On the Chemical Disguise of a Physogastric Termitophilous Rove Beetle

Inter-specific symbiotic links are often reinforced by morphological, physiological, or behavioural trait modification undergone by the associated species. In some cases, such as in physogastric termitophile staphylinids, such modifications do facilitate the social interaction. Here we inspect chemical traits of the physogastric staphylinid Corotoca melantho (Insecta: Coleoptera) and its termite host Constrictotermes cyphergaster (Insecta: Blattodea: Isoptera), aiming to verify whether staphylinids resemble their host. First, we compared CHC profiles of hosts and guests within and among termitaria, to gather evidence on the origin of such profiles in guests. Then, we examined nitrogen and carbon isotopic signatures of these cohabitants to inspect whether chemical disguise is achieved by predation of host workers by staphylinids. Beetles presented CHC more similar to the CHC of their cohabiting termites than to (i) their conspecifics and (ii) termites from another nest, thereby favouring the hypothesis on CHC acquisition by guests. Isotopic signatures revealed that such similarities could not be majorly determined by share nutrition between these cohabitants. In general, our results evidenced that chemical disguise in termitophiles may function as a strategy for social integration in morphological mimics

Experimental Frog Virus 3 infection using Brazilian strain: amphibians susceptibility

Um número alarmante de notificações globais sobre surtos de mortalidade de anfíbios tem sido realizado nos últimos anos. As doenças emergentes destacam-se como as principais causas potenciais. O ranavírus é uma doença altamente infecciosa disseminada em todo o mundo, capaz de afetar até outros animais ectotérmicos como peixes e répteis. Uma questão importante em relação a essa patologia é a falta de sinais clínicos antes de levar à morte. Com o objetivo de compreender melhor a suscetibilidade dos anuros, o presente trabalho analisou a taxa de sobrevivência de rãs-touro (Lithobates catesbeianus), desafiadas com três doses de uma estirpe brasileira do Frog virus 3 (FV3). A análise de qPCR indicou baixa taxa de infectividade nesses animais, tanto como larvas quanto como adultos. Procurando esclarecer os resultados, foram formuladas as seguintes hipóteses: 1) A quantidade de inóculo aplicada nas rãs foi insuficiente para desencadear uma infecção; 2) Para que o FV3 dê sinais clínicos nesta espécie, é necessário um cofator; 3) Os animais sofreram infecção por FV3, mas se recuperaram no decorrer do experimento, e 4) O inóculo utilizado pode ter sido de baixa virulência. Finalmente, foi discutida a presença de sinais clínicos reais de ranavírus e levantada a hipótese mais provável.An alarming number of global warnings concerning amphibian mortality outbreaks have been released in recent years. Emerging diseases stand out as the main potential causes. Ranavirus is a worldwide-spread highly infectious disease capable of affecting even other ectothermic animals such as fish and reptiles. One major issue regarding this pathology is the lack of clinical signs before it leads up to death. Aiming at having a better understanding of anurans susceptibility, this study analyzed bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) survival rate, when challenged with three doses of a Brazilian strain of Frog Virus 3 (FV3). The qPCR analysis indicated a low infectivity rate in these animals both as larvae and as adults. To elucidate the results, the following hypothesis was performed: 1) The amount of inoculum used on the frogs was insufficient to trigger an infection; 2) For the FV3 to produce clinical signs in this species, there is the need for a cofactor; 3) The animals did undergo FV3 infection but recovered in the course of the experiment, and 4) The inoculum utilized might have been low-virulence. Finally, the presence of actual clinical signs of ranavirus is discussed, with the more likely hypothesis

Diet segregation between cohabiting builder and inquiline termite species

How do termite inquilines manage to cohabit termitaria along with the termite builder species? With this in mind, we analysed one of the several strategies that inquilines could use to circumvent conflicts with their hosts, namely, the use of distinct diets. We inspected overlapping patterns for the diets of several cohabiting Neotropical termite species, as inferred from carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures for termite individuals. Cohabitant communities from distinct termitaria presented overlapping diet spaces, indicating that they exploited similar diets at the regional scale. When such communities were split into their components, full diet segregation could be observed between builders and inquilines, at regional (environment-wide) and local (termitarium) scales. Additionally, diet segregation among inquilines themselves was also observed in the vast majority of inspected termitaria. Inquiline species distribution among termitaria was not random. Environmental-wide diet similarity, coupled with local diet segregation and deterministic inquiline distribution, could denounce interactions for feeding resources. However, inquilines and builders not sharing the same termitarium, and thus not subject to potential conflicts, still exhibited distinct diets. Moreover, the areas of the builder’s diet space and that of its inquilines did not correlate negatively. Accordingly, the diet areas of builders which hosted inquilines were in average as large as the areas of builders hosting no inquilines. Such results indicate the possibility that dietary partitioning by these cohabiting termites was not majorly driven by current interactive constraints. Rather, it seems to be a result of traits previously fixed in the evolutionary past of cohabitants

ASSISTÊNCIA A MULHER NEGRA DENTRO DA ATENÇÃO BÁSICA: REVISÃO DE LITERATURA

To analyze the paradigms faced by the black female population in the Primary Care health system, identifying the main factors that prevent better access and assistance. Method: This is an integrative literature review, searching the Medline, BDENF, LILACS databases, using as descriptors: “Women's Health”, “Primary Health Care”, “Public Health” and “Health Policy”. Health” combined between Boolean operators AND and OR, with a time frame of the last 5 years. Results: Of the 4,541 articles found, 8 were selected to compose the study. Factors related to the unpreparedness of professionals through vulnerabilities and lack of continuing education were identified as challenges to comprehensive health care for black women within the scope of Primary Care, which become borderline and challenging issues faced by women on a daily basis. The existence of racial prejudice, although it is fiercely fought, still exists in society and there must be intervention by health institutions to serve the individual as a whole. The study also highlighted socioeconomic factors related to girls' housing. This signals a slow process of surveying and monitoring by experts. conclusions: As primary care is the gateway to the health system, it is still necessary to expand the framework of scientific research to understand the topic in a specific and adequate way, as there is no doubt that stunted girls face several gaps in the provision of care without inequalities.Objetivo: Analisar os paradigmas enfrentados pela população negra feminina no sistema de saúde na Atenção Primária, identificando os principais fatores que impedem uma melhor acesso e assistência. Método: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa de literatura, com busca nas bases de dados da Medline, BDENF, LILACS, utilizando como descritores: “Saúde da Mulher”, “Atenção Primária a Saúde”, “Saúde Pública” e “Política de Saúde” combinados entre operadores boleanos AND e OR, com recorte temporal dos últimos 5 anos. Resultados: Dos 4.541 artigos encontrados, 8 foram selecionados para compor o estudo. Identificaram-se, como desafios à assistência à saúde integral da mulher negra no âmbito da Atenção Básica fatores relacionados ao despreparo dos profissionais mediante as vulnerabilidades e a falta de educação continuada, que se tornam questões limítrofes e desafiadoras enfrentadas pelas mulheres diariamente. A existência de preconceito racial, embora seja ferozmente combatido Mas ainda existe na sociedade E deve haver intervenção das instituições de saúde para atender o indivíduo como um todo. O estudo também destacou os factores socioeconómicos relacionados com a habitação das meninas Isto sinaliza um processo lento de enquête e monitoramento por parte de especialistas. conclusões: Sendo a atenção básica a porta de entrada do sistema de saúde, ainda é necessário ampliar o arcabouço da investigação científica para compreender o tema de forma específica e adequada, pois não há dúvidas de que as meninas atros enfrentam diversas lacunas na prestação de cuidados sem desigualdades

Interspecific interactions in termite mounds

Por vários anos, ecólogos de comunidades concentram-se em desenvolver métodos adequados para a detecção de padrões em conjuntos de espécies e identificar processos capazes de gerar tais padrões. Entre estes processos, a presença do predador parece afetar a diversidade em várias comunidades. Além da predação, outras interações e as características intrínsecas das espécies envolvidas também são processos importantes na estruturaçã de comunidades, principalmente naquelas comunidades associadas a ninhos de insetos sociais. Sendo assim, o objetivo desta tese foi testar o efeito do predador sobre a diversidade de invasores, bem como algumas características intríınsecas que permitem a coexistência de espécies em ninhos de cupins. Para tanto, testamos as seguintes hipóteses: (i) a presença do predador afeta a diversidade de invasores em ninhos de cupins; (ii) existe um tamanho crítico de ninhos de cupins, acima do qual os coabitantes são mais prováveis de ocorrer; (iii) algumas espécies que co-habitam ninhos de cupins possuem e mimetismo químico. Dentre os co-habitantes de ninhos de cupins parece ter uma certa especificidade e os Staphylinidae são os mais comumente encotrados. Nossos resultados sugerem que o predador é importante fator regulador e da riqueza de espécies invasoras em ninhos de cupins, mas para a abundância de invasores o predador não é importante e sim o volume dos ninhos que regula esta abundância. Entre os invasores, os Staphylinidae obrigatórios parecem conseguir invadir ninhos menores que 3 l, por outro lado os inquilinos obrigatórios parecem conseguir se estabelecer após os ninhos atingirem um volume maior que 13 l. Dentre os invasores Staphylinidae, algumas espécies possuem hidrocarbonetos cuticulares similares aos de seus e hospedeiros, o que pode facilitar a sua permanência dentro dos ninhos sem e serem perturbados. Assim, o presente trabalho auxilia na compreensão dos fatores que podem afetar a coabitação em ninhos de cupins, mostrando a importância do predador e de mecanismos intrínsecas das espécies, como volume do ninho e capacidade de mimetizar os hidrocarbonetos dos seus hospedeiros, sobre a co-existência de espécies nesses ninhos.For several years, community ecologists have focused on developing adequate methods of detecting patterns in species sets and to identify processes that might generate certain patterns. Among these processes, the presence of predator seems to affect the diversity in many communities. But, in addition to predation and other interactions the intrinsic characteristics of the species involved are also important, especially in communities associated with nests of social insects. Thus, this thesis aims to test the effect of the predator, as well as some inherent characteristics that allow the species coexistence inside termite nests. Therefore, we tested the following hypotheses: (i) the presence of predators affects the diversity of invaders in termite nests; (ii) there is a critical nest size above which cohabitants are more likely to occur, (iii) some species that cohabit inside termite nests have chemical mimicry. Among cohabitants species of termite nests seem to exist a termitophiles specificity. Staphylinidae family are the most common. Our results showed that in termite nests where predators are found inside have higher termi- tophile richness, but the abundance is not affected by predator but the nest’s volume is determinant. We have seen that obligatory Staphylinidae seems to be able to invade small nests, on the other hand, termite inquiline seems to be able to invade nest bigger than 16 l. In this family some species have cuticular hydrocarbons similar to those of their hosts, which can help those individual stay undisturbed inside the nests. Thus, this work contributes to understanding the role of predators on prey behavior and the effect on the diversity and also help to understand the mechanisms involved in the invasion and coexistence in termite nests.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológic

Interactions between termites (Insecta: Isoptera) and termitophiles

Os cupins são insetos eussociais que, normalmente, constroem seus próprios ninhos. Esses ninhos são freqüentemente invadidos por outras espécies de cupins (inquilinos) e de outros animais (termitófilos). Pouco se sabe sobre o motivo pelo qual os termitófilos procuram os ninhos dos cupins, e principalmente quais são as interações existentes entre termitófilos e cupins. Esta dissertação teve como objetivos: (i) compilar o conhecimento existente sobre as possíveis interações entre estas espécies e (ii) testar a hipótese de que interações neutras ou positivas podem ser encontradas entre os cupins construtores Cornitermes cumulans e alguns de seus termitófilos. Dentre as possibilidades teóricas pelas quais cupins toleram termitófilos em seus ninhos, identificou-se interações positivas, negativas e neutras, que se originariam de duas estratégias básicas a serem empregadas pelos termtófilos. Por um lado, termitófilos podem passar despercebidos, ocupando o ninho sem serem encontrados pelos cupins. Por outro lado, termitófios podem ser de fato encontrados pelos cupins, mas obterem sucesso na invasão via mecanismos miméticos ou mesmo por interações positivas. Dentre os vários casos de coabitação entre cupins e termitófilos conhecidos, alguns se enquadram nos três tipos de interações positivas. Entretanto, como nenhum experimento foi relatado na literatura para testar explicitamente alguma interação, apresentamos neste trabalho um teste da hipótese referida acima. Os dados foram coletados na Mata do Paraíso, Viçosa, MG, Brasil e os indivíduos identificados até o menor nível taxonômico possível. Os resultados não mostraram diferenças significativas na sobreviência de C. cumulans quando colocados com larvas de besouros ou com larvas inanimadas feitas com massa de modelar, indicando que tais cupins não se beneficiam diretamente de exsudatos da larva de besouro nem da mera presença física da mesma. Por outro lado, isto mostra também que não há interações negativas neste caso.Termites are eussocial insects that usually build their own nests. These nests are frequently invaded by other animal species - including termites - such invaders being known respectively as termitophiles or inquilines. The reasons for termites tolerance to invaders, as well as the interactions between termitophiles and their termites host, are poorly understood. This work aims (i) to compile the current knowledge on such interactions and (ii) to test the hypothesis that positive or neutral interactions occur between Cornitermes cumulans and one of the termitophiles. Among the theoretical possibilities for cohabitation between termite and termitophiles, we identified positive, negative, and neutral interactions, which would arise from two basic strategies employed by the invader. Firstly, termitophiles could occupy the termite nest without being found by their hosts. Secondly, despite being found, termitophiles could succeed through mimetic mechanisms or even positive interactions. Among the several known cases of cohabitations between termites and termitophiles, several can be tipified as one of the three likely interactions. However, as no experiment has been reported to explicitly tests these interactions, we present here a test of the hypothesis referred to above. Data were collected in a Atlantic forest remnant in Viçosa, Brazil and specimens were identified to the lowest possible taxon. Results did not show significant differences in the survival of C. cumulans workers when confined together with (i) only termite individuals, (ii) beetle larvae, and (iii) plasticine fake larvae, indicating that termites did not profit either directly from any exsudate from the beetle larva, neither from the mere physical presence of it. Moreover, this shows also that the beetle larva did not present any negative interaction to the termites.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológic

Morphology and Postdepositional Dynamics of Eggs of the Predator Podisus distinctus (Stål) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae)

Sá, Veríssimo Gibran Mendes De, Zanuncio, José Cola, Soares, Marcus Alvarenga, Rosa, Cassiano Sousa, Serrão, José Eduardo (2013): Morphology and Postdepositional Dynamics of Eggs of the Predator Podisus distinctus (Stål) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae). Zootaxa 3641 (3): 282-288, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3641.3.

Nonlinear regression describing the asymptotic relationship of the number of cricket species <i>vs</i>. resource addition levels.

<p>Nonlinear regression describing the asymptotic relationship of the number of cricket species <i>vs</i>. resource addition levels.</p

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values, and C/N atomic values for <i>Mellopsis doucasae</i>.

<p>Mean ± standard deviation of (a) <i>δ</i>¹⁵N, (b) <i>δ</i>¹³C, and (c) C/N atomic values from the following treatments: Fuel Et. 15—preserved in fuel ethanol for 15 days; Fuel Et. 60—preserved in fuel ethanol for 60 days; Com.Et. 15—preserved in 92.8% commercial ethanol for 15 days; Com.Et. 60—preserved in 92.8% commercial ethanol for 60 days; Frozen 15—frozen for 15 days; Frozen 60—frozen for 60 days; Control—freshly processed material (highlighted in gray). Different letters indicate significant differences between treatment groups (P < 0.05). All preservation methods resulted in significant ¹⁵N depletion compared to controls.</p