1) The study examined the spatial distribution of nests of the stingless bee Paratrigona subnuda in a nature reserve in São Paulo, Brazil.
2) A total of 34 nests were found, with a density of 2.36 nests per hectare. Analysis showed the nests were aggregated rather than randomly distributed.
3) The clustering of P. subnuda nests resembles the chamber pattern of nests of leafcutter ants of the genus Atta found in the area. This suggests P. subnuda occupies abandoned ant nests.
Diversity of hymenopteran parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) associated w...arboreo.net
This research evaluated the diversity of hymenopteran
parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) at different
reforestation sites of Tectona grandis. Insects were collected with Malaise traps from October 2009 to September 2010.
One collected a total of 414 Chalcididae specimens
distributed in 3 genera and 16 species. Brachymeria and
Conura were the most representative genera with 14 species.
The site bordered by pasture vegetation presented a higher
number of collected specimens when compared to the other sites. Brachymeria pandora and Ceyxia ventrispinosa
occurred as super dominant, super abundant, super frequent and constant species.
Supporting evidence for a cryptic species within the Neotropical freshwater f...Izabela Mendes
Presentation by Izabela Santos Mendes for the I Virtual Meeting of Systematics, Biogeography and Evolution (SBE).
Authors: Izabela Santos Mendes, Bruno Francelino de Melo, Daniel Fonseca Teixeira, Júnio Damasceno Souza, Daniel Cardoso Carvalho.
Diversity of hymenopteran parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) associated w...arboreo.net
This research evaluated the diversity of hymenopteran
parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) at different
reforestation sites of Tectona grandis. Insects were collected with Malaise traps from October 2009 to September 2010.
One collected a total of 414 Chalcididae specimens
distributed in 3 genera and 16 species. Brachymeria and
Conura were the most representative genera with 14 species.
The site bordered by pasture vegetation presented a higher
number of collected specimens when compared to the other sites. Brachymeria pandora and Ceyxia ventrispinosa
occurred as super dominant, super abundant, super frequent and constant species.
Supporting evidence for a cryptic species within the Neotropical freshwater f...Izabela Mendes
Presentation by Izabela Santos Mendes for the I Virtual Meeting of Systematics, Biogeography and Evolution (SBE).
Authors: Izabela Santos Mendes, Bruno Francelino de Melo, Daniel Fonseca Teixeira, Júnio Damasceno Souza, Daniel Cardoso Carvalho.
Baseia & Calonge - 2005 - aseroë floriformis, a new phalloid with a sunflower...Rhudson Cruz
Aseroe floriformis represents a new species lacking radiating branches on the receptacle and having a raspberry colour on the stipe; it grows in sandy soil.
Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Genotypes at B...Premier Publishers
Field experiment was conducted to assess the extent of genetic diversity in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) genotypes to identify superior genotypes for further improvement program. A total of forty-nine sesame genotypes were evaluated at Bako and Uke during 2018 cropping season. Data were recorded and analyzed by SAS software. The combined analysis showed significant differences among the genotypes for all traits. Cluster analysis grouped 49 sesame genotypes into four clusters. The highest inter-cluster distance occurred between clusters three and four while the lowest was between clusters one and two. Principal components analysis showed that about 76.1% of the total variations among sesame genotypes were contributed by the first four PCs with eigen values greater than unity. Estimation of phenotypic diversity based on qualitative traits showed seed color and flower color were the highest divergent traits followed by stem color and leaf color. Generally, the result of the study showed existence of significant genetic variability among tested genotypes. Therefore, simple selection of promising genotypes and crossing of highly divergent group to produce best heterotic offspring could be recommended from the present study.
Magpali et al (2020) Adaptive evolution of hearing genes in echolocating dolp...Letícia Magpali
Candidate poster for presentation at the I Meeting of Systematics, Biogeography and Evolution (SBE), in the category Phylogenomics and molecular evolution.
Magpali, L.; Freitas, L.; Ramos, E. K. S.; de Souza, E. M. S.; Nery, M. F.
University of Campinas / Biology Institute, Brazil
Baseia & Calonge - 2005 - aseroë floriformis, a new phalloid with a sunflower...Rhudson Cruz
Aseroe floriformis represents a new species lacking radiating branches on the receptacle and having a raspberry colour on the stipe; it grows in sandy soil.
Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Genotypes at B...Premier Publishers
Field experiment was conducted to assess the extent of genetic diversity in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) genotypes to identify superior genotypes for further improvement program. A total of forty-nine sesame genotypes were evaluated at Bako and Uke during 2018 cropping season. Data were recorded and analyzed by SAS software. The combined analysis showed significant differences among the genotypes for all traits. Cluster analysis grouped 49 sesame genotypes into four clusters. The highest inter-cluster distance occurred between clusters three and four while the lowest was between clusters one and two. Principal components analysis showed that about 76.1% of the total variations among sesame genotypes were contributed by the first four PCs with eigen values greater than unity. Estimation of phenotypic diversity based on qualitative traits showed seed color and flower color were the highest divergent traits followed by stem color and leaf color. Generally, the result of the study showed existence of significant genetic variability among tested genotypes. Therefore, simple selection of promising genotypes and crossing of highly divergent group to produce best heterotic offspring could be recommended from the present study.
Magpali et al (2020) Adaptive evolution of hearing genes in echolocating dolp...Letícia Magpali
Candidate poster for presentation at the I Meeting of Systematics, Biogeography and Evolution (SBE), in the category Phylogenomics and molecular evolution.
Magpali, L.; Freitas, L.; Ramos, E. K. S.; de Souza, E. M. S.; Nery, M. F.
University of Campinas / Biology Institute, Brazil
Density and distribution of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus, Schwarz 1934) ...Open Access Research Paper
The loss of biodiversity mainly due to human activities is a global concern. The survival of wild mammals, including the West African chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), which is considered a critically endangered species, is threatened. However, information on the status of the remaining populations of such a primate and its distribution is rarely available or out of date for some sites. This study aims at improving the knowledge of the west chimpanzee population density and distribution in Mont Sangbé National Park (MSNP), West Côte d’Ivoire, for conservation purposes. We counted chimpanzee sleeping nests along 64 line transects of one kilometer each in the forest area of the MSNP by following distance sampling methods. Then, we recorded the GPS coordinates of all signs of the presence of the species during transects and recce surveys. We observed 148 signs of the presence of chimpanzees including 94 nests counted along transects. The average density of chimpanzees in the forest area of MSNP was estimated at 0.25 individuals/km² and 0.48 individuals/km² when using a value of a lifetime of nests of 164.38 days and 84.38 days, respectively. In addition, the distribution map showed that the signs of the presence of chimpanzees are mainly observed in two areas: the southern and the north-eastern forest areas of the MSNP. We recommend the application of other survey methods (genetics, camera trapping, nest counts combined with the modeling of nest lifetime estimates) for a better understanding of the chimpanzee population ecology and for conservation management in the PNMS.
An Extensive Review of Methods of Identification of Bat Species through Acous...Editor IJCATR
Bat is an important keystone member in the ecosystem, which is the only flying mammal. It plays a vital role in
maintaining eco-balance through propagation of vital flora. Bat has a major role in pest management in the forest. Bats give major
indication for biodiversity conservation through propagation and pest management. Bats are also the key informers of climate change
and its impact on their habitat. Bat species and their activity are useful to assess habitat quality and they serve as biological indicators
of the ecosystem conditions and degradation. Diversity of bat species is studied using various techniques including speech recognition,
voice recognition, artificial neural networks etc. and to detect the presence of bats acoustically. In this paper, the various computer
techniques used to study bats are surveyed.
The present study aims to investigate the biodiversity of woody vegetation along a gradient of human impacting region in the three constituent parts of Ferlo Biosphere Reserve (FBR): the core area, the buffer zone and the transition area. We conducted an inventory of 110 plots of 900 m² each. Total species richness was 49 species distributed in 32 genera within 16 botanical families. The analysis of contesimal frequency showed that Guiera senegalensis is the most common species with a presence of 75% of such records. Examination of species abundance spectrum showed that four most abundant species such as Guiera senegalensis (29.5%), Combretum glutinosum (15.9%), Pterocarpus lucens (11.6%) and Boscia senegalensis (10 , 5%). These four species represent 68% of the total individuals of the RBF and are also the four most common species. The spectrum of abundance of families showed that Combretaceae is the best represented family with almost half of the number of species (49.7%). The representativeness of biological types and geographical affinity of the species has been established for the woody vegetation in the study area. The study of diversity indices revealed that the buffer zone and the transition area are subjected to multiple uses and experiencing human action. It has a greater diversity and a level of organization with higher timber stand than the central area which is an integral conservation zone.
The occurence of the least pipistrelle Bat, Pipistrellus tenuis (Temminck, 18...Open Access Research Paper
A recent survey identified a colony of Pipistrellus tenuis (n = 5) in Kanyakuchi Pahar village (26°00’32.8″N 90°53’29.0″E), a rural remote site situated at Goalpara district of Assam. This species, commonly known as the Least Pipistrelle, was previously reported by Hinton and Lindsay (1926), Sinha (1999), Ghosh (2008), Saikia et al. (2011) and Boro et al. (2018) from different parts of Assam. The Goalpara district of western Assam is encircled by the foothills of Meghalaya to the South and the Brahmaputra River to the North possesses a variety of flora and fauna due to the dense foliage of the high forest canopy. The climatic condition of the region along with its topography favours roosting of bat population. The distribution of the bat species P. tenuis in the surveyed area has not been previously recorded. For the purpose of taxonomic identification, morphometric parameters (external and cranio-dental measurements) were compared to standard literature by Bates and Harrison (1997). Captured bat specimens (n=3) were examined at the ZSI (Zoological Survey of India), NERC-Shillong, Meghalaya. The recorded mean body weight of captured specimens was 2.61g ± 0.160 (S.D) and the mean forearm length (FA) was 27.39mm ± 0.165 (S.D). This manuscript validates sightings of this bat species at the study location, compares its morphometric and cranio-dental traits to standard literature (Bates and Harrison, 1997) for identification, discusses its distribution as well as its ecological importance.
Edited by Jessica E. Fultz for the Department of Biology.U.docxjack60216
Edited by Jessica E. Fultz for the Department of Biology.
Updated January 10, 2014
Concepts in Biology
Laboratory
Biol 1100L
Spring 2014
Please note that this manual is a work in progress and was compiled specifically for the ISU Biology
department. It changes each semester/session depending on the interests of the instructors. It is
a free and unpublished manual that has not seen reviewers or editors; there are errors.
The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence,
the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice,
the fifth teaching others.
~Solomon ibn Gabirol (1021 -1058 AD)
1-1
Biol 1100L Ecology1 Lab 1
1. Define hypothesis using your textbook.
Name:_______________________________ Section:____
In lab this week you will gather observational data about arthropod distributions and ecol-
ogy, describe their niches in terrariums, construct a hypothesis, make a prediction, and
calculate the diversity (Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index) for each niche type.
Arthropods are a major component of all terrestrial ecosystems and their behavior has been
the object of many famous ecological studies. All arthropod species are in the Kingdom
Animalia and Phylum Arthropoda but they are in many different classes, orders, and
families. A large proportion of arthropods are plant detritivores, i.e. organisms that feed on
dead and decaying plant material. These organisms hasten the conversion of biomass to
soil, speed up rates of nutrient cycling, and as a result, increase the productivity of ecosys-
tems.
In this lab you will learn about three very important ecological concepts: diversity, niche and
the competitive exclusion principle. Diversity can be measured in a number of different
ways, and you will use the Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index. The niche is a set of environ-
mental factors necessary to the continued existence of a species. The niche describes
anything you might be able to think of that an organism requires. This includes what it eats,
where it eats, when it eats, when it sleeps etc. The competitive exclusion principle states
that two species with identical niches cannot coexist indefinitely (Gausse 1934). It makes
sense that species that coexist will have different niches. If they didn’t they would either be
in the process of going extinct or driving their competitor into extinction. The way species
subdivide niche space has been called niche partitioning.
Figure 1-1. Diagram of an arthropod terrarium.
Part 1. Defining Niches
One of the members of your group will obtain
a terrarium and poking / digging tools from the
west end of the lab. Do not do anything to the
terrarium yet. Note the overall structure of the
terrarium ecosystem (Fig. 1-1).
As a group talk about the different ...
Similar to Spatial distribution of nests of Paratrigona subnuda Moure, 1947 (Apidae, Meliponini) (20)
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Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
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Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
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Spatial distribution of nests of Paratrigona subnuda Moure, 1947 (Apidae, Meliponini)
1. Rev. Écol. (Terre Vie), vol. 69, 2014.
– 345 –
Note brève
spatial distribution of nests of Paratrigona subnuda Moure, 1947
(Apidae, Meliponini)
Denise M. D. S. Mouga
1
Résumé.— Distribution spatiale des nids de Paratrigona subnuda Moure, 1947 (Apidae, Meloponini).—
Le modèle de nidification d’une espèce est une de ses caractéristiques fondamentales. Afin d’appuyer les
connaissances sur la construction des nids souterrains que l’espèce d’abeille sans aiguillon Paratrigona
subnuda occupe, un échantillonage de colonies vivant en milieu naturel a été entrepris et leur rassemblement
a été calculé. La dispersion vérifiée montre un dessin de petits groupes qui se répètent à certaines distances et
l’indice de dispersion au voisin le plus proche indique une agrégation, dans un modèle semblable à celui en
chambres des nids des fourmis du genre Atta. La proximité des nids implique un chevauchement des zones
d’activité d’individus provenant de colonies voisines.
The building of meliponine nests follows a standard pattern: it involves the monopoli-
zation of some convenient space, followed by its modification (with substances secreted and
collected) for insulation and the preparation of internal areas for activities (brood, food storage,
waste disposal, defense, etc.) (Nogueira-Neto, 1997). Stingless bee nests can be aerial (built or
installed on hard substrates) or in the ground, in a pre-existing cavity such as a tree or stem, an
ant, bird or termite nest or in a hole in the ground (Michener, 1974).
Paratrigona subnuda Moure, 1947 (Meliponini) is relatively abundant in Brazil (Bahia,
Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul). The
colonies forage on many plants, with a large pollen spectrum (Mouga, 1984). The species is
endemic to the Atlantic forest (Por, 1992; Pedro & Camargo, 1999).
Combined evidence on P. subnuda colonies suggest that this species occupies abandoned
nests of ants. However, there are no reports confirming this hypothesis. This study is aimed to
ascertain what the pattern of nest distribution of P. subnuda is and also to verify if this reflects
ant colony distribution.
1 Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade da Região de Joinville - UNIVILLE, Rua Paulo Malschitzki
10, Campus Universitário, Joinville-SC, Brazil, CEP 89219-71, e-mail: dmouga@terra.com.br.
2. – 346 –
METHODOLOGY
Study area
The study was performed at the Plant Vivarium of the University of São Paulo (USP), in São Paulo, Brazil (46º 43’
38’’ W and 23º 33’ 44’’ S). The study area covers 143 900 m2
. Altitude ranges between 735 and 775 m. Soil is mostly
clay, acidic, poor in nutrients and with high levels of aluminum (Gomes, 1992). The climate is temperate warm and
humid (Aragaki & Mantovani, 1998). The average annual rainfall is 1207 mm, temperature 19.2°C (14°C in the winter
and 23°C in the summer) and relative humidity 80 % (Walter, 1986). Primary vegetation on the campus of USP includes
representatives of the dense rain forest on the Serra do Mar and of the semideciduous forest (sensu Veloso et al., 1991)
in São Paulo State (Pirani & Cortopassi-Laurino, 1994). Currently, this area has dense vegetation, although not pristine,
because a large portion is covered by secondary forest, in various stages of regeneration (Dislich et al., 2001).
Method
The nests were discovered by walking in the entire area of the Vivarium and looking for the bee traffic, representing
the presence of the nests. The underground nests of P. subnuda exhibit a cerumen entrance of approximately 6 mm
in diameter and 1.5-2 cm in length, protruding from the ground (Fig. 1). Since the bees are tiny and the entrances
inconspicuous, perhaps not all nests were found. When found, the nests were recorded/ plotted, establishing the nest
density of P. subnuda in the study area. Afterwards, in order to determine nest aggregation patterns, distances between
the nests were measured (Clark & Evans, 1954). To assess aggregation indices, we employed Clark & Evans’ test
(1954), which provides an R index, ranging from 0 (zero) (maximum aggregation) to 1 (one) (random distribution) and
a maximum value of 2.1491 (perfect uniformity). Because distances are measured from point to point, most of them are
distances within the cluster (including reflexive or reciprocal ones). The denser are the clusters, the shorter are distances
and the smaller is the measure of the index. This study was carried out from January to July 1981 and all nests of
P. subnuda Moure, 1947, present in the study area, were searched for and when found, their locations were marked on
a map.
Figure 1.— Nest entrance of Paratrigona subnuda Moure, 1947 (Illustration by Helena Ignowski).
RESULTS
A total of 34 nest entrances were found and indicated on the map (Fig. 2). The density
was 2.36 nests/ha. For each nest, the distance to its nearest neighbour was measured (Tab. I).
Applying Clark & Evans’ (1954) test, the dispersion index R was found to be 0.65, indicating
aggregation rather than a random distribution (p < 0.001). This distribution pattern is also
illustrated in Fig. 3.
3. – 347 –
Figure 2.— Nests distribution of Paratrigona subnuda in the USP Plants Vivarium (scale 1:2000).
Figure 3.— Number of nests of Paratrigona subnuda (in ordinate),
found per range of distance in meters (in abscissa).
4. – 348 –
Table I
Distances, in meters, between Paratrigona subnuda nests
Nest number Nearest nest Distance between these nests
1 2 79.0
2 3 4.12
3 4 1.95
4 3 1.95
5 3 53.4
6 5 58.6
7 8 43.9
8 32 4.8
9 29 39.4
10 11 3.75
11 10 3.75
12 11 12.4
13 14 1.8
14 13 1.8
16 18´ 25
17 16 33
18 18´ 42.5
18´ 13 22
19 19´ 0.82
19´ 19 0.82
20 19´ 29.1
21 21´ 2
21´ 21 2
22 24 17
23 24 1.9
24 23 1.9
25 21 7.7
26 20 33
27 28 13.3
28 27 13.3
29 9 39.4
30 29 68.4
31 6 53.8
32 8 4.8
DISCUSSION
The entrance tunnel, from turrid to the actual nest, leans at a certain depth, being oblique,
with 1-2 m length and the nests are at 0.25-1 m depth (Imperatriz-Fonseca et al., 1972). Wor-
kers of P. subnuda do not dig the ground to build the nest (although they have the ability to
remove earth that could block the entrance) nor use clay for its preparation as this, when added,
is always covered with wax. However, during our excavations, loose soil, red and granular,
i.e., similar to the one crafted by ants, was found below the nest and partly around it. In one
occasion, there were even ants on the grainy ground. Besides the possibility of P. subnuda
sharing space with active ant species, the nests deployment design clearly refer to the building
system in chambers from ant nests of the genus Atta (leaf-cutting ants) which were abundant
in the study area. Similarly, cultivation practices may affect the density of Atta rugosus colo-
nies. In the abandoned nests of this leaf-cutter ant, nests of Tetragonisca angulata were found
5. – 349 –
(Fowler, 1979). Imperatriz-Fonseca et al. (1972) noted that the cavities where the colonies of P.
subnuda were located seemed to be connected with other cavities, through passages that already
Schwarz (1948) had noticed, naming the dark space below the bee nest as a link between the
chambers of the leaf-cutting ant colony. Although Kerr (1951) has assigned the natural clusters
of colonies as achievement easiness for construction and food, P. subnuda nest grouping is, in
view of the aggregation index, a reflection of the ants’ chambers construction pattern (Fig. 4).
There are at least 28 species of leaf-cutter ants in Brazil. They share a common pattern
of chambers and channels in their nests (Diehl-Fleig, 1995). A nest of Atta, when mature, can
occupy an area of more than 600 m2
, be deep (up to 8 m), but young nests occupy of course
a smaller area (Della Lucia et al., 1993). Only few incipient nests will ever become mature.
Nests are composed of intercommunicating chambers with connecting tunnels (Wilson, 1971).
Once the colony dies, chambers of the nest may remain suitable and accessible for a long
period (Pereira, 1998).
The density of Atta nests in the Vivarium was not measured. As fumigation is not permit-
ted in the institution, the possibility of occupation of killed Atta nests by P. subnuda does not
apply. The nests of P. subnuda are situated at 1-2 m below the surface (Imperatriz-Fonseca et
al., 1972) what could correspond to the location of abandoned ant chambers of young nests
(Grandeza et al., 1999). Moreover, the surface area of the clusters of found bee nests conform,
approximately, to a surface area of clusters of chambers of Atta ant nests (Zanuncio, 1973). All
these elements corroborate the hypothesis that P. subnuda occupy naturally abandoned nests
of Atta.
Figure 4.— Nests disposition of Paratrigona subnuda in the forest (Illustration by Helena Ignowski).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author is obliged to CNPq for funding this study and to the Director of the Vivarium of USP for authorizing
the work. Vera Lucia Imperatriz-Fonseca is thanked for her guidance. All who helped (in particular three anonymous
referees) in the execution of this study are also thanked.
REFERENCES
Aragaki, S. & Mantovani, W. (1998).— Caracterização do clima e da vegetação de remanescente florestal no Pla-
nalto Paulistano (SP). Annal. du IV Simpósio de Ecossistemas Brasileiros (S. Watanabe, coord.). Acad.Ciênc.
Est. S. P., 2: 25-36.
Clark, P.J. & Evans, F.C. (1954).— Distance to nearest neighbor as a measure of spatial relationships in populations.
Ecology, 35: 445-453.
Della Lucia, T.M.C. & Moreira, D.D.O. (1993).— Caracterização dos ninhos. Pp 32-42 in: T.M.C. Della Lucia (ed.).
As formigas cortadeiras. Imprensa Universitária, Viçosa, Brazil.
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Diehl-Fleig, E. (1995).— Formigas: organização social e biologia comportamental. Universidade do Vale do Rio dos
Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil.
Dislich, R., Cersósimo, L. & Mantovani, W. (2001).— Análise da estrutura de fragmentos florestais no Planalto
Paulistano – SP. Rev. Bra. Bot., 24: 321-332.
Fowler, h.g. (1979).— Responses by a stingless bee to a subtropical environment. Rev. Biol. Trop., 27: 111-118.
Gomes, E.P.C. (1992).— Fitossociologia do componente arbóreo de um trecho de mata em São Paulo, SP. MSc Thesis.
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