Morphology and Morphometry of the Reproductive Tract of the Cotton Boll Weevil after Prolonged Feeding on Alternative Diets.

Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) survives on alternative diets; however, this induces reproductive diapause. The objective was to evaluate the morphology and morphometry of the reproductive tract of this weevil after feeding on alternative diets. The experimental design was completely randomized with 160 replications and treatments arranged in a factorial design 3 × 3, represented by A. grandis adults fed on 3 food types (fragments of banana (T1) or orange (T2) endocarp, or with cotton squares of cultivar BRS 286 (T3, control)) and three evaluation periods (30, 60, and 90 days) and after each of these periods they were fed with cotton squares for 10 days. The reproductive tract of 100% of A. grandis females fed banana endocarp, orange endocarp, and cotton squares for 30 and 60 days and then cotton squares were morphologically adequate for reproduction, and after 90 days, only 50% of those fed cotton squares were in this condition. The length of the ovarioles and the width of the mature oocyte were greater for A. grandis fed on cotton squares and smaller in those with banana and orange endocarps. Histological sections reveal that male testes even with strong degenerative signals are already producing spermatozoa. On the other hand, females displayed ovaries with nurse cells in the tropharium and some maturing oocytes in the vitellarium. The body length was longer and the testis area and diameter smaller in males fed on cotton squares than in those with banana and orange endocarp. Anthonomus grandis females fed for ≥90 days with alternative food sources do not recover the functionality of their reproductive tract, even after consuming, for 10 days, a diet that favors reproduction. On the other hand, the males remain with their reproductive organs functional with this condition.

Gene variation, population differentiation, and sociogenetic structure of nests of Partamona seridoensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini).

Gene variation and the differentiation of two populations of Partamona seridoensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) from the Caatinga biome, a semiarid ecosystem unique to Brazil, were estimated through allozymic and microsatellite analyses. These populations exhibited similar low degrees of enzyme gene variation. Observed genotype frequencies at the allozyme and microsatellite loci were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the two populations. Both markers demonstrated that the two populations are not genetically homogeneous and must be considered distinct populations. The occurrence of private alleles at the allozyme and microsatellite loci corroborates this differentiation, sustaining the hypothesis of a low level of interpopulation gene flow. The phenotypic segregations clearly demonstrated that the progeny inside each nest were the result of mating between the queen of the colony and only one male.

Do emotions influence the motivations and preferences of keepers of stingless bees?

BACKGROUND: According to the biophilia hypothesis, an emotional affiliation with nature has been inherited during human biocultural evolution. Research on beekeeping can contribute to the scientific understanding of the influence of emotions in the human-nature relationship, since this activity provides concrete experiences of beneficial interaction between the human being and the environment by stimulating conservation-friendly values among practitioners. In this study, we investigated motivations and preferences driving beekeepers' choices. We hypothesized that emotional criteria would be the main motivators in choosing to include beekeeping into small-scale farming systems. We also assumed that, once beekeeping has been chosen, the preference among species of bees for raising would also be influenced mainly by emotional criteria. METHODS: Data were collected from free lists and semi-structured interviews with 52 keepers of stingless bees from Sítio Xixá in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The content analysis technique was used to analyze data from interviews. The underlying criteria for motivation and preference quoted in the free lists were analyzed with Smith's Salience Index. RESULTS: Emotional and esthetic criteria were the most salient motivations for choosing beekeeping as one of the activities in small-scale farming systems. On the other hand, honey productivity and bee behavior were the most salient criteria for the preference for certain bee species to be kept. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional criterion had an especially notable influence on the motives for practicing beekeeping, but not on the preference of species to be raised. This demonstrates that the scenario under study represents a panorama of multiple influences in which emotions are one, but not the only, important component. Finally, our results indicate that the emotional domain should be taken into account in environmental education efforts and in the planning of bee management and nature conservation policies.

Pleistocene climate changes shaped the population structure of Partamona seridoensis (Apidae, Meliponini), an endemic stingless bee from the Neotropical dry forest.

Partamona seridoensis is an endemic stingless bee from the Caatinga, a Neotropical dry forest in northeastern Brazil. Like other stingless bees, this species plays an important ecological role as a pollinator. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic structure and evolutionary history of P. seridoensis across its current geographic range. Workers from 84 nests from 17 localities were analyzed for COI and Cytb genic regions. The population structure tests (Bayesian phylogenetic inference, AMOVA and haplotype network) consistently characterized two haplogroups (northwestern and eastern), with little gene flow between them, generating a high differentiation between them as well as among the populations within each haplogroup. The Mantel test revealed no isolation by distance. No evidence of a potential geographic barrier in the present that could explain the diversification between the P. seridoensis haplogroups was found. However, Pleistocene climatic changes may explain this differentiation, since the initial time for the P. seridoensis lineages diversification took place during the mid-Pleistocene, specifically the interglacial period, when the biota is presumed to have been more associated with dry conditions and had more restricted, fragmented geographical distribution. This event may have driven diversification by isolating the two haplogroups. Otherwise, the climatic changes in the late Pleistocene must not have drastically affected the population dynamics of P. seridoensis, since the Bayesian Skyline Plot did not reveal any substantial fluctuation in effective population size in either haplogroup. Considering its importance and the fact that it is an endemic bee from a very threatened Neotropical dry forest, the results herein could be useful to the development of conservation strategies for P. seridoensis.

Hexapod decomposers of Serra de Santa Catarina, Paraíba, Brazil: an area with high potential for conservation of Caatinga biodiversity / Hexápodes decompositores da Serra de Santa Catarina, Paraíba, Brasil: uma área com elevado potencial para a conservação da biodiversidade da caatinga

Abstract: In detritus-based trophic systems, springtails, dung beetles, saprophagous calyptrate flies and termites consume and fragment organic matter and control populations of decomposer microorganisms, exerting a strong influence on energy and nutrient fluxes. A faunal inventory of these four groups of hexapods was performed in Serra de Santa Catarina (SSC), an area of arboreal-shrub caatinga located in the state of Paraíba, with the purpose of characterizing the assemblages of these taxa, and highlighting their unique links to the local ecosystem. Samplings were performed in May, 2014, and April, 2015, both during the rainy season. Standard sampling protocols for biodiversity inventory of the various taxa were used, including both active and passive sampling methods. In general, 114 species of hexapods were captured, with 26 species of springtails, 20 dung beetles, 30 saprophagous calyptrate flies and 38 termites, with sampling sufficiency varying from 69.5 to 96.8% of total estimated richness. Species richness of the groups are among the highest recorded for a single area of Caatinga, with some taxa being recorded for the first time for the domain. Several morphospecies had indeterminate taxonomic status, especially springtails and termites, and are quite likely new species to science. The structure of the assemblages of springtails, dung beetles, saprophagous calyptrate flies and termites recorded in SSC, suggest that this conserved area is unique within the highly impacted landscape of Caatinga, and has great potential for the conservation of biodiversity of this domain in the Northeast Region of Brazil.

Resumo: No sistema trófico baseado em detritos, os colêmbolos, besouros escarabeíneos, moscas saprófagas e térmitas atuam no consumo e fragmentação da matéria orgânica e no controle das populações de microrganismos decompositores, exercendo forte influência nos fluxos de energia e nutrientes. Um inventário faunístico desses quatro grupos de hexápodes foi realizado na Serra de Santa Catarina (SSC), uma área de Caatinga arbóreo-arbustiva localizada no Estado da Paraiba, com intuito de caracterizar as taxocenoses desses táxons, salientando as suas peculiaridades ligadas ao ecossistema local. As coletas foram realizadas em maio/2014 e abril/2015, durante o período chuvoso na região. De acordo com o táxon, foram utilizados protocolos amostrais padronizados para inventários de biodiversidade, com métodos passivos e ativos de coleta. No geral, 114 espécies de hexápodes foram capturadas, sendo 26 de colêmbolos, 20 de besouros escarabeíneos, 30 de dípteros e 38 de térmitas, com suficiência amostral variando de 69,5 a 96.8% da total estimada. A riqueza de espécies por grupo está entre as maiores para uma única área de Caatinga, com alguns táxons sendo registrados pela primeira vez para o domínio. Especialmente para os colêmbolos e térmitas, várias morfoespécies tiveram seus status taxonômicos indeterminados, havendo elevada possibilidade de serem nova para a ciência. As estruturas e funcionalidades das taxocenoses de colêmbolos, besouros escarabeíneos, moscas saprófagas e térmitas registradas na SSC, sugerem que esse ecossistema é singular, dentro de um cenário generalizado de impacto antrópico presente na Caatinga, e possui um elevado potencial para a conservação da biodiversidade desse domínio no nordeste brasileiro.