Tapirus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), o maior frugívoro do Brasil, desempenha um papel importante na dinâmica dos ambientes e é muito suscetível à perda de habitats. Devido à Floresta Estacional Semidecidual ser o ecossistema mais fragmentado e ameaçado do Domínio Florestal Atlântico do Brasil e o Pontal do Paranapanema ser igualmente constituído apenas por remanescentes florestais, as populações de antas (T. terrestris) nessa região, sentindo os efeitos dessas mudanças ambientais, podem estar reduzidas a níveis insustentáveis ao longo do tempo, e conseqüentemente, todo ecossistema pode ser prejudicado. O conhecimento da ecologia alimentar é um dos fatores mais importantes para realização de ações que visem a conservação das espécies e as interações entre plantas e animais são fundamentais para manutenção da dinâmica florestal, assim, os objetivos desse estudo foram conhecer a composição de frutos consumidos pela anta e verificar se houve variação sazonal em sua dieta e sua ação potencial como dispersor de sementes. Diante da paisagem fragmentada da região onde o estudo foi conduzido e da possibilidade dessa alteração afetar a dieta de espécies, objetivou-se verificar se a fragmentação de habitats influencia o consumo de frutos pelas antas. Para isso, foram analisadas 170 amostras fecais e dois conteúdos estomacais, coletados entre maio de 2003 e maio de 2005, no Parque Estadual Morro do Diabo (PEMD), nos fragmentos florestais da Estação Ecológica Mico-Leão-Preto e em outros remanescentes florestais da região do Pontal do Paranapanema, Estado de São Paulo. Depois de coletadas, as fezes foram lavadas, secas em estufa, as sementes foram retiradas das fezes e pesadas separadamente das partes vegetativas. Posteriormente, os frutos foram identificados por pesquisador especialista e foi montado experimento de germinação para verificar a viabilidade das sementes. Sua dieta foi composta por 65,5% de fibras e 34,5% de frutos e sementes. Comparando a composição sazonal da dieta, não houve diferença entre a massa consumida de fibras e frutos (seca: t=0.15, gl=114, p=0,88; chuvosa: t=1,431, gl=56, p=0,16). Com relação à fragmentação florestal, a massa de fibras e frutos consumidos no PEMD não apresentou diferença (t=1.54, gl=129, p=0,13); já nos fragmentos foi composta por maior massa de fibras do que sementes (t=-5.69, gl=41, p<0.001). Foi identificado o consumo de 58 tipos de frutos, pertencentes a 23 famílias vegetais. Dentre estes, 22 itens e oito famílias são registros inéditos. Os frutos mais representativos foram Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassm, Psychotria spp., Bromelia balansae (Mez, 1891), Ilex spp. e Annona cacans (Warm.). Syagrus romanzoffiana, Psychotria spp. e Bromelia balansae foram os frutos mais representativos, apresentando importância considerável nas duas estações, sendo freqüentemente consumidos no PEMD e nos fragmentos florestais. Foi estimada uma riqueza maior de frutos consumidos na estação seca e no PEMD, enquanto a estação chuvosa e os fragmentos apresentaram menores valores (seca=72,77, chuvosa=41,77; PEMD=79,8, fragmentos=33). Não houve predação de sementes durante a mastigação e para certas espécies o processo digestório não inviabilizou as sementes. Estes resultados sugerem que a espécie pode atuar como potencial dispersora ou predadora de sementes. O consumo de maior riqueza de frutos na época seca acompanhou o período com maior número de espécies frutificando na região e conseqüentemente, mais recursos alimentares disponíveis durante essa estação. Como nos remanescentes fragmentados há diminuição das interações ecológicas, levando a redução na abundância de frutos, riqueza e diversidade de espécies, menores massa de sementes e riqueza de frutos nos fragmentos pode ser uma conseqüência do isolamento de habitats. Assim, apesar de T. terrestris consumir uma grande variedade de frutos no Pontal do Paranapanema, sugerindo uma dieta rica e diversa, ao longo do tempo, a população da região pode ser afetada pela fragmentação florestal. / The lowland tapir Tapirus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), the largest mammalian frugivore in Brazil, plays an important role in environmental dynamics and is particularly susceptible to habitat loss. The Atlantic Plateau Forest is the most threatened ecosystem of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Domain. In the Pontal do Paranapanema region (western São Paulo State), this system is entirely composed of remnant forest fragments. Here, the tapir population may decrease to an unsustainable size in long-term and, consequently, the whole ecosystem may become compromised. Food habits are some of the most important data needed for species conservation and to understand the plant-animal interactions necessary to maintain forest dynamics. Thus, the objectives of this study were to investigate in tapirs: fruit species composition in the diet, seasonal variation of consumed items and the animals? potential as seed dispersers. Due to the fragmented landscape in the study region and the possibility that such alteration affects the species? diet, a subsequent objective was to verify if forest fragmentation influences fruit consumption. We analyzed 170 fecal and two stomach-content samples obtained from May 2003 to May 2005. These were collected from Morro do Diabo State Park (MDSP, 36000 ha), forest fragments from the Mico-Leão-Preto Ecological Station and other fragments in the Pontal do Paranapanema region. The tapir diet was composed of 65.5% fibers and leaves and 34.5% fruits and seeds. Tapirs consumed the same amount of fibers and fruits during the wet and dry seasons (t=1.431, p=0.16; t=0.15, p=0.88, respectively). Seed and fiber weight were not significantly different from fruits weight in MDSP (t=1.54, d.f.=129, p=0.13), although in forest patches a lower amount of fruits was consumed (t=-5.69, d.f.=41, p<0.001). Fifty-eight different items from 23 Families of plants were identified ? among these, 22 fruits and eight Families were recorded for the first time in the species? diet. Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassm, Psychotria spp. and Bromelia balansae (Mez, 1891) were the most consumed fruits, important during both seasons and in both MDSP and other forest fragments. The variables associated with the higher richness of fruits consumed were in the dry season and in MDSP (relative to rainy season and other forest fragments): dry=72.77; rainy=41.77; MDSP=79.8, other fragments=33). Observations of seeds found in feces indicated that mastication rarely contributes to seed damage. Germination experiments were undertaken with both whole and damaged seeds originated from feces, several of these remained viable. Suggesting that tapirs can act as seed dispersers. Tapirs consumed the highest richness of fruits during the dry season, likely associated with higher fruit production in the habitat during these months. Our data further suggests that forest fragmentation may be associated with the lower seed mass and species richness found in the tapir diet. Despite the diversity of fruit consumed by tapirs in the Pontal do Paranapanema, the long-term population stability in this region can be affected by habitat fragmentation.

A abelha Bombus terrestris é um eficiente polinizador, prestando importantes serviços ecossistêmicos na Europa e adjacências, onde é nativa. Suas colônias têm sido criadas em larga escala para polinização agrícola, as quais são comercializadas internacionalmente, inclusive em países fora de sua área de ocorrência nativa. Deliberada ou acidentalmente a espécie tem sido introduzida em ambientes alóctones, em muitos casos tornando-se invasora. Quando invasora, a espécie é um potencial vetor de doenças e um competidor com outras abelhas; vários impactos têm sido relatados em áreas invadidas ao redor do mundo. Na América do Sul, a espécie foi inicialmente introduzida em ambientes naturais no Chile, mas rapidamente a invasão se espalhou; atualmente é encontrada ocupando ambientes naturais na Argentina. A elevada capacidade invasiva da espécie e a alta velocidade de sua expansão, conforme tem sido relatada por pesquisadores, levantou a possibilidade de a espécie alcançar o Brasil por meio de corredores ambientais favoráveis que se conectam com áreas já invadidas, gerando preocupações sobre potenciais impactos aos sistemas naturais e agrícolas. Esta pesquisa empregou uma abordagem interdisciplinar, integrando uma variedade de métodos analíticos oriundos de diferentes áreas da ecologia e os mais avançados recursos de sistemas de informações geográficas para detectar globalmente as áreas susceptíveis à invasão por Bombus terrestris, considerando-se também as mudanças climáticas. Para o sul da América do Sul foram identificados os corredores de invasão que poderão permitir a espécie se espalhar e alcançar Brasil a partir de locais invadidos. Para o Brasil, foram identificados os municípios mais vulneráveis à entrada da espécie, e também aqueles que estão na rota de expansão da invasão Brasil adentro. Para os municípios brasileiros, por sua vez, foram verificadas as culturas agrícolas e as espécies de Bombus nativas que a invasora poderá interagir ao longo da rota de invasão potencial; com estas informações foram apontadas áreas prioritárias, subsidiando o planejamento de monitoramento e ações de controle do processo de invasão, mas também medidas preventivas e mitigadoras de impactos ambientais e econômicos após a invasão, caso venha a ocorrer. / The bee Bombus terrestris is an efficient pollinator, providing important ecosystem services in Europe and surrounding areas, where it is a native species. Their colonies have been reared in large-scale for agricultural pollination, which are internationally traded, including for countries outside its native range. The species has been deliberately or accidentally introduced into non-native environments, becoming invasive in many cases. When invasive, the species is a potential vector of diseases and competes with other bees for resources; many impacts have been reported in invaded countries around the world. In South America, the species was introduced in natural environments of Chile at first, but the invasion was quickly spread; nowadays it is found living in natural environments of Argentina. The high invasiveness of the species and the high speed of its invasive expansion, as has been reported by researchers, raised the possibility of the species reach Brazil through suitable environmental corridors that are connected with areas already invaded, raising the concerns about potential impacts to natural and agricultural systems. An interdisciplinary approach was used in this research, composing a variety of analytical methods from different areas of ecology and applying the most advanced resources of geographic information systems to detect areas susceptible to invasion by Bombus terrestris at global scale, considering also climate change. For the southern South America, the corridors of invasion that could allow the spreading of the species and that potentially reach Brazil were identified. For Brazil, the most susceptible municipalities at the entrance of the species have been identified, and also those that are on the route of expansion inside the country. For Brazilian municipalities, crops and native species of Bombus that the invasive species can interact with along the potential invasion route were verified; with this information, priority areas were identified, supporting the planning of monitoring and control actions of the invasion process, but also preventive and mitigating measures of environmental and economic impacts after the invasion, if it eventually occurs.

A bacterial challenge assay was developed utilizing the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, in order to assess potential immunotoxic effects from exposure to specific polychlorinated biphenyl congeners. Earthworms were inoculated with Aeromonous hydrophila, establishing a 10-day LD50. In vitro assays for effects of PCBs on phagocytosis agreed with mammalian studies, demonstrating potent suppression of phagocytosis by the non-coplanar PCB congener 138 and no suppression by the coplanar congener 126. However, when the effects of the two PCB congeners were evaluated for suppression of resistance to a whole animal infection challenge assay, coplanar PCB 126 decreased the ability of L. terrestris to withstand infection while non-coplanar PCB 138 did not.

Southern toads (Anaxyrus terrestris) are ectothermic terrestrial amphibians. As such they are sensitive to thermal and hydric variability. The interactive effect of hydration state and body temperature is not well understood. The aim of this study is to determine if the costs of dehydration vary at different temperatures and if so, whether toads will select different temperatures to minimize these costs. Costs of dehydration were evaluated by measuring metabolic rate at 100% and 85% hydration state, at 30 and 20 oC. Temperature selection of toads at 100% and 85% hydration state was measured using a thermal gradient. Body temperature, but not hydration state, was determined to have a significant effect on metabolic rate. No significant difference in temperature selection was found between toads at 100% and 85% hydration state. Thus, thermoregulatory behavior as influenced by hydration state could not be predicted in Anaxyrus terrestris.

Ectomycorrhizal colonisation potential of Pinus radiata seedlings inoculated with the commercially available Trichoderma species bio-inoculant, Arbor-Guard™, was investigated in a commercial containerised nursery setting and in a separate glasshouse experiment, which included the co-inoculation of specific ectomycorrhizal fungi. Application of Arbor-Guard™ to Pinus radiata seedlings in a containerised commercial nursery had no significant effect on the ability of the naturally occurring ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi to colonise the seedlings. Thelephora terrestris was the dominant ectomycorrhizal species colonising the P. radiata root tips and has been described as a species able to rapidly outcompete other ECM species colonisation, particularly in high organic matter media like that used at the containerised commercial nursery investigated. In a similar experiment run to augment the commercial experiment, specific ECM fungi identified as Rhizopogon roseolus, Suillus luteus, and Rhizopogon villosulus were co-inoculated with Arbor-Guard™ to investigate the effect on the colonisation potential of the respective ECM species in combination with Trichoderma. The treatment effect of the addition of Arbor-Guard™ did not negatively impinge on the ECM species found, or the abundance of ECM root tips colonising the P. radiata seedlings. Ectomycorrhizal species in the Thelephoraceae family were the dominant species found colonising the P. radiata root tips. Of the inoculated ECM, S. luteus was the only detected species colonising the P. radiata root tips but was only found in low abundance. Non-conducive abiotic factors for optimum ECM colonisation were considered the most likely reason for the low colonisation of the inoculated ECM species. Any effect of the unintentional co-inoculation of the wood decaying fungi Hypholoma fasciculare and Lentinula edodes, due to misidentification, with the inoculated ECM species was unable to be resolved in this study. However, it was speculated that H. fasciculare may have had a negative effect on the inoculated ECM species colonisation. In vitro dual culture assays were initiated to investigate the specific interactions between each of the candidate ECM fungi inoculated in the glasshouse experiment when challenged with each of the six Trichoderma isolates in Arbor-Guard™. Both competition for nutrients and/ or space were concluded to be the main antagonistic mechanisms potentially used by five of the Trichoderma isolates against all co-inoculated ECM species and L. edodes. Hypholoma fasciculare was not inhibited by the five Trichoderma isolates, however, one Trichoderma isolate (LU 663) competitively antagonised all inoculated ectomycorrhizal/ saprophytic species before the mycelial fronts converged. Agar diffusible secondary metabolites were speculated to be potential mechanism of antagonism expressed by LU 663 over volatile antibiotics such as 6-pentyl-α-pyrone. No direct correlation could be dervived from the in vitro dual culture assays and what was observed in the containerised in planta results. Overall the results indicated no negative impact of the Trichoderma bio-inoculant Arbor-Guard™ on ectomycorrhizal colonisation of Pinus radiata seedlings in a containerised nursery system.

Submitted by Cláudia Bueno (claudiamoura18@gmail.com) on 2015-10-20T17:21:43Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Túlio Max de Oliveira Guimarães - 2014.pdf: 2190502 bytes, checksum: 95a9c8660ff6a8f4fee3c71a61784e47 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-10-21T10:06:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Túlio Max de Oliveira Guimarães - 2014.pdf: 2190502 bytes, checksum: 95a9c8660ff6a8f4fee3c71a61784e47 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-21T10:06:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Túlio Max de Oliveira Guimarães - 2014.pdf: 2190502 bytes, checksum: 95a9c8660ff6a8f4fee3c71a61784e47 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Understand how species are spatially distributed has been exhaustively discussed in ecology over the last decades. Recently, frameworks based on Ecological Niche Models (ENM) have emerged to avoid problems related to the lack of species geographical information, once it identify which environmental suitable conditions of geographic space enable the persistence of species. Recently this approach has become a significant component in Systematic Conservation Planning, helping managers to select better areas to create reserves. Several factors limit the fundamental niche of species and poor geographical information about species distribution may lead to be an underestimation of suitable conditions that one specie occur,, revealing an non-equilibrium with climate. Thus, using good fossil records to construct ecological niche models can be a better way to evaluate and improve ENM predictions and it allows us to estimate other suitable conditions not seen before. Thereby, our aim was to investigate if ENMs built for Mauritia flexuosa, and Tapirus terrestris improve with the addition of fossil information. So, different ENMs were built using, first, current records and, second, using different proportions of fossil data. The results showed that species closer to equilibrium with climate (M. flexuosa) had an improvement in model’s performance with the addition of fossil records, while species with higher non-equilibrium (T. terrestris) decreased the model’s performance. / Entender como as espécies estão espacialmente distribuídas pelo planeta tem sido um assunto exaustivamente discutido em ecologia ao longo das últimas décadas. Recentemente, abordagens baseadas nos Modelos de Nicho Ecológico têm surgido com o intuito de eliminar problemas relacionados à lacuna de informação geográfica sobre as espécies, uma vez que identifica locais no espaço geográfico que apresenta as condições ambientais favoráveis à persistência das mesmas. Vários fatores limitam o nicho fundamental das espécies e informações geográficas enviesadas acerca de sua distribuição podem levar a uma subestimativa das condições adequadas à ocorrência, revelando um desequilíbrio com o clima. Deste modo, a utilização de registros fósseis na construção dos Modelos de Nicho Ecológico pode ser uma maneira de melhorar as predições dos modelos, já que adiciona novas informações ambientais que não haviam sido encontradas atualmente. Deste modo, nosso objetivo foi investigar se os Modelos de Nicho Ecológico construídos para Mauritia flexuosa e Tapirus terrestris apresentaram melhora no poder preditivo pela adição de informação fóssil. Para isso, foram construídos diferentes modelos utilizando dados atuais apenas e modelos utilizando tanto informação atual quanto informação fóssil, em diferentes porcentagens. Através de uma Análise de Variância Fatorial, medimos se a adição de informação fóssil apresentava melhora significativa no poder preditivo dos modelos. Nossos resultados mostram que quando há pouca variação na informação ambiental adicionada (M. flexuosa), os modelos apresentam uma melhora significativa no poder preditivo, ao passo que para aqueles dados com maior variação (T. terrestris) o efeito é inverso. Isso se deve pela variação dos erros de omissão e comissão gerados durante o processo de modelagem.

No description available.

Chemical substances are transferred between bumblebees of the species Bombus terrestris during their mating behavior. These substances are present mainly on the cuticle. The aim of this thesis was to identify and quantitatify differences in the amount of the compounds among defined groups of bumblebees - mated, non-mated and attempting to mate. Cuticular extracts were obtained by washing of the whole bumblebees bodies in hexane. These extracts were analyzed by using a two-dimensional gas chromatography with the time of fly mass spectrometr (GCxGC-TOF/MS). Cuticular hydrocarbons were identified and semi-quantified. Double bounds locations were determined in heptacosene and nonacosene. Five compounds were differed in the examined groups - β-springene, α-springene, dihydrofarnesyl-oleate, palmityl-palmitate and palmityl- palmitoleate. By comparing of the amount of these compounds differences between defined groups of bumblebees were determined. Analysis of the cutilar extracts showed that mated and non-mated bumblebees can be distinguished. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences in the amounts of identified compounds in all defined groups of bumblebees. Key words: two-dimensional gas chromatography, Bombus terrestris, cutilar extract

Lipids from the fat body of queens of Bombus terrestris species in different life stages were studied using chromatographic methods. High-performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization was used to analyze all lipids from the tissue. Semi- preparative thin-layer chromatography was used to isolate triacylglycerols (TGs) from the fat body tissue. The TGs were subsequently analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography - atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Quantitative differences between different life stages have been found. Qualitative composition has not been changing significantly. Only minor differences have been found in the substances, which were present in amount less than 1%.

L'échinococcose alvéolaire, qui peut être fatale si le diagnostic est tardif, est une zoonose émergente. Elle est due à un cestode, Echinococcus multilocularis, dont le cycle fait intervenir le renard roux, Vulpes vulpes, comme hôte définitif et les campagnols prairiaux (Microtus arvalis et Arvicola terrestris) comme hôtes intermédiaires. Relativement peu de données sont actuellement disponibles sur les facteurs écologiques qui peuvent moduler l'intensité de la transmission du parasite entre ses hôtes aux fenêtres d'observation régionales et locales. Dans ce contexte, nous avons conduit une étude du fonctionnement du cycle d'Em à différents niveaux de perception, dans le département français des Ardennes, considéré comme une région de nouvelle endémie. La prévalence vulpine, estimée à 53 % pourrait être expliquée par une densité relativement élevée de renards et une importante consommation de M. arvalis de leur part. A une étendue régionale (900 km²) et un grain local (1 km²), la prévalence vulpine et la distribution des charges parasitaires apparaissent très hétérogènes, avec un gradient croissant nord-sud très marqué. La majorité de la biomasse parasitaire est concentrée sur quelques individus et sur quelques kilomètres carrés. Les caractéristiques du paysage et les densités de rongeurs hôtes intermédiaires semblent influencer les prévalences vulpines. Enfin, à une étendue locale (90 km²) et un grain micro-local (1000 m²), les lisières semblent particulièrement favorables à la transmission parasitaire, puisque c'est dans ce milieu que coïncident des densités élevées de fèces de renards et de rongeurs et, donc, que les contacts entre oeufs et hôtes intermédiaires sont les plus probables.