru&nbsp; ove&nbsp; doktorske&nbsp; disertacije&nbsp; vr&scaron;eno&nbsp; je istraživanje&nbsp; zajednica&nbsp; makrogljiva&nbsp; u&nbsp; okviru&nbsp; 5 &scaron;umskih&nbsp; stani&scaron;ta&nbsp; na&nbsp; Vidliču,&nbsp; Kopaoniku&nbsp; i&nbsp; Tari. Ispitivan&nbsp; je&nbsp; mikodiverzitet&nbsp; sa&nbsp; morfolo&scaron;kog, funkcionalnog i genetskog stanovi&scaron;ta. U istraživanju morolo&scaron;kog&nbsp; i&nbsp; funkcionalnog&nbsp; diverziteta,&nbsp; kori&scaron;ćene su&nbsp; različite&nbsp; klasične&nbsp; metode&nbsp; čiji&nbsp; rezultati&nbsp; su<br />omogućili procenu stanja posmatranih mikocenoza, kao&nbsp; i&nbsp; samih&nbsp; &scaron;umskih&nbsp; stani&scaron;ta.&nbsp; Za&nbsp; analizu&nbsp; sastava vrsta&nbsp; u&nbsp; okviru&nbsp; mikocenoza,&nbsp; kao&nbsp; i&nbsp; procenu&nbsp; uticaja abiotičkih faktora na brojnost i sastav vrsta u okviru različitih funkcionalnih grupa, kori&scaron;ćeno je nekoliko<br />statističkih&nbsp; metoda&nbsp; (PCA,&nbsp; PLS,&nbsp; CA&nbsp; i&nbsp; CCA).&nbsp; Osam vrsta,&nbsp; koje&nbsp; su&nbsp; pripadale&nbsp; najrasprostranjenijim&nbsp; i najzastupljenijim&nbsp; vrstama&nbsp; su&nbsp; odabrane&nbsp; za molekularne&nbsp; analize,&nbsp; koje&nbsp; su&nbsp; podrazumevale sekvenciranje&nbsp; ITS&nbsp; regiona&nbsp; rDNK,&nbsp; analizu&nbsp; njihovih<br />polimorfizama&nbsp; kao&nbsp; i&nbsp; filogenetske&nbsp; analize&nbsp; u&nbsp; okviru vrste/roda.&nbsp; U&nbsp; cilju&nbsp; procene&nbsp; zagađenja&nbsp; stani&scaron;ta,&nbsp; u plodnim telima makrogljiva i njihovom supstratu je određen&nbsp; sadržaj&nbsp; metala&nbsp; (atomskom&nbsp; apsorpcionom spektrofotometrijom)&nbsp; i&nbsp; radionuklida<br />(gamaspektrometrijom).&nbsp; Dobijeni&nbsp; rezultati&nbsp; ukazuju na&nbsp; to&nbsp; da&nbsp; diverzitet&nbsp; makrogljiva&nbsp; oslikava&nbsp; stanje samog&nbsp; stani&scaron;ta&nbsp; i&nbsp; da&nbsp; dugoročnim&nbsp; monitoringom mogu ukazati na promene u njemu.</p> / <p>Within the framework of this doctoral dissertation, monitoring&nbsp; of&nbsp; macrofungal&nbsp; communities,&nbsp; within&nbsp; 5 forest habitats on&nbsp; Vidlič, Kopaonik and Tara, was done. &nbsp; Mycodiversity&nbsp; was&nbsp; investigated&nbsp; from&nbsp; the morphological,&nbsp; functional&nbsp; and&nbsp; genetic&nbsp; point&nbsp; of view. Various classical methods&nbsp; used,&nbsp; enabled the assessment&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; condition&nbsp; of&nbsp; macrofungal communities,&nbsp; as&nbsp; well&nbsp; as&nbsp; the&nbsp; observed&nbsp; forest habitats. &nbsp; Several&nbsp; statistical&nbsp; methods&nbsp; (PCA,&nbsp; PLS, CA&nbsp; and&nbsp; CCA)&nbsp; were&nbsp; used&nbsp; to&nbsp; analyze&nbsp; the composition of&nbsp; species within the&nbsp; mycocenosis, as well&nbsp; as&nbsp; the&nbsp; assessment&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; effects&nbsp; of&nbsp; abiotic factors&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; species&nbsp; richness&nbsp; and&nbsp; species composition&nbsp; within&nbsp; different&nbsp; functional&nbsp; groups.Some&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; most&nbsp; represented&nbsp; species&nbsp; have&nbsp; been selected&nbsp; for&nbsp; molecular&nbsp; analyzes,&nbsp; which&nbsp; includedsequencing&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; ITS&nbsp; region,&nbsp; the&nbsp; analysis&nbsp; of polymorphisms,&nbsp; as&nbsp; well&nbsp; as&nbsp; phylogenetic&nbsp; analyzes within&nbsp; the&nbsp; species/genus.&nbsp; In&nbsp; order&nbsp; to&nbsp; assess&nbsp; the pollution of habitats, the content of metals (atomic absorption&nbsp; spectrophotometry)&nbsp; and&nbsp; radionuclides (gamma&nbsp; spectrometry)&nbsp; was&nbsp; determined&nbsp; in&nbsp; the sporocarps&nbsp; of&nbsp;&nbsp; macrofungi&nbsp; and&nbsp; their&nbsp; substrate.&nbsp; The obtained&nbsp; results&nbsp; indicate&nbsp; that&nbsp; diversity&nbsp; of macrofungi&nbsp; reflects&nbsp; the&nbsp; state&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; habitat&nbsp; itself and that long-term monitoring can indicate changes in it.</p>

Os impactos da poluição por hidrocarboneto de petróleo sobre a diversidade e funcionalidade das comunidades microbianas em manguezais não são totalmente conhecidos, principalmente devido às limitações metodológicas para acessar os microrganismos nãocultiváveis. No entanto, vários métodos moleculares independentes de cultivo têm sido utilizados para investigar a diversidade e a estrutura das comunidades microbianas em ecossistemas naturais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as variações da estrutura das comunidades de Bacteria e Archaea e a diversidade de Bacteria em uma transeção de solo de mangue do rio Iriri (Bertioga, SP) com um gradiente de contaminação por hidrocarbonetos de petróleo. As análises por eletroforese em gel com gradiente desnaturante (DGGE) mostraram que as comunidades de Bacteria e Archaea nas diferentes posições geográficas foram mais similares entre si do que entre diferentes profundidades ao longo do perfil em uma mesma posição geográfica. A análise das seqüências de clones de rDNA 16S de Bacteria dos diferentes pontos amostrados em abril de 2000, mostrou que a diversidade genética, avaliada pelo índice de Shannon, das comunidades microbianas diferem estatisticamente somente entre ponto o P1 (ponto menos contaminado) e P3 (ponto mais contaminado). As estimativas não-paramétricas da riqueza de espécies mostraram que P1, P2 e P3 possuem mais de 3539, 2524 e 1421 espécies bacterianas, respectivamente. Já, para as amostras do ponto P2 coletadas nos anos 2000 e 2004, muito embora os valores dos índices de Shannon tenham sido semelhantes, houve uma provável dominância de grupos específicos nas amostras coletadas em 2004, verificada pelos altos valores da recíproca do índice de Simpson. Os dados mostraram também que o número estimado de espécies bacterianas no ponto P2 diminuiu com o tempo, sendo menor em amostras de 2004, se comparado com amostras de 2000. No geral, a afiliação filogenética dos clones de rDNA 16S mostrou a grande diversidade de espécies, a maioria não conhecidas. Os dados sugerem que a contaminação do solo de mangue do rio Iriri está selecionando microrganismos mais adaptados às fontes de carbono introduzidas no solo. / The impacts of petroleum hydrocarbon pollution on the diversity and functionality of the microbial communities in mangrove soils are not totally understood, mainly due to the methodological limitations to access unculturable microorganisms. However, several cultureindependent molecular methods have been used to investigate the diversity and structure of microbial communities in natural ecosystems. The aim of this work was to evaluate shifts in Bacteria and Archaea community structures and the diversity of Bacteria in a soil transection of the Iriri river mangrove (Bertioga, SP) showing a petroleum hydrocarbon contamination gradient. The analyses by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that the communities of Bacteria and Archaea in different geographical positions were more similar among them than the communities in different depths along the soil profile at the same geographical position. Sequence analyses of bacterial 16S rDNA clones from different points sampled in April 2000 showed that the genetic diversity of the bacterial communities, based on the Shannon index, differ statistically only between P1 (less polluted) and P3 (more polluted) locations. Nonparametric estimates of species richness showed that P1, P2 and P3 may have more than 3539, 2524 and 1421 bacterial species, respectively. For P2 sampled in years 2000 and 2004, even though the Shannon indices were similar, there was a probable dominance of specific bacterial groups in year 2004, based on the high values of the reciprocal of Simpson\'s index. The data also showed that the estimated number of bacterial species in P2 decreased with the time, being lower in samples collected in 2004, as compared to samples collected in 2000. In the general, the phylogenetic affiliation of the 16S rDNA clones showed high bacterial species diversity, and most of the bacteria were of unknown species. The data suggest that the contamination of Iriri river mangrove soil with petroleum hydrocarbon is selecting microorganisms more adapted to the introduced carbon sources into the soil.