Population genetics and phylogenetic study of the genus Tolpis in the Azores and Madeira

Dissertação de Mestrado, Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia Vegetal, 22 de Junho de 2012, Universidade dos Açores.O género Tolpis é constituído por aproximadamente 12 espécies que se encontram distribuídas por África, Europa e pelas ilhas da Macaronésia. O género Tolpis está incluído na tribo cosmopolita Lactuceae Cass. pertencente à família Asteraceae. No arquipélago dos Açores, T. azorica (Nutt.) P. Silva, é considerada como endêmica e está atualmente indicada como presente em todas as ilhas do arquipélago com excepção de Santa Maria e Graciosa. T. succulenta (Dryander in Aiton) Lowe é indicada para todas as ilhas do arquipélago dos Açores, ocorrendo também no arquipélago da Madeira. Para estimar a variabilidade intra e intergenética nas várias populações de Tolpis spp. nos Açores e na Madeira, foi utilizado um conjunto de 5 microsatélites (SSR) em 478 indivíduos de Tolpis spp. Para estes marcadores, T. azorica apresenta 59 alelos no total (média de 11,8), oscilando entre 5, para o marcador TA3B02, e 22 para o marcador TA3B05, apresentando um excesso global de homozigotia (Multilocus Fis=0,298, variando desde -0,05 para TA3B05 a 0,49 para TA2A01). Quanto a T. succulenta, foram obtios 56 alelos no total (média de 11,2), variando entre 7 para o marcador TA2A02 e 18 para TA3B05, com um excesso global de homozigotia (Multilocus Fis=0.383, desde 0.06 para TA3B05 a 0.582 para TA2A01). As duas espécies têm um valor equivalente de alelos raros, nomeadamente 55.9% para T. azorica e 57.1% para T. succulenta. Após a realização de uma Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP) e análises Bayesianas confirmou-se a existência de uma estrutura populacional composta por três grupos bem definidos. Nesta estrutura T. azorica surge dividida em dois grupos, sendo o terceiro composto por T. succulenta. Uma análise mais detalhada a T. succulenta confirmou um agrupamento diferencial entre indivíduos pertencentes a populações dos Açores e da Madeira. Análises morfológicas e dados moleculares obtidos a partir de sequencias da região nuclear ITS foram utilizadas para esclarecer as relações filogenéticas entre as espécies de Tolpis endémicas presentes nos arquipélagos dos Açores e da Madeira. Os resultados obtidos são congruentes com os obtidos através da análise da estrutura genética populacional e têm como resultado final a nomeação de duas novas espécies, que são aqui descritas pela primeira vez. Uma actualização da circunscrição geográfica das espécies de Tolpis endémicas dos Açores é aqui também indicada.ABSTRACT: Tolpis consists of approximately 12 species distributed in Africa, Europe, and the islands of Macaronesia. The genus Tolpis is included in the cosmopolitan tribe Lactuceae Cass., within the Asteraceae family. In the Azores Islands, T. azorica (Nutt.) P. Silva, is an endemic specie to the archipelago and is currently listed as present in all the islands except Santa Maria and Graciosa. T. succulenta (Dryander in Aiton) Lowe is said to occur in all the Azores Islands and is shared with the Madeira archipelago. To evaluate intra and intergenetic variability in several populations of Azorean and Madeiran Tolpis spp., a set of 5 microsatellite loci (SSR) were applied to 478 individuals of Tolpis spp. As main results, T. azorica exhibits 59 alleles in total (average of 11.8), ranging from 5 for marker TA3B02 to 22 for TA3B05, and an overall excess of homozygotes (Multilocus Fis=0.298, ranging from -0.05 for TA3B05 to 0.49 for TA2A01), while T. succulenta, exhibits 56 alleles in total (average of 11.2), ranging from 7 for marker TA2A02 to 18 for TA3B05, and an overall excess of homozygotes (Multilocus Fis=0.383, ranging from 0.06 for TA3B05 to 0.582 for TA2A01). The two species have an equivalent value of rare alleles, 55. 9% for T. azorica and 57.1% for T.succulenta. A Principal Component Analysis (PCoA) and a Bayesian approach confirmed the existence of a population genetic structure with three well-confirmed groups, where T. azorica is divided in two groups, with the third one aggregating the T. succulenta individuals. A further detaled analysis to T. succulenta confirmed the occurrence of a diferencial grouping between individuals from Azores and Madeira populations. Morphological analysis and molecular sequence data from the ITS nuclear region was used for elucidating the phylogenetic relationships of the endemic Tolpis spp. in the archipelagos of Azores and Madeira. The results are congruente with the population genetic structure analyses obtained, and as main results two new species are named and described here for the first time. An update of the geographic circumscription of the Azorean endemic Tolpis spp. is also indicated here.Master dissertation included in demiurgo project financed by FEDER, of the iniciative MAC/1/C020- Programa de Cooperação Transnacional Açores-Madeira-Canárias (MAC) 2007-2013

Hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) diversity in Tapada da Ajuda, Lisbon - a preliminary study

Hoverflies are holometabolic insects, whose adults are pollinators feeding on nectar and pollen. Frequently, they are confused with wasps, bees and bumblebees. In the larval stage, some of them prey other insects, specially aphids (Hemiptera), and others are saprophagous. For this reason, they are important biological control agents. In this study, we carried out the prospection and specific identification of hoverflies in four habitats in Tapada da Ajuda (olive grove, a field of Apiaceae, herbaceous vegetation near Lagoa Branca and plum orchard), between March and May 2017. Hoverfly adults were mostly captured with an entomologic net, but also with jar and plastic bags. A preliminary evaluation on the importance of ecologic infrastructure fava bean inter-row in the plum orchard was also performed. For this purpose, we observed fava plants and plum trees, collecting eggs, larvae and pupae of hoverflies that we reared in the laboratory until the emergence of the adult of hoverfly or parasitoid. A total of 12 species were identified, being the most frequent and abundant Episyrphus balteatus and Sphaerophoria scripta. Species richness was higher in the Apiaceae field although this habitat was sampled only during the last fortnight of the study. In the hoverfly immature collected in the plum orchard we detected hymenopteran parasitoids belonging to Diplazontinae and Pteromalidaeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Using Cost Observation to Regulate Bureaucratic Firms

We study regulation of a bureaucratic provider of a public good in the presence of moral hazard and adverse selection. By bureaucratic we mean that it values output in itself, and not only profit. Three different financing systems are studied - cost reimbursement, prospective payment, and the optimal contract. In all cases, the output level increases with the bureaucratic bias. We find that the optimal contract is linear in cost (fixed payment plus partial cost-reimbursement). A stronger preference for high output reduces the tendency of the firm to announce a high cost (adverse selection), allowing a more powered incentive scheme (a lower fraction of the costs is reimbursed), which alleviates the problem of moral hazard.Procurement, Regulation, Adverse selection, Moral hazard, Bureaucracy

Regulating a monopolist with unknown bureaucratic tendencies

We determine the optimal contract for the regulation of a bureaucratic firm in the case in which the bureaucratic bias is firm's private information. We find that output is distorted upward when the bureaucratic bias is low, downward when it is high, and equals a reference output when it is intermediate (in this case, the participation constraint is binding). We also determine an endogenous reference output (equal to the expected output, which depends on the reference output), and find that the response of output to cost is null in the short-run (in which the reference output is fixed) whenever the managers' types are in the intermediate range and negative in the long-run (after the adjustment of the reference output to equal expected output).Procurement, Regulation, Adverse selection, Bureaucracy, Reservation utility

El vivir, reflejo y el aprender tomar de cuidado en de la salud mental : la terapia communitarian como estrategia de la educación en el curso de enfermeria

O texto visa relatar a experiência de aprendizado de competências e habilidades para o cuidado em saúde mental de alunos de enfermagem da Universidade de Brasília (UnB), por meio da participação em grupos de Terapia Comunitária (TC). Conclui-se que, ao longo da disciplina, houve redimensionamento de valores, conceitos e papéis sociais dos alunos, o que demonstra que a TC pode contribuir com a aprendizagem do profissional enfermeiro no processo de cuidar em saúde mental. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe text aims to tell the experience of abilities and competencies learning for the care in mental health of nursing students at the Universidade de Brasília (UnB), by means of the participation in groups of Community Therapy (CT). It’s possible to conclude that throughout the discipline, there was a new dimensioning of values, concepts and social papers of the students, which demonstrates that CT can contribute with the nursing professional learning in the process of taking care in mental health. _________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMENEl texto tiene por objetivo relatar la experiencia de aprendizaje de competencias y habvilidades para el cuidado en salud mental de alumnos de enfermería de la Universidad de Brasília (UnB), por medio de la participación en grupos de Terapia Comunitaria (TC). Se concluye que a lo largo de la disciplina, hubo redimensionamiento de valores, conceptos y papeles sociales de los alumnos, lo que demuestra que la TC puede contribuir con el aprendizaje del profesional enfermero en el proceso de cuidar en salud mental

Assessing the spatial management of mangroves and small-scale fisheries in protected areas on the Brazilian Amazon coast

Mangroves are important providers of ecosystem services. Despite their relevance for conservation, they have been impacted by dynamic drivers that are causing loss of mangrove area worldwide. In Brazil, mangrove conservation strategies, such as spatial planning and protected areas, have not been fully implemented due to data deficiency on various social-ecological aspects of mangroves, including the spatial dynamics of small-scale fisheries. This thesis aims to investigate how multiple knowledge systems and assessment methods, including the ecosystem-based approach, participatory mapping, and GPS tracking can be combined for integrated management of mangrove protected areas, having as focus study areas two extractive reserves (RESEXs) in northeastern Para, Brazil. In order to achieve an ecosystem-based management approach, mangrove ecosystems need to be managed as an integrated system, and interconnections with other coastal ecosystems must be assessed and taken into account. Regarding the spatial management of small-scale fisheries that take place in mangroves, this research shows that a combination of participatory mapping and GPS tracking can help identify fishing areas and the origin of the crab demand for each area. These findings can be applied to the spatial management of the crab fisheries, including integrated zoning strategies for protected areas. This thesis also proposes a framework to establish the starting geographic level for integrated spatial planning. In northeastern Para, the spatial management of the four existing protected areas needs to be done in an integrated manner