Ground beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) at a restinga forest fragment in far-southern Brazil

Coleoptera is one of the most varied taxonomic groups, it has about 390,000 described species. Due to the wide variety and concentration of experts in a few groups, it becomes hard to carry out the inventory of Coleoptera fauna. This paper aims to contribute to knowledge on the diversity of beetles in restinga forests located in far-southern Brazil. The goal of this study was surveying the species of ground beetles sampled with pitfall traps, within the period from January 2011 to January 2012, as well as evaluating the group’s abundance, seasonality, and richness. A total of 6,954 ground beetles distributed into 25 families and 89 morphospecies were sampled. Out of these individuals, 63.79% belong to the Nitidulidae family; 14.83% to the Ptiliidae; and 6.82% to the Staphylinidae. Nineteen families had less than 1% of sampled individuals. Regarding the number of morphospecies per family, 29.21% belong to the Curculionidae; 14.61% to the Carabidae; 10.11% to the Chrysomelidae; 6.74% to the Nitidulidae; and 6.74% to the Scarabaeidae. In this research, two seasonal situations were observed, where the spring had the same number of species than summer and a larger number of sampled individuals

Levantamento de besouros copro-necrófagos (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) do Bioma Pampa

Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), comprises the beetles popularly called “dung beetle”, which are important group of animal detritivorous and biomarkers of environmental impacts on ecosystems. Pampa Biome areas are natural ecosystems with high diversity of plant and animal species, but are however, little known compared to other biomes of Brazil. Data on escarabeinofauna the Pampa Biome is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to inventorize the fauna of these beetles in areas located in the far south of the Rio Grande do Sul, as well as learning their habits and eating behaviors. The sampling areas were located in the cities of Herval and Arroio Grande. 216 traps baited pitfall trap type with human dung and pig and beef decaying were placed distributed in six areas. They recorded 2,243 individuals, organized into six tribes, 13 genera and 35 species. The species were classified as coprophagous, general and scavenger. Greater number of subjects were caught in traps baited with human and pig manure than in rotting meat. For the first time Trichillum morelli Verdú & Galante, 1997 was found in Brazil and Canthidium taurinum Harold, 1867 is a new record for the state.Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), compreende compreende os besouros popularmente chamados de “rola-bosta”, que constituem importante grupo de animais detritívoros e bioindicadores de impactos ambientais nos ecossistemas. Áreas do Bioma Pampa são ecossistemas naturais com alta diversidade de espécies vegetais e animais, no entanto, pouco conhecidas em comparação com outros biomas do Brasil. Dados sobre a escarabeinofauna do Bioma Pampa é escassa. Portanto, os objetivos deste trabalho foram inventariar a fauna destes besouros em áreas localizadas no extremo-sul do Rio Grande do Sul, bem como, conhecer seus hábitos e comportamentos alimentares. As áreas de amostragem se localizaram nos municípios de Herval e Arroio Grande. Foram dispostas 216 armadilhas do tipo pitfall trap iscadas com esterco humano/suíno e carne bovina em decomposição, distribuídas em seis áreas. Registraram-se 2.243 indivíduos, organizados em 6 tribos, 13 gêneros e 35 espécies. As espécies foram classificadas em coprófagas, generalistas e necrófagas. Foi capturado um maior número de indivíduos em armadilhas iscadas com esterco suíno e humano do que em carne apodrecida. Pela primeira vez Trichillum morelli Verdú & Galante, 1997 foi encontrada no Brasil e Canthidium taurinum Harold, 1867 é um novo registro para o estado

Primeiro registro de Platyembia tessellata Ross, 2003 (Embioptera: Anisembiidae) para o estado de Rondônia, Brasil

Embioptera is one of the less studied insect groups. About 400 species have been recorded worldwide, but in Brazil, where five families have been reported to occur, the group is still poorly known. The Amazon is particularly important, insofar as it harbors a great biodiversity, although many species from its entomofauna remain unreported. We report here, for the first time, the occurrence of Platyembia tessellata Ross, 2003 in Rondônia state, northern Brazil. Specimens were collected from a tree trunk near the Jaci Paraná river. An adult male was identified based on its terminalia morphology, following the species original description.Os embiópteros constituem um dos grupos de insetos menos estudados atualmente. São registradas mais de 390 espécies no mundo todo e são pouco conhecidos no Brasil, onde ocorrem quatro famílias. A Amazônia é especialmente importante pois abriga uma grande biodiversidade e muitas espécies da entomofauna carecem de registro. O objetivo deste estudo é registrar a primeira ocorrência de Platyembia tessellata Ross, 2003 para o Estado de Rondônia, Brasil. As coletas foram realizadas em tronco de árvore próxima ao Rio Jaci Paraná. A identificação com base na morfologia da genitália de um macho adulto foi realizada de acordo com a descrição original da espécie. Os resultados mostram uma população brasileira da espécie sendo aqui registrada apenas pela segunda vez após a descoberta de Ross em 2003

Vivenciando ciência através de atividades diferenciadas: conhecimento local sobre plantas medicinais em escola urbana

Este trabalho visou desenvolver junto aos professores de ciências de uma escola urbana, atividades diferenciadas para o ensino de ciências. Experiência realizada em três turmas de 5ª série, propondo trabalhar conteúdos de botânica através do conhecimento sobre plantas medicinais das famílias dos alunos participantes. Com essa proposta, a partir de 170 espécimes de plantas, os alunos puderam experenciar partes do processo científico, trabalhar o conteúdo curricular e habilidades pessoais. Foi possível, ainda, contextualizar o aprendizado, estimular a troca e promover a reconstrução do conhecimento científico pelos alunos, comunidade e professores, valorizando os saberes locais. Além disso, promoveu a educação científica, estimulando um comportamento reflexivo, ativo e questionador dos alunos em um processo de aprendizagem contextualizadora na reconstrução dos saberes envolvidos nessa trama.Palavras-chave: Ensino de ciências. Ensino de botânica. Atividades diferenciadas. Conhecimento local urbano

Vivenciando ciência através de atividades diferenciadas: conhecimento local sobre plantas medicinais em escola urbana

Este trabalho visou desenvolver junto aos professores de ciências de uma escola urbana, atividades diferenciadas para o ensino de ciências. Experiência realizada em três turmas de 5ª série, propondo trabalhar conteúdos de botânica através do conhecimento sobre plantas medicinais das famílias dos alunos participantes. Com essa proposta, a partir de 170 espécimes de plantas, os alunos puderam experenciar partes do processo científico, trabalhar o conteúdo curricular e habilidades pessoais. Foi possível, ainda, contextualizar o aprendizado, estimular a troca e promover a reconstrução do conhecimento científico pelos alunos, comunidade e professores, valorizando os saberes locais. Além disso, promoveu a educação científica, estimulando um comportamento reflexivo, ativo e questionador dos alunos em um processo de aprendizagem contextualizadora na reconstrução dos saberes envolvidos nessa trama.Palavras-chave: Ensino de ciências. Ensino de botânica. Atividades diferenciadas. Conhecimento local urbano

Ground beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) at a restinga forest fragment in far-southern Brazil

Coleoptera is one of the most varied taxonomic groups, it has about 390,000 described species. Due to the wide variety and concentration of experts in a few groups, it becomes hard to carry out the inventory of Coleoptera fauna. This paper aims to contribute to knowledge on the diversity of beetles in restinga forests located in far-southern Brazil. The goal of this study was surveying the species of ground beetles sampled with pitfall traps, within the period from January 2011 to January 2012, as well as evaluating the group’s abundance, seasonality, and richness. A total of 6,954 ground beetles distributed into 25 families and 89 morphospecies were sampled. Out of these individuals, 63.79% belong to the Nitidulidae family; 14.83% to the Ptiliidae; and 6.82% to the Staphylinidae. Nineteen families had less than 1% of sampled individuals. Regarding the number of morphospecies per family, 29.21% belong to the Curculionidae; 14.61% to the Carabidae; 10.11% to the Chrysomelidae; 6.74% to the Nitidulidae; and 6.74% to the Scarabaeidae. In this research, two seasonal situations were observed, where the spring had the same number of species than summer and a larger number of sampled individuals

Gene expression is associated with virulence in murine macrophages infected with Leptospira spp.

Leptospira genus contains species that affect human health with varying degrees of pathogenicity. In this context, we aimed to evaluate the differences in the modulation of host gene expression by strains of Leptospira varying in virulence. Our data showed a high number of differentially expressed transcripts in murine macrophages following 6h of infection. Leptospira infection modulated a set of genes independently of their degree of virulence. However, pathway analysis indicated that Apoptosis, ATM Signaling, and Cell Cycle: G2/M DNA Damage Checkpoint Regulation were exclusively regulated following infection with the virulent strain. Taken together, results demonstrated that species and virulence play a role during host response to Leptospira spp in murine macrophages, which could contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of leptospirosis

Relationship of peripheral blood mononuclear cells miRNA expression and parasitic load in canine visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in humans is a chronic and often fatal disease if left untreated. Dogs appear to be the main reservoir host for L. infantum infection, however, in many regions other canids such as jackals, foxes, wolves and other mammals, such as hares or black rats, have been implicated as wild reservoirs. Most dogs cannot form an effective immune response against this infection, and this could be modulated by small non-coding RNAs, called microRNAs, responsible for post-transcriptional control of gene expression. Here, we evaluated the expression of miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of symptomatic dogs naturally infected with Leishmania (L.) infantum (n = 10) and compared to those of healthy dogs (n = 5). Microarray analysis revealed that miR-21, miR-424, miR-194 and miR-451 had a 3-fold increase in expression, miR-192, miR-503, and miR-371 had a 2-fold increase in expression, whereas a 2-fold reduction in expression was observed for miR-150 and miR-574. Real-time PCR validated the differential expression of miR-21, miR-150, miR-451, miR-192, miR-194, and miR-371. Parasite load of PBMC was measured by real-time PCR and correlated to the differentially expressed miRNAs, showing a strong positive correlation with expression of miR-194, a regular positive correlation with miR-371 expression, and a moderate negative correlation with miR-150 expression in PBMC. These findings suggest that Leishmania infection interferes with miRNAs expression in PBMC, and their correlation with parasite load may help in the identification of therapeutic targets in Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis (CVL)

Data on differentially expressed miRNAs in dogs infected with Leishmania infantum

This paper contains data on differentially expressed miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of dogs naturally infected by Leishmania (L.) infantum compared to healthy dogs. In recent years, studies with miRNAs have shown that these molecules play a critical role in the regulation and function of immune response.Differentially expressed miRNAs were identified by microarray, validated by real time PCR and compared with parasite load in the dogs. Targets and pathways were analyzed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis program. Keywords: Dog, Leishmania infantum, miRN