O estudo das estruturas da placas maxilo-dentárias dos rincossauros Hyperodapedon Huxley, 1859, do Triássico da Formação Santa Maria, em nova abordagem histológica e ontogênica resultou na identificação da natureza do esmalte aprismático verdadeiro, de variados elementos histológicos dentinários e osteológicos, e de um centro de ossificação periosteal primário. Também foram encontradas evidências histológicas dos mecanismos de fusionamento maxilo-dentinário e amelo-maxilar. Com estes elementos, inferimos os modelos de organogênese dental, da ontogênese maxilar e dos mecanismos de fusionamento maxilodental. Encontrou-se uma singular e raríssima coroa dental, imatura e ainda não erupcionada, na região posterior da placa dental e assim evidenciou-se a correta posição da margem odontogenicamente ativa. Adicionalmente inferiu-se a localização da posição da lâmina dentária embrionária. Constatou-se a não formação de alvéolos dentários, de cemento radicular e do espaço necessário à formação do ligamento periodontal e, assim, se deduziu a não formação do folículo dental embriônico. As presenças de especiais elementos anatômicos e histológicos nos tecidos ósseos periapicais evidenciam o crescimento radicular contínuo, enquanto a forma e o fusionamento radicular imediato depõe a favor de uma função dentária fisiológica diferenciada para as baterias dentárias maxilares dos Rincossauros do gênero Hyperodapedon. Os mecanismos que possibilitaram o controle embriônico para a deposição das lamelas de tecido ósseo coronal e seu preciso fusionamento sobre o esmalte dentário, declinam por modificações nas funções tardias do órgão reduzido do esmalte e pela presença de uma membrana oral com funções osteogênicas e também protetivas, situada nas porções posteriores da placa maxilo-dentária em desenvolvimento. Mudanças heterocrônicas no tempo de diferenciação das células da crista neural embriônica e em seus derivados, como a lâmina dentária e órgãos dentários embrionários ou correlacionadas com a organogênese das placas maxilo-dentárias e seus anexos periodontais, todos como condições plesiomórficas para Diápsidas Triássicos, poderiam ser as causas responsáveis pela origem e evolução deste estranho aparelho estomatognático nos clados de Hyperodapedon sp.. / The study of the maxillary tooth-plate of Hyperodapedon Huxley, 1859, rhynchosaurs of the Triassic from Santa Maria Formation, in a new histological and odontogenic researches, resulted in a identification the nature of the true non prismatic (aprismatic) enamel, of a variety of dental and osteological elements, and of one primary periosteal center of ossification. We found histological evidences of the maxillary-dentinary and maxillary-enamel attachment process, and with these elements we infer the patterns of dental organogenesis, maxillary ontogenesis, and the embryonic mechanisms of maxillarydental junction. We found one rare immature and unerupted dental crown in the posterior dental-plate and so we turn evident the correct position of the maxillary odontogenic active border, and additionally we determine the correct position of embryonic dental lamina. This work constates that the dental sockets, dental cement and periodontal space are absenting in Hyperodapedon sp. maxillary tooth-plate and thus we deduce the dental embryonic follicle non-formation. The presence of the anatomics and histological osteal elements of periapical’s zone evidences the continuous radicular growth, while the form and the immediate radicular fusioning witness favorably of physiologically different teeth function for the dental-plate battery in Hyperodapedon rhynchosaur’s genus. The mechanisms that permit the embryonic control at the deposition of lamellar osteal coronal tissues and their precise fusioning on the dental enamel, testified the modifications of the late functions of the reducted enamel organ and the presence of oral mucous covertures, with present’s osteogenic and protetive activities. These mucous covertures should be situated in the posterior region of the development of the maxillary tooth plates. Heterochronic changes in the timing of differentiation of the embryonic neural crests cells and on their derivers with the dental lamina and dental organs or correlationed with the ontogenesis of the maxillary tooth plates and periodontal annex’s, would be responsible for the origin and evolution of this stranger stomatognatic apparel in Hyperodapedon sp. clades. These changes reflect plesiomorphic condition in relation the others Triassic Diapsides.

O estudo das estruturas da placas maxilo-dentárias dos rincossauros Hyperodapedon Huxley, 1859, do Triássico da Formação Santa Maria, em nova abordagem histológica e ontogênica resultou na identificação da natureza do esmalte aprismático verdadeiro, de variados elementos histológicos dentinários e osteológicos, e de um centro de ossificação periosteal primário. Também foram encontradas evidências histológicas dos mecanismos de fusionamento maxilo-dentinário e amelo-maxilar. Com estes elementos, inferimos os modelos de organogênese dental, da ontogênese maxilar e dos mecanismos de fusionamento maxilodental. Encontrou-se uma singular e raríssima coroa dental, imatura e ainda não erupcionada, na região posterior da placa dental e assim evidenciou-se a correta posição da margem odontogenicamente ativa. Adicionalmente inferiu-se a localização da posição da lâmina dentária embrionária. Constatou-se a não formação de alvéolos dentários, de cemento radicular e do espaço necessário à formação do ligamento periodontal e, assim, se deduziu a não formação do folículo dental embriônico. As presenças de especiais elementos anatômicos e histológicos nos tecidos ósseos periapicais evidenciam o crescimento radicular contínuo, enquanto a forma e o fusionamento radicular imediato depõe a favor de uma função dentária fisiológica diferenciada para as baterias dentárias maxilares dos Rincossauros do gênero Hyperodapedon. Os mecanismos que possibilitaram o controle embriônico para a deposição das lamelas de tecido ósseo coronal e seu preciso fusionamento sobre o esmalte dentário, declinam por modificações nas funções tardias do órgão reduzido do esmalte e pela presença de uma membrana oral com funções osteogênicas e também protetivas, situada nas porções posteriores da placa maxilo-dentária em desenvolvimento. Mudanças heterocrônicas no tempo de diferenciação das células da crista neural embriônica e em seus derivados, como a lâmina dentária e órgãos dentários embrionários ou correlacionadas com a organogênese das placas maxilo-dentárias e seus anexos periodontais, todos como condições plesiomórficas para Diápsidas Triássicos, poderiam ser as causas responsáveis pela origem e evolução deste estranho aparelho estomatognático nos clados de Hyperodapedon sp.. / The study of the maxillary tooth-plate of Hyperodapedon Huxley, 1859, rhynchosaurs of the Triassic from Santa Maria Formation, in a new histological and odontogenic researches, resulted in a identification the nature of the true non prismatic (aprismatic) enamel, of a variety of dental and osteological elements, and of one primary periosteal center of ossification. We found histological evidences of the maxillary-dentinary and maxillary-enamel attachment process, and with these elements we infer the patterns of dental organogenesis, maxillary ontogenesis, and the embryonic mechanisms of maxillarydental junction. We found one rare immature and unerupted dental crown in the posterior dental-plate and so we turn evident the correct position of the maxillary odontogenic active border, and additionally we determine the correct position of embryonic dental lamina. This work constates that the dental sockets, dental cement and periodontal space are absenting in Hyperodapedon sp. maxillary tooth-plate and thus we deduce the dental embryonic follicle non-formation. The presence of the anatomics and histological osteal elements of periapical’s zone evidences the continuous radicular growth, while the form and the immediate radicular fusioning witness favorably of physiologically different teeth function for the dental-plate battery in Hyperodapedon rhynchosaur’s genus. The mechanisms that permit the embryonic control at the deposition of lamellar osteal coronal tissues and their precise fusioning on the dental enamel, testified the modifications of the late functions of the reducted enamel organ and the presence of oral mucous covertures, with present’s osteogenic and protetive activities. These mucous covertures should be situated in the posterior region of the development of the maxillary tooth plates. Heterochronic changes in the timing of differentiation of the embryonic neural crests cells and on their derivers with the dental lamina and dental organs or correlationed with the ontogenesis of the maxillary tooth plates and periodontal annex’s, would be responsible for the origin and evolution of this stranger stomatognatic apparel in Hyperodapedon sp. clades. These changes reflect plesiomorphic condition in relation the others Triassic Diapsides.

Name of thesis: Coordination abilities of students of second grade elementary school Author: Tereza Číhalová Tutor: PaedDr. Jana Hájková Department: department of physical education and sport Comparing the level of coordination abilities of children from sports classes and unsportsmanlike classes of second grade elementary school. Thesis in the theoretical part will deal with the motor abilities, the coordination abilities and ontogenesis. In the research part of the work will be focused on testing students' sports focused on athletics and unsportsmanlike classes of secondary school and post-processing and evaluation of results. Methodology: data collection, guided interview, comparison Conclusion: Finding a suitable test profile and preparing the necessary means for the measurement of target groups. Evaluation of results and processing them into charts and graphs. A group of athletes achieved better results than physically inactive students. Group of athletes achieved a slightly above-average overall results, the group of inactive students achieved a slightly below- average. Within a group, not a big difference between boys and girls. In tests, the best for both groups is Sprint according to a rhythm. In this test was the smallest difference in the results between the groups. The test, where was...

Our body is influenced by many cyclical changes in the environment, such as day and night or seasons. To predict these changes and react to them in time, the organism is equipped with inner clock, which rhythmically influences many physiological processes, such as sleep or metabolic rhythms. Disrupting our inner rhythms at molecular and behavioral levels contributes to many serious disorders. It is necessary that all mechanisms of the inner circadian clock are developed and set up properly. Circadian clocks are set up by the mother, who passes rhythmical information about day and night cycle on to her embryo. Though a great attention is devoted to revealing the nature of this synchronization between the mother and her pup, the mechanisms of this process have not been fully understood yet. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to actual understanding of this synchronization. Experiments, performed in this thesis, relate to studying the ability of maternal signals to synchronize embryos with the environment. Feeding and light regime of pregnant rats was manipulated and the effect of these changes on the neuronal activity within the suprachiasmatic nuclei of 19-day embryos was analyzed.

La qualité des carcasses et des viandes bovines dépend de l’équilibre entre les masses musculaires et adipeuses qui conditionnent le poids de carcasse et son rendement (composition en muscle et en gras), mais aussi la qualité sensorielle de la viande (tendreté, jutosité et flaveur). Comprendre comment contrôler le rapport des masses de muscle relativement à celles des tissus adipeux (TA) représente donc un enjeu majeur pour les filières de viande bovine. Ce rapport dépend du nombre et du volume des cellules musculaires et adipeuses. Ces propriétés sont sous le contrôle d’événements cellulaires se mettant en place précocement chez le bovin puisque le nombre de cellules musculaires est fixé dès l’âge 180 jours post-conception (jpc) chez le fœtus. Des analyses de l’évolution des protéomes de ces deux tissus, au cours de la vie fœtale ont produit des données originales mais insuffisantes. En outre, il n’est pas toujours aisé d’extraire ou de générer une information biologique pertinente à partir d’expérimentations de génomique. Ceci est particulièrement vrai chez les ruminants, car ils sont peu annotés dans les bases de données et peu de ressources bioinformatiques leur sont dédiées. Dans ce contexte, notre objectif était de concevoir un serveur web « tout en un » permettant une fouille des données de génomique chez le bovin afin d’améliorer les connaissances sur les mécanismes associés à la croissance par hyperplasie et par hypertrophie des tissus musculaire et adipeux. Aussi, nous avons organisé notre travail de thèse en deux axes. Un outil d’analyse de données de génomique, dédié aux ruminants (bovin, ovin et caprin) nommé ProteINSIDE (www.proteinside.org) a été développé. En une seule requête, il synthétise l'information biologique stockée dans les bases de données publiques ou fournie par les annotations fonctionnelles issues de l’ontologie des gènes. Il prédit aussi les protéines qui sont sécrétées (sécrétome des tissus) et qui interviennent dans la signalisation entre les cellules ou tissus. Il lie les protéines selon leurs interactions moléculaires afin d’identifier et de visualiser celles qui contribuent à un même processus biologique et celles qui sont centrales à un processus biologique. ProteINSIDE a été testé avec des jeux de données de 1000 protéines par espèce et a été comparé avec succès à DAVID, BioMyn et AgBase, conçus pour la recherche d'information et l'annotation, ainsi qu'à PrediSi et Phobius qui prédisent les protéines sécrétées. ProteINSIDE a été appliqué à l’analyse des protéomes des tissus musculaires et adipeux. Une première analyse des données relatives à l’ontogenèse des tissus, a révélé des liens entre des protéines présentes dans les deux tissus fœtaux et des protéines impliquées dans les processus d’autophagie. Dans une seconde étude, nous avons décrit les protéomes des deux tissus à 140 jpc. Nous avons identifié 514 protéines musculaires et 752 protéines adipeuses, dont 346 communes. Ces protéines interviennent par exemple dans la régulation négative de l’apoptose, dans les processus d’autophagie, dans la régulation de la prolifération cellulaire et dans la voie de signalisation Wnt. Nous avons identifié 47 et 93 protéines potentiellement sécrétées par le muscle et le TA, dont 24 communes. L’intégration des connaissances sur les protéines sécrétées avec celles disponibles pour le « surfaceome » a suggéré des protéines qui participeraient au dialogue muscle-TA. Nous avons donc produit un serveur web pour la fouille de données de génomique non seulement chez le bovin, l’ovin, le caprin, mais aussi chez l’homme, le rat et la souris. Ce type de serveur devrait être particulièrement utile à la communauté scientifique. Son application a conduit à la production de connaissances nouvelles et d’hypothèses de travail pour la compréhension des mécanismes de régulation de la croissance fœtale du muscle squelettique et du tissu adipeux. / The quality of carcasses and meats depends on the balance between muscle and adipose tissue (AT) masses that determine carcass weight and performance (muscle and fat composition), but also the sensory quality of the meat (tenderness, juiciness and flavor). Understanding how to control the ratio of muscle mass relative to AT mass represents a major challenge for beef producers. The balance between these masses depends on the number and volume of muscle and AT cells. These cellular events are taking place at the early steps of fetal period in cattle, as the total number of muscle cells is fixed at 180 days post-conception (dpc) in the fetus. The analysis of the evolution of these two proteome tissues during fetal life produced original but insufficient data. In addition, it is not always easy to extract or generate relevant biological information from genomic experiments. This is particularly true in ruminant species because they are not annotated in databases and few bioinformatic resources are dedicated to them. In this context, our objective was to design an “all in one” web service to analyze genomic data in cattle in order to improve knowledge of the mechanisms involved in fetal muscle and AT growth. Thus, we have organized our thesis in two axes. We developed a genomic data analysis tool, dedicated to ruminant species (cattle, sheep and goat) and named ProteINSIDE (www.proteinside.org). In a single query, this tool synthesizes the biological information stored in public databases or provided by functional annotations from gene ontology. It also predicts proteins that are secreted (tissue secretome) and which are involved in signaling between cells or tissues. It links proteins according to their molecular interactions to identify and visualize those that contribute to the same biological processes and those that are central to a biological process. ProteINSIDE was tested with data sets of 1000 proteins by species and has been successfully compared with DAVID, BioMyn, and AgBase (designed for information retrieval and annotation), as well as PrediSi and Phobius (that predict proteins secreted). We applied ProteINSIDE to the proteome analysis of muscle and AT. A first analysis of data on the ontogenesis of the tissue revealed links between proteins of both fetal tissues and proteins involved in autophagy processes. In a second study, we constructed and described the bovine proteomes of both tissues at 140 dpc. We identified 514 muscle protein and 752 AT proteins, including 346 commons proteins. As an example, these proteins are involved in the negative regulation of apoptosis, in autophagy processes, in the regulation of cell proliferation, and in the Wnt signaling pathway. We identified 47 and 93 potentially secreted proteins by muscle and TA, including 24 commons proteins. The integration of knowledges about the secreted proteins with those available for the “surfaceome” suggested proteins which could participate in the cross-talk between muscle and AT. Thus, we produced a web server to mine genomic data from bovine, sheep, and goat species, but also from human, rat and mice species. This type of server should be particularly useful to the scientific community. Its implementation has led to the production of new knowledge and working hypotheses for the understanding of the mechanisms which regulate fetal growth of muscle and AT.

Recentes análises filogenéticas, baseadas em dados moleculares, indicaram que Didiereaceae s.s. é filogeneticamente relacionada a gêneros tradicionalmente pertencentes à Portulacaceae s.l.. Sendo incluídos os gêneros Ceraria, Portulacaria e Calyptrotheca em Didiereaceae e essa dividida em três subfamílias: Didieroideae (11 espécies), Portulacarioideae (7 espécies) e Calyptrothecoideae (1espécie). Análises moleculares apresentaram alto suporte para o monofiletismo da família e circunscrição das três subfamílias, contudo, nenhuma dessas análises elucidou completamente as relações entre os gêneros. Com a expansão de sua circunscrição, a família se tornou mais heterogênea, surgindo assim, a necessidade da investigação de características para o estabelecimento de sinapomorfias ou para corroborar suas relações dentro de Portulacineae. Diante disso, o presente trabalho realizou análises de Inferência Bayesiana e Máxima Parcimônia para sete sequências diferentes do DNA do cloroplasto, trnA-trnB, trnL-trnF, trnT-trnL, trnS-trnG, trnQUUG-rps16, rps16 e rpl16, para todas as 19 espécies de Didiereaceae e investigou a ontogênese foliar e da região de sua axila para Didieroideae e Portulacarioideae. Os resultados das análises filogenéticas corroboraram o monofiletismo da família e de suas três subfamílias, além de elucidar as relações internas em Didieroideae e Portulacarioideae. Os dois gêneros de Portulacarioideae, Portulacaria e Ceraria, não são monofiléticos e as espécies de Ceraria foram transferidas para Portulacaria. Também foi caracterizado o desenvolvimento dos diferentes padrões de variações morfológicas da folha e das folhas modificadas em espinhos e profilos. A partir dos resultados do desenvolvimento e da filogenia molecular, foi feita uma análise de reconstrução da região da axila foliar para o ancestral de Didiereaceae, que indicou a presença de braquiblastos portadores de profilos na axila foliar do ancestral comum. Como consequência, foram estabelecidas homologias entre esses profilos e os profilos de Talinaceae e espinhos de Cactaceae / Recent phylogenetic analysis, based on molecular data, indicated that Didiereaceae s.s. is phylogenetic related to former Portulacaceae s.l. genera. The genera Ceraria, Portulacaria and Calyptrotheca were included in Didiereaceae and the family was divided in three subfamilies: Didieroideae (11 species), Portulacarioideae (7 species) and Calyptrothecoideae (1specie). Molecular analyses presented high statistical support to the monophyletism of the Didiereaceae and its division in three subfamilies, however, none of these analyses elucidated the relations among genera. With the expansion of its circumscription, the family became rather heterogenic, resulting in the need to investigate characteristics to the establishment of synapomorphies to the family or corroborate its relations inside Portulacineae. Therefore, we performed Bayesian Inference and Maximum Parsimony analyses for seven different chloroplast DNA regions, trnA-trnB, trnL-trnF, trnT-trnL, trnS-trnG, trnQUUG-rps16, rps16 and rpl16, for all 19 species of Didiereaceae and investigated the leaf and leaf axil region ontogenesis for Didieroideae and Portulacarioideae. Our analyses corroborated the monophyly of the Didiereaceae and of its three subfamilies and elucidated internal relationships between the Didieroideae and the Portulacarioideae. The two genera of the Portulacarioideae, Portulacaria and Ceraria, are not monophyletic and the 5 accepted species for Ceraria are transferred to Portulacaria. Also, the ontogenesis for different morphological patterns of leaf and spines and prophyll were characterized. Based on the ontogenetical results and the molecular phylogeny, was made the reconstruction to the ancestor character for the leaf axil of Didiereaceae. This analysis indicated the presence of brachyblasts bearing prophylls in the leaf axil of the common ancestor. As a consequence, homologies between these prophylls and Talinaceae prophylls and Cactaceae spines were established

Popularmente conhecidas como flowering stones ou ice plants, as plantas da família Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales) caracterizam-se por suas folhas suculentas morfologicamente diversas. Com centro de origem no sul da África, a maior parte das espécies pertence a subfamília Ruschioidaeae, com plantas de folhas dorsiventrais, cilíndricas e trígonas, sendo marcante a ocorrência de conação entre as bases de folhas opostas, e a presença de feixes vasculares periféricos, com xilema endoscópico. Nosso estudo mostra que a formação dos feixes vasculares periféricos é posterior ao estabelecimento da blastozona marginal, e que tecidos da face abaxial diferenciam-se no domínio adaxial da folha durante a histogênese da lâmina. Sugerimos que um mecanismo de abaxialização foliar esteja vinculado à formação da margem foliar de Aizoaceae. O xilema dos feixes vasculares periféricos é formado wide band tracheids - \"wbts\", um tipo especializado de elemento traqueal com acentuado espessamento da parede secundária. \"Wbts\" vinculam-se a órgãos suculentos e ocorrem somente em Aizoaceae, Anacampserotaceae e Cactaceae, tendo despertado interesse dos pesquisadores quanto à sua origem e função. A partir de análises comparativas de anatomia, ultraestrutura e de imunomarcação de pectina, concluímos que a definição de \"wbts\" deve ser mantida nas famílias, no entanto, destacamos a possível ocorrência de idioblastos traqueoidais na região de medular de algumas espécies. Este trabalho contribui no conhecimento da anatomia e ontogênese foliar de Aizoaceae, abrindo oportunidades de estudos sobre os mecanismos envolvidos no estabelecimento da dorsiventralidade em folhas de simetria radial. A análise comparativa de wide-band tracheids \"wbts\" em Aizoaceae, Anacampserotaceae e Cactaceae traz contribuições ao conhecimento sobre sua distribuição e características nos diferentes órgãos / Popularly known as flowering stones or ice plants, the species of Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales) are characterized by morphologically diverse succulent leaves. With center of origin in Southern Africa, most species are classified in the subfamily Ruschioidaeae, which present dorsiventral, cylindrical and three-angled leaved plants, being remarkable the occurrence of conation between the bases of opposite leaves, and the presence of peripheral vascular bundles with endoscopyc xylem. Our study shows that the formation of peripheral vascular bundles occurs after the marginal blastozone establishment, and abaxial tissues differentiate in the adaxial domain of the leaf, during blade histogenesis. We suggest that an abaxialization mechanism is involved in the formation of leaf margins in Aizoaceae. The xylem of peripheral vascular bundles is composed by wide band tracheids - wbts, a specialized type of cell that occurs only in Aizoaceae, Cactaceae Anacampserotaceae. The origin and function of this cell type has been the subject of study by some researchers. By means of comparative analysis of anatomy, ultrastructure and pectin immunolabeling, we conclude that the definition of \"wbts\" should be kept in the three families; however, we highlight the possibility of idioblasts tracheids in the some cases. This work contributes to the knowledge of leaf anatomy and ontogenesis in Aizoaceae, opening opportunities for studies on the mechanisms involved in the establishment of dorsiventrality in leaves with radial symmetry. A comparative analysis of wbts in Aizoaceae, Cactaceae Anacampserotaceae brings contributions to knowledge about their distribution and characteristics in different organs

This thesis focuses on the descriptive analysis of skull morphology of the pond slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans). The general approach was an osteological preparation of the skulls and photographic documentation (following standardised procedures) of a larger sample of specimens. The collected data was used as a background for subsequent GMM analyses. Main hypotheses of this project were: 1) the skull of T. s. elegans is sexually dimorphic; 2) the skull of T. s. elegans constitutes of several independent modules. The objective of this thesis was therefore to describe the postnatal ontogenesis of the model taxon and to determine the developmental trends of its cranial structures. It was shown that the skull of T. s. elegans is sexually dimorphic in shape mainly due to differences in allometric growth. These differences probably reflect different nutritional requirements. The skull of T. s. elegans is formed out of four modules. These are: facial, central, basicranial, and possibly also zygomatic-pterygoideal modules.

The main goal of this study is the comparison of sequences of the HVRII region of the mitochondrial genome in the cord blood sample and the saliva sample of the same individual, taken at average ten years from his/her birth. It is known that during ontogenesis the human genome changes. All the more the mitochondrial genome which shows a higher mutation rate, and moreover it is not taken care of it by repair mechanisms. In older individuals, there was found a distinctive amount of mitochondrial variations cumulated in different tissues in the process of the ontogenesis. This study is focused on the detection of these changes already in younger individuals. The tissue-specific variability which is created during ontogenesis might have an adverse influence on all sorts of the mtDNA based studies. The samples were taken in two regions (Teplice / Prachatice) that differ in the pollution of environment. With regard to that, the samples with discovered changes were compared from the standpoint of the region, which they had come from, with the aim to prove the influence of environment on the mutagenesis of the mitochondrial DNA. Samples were also compared from the point of view of sex. Furthermore the variability of the collection of Czech population was evaluated and the estimation of the genetic...

As abelhas eussociais apresentam uma estrutura organizacional que promove, ao longo da vida das operárias, uma série de transições comportamentais, regidas pela divisão etária de trabalho. Operárias inicialmente confinadas no interior do ninho, onde o ambiente é homogêneo e controlado, passam por uma série de mudanças, culminando na atividade de forrageamento, quando são expostas às variações do ambiente externo. A transição entre as diferentes atividades acompanha uma alteração no nível de contato e percepção das pistas ambientais, conforme as tarefas levam as operárias para as proximidades do tubo de saída e, finalmente, para o exterior. Os componentes temporais rítmicos, associados à complexa arquitetura espacial das colônias e características da divisão de trabalho são essenciais para a organização eussocial, mantendo a seqüência e coordenação das atividades exercidas por operárias e rainha. O objetivo deste trabalho foi medir o consumo de oxigênio de operárias de Melipona quadrifasciata, visando caracterizar aspectos cronobiológicos em diferentes etapas do desenvolvimento pós-embrionário. Três grupos de operárias foram estudados: recém-emergidas (24-48h de idade, grupo i), de idade média (10-15 dias, grupo ii) e forrageadoras (mais de 25 dias, grupo iii). As medidas de consumo de oxigênio foram feitas por respirometria intermitente, em condição de escuro constante, 25  1C, alimento e água ad libitum. Os experimentos foram realizados com operárias individualmente isoladas, o que garante um protocolo experimental no qual o ritmo endógeno seja caracterizado sem a interferência de fatores sociais e mantendo a variação interindividual. Cada série temporal foi estabelecida pelo agrupamento de séries, com 24h de duração cada uma, de diferentes indivíduos mantidos em condições experimentais idênticas. Os resultados obtidos comprovam que as operárias dos três grupos apresentam ritmicidade circadiana no consumo de oxigênio, mostrando que os ritmos circadianos estão presentes nas operárias desde a idade de 24-48h. Entre os parâmetros dos ritmos circadianos, o que apresentou maior variação foi a amplitude do consumo de oxigênio: o grupo i exibiu valores de amplitude aproximadamente dez vezes menores que os do grupo iii, sendo os valores do grupo ii intermediários. Freqüências ultradianas significativas foram observadas em todas as operárias estudadas, sendo que a potência espectral em relação à freqüência circadiana foi maior para a idade de 24-48h. Nestas operárias mais jovens, é provável que a ritmicidade ultradiana esteja relacionada à atividade de oviposição da rainha. Os dados obtidos na primavera mostram ciclos de consumo médio de oxigênio mais claros em relação aos dados de inverno. Na primavera a amplitude do consumo de oxigênio foi maior, exceto para as forrageadoras, o que pode ser um indício de estratégias sazonais ligadas à atividade reprodutiva (POP). Os componentes temporais rítmicos, associados aos componentes espaciais, são essenciais na manutenção e coordenação das atividades em uma colônia de abelhas eussociais. A execução de diferentes tarefas inter-relacionadas depende de uma coordenação precisa entre as operárias. Dessa forma, o estudo da organização rítmica, associada ao polietismo etário, traz informações importantes para a compreensão da biologia de uma colônia eussocial. / The eusocial organization promotes a behavioural development of adult worker-bees, based on an age-related division of labour. Workers switch from tasks inside the hive to foraging and undergo a progressive transition from controlled environment of the hive to a diurnal exposure to the environment outside the hive. The coordination of queen and workers’ activities depends on the association of spatial organization of the colony and rhythmicity of bees. This work aimed to detect possible changes in chronobiological parameters during the post-embryonic development of Melipona quadrifasciata workers. Three groups of workers were studied: age 24-48h (group i), 10-15 days old (group ii) and foragers (more than 25 days old, group iii). Oxygen consumption of individually isolated workers was determined by inttermitent respirometry (experiment conditions were constant darkness, 25  1C, water and food ad libitum). For the establishment of a time series, a set of 24h measurements were made under the same conditions in different individuals of the same age. This protocol allowed the characterization of endogenous rhythms with no social influence. Chi-square periodogram analysis revealed that oxygen consumption of all workers studied was controlled by an endogenous circadian clock. M. quadrifasciata workers are therefore rhythmic since the age of 24-48h. Cosinor analysis revealed that amplitude of oxygen consumption changed according to age: group i showed low values, while group iii showed large values (about ten times larger than group i). Ultradian frequencies were detected for all worker groups. The ultradian strength was larger in group i, and might be related to the frequency of queen ovipositions. Data collected during spring showed clearer oxygen consumption cycles in comparison to data collected during winter. Amplitude values were larger in spring, except for group iii, suggesting that seasonal strategies may occur in reproductive activities (POP). The association of rhythmic and spatial properties is essential to the precise organization of an eusocial bee colony. Thus, the study of rhythmicity integrated to division of labour is important to elucidate many questions concerning eusocial bees biology.