Relatório final do projeto de difusão científica e tecnológica "Fala Ciência? Comunicar ciência nos Açores

Relatório final do projeto "Fala Ciência?"info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New species of cave-dwelling beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae) from the Azores

Copyright © 2004 Taylor & Francis.Nesta contribuição são descritos para os Açores os escaravelhos cavernícolas, Trechus pereirai, nova espécie, e Trechus oromii, nova espécie, e ainda o escaravelho epígeo Trechus terrabravensis, nova espécie. É feita pela primeira vez a descrição do macho da espécie cavernícola Trechus jorgensis Oromí & Borges. Com base na morfologia da genitália masculina são discutidas as afinidades com as outras espécies de Trechus dos Açores e outros arquipélagos Macaronésicos. Incluem-se ainda dados ecológicos.ABSTRACT: The cave-dwelling beetles, Trechus pereirai, new species, and Trechus oromii, new species, and the epigean Trechus terrabravensis, new species, from the Azores islands are described. The male of the cave-dwelling beetle Trechus jorgensis Oromí and Borges is described for the first time. Affinities between Trechus species from the Azores and from other Macaronesian archipelagoes are discussed based on the morphology of the aedeagus. Ecological data are also included

A New Species of Tarphius Erichson, 1845 (Coleoptera: Zopheridae) from North Africa and Notes on an Iberian Species

Copyright © 2013 Magnolia Press.A new species of Tarphius Erichson, 1845 (Coleoptera: Zopheridae, Solier, 1834) is described from Morocco. Tarphius isabelae n. sp. is the fifth Tarphius species recorded in North Africa. In addition, we present some information on the Iberian species, Tarphius kiesenwetteri Heyden, 1870

What Is Most Desirable for Nature? An Analysis of Azorean Pupils’ Biodiversity Perspectives When Deciding on Ecological Scenarios

Understanding pupils’ biodiversity perspectives is essential to developing educators’ sensitivity to students’ multi-faceted views of the world, thus increasing teaching effectiveness. In this study, we asked 1528 school pupils in the Azores to choose between alternative schemes in three ecological scenarios and to justify their decisions. The study’s objectives were to understand biodiversity perspectives underlying pupils’ choice of the most desirable schemes for nature and to examine whether gender and school level (middle school/high school) influenced their choices. Quantitative (frequency analysis and Chi-square statistics) and qualitative (thematic analysis) methods were applied for data analysis. The majority of pupils made appropriate choices, arguing from different biodiversity perspectives, which were classified in 10 categories and 24 subcategories. High school pupils did not exhibit significant differences among the main arguments employed, and mostly referred to ecological concepts, while middle school pupils exhibited different choices according to gender, emphasizing richness over the threats posed by introduced species. Biodiversity education should thus be strengthened, especially at the middle school level, where different complex issues would benefit from classroom discussion and systematization. The chosen methodological strategy proved to be effective in assessing pupils’ biodiversity perspectives, which may be useful to deal with other ill-structured problems.The research was financially supported by THE PORTUGUESE FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (FUNDAÇÃO PARA A CIÊNCIA E A TECNOLOGIA-FCT) through the projects PTDC/CED-EDG/31182/2017, PTDC/BIA-BEC-104571/2008; IRA was funded by Portuguese funds through FCT under the Norma Transitória-DL57/2016/CP1375/CT0003.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Teachers’ perspectives and practices on biodiversity web portals as an opportunity to reconnect education with nature

Biodiversity loss is a complex issue and a risk that education cannot overlook. Teachers play a crucial role in how biodiversity, and in particular local biodiversity, is understood. To provide insight into how to improve communication on the subject, we investigate teachers’ perspectives and social representations regarding biodiversity, their fluency in terms of Internet use, their familiarity with biodiversity web portals and perceived pedagogical usefulness of technology. A sample of 243 K–12 schoolteachers of multiple scientific domains from eight Azorean islands answered an online survey, including three free-word association tests using inductive terms such as ‘Internet’, ‘biodiversity’ and ‘familiar biodiversity portals’. Overall, the schoolteachers failed to incorporate the multidimensionality of the biodiversity concept (including natural science teachers) or to show technological fluency, and they tended not to use biodiversity web portals as tools to engage students in teaching activities. Our results indicate that teachers’ perspectives about biodiversity need to be broadened and improved and that it is worth exploring whether information and communication technology represents a window of opportunity to do so. As an example, biodiversity web portals, which are widely recognized as trustworthy information repositories, may be used to engage teachers in this endeavour.This work was supported by Portuguese funds through ‘Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.’ (FCT), under the project ‘Field Guide’ (PTDC/CED-EDG/31182/2017), the ‘FCT multi-year project 2020– 2023’ (cE3c/GBA UIDB/00329/2020) and by FEDER in 85% and Azorean Public funds in 15% through ‘Operational Program Azores 2020’, under the project AZORESBIOPORTAL–PORBIOTA (ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000072). IRA was supported by FCT, under the ‘Norma Transitória’ (DL57/2016/CP1375/ CT0003).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Wildlife inventory from camera-trapping surveys in the Azores (Pico and Terceira islands)

The present publication provides a dataset from five camera-trapping sampling campaigns on two islands of the Azorean archipelago (Pico and Terceira islands), between 2013-2018. This dataset was obtained as a by-product of campaigns designed for different purposes. The sampling campaigns were designed to: (i) study the ecology of introduced mammals; (ii) assess the impact of introduced mammals on native birds (Azores woodpigeon - Columba palumbus azorica and Cory's shearwater - Calonectris diomeda borealis), through nest predation; and (iii) obtain information about the impact of vertebrates on agricultural systems, particularly on Azorean traditional vineyards. A total of 258 sites and 47 nests were sampled using camera traps. These sampling campaigns provided a large data series that allowed the creation of a vertebrate wildlife inventory.FCT-SFRH/BD/115022/2016; Open access was funded by FEDER (85%) and by Azorean Public funds (15%), through the Operational Program Azores 2020 under the project AZORESBIOPORTAL – PORBIOTA (ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000072).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biodiversity patterns of cavernicolous ground-beetles and their conservation status in the Azores, with the description of a new species: Trechus isabelae n. sp (Coleoptera : Carabidae : Trechinae)

Copyright © 2007 · Magnolia Press.Diversity patterns of cave and epigean Trechinae (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from the Azores (Portugal) are reported based on recently standardized sampling protocols in different habitats of this geologically young and isolated volcanic archipelago. A total of 10 species are studied, including Trechus isabelae n. sp., collected in a volcanic pit on São Jorge, one of the nine islands of the Azores. This new Trechus species represents the eighth species of Trechinae described from the underground environment of the Azores. An identification key for the Azorean species of Trechus is provided along with additional information per species on their distribution and conservation status in the archipelago. Possible reasons for the different degrees of adaptation to the conditions of the underground environment exhibited by Trechinae are also discussed

Cultural probes for environmental education:Designing learning materials to engage children and teenagers with local biodiversity

Direct contact with nature is paramount in deepening children’s and teenagers’ interest in biodiversity. Learning materials chosen to convey information and engage participants during outings in nature-rich environments are varied and can support rich learning experiences. For this purpose, learning materials can be acquired "off-the-shelf" or developed for site-specific locations or projects. However, there is little guidance on potential techniques for those wishing to generate contextually relevant materials. With the view of responding to this challenge, we propose the cultural probes technique. We demonstrate that the technique, commonly used in qualitative research to generate novel insights in conversation with participants, can instigate innovative and thoughtful approaches to materials designed for children and teenagers to explore nature. We present a toolkit that draws on the literature on cultural probes, inquiry-based learning, and the value of sensory, emotional, and aesthetic experiences in environmental education for structuring interactions with participants. To test our approach, we applied a descriptive research design and mixed-methods approach for collecting questions from youths between the ages of 10 and 18, inspired by a nature walk and a set of exploratory tasks executed through the toolkit. Specifically, we tested our toolkit along a trail in the Nature Park of Terceira, situated in the Azores, a Portuguese volcanic archipelago in the North Atlantic. Here, we present and reflect on the data collected during one visit organized over two days with two groups of participants and one post-trail activity directed at both groups. Results demonstrate that the open-ended and playful nature of cultural probes offers a novel way to engage youths with nature-rich environments through questioning. This contribution further highlights the potential of cultural probes for instigating encounters that tap into the value of sensory, emotional, and aesthetic experience in nature, with positive outcomes for participants

In vitro fermentation of raffinose to unravel its potential as prebiotic ingredient

Supplementary data to this article can be found online athttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109322.Until now the prebiotic potential of pure trisaccharide raffinose on human health assessed through high-throughput sequencing remains poorly investigated. In this work, an in vitro model using human fecal inocula of two healthy volunteers (D1 and D2) was used to study the prebiotic potential of raffinose and compare it with the well-stablished and commercial prebiotic lactulose. The intestinal microbiota showed preference for raffinose as substrate showing the highest consumption value at 48h (96.0±0.9% D1 and 95.3±0.7% D2). The fermentation of raffinose decreased the medium pH, the ammonia concentration and the relative amount of Proteobacteria, while increasing the total production of lactate and short chain fatty acids (129.9±2.6mmol/L D1 and 179.6±0.6mmol/L D2), CO2 (10.8±0.8 mmol/Lmedium D1 and 5.2±0.3 mmol/Lmedium D2) and the relative amount of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. This study suggests that raffinose holds potential functional properties for human health.CA an BBC acknowledge her grants (UMINHO/BPD/4/2019 and SFRH/BD/132324/2017) from Portuguese Foundation for Science andTechnology (FCT). The study receivedfinancial support from FCT underthe scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2020 unit;COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684), through nationalfunds and where applicable co-financed by the FEDER, within thePT2020 Partnership Agreement; the Projects FoSynBio (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029549) and NewFood–Food Technologies Valorization(NORTE-324 01-0246-FEDER-000043). The authors also acknowledgeBioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded bythe European Regional Development Fund under the scope ofNorte2020 -Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

De marginal a bem patrimonial: processos de divulgação científica na exposição "Tesouros de seis patas"

XV Congresso Ibérico de Entomologia. Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal, 1 a 6 de Setembro de 2012