LEAF ASYMMETRY AND THE PRESENCE OF INSECT GALLS ON THREE PLANT SPECIES IN A PHYTOPHYSIOGNOMY OF ATLANTIC FOREST

A relação entre três espécies de plantas, suas respectivos galhadores e assimetria foliar foi avaliada no habitat de restinga da Área Protegida Ambiental de Maricá, RJ, Brasil. O trabalho de campo foi realizado em fevereiro de 2017, quando 20 folhas, dez galhadas e dez não galhadas, foram amostradas de cada um dos dez indivíduos escolhidos ao acaso para cada espécie de planta. A assimetria flutuante não foi encontrada no presente estudo, mas todas as espécies apresentaram antissimetria (AS). Clusia lanceolata Cambess. e Maytenus obtusifolia Mart. também exibiram assimetria direcional (DA). AS e DA são previstos em populações sob altos níveis de estresse. Folhas galhadas de C. lanceolata e Eugenia astringens Cambess. exibiram maior assimetria do que folhas não galhadas, mostrando que as galhas aumentam a assimetria das folhas ou que os insetos galhadores selecionam mais folhas assimétricas. Não foram encontradas diferenças na assimetria entre folhas galhadas e não galhadas de M. obtusifolia, o que pode indicar que esta espécie tolera e minimiza a presença de insetos galhadores, mostrando alta capacidade de homeostasia diante de um estresse biótico. A abundância de insetos galhadores foi significativamente maior em E. astringens do que em M. obtusifolia e C. lanceolata, possivelmente porque as folhas de M. obtusifolia apresentam maior esclerofilia e C. lanceolata possui látex, características que dificultam a herbivoria.Palavras-chave: antissimetria, assimetria direcional, assimetria flutuante, insetos galhadores, Restinga.The relationship among three plant species, their respective gallers and leaf asymmetry were evaluated in restinga habitat of the Environmental Protected Area of Maricá, RJ, Brazil. Fieldwork was done in February 2017, when 20 leaves, ten galled and ten ungalled, were sampled from each of ten haphazardly-chosen individuals of each plant species. Fluctuating asymmetry was not found in the present study, but all species showed antisymmetry (AS).  Clusia lanceolata Cambess. and Maytenus obtusifolia Mart. also exhibited directional asymmetry (DA). AS and DA are predicted in populations under high levels of stress. The galled leaves of C. lanceolata and Eugenia astringens Cambess. exhibited higher leaf asymmetry than did ungalled leaves, showing that galls increase leaf asymmetry or that galling insects select more asymmetric leaves. No differences in asymmetry were found between galled and ungalled leaves of M. obtusifolia, which may indicate that this plant tolerates and minimizes the presence of galling insects, showing a high capacity for homeostasis in face of biotic stress. The abundance of galling insects was significantly higher in E. astringens than in M. obtusifolia and C. lanceolata, possibly because the leaves of M. obtusifolia exhibit greater sclerophilia and C. lanceolata possesses latex, characteristics that make herbivory difficult.Keywords: antisymmetry; directional asymmetry; fluctuating asymmetry; galling insects; Restinga

The importance of Brazilian Conservation Units for the diversity of gall-inducing insects: a study on gall-inducing insect richness in the Chapada Diamantina National Park, state of Bahia, Brazil

Abstract Conservation Units (CUs) tend to have a high richness of herbivorous insects, including gall-inducing insects. Despite this, gall surveys carried out in these environments are punctual and some units have never had their galls investigated, such as the Chapada Diamantina National Park, Bahia (Chapada Diamantina Parna). Aiming to reduce this gap and contribute to future studies in CUs, this study aimed to survey the galls of the Chapada Diamantina Parna, Lençóis, as well as to investigate trends in research on galls in CUs in Brazil. For that, collections were carried out on monthly trips for one year. Published gall surveys were compiled. A total of 107 morphotypes induced in 88 host species were recorded. Most galls are formed in leaves, globoid in shape, green in color, and induced by Cecidomyiidae. This park has a relatively high richness of galls compared to other CUs, demonstrating its importance in the conservation of gall-inducing insects. The results also revealed that the number of surveys has been increasing over the years and that the Southeast concentrates the largest number of studies, a region that also gathers the largest number of specialists, demonstrating a geographic bias in the data

Federalism and decentralization: Impact on International and Brazilian Health Policies

This article discusses the implications of decentralization in the light of international and Brazilian federalism, and its effects on public health policy. In a comparative analysis among countries, the authors find there is no single model; rather, each country has a unique structure of institutions and norms that have important implications for the operation of its health system. Brazil shares some similarities with other countries that have adopted a decentralized system and is assuming features ever closer to U.S. federalism, with a complex web of relationships. The degree of inequality among Brazilian municipalities and states, along with the budgetary imbalances caused by the minimal levels of resource utilization, undermines Brazil's constitutional principles and, consequently, its federalism. To ensure the constitutional mandate in Brazil, it is essential, as in other countries, to create a stable source of funds and increase the volume and efficiency of spending. Also important are investing in the training of managers, improving information systems, strengthening the principles of autonomy and interdependence, and defining patterns of cooperation within the federation

SAINT LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS IN MATO GROSSO, CENTRAL-WESTERN BRAZIL

The dengue virus (DENV), which is frequently involved in large epidemics, and the yellow fever virus (YFV), which is responsible for sporadic sylvatic outbreaks, are considered the most important flaviviruses circulating in Brazil. Because of that, laboratorial diagnosis of acute undifferentiated febrile illness during epidemic periods is frequently directed towards these viruses, which may eventually hinder the detection of other circulating flaviviruses, including the Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), which is widely dispersed across the Americas. The aim of this study was to conduct a molecular investigation of 11 flaviviruses using 604 serum samples obtained from patients during a large dengue fever outbreak in the state of Mato Grosso (MT) between 2011 and 2012. Simultaneously, 3,433 female Culex spp. collected with Nasci aspirators in the city of Cuiabá, MT, in 2013, and allocated to 409 pools containing 1-10 mosquitoes, were also tested by multiplex semi-nested reverse transcription PCR for the same flaviviruses. SLEV was detected in three patients co-infected with DENV-4 from the cities of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande. One of them was a triple co-infection with DENV-1. None of them mentioned recent travel or access to sylvatic/rural regions, indicating that transmission might have occurred within the metropolitan area. Regarding mosquito samples, one pool containing one Culex quinquefasciatus female was positive for SLEV, with a minimum infection rate (MIR) of 0.29 per 1000 specimens of this species. Phylogenetic analysis indicates both human and mosquito SLEV cluster, with isolates from genotype V-A obtained from animals in the Amazon region, in the state of Pará. This is the first report of SLEV molecular identification in MT