Nesting Biology, Sexual Dimorphism, and Populational Morphometric Variation in Podium denticulatum F. Smith, 1856 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

Podium denticulatum occurs from Mexico to southern Brazil, including northeastern Argentina. Females use pre-existing cavities to build nests, consisting of cells separated by walls of mud and resin and massively provisioned with paralyzed cockroaches. Trap nests were disposed in three localities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil (Araras, São Carlos, Rifaina), resulting in the collection of 201 nests from December/2003 to June/2007. The founding nests were brought to the laboratory, opened and the pupae transferred to identified vials until the emergence of the adults, when they were then weighed, sexed and stored at -20ºC. The nesting activity was seasonal, with a higher number of nests in the warm and rainy season of the year. The number of constructed cells ranged from one to nine per nest. The emergence rate of adults in the 716 brood cells was 74%, with homogeneous distribution of mortality by egg, larva and pupa stages. This mortality was partly due to parasitism observed in 39% of nests, predominantly by Melittobia sp. and rarely by Diptera (Tachinidae). A 1:1 sex ratio was observed among the newly emerged adults of each locality analyzed. Strong sexual dimorphism was characterized by linear measurements of wings and body mass, with females and males showing a mass between 27-116 mg and 14-70 mg, respectively. The geometric morphometry confirmed this dimorphism and revealed significant variation of wing size and shape among individuals of the analyzed populations, a result that deserves subsequent studies to point out the factors that account for this differentiation

Biologia de nidificação e estrutura sociogenética intranidal em espécies de Trypoxylon (Hymenoptera:Crabronidae)

Female wasps of the genus Trypoxylon (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) mass-provision their nests with paralyzed spiders. Some species build mud nests; others use preexisting tubular cavities that are divided into a linear series of cells separated by mud partitions. Males of the Trypargilum subgenus mate with the females at the time a nest is initiated and guard the nest until it is completed, helping the female in the building and provisioning activities. In this study, the biology of the nest building and nest genetic structure of four species of Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) T. rogenhoferi, T. lactitarse, T. aurifrons and T. nitidum are shown. The species were sampled using trap-nests (made of dry bamboo stems) in three localities of the state of São Paulo: Araras (three years), São Carlos and Rifaina (two years). These areas were divided in sampling sites. The trap-nests used by the wasps were replaced with new ones and transported to the laboratory and they had the cocoons individually placed in vials. The emerged adults were identified and their emergency, weight and sex were registered. Later, they were stored at -20ºC. Alloyme phenotypes determined through horizontal starch gel electrophoresis were used to the determination of the intranidal relatedness. Some adults were submitted to morphometric analysis of wing traits (length and width of the forewing and hindwing) and mitocondrial DNA analysis. It was collected 2,908 nests of solitary hymenopterans, and 2,478 were founded by Trypoxylon females. Nesting activity was higher in the warm-rainy season (October-March) in these species. The trap-nests used by the different species showed significantly different dimensions. Araneidae was the spider family mainly used for provision, but a species-specific provisioning was observed. The most important parasitoid of the four species was Melittobia. In the three areas, the different species of Trypoxylon coexist temporally but each of them built their nests frequently in a specific site. This result may suggest differential occupation of the habitat. The intranidal architecture of the studied species does not differ from other species of the Trypargilum subgenus: the females divide the nest-trap in sequences of provisioned cells and finish it with the construction of a closure plug. Two types of T. rogenhoferi and T. lactitarse cocoons were found, as observed for other species of the group punctulatum. It was verified that the frequencies of the two types are associated with sex and nest-trap diameter. A possible genetic determination of this character is discussed. A 1 :1 populational sex ratio for the four species was found during all the periods for Araras and Rifaina and the distribution of the sexes inside the nest was not random, where males were frequently found in the first brood cells. Females were significantly bigger than males for the five traits, showing a higher parental investment in females. The developmental cycle in these species last 30 days and a short diapause was observed in T. rogenhoferi and T. lactitarse in the cold-dry season. The allozyme analyses indicated that most of the nests show phenotypes according to a monoginy/monandry hypothesis. Although this result clearly suggest that the male-guard behavior confers him the paternity of the female offspring, some extra-pair matings were also observed.Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisFêmeas de vespas do gênero Trypoxylon (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) aprovisionam seus ninhos de forma massal com aranhas paralizadas. Algumas espécies constróem ninhos de barro, enquanto outras utilizam-se de cavidades pré-existentes, nas quais formam células separadas por paredes de barro. Os machos de algumas espécies do subgênero Trypargilum desempenham o papel de guarda do ninho, ajudando ainda na sua construção e forrageamento. Neste estudo, dados sobre a biologia da nidificação e estrutura genética intranidal foram obtidos e analisados comparativamente para quatro espécies de Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) T. rogenhoferi, T. lactitarse, T. aurifrons e T. nitidum . As espécies foram amostradas por meio de ninhos-armadilha, confeccionados com bambu, durante três anos em Araras e dois anos em Rifaina e São Carlos (SP). As localidades de estudo foram subdivididas em sítios de amostragem. Os ninhos coletados foram levados ao laboratório e seus pupários foram individualmente armazenados em frascos de vidro. Os adultos emergidos foram identificados e a data de emergência, peso e sexo anotados. Posteriormente, foram armazenados à -20ºC. Para as análises genéticas do estudo de parentesco intranidal, utilizou-se marcadores alozímicos revelados por eletroforese horizontal em gel de amido. Alguns adultos foram também submetidos a análises morfométricas de asa (comprimento e largura das asas anterior e posterior) e análises do DNA mitocondrial. Ao todo, foram obtidos 2.908 ninhos de himenópteros solitários, dos quais 2.478 fundados por espécies de Trypoxylon. Intensa atividade de nidificação e produção de células das quatro espécies foi observada principalmente na estação quente-chuvosa (outubro-março). Os tubos utilizados para nidificação pelas espécies apresentaram dimensões significativamente diferentes. A família de aranhas mais utilizada para aprovisionamento foi Araneidae, mas as espécies de vespas diferiram quanto às espécies forrageadas. O principal parasitóide das quatro espécies foi Melittobia. Observou-se que as espécies de Trypoxylon coexistem temporalmente e que nas três localidades cada espécie nidificou com maior freqüência em um sítio particular, sugerindo ocupação diferencial do habitat em razão de competição aparente . A arquitetura intranidal das espécies estudadas não diferiu da relatada para outras espécies do subgênero Trypargilum: as fêmeas dividem o ninho-armadilha em seqüências de estoques de presas e terminam o ninho com a construção de uma parede de fechamento. Dois tipos de pupários foram observados em T. rogenhoferi e T. lactitarse, como já descrito para outras espécies do grupo punctulatum. Esta característica mostrou-se associada ao sexo e ao diâmetro do ninhoarmadilha e sua possível base genética é discutida. A razão sexual populacional 1:1 das quatro espécies foi constante durante todo o período de amostragem em Araras e Rifaina e a distribuição do sexo dentro do ninho não foi aleatória, sendo os machos freqüentemente encontrados nas primeiras células de cria. As fêmeas foram significativamente maiores que os machos para os cinco caracteres de tamanho de corpo, sendo, portanto, observado um maior investimento parental para este sexo. Em média, o período de desenvolvimento destas espécies foi de 30 dias, sendo observada diapausa em T. rogenhoferi e T. lactitarse na estação fria-seca. As análises alozímicas indicaram que, para a maioria dos ninhos estudados, os fenótipos sustentam a hipótese de monoginia/monandria, apoiando a idéia de que o comportamento do macho-guarda confere-lhe a paternidade da prole feminina. No entanto, acasalamentos extra-par e utilização de uma mesma cavidade por mais de uma fêmea foram verificados

Ocupação diferencial do habitat por vespas do gênero Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) Latreille (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae)

Vespas do gênero Trypoxylon apresentam comportamento solitário e aprovisionam seus ninhos de forma massiva com aranhas paralisadas. Algumas espécies utilizam cavidades preexistentes para nidificação, o que facilita sua amostragem e estudo. Neste trabalho, dados sobre a biologia de nidificação de quatro espécies de Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) - T. rogenhoferi, T. lactitarse, T. aurifrons e T. nitidum - são apresentados. As espécies foram amostradas por meio de ninhos-armadilha durante três anos em Araras e dois anos em Rifaina e São Carlos (São Paulo). As localidades de estudo foram subdivididas em sítios de amostragem. Foram obtidos 2.698 ninhos de himenópteros solitários, dos quais 2.268 foram fundados por espécies de Trypoxylon. Intensa atividade de nidificação foi observada principalmente na estação quente e chuvosa (outubro-março). Os ninhos-armadilha utilizados para nidificação pelas diferentes espécies apresentaram dimensões significativamente diferentes. A família de aranhas mais utilizada para aprovisionamento foi Araneidae; no entanto, as espécies de vespas diferiram quanto às espécies forrageadas. O principal parasitóide das quatro espécies foi Melittobia, mas indivíduos das famílias Chrysididae, Ichneumonidae, Chalcididae e Sarcophagidae também foram verificados. Observou-se que as espécies de Trypoxylon coexistem temporalmente e que nas três localidades cada espécie nidificou com maior freqüência em um sítio particular, sugerindo uma ocupação diferencial do habitat. A partição do habitat aparentemente homogêneo pode ser resultado de "competição aparente" mediada por inimigos naturais comuns

Effect of probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic on the gut microbiota of autistic children using an in vitro gut microbiome model

International audienc

Transcriptional profile of a bioethanol production contaminant Candida tropicalis

Abstract The fermentation process is widely used in the industry for bioethanol production. Even though it is widely used, microbial contamination is unpredictable and difficult to control. The problem of reduced productivity is directly linked to competition for nutrients during contamination. Yeasts representing the Candida species are frequently isolated contaminants. Elucidating the behavior of a contaminant during the fermentation cycle is essential for combatting the contamination. Consequently, the aim of the current study was to better understand the functional and transcriptional behavior of a contaminating yeast Candida tropicalis. We used a global RNA sequencing approach (RNA-seq/MiSeq) to analyze gene expression. Genes with significantly repressed or induced expression, and related to the fermentations process, such as sugar transport, pyruvate decarboxylase, amino acid metabolism, membrane, tolerance to high concentrations of ethanol and temperatures, nutrient suppression), and transcription-linked processes, were identified. The expression pattern suggested that the functional and transcriptional behavior of the contaminating yeast during fermentation for bioethanol production is similar to that of the standard yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition, the analysis confirmed that C. tropicalis is an important contaminant of the alcoholic fermentation process, generating bioethanol and viability through its tolerance to all the adversities of a fermentation process essential for the production of bioethanol. According on the gene expression profile, many of these mechanisms are similar to those of S. cerevisiae strains currently used for bioethanol production. These mechanisms can inform studies on antimicrobials, to combat yeast contamination during industrial bioethanol production

Cryptococcus neoformans Prp8 Intein: An In Vivo Target-Based Drug Screening System in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Identify Protein Splicing Inhibitors and Explore Its Dynamics

Inteins are genetic mobile elements that are inserted within protein-coding genes, which are usually housekeeping genes. They are transcribed and translated along with the host gene, then catalyze their own splicing out of the host protein, which assumes its functional conformation thereafter. As Prp8 inteins are found in several important fungal pathogens and are absent in mammals, they are considered potential therapeutic targets since inhibiting their splicing would selectively block the maturation of fungal proteins. We developed a target-based drug screening system to evaluate the splicing of Prp8 intein from the yeast pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans (CnePrp8i) using Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ura3 as a non-native host protein. In our heterologous system, intein splicing preserved the full functionality of Ura3. To validate the system for drug screening, we examined cisplatin, which has been described as an intein splicing inhibitor. By using our system, new potential protein splicing inhibitors may be identified and used, in the future, as a new class of drugs for mycosis treatment. Our system also greatly facilitates the visualization of CnePrp8i splicing dynamics in vivo