Search

The Fundao Dam breach, in November 2015 in Mariana (20o 22ʹ 40″ S, 43o 24ʹ 58″ W), was considered, at that time, the largest environmental disaster in Brazilian history. Meliponiculture was one of ...

The extensive use of insecticides can cause adverse side effects on pollinators, which negatively impact crop productivity. The pollination carried out by the honeybee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is crucial in increasing the productivity of the melon (Cucumis melo L.). The main objective of this study was to assess if insecticides applied in the cultivation of cantaloupe melon exhibit significant levels of toxicity toward A. mellifera. We tested the toxicity of azadirachtin, pyriproxyfen, chlorantraniliprole, and imidacloprid, which are commonly sprayed to manage melon pests such as the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), the pickleworm Diaphania nitidalis (Stoll) and the melonworm Diaphania hyalinata (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Three treatments were carried out, 0.0×, 0.1x and 1.0x the concentration recommended by the manufacturer for the control of those pests. Repellency tests, analysis of mortality through contact and ingestion, and flight tests were performed. The insecticide imidacloprid caused mortality rates above 90% in all tested exposure pathways, displaying high residue persistence on plants. Although not causing significant mortality in the ingestion test, pyriproxyfen caused significant mortality after exposure through contact, and change in flight ability. Azadirachtin caused mortality in the ingestion test and impaired the flight ability of bees, while chlorantraniliprole only impaired the flight ability. Moreover, bees were not repelled by these insecticides, suggesting that they may collect contaminated food in the field while foraging. Altogether, ecofriendly, alternative pest control options should be developed, as well as the adoption of more selective insecticides, in order to reduce the non-target effects on honeybees and guarantee their pollination services.

The species Melipona rufiventris Lepeletier, 1836 is a Brazilian native stingless bee that is part of a species complex known as the &lsquo, rufiventris group&rsquo, making it difficult to distinguish between the different species. Populations in this group are facing a severe decline, leading to the risk of local extinction, and therefore, their conservation should be treated as a major concern. This study describes the first set of tri- and tetranucleotide microsatellite markers, using next-generation sequencing technology for use in the identification of genetic diversity and population structure in the &lsquo, A total of 16 microsatellite loci displayed polymorphism. Analysis of the whole data set (n = 50) detected 63 alleles in all loci, ranging from 2 to 7 with a mean of 3.9 alleles/locus. A genetic diversity analysis revealed high values for population differentiation estimates (FST = 0.252, RST = 0.317, and DEST = 0.284) between the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Caatinga biomes. An additional evidence for genetic divergence among populations was also found in the &rsquo, these should be treated as separate conservation units or even as separate species. These microsatellite markers have demonstrated a strong potential for assessing population discrimination in this threatened stingless bee group.

The environmental consequences associated with the Fundão tailings dam failure in Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil on 5 November 2015 are still being investigated. Bees are the main pollinators believed to be most affected by the accident because they occur throughout the area affected by the dam rupture and build their nests in the soil. In this study, we evaluated the richness of different bee species in areas affected and not affected by the accident and measured the concentration of different metals on the pollen basket, or corbicula, located on the hind legs of Apis mellifera. Diversity indices were similar and there was no statistical difference in the diversity of bees sampled when comparing the sites affected and not affected by the tailings mud, either before or after the dam rupture. It is possible that the similarity is due to nearby forests that may be serving as areas of refuge. The levels of Al, Cu, Cd, Hg, and Pb in A. mellifera suggest no change in the level of metals in pollen collected by the bees that can be attributed to the rupture of the dam. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:631-635. © 2020 SETAC.As consequências ambientais da ruptura da barragem de Fundão, ocorrida em Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brasil, em 5 de novembro de 2015, ainda estão sendo investigadas. As abelhas, principal grupo de polinizadores, podem ter sido afetadas direta e indiretamente, uma vez que a maioria das espécies constrói seus ninhos no solo. Neste estudo, avaliamos a riqueza de espécies de abelhas nas áreas afetadas e não afetadas e medimos a concentração de metais pesados nas corbículas de Apis mellifera, espécie que ocorre em toda a área afetada pela ruptura da barragem. Os índices de diversidade foram semelhantes e não houve diferença estatística na diversidade de abelhas amostradas quando comparamos locais afetados e não afetados pela lama de rejeitos após o rompimento da barragem. É possível que a semelhança se deva a florestas próximas que possam estar servindo como áreas de refúgio. Os resultados mostraram a presença de Al, Cu, Cd, Hg e Pb em A. mellifera. Nossos resultados indicam que não há efeito da contaminação de metais pesados nas abelhas devido à ruptura da barragem. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:631-635.

Melipona capixaba, popularly known as “uruçu preta”, is a stingless bee restricted to the mountainous Atlantic Rainforest areas of Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Due to the endemism and small population size, this species discovered in 1994 is now considered “vulnerable to extinction”. Using ISSR, PCR–RFLP and microsatellites markers, we studied the genetic variability and structure of M. capixaba from 88 colonies collected throughout the distribution area of the species within Espírito Santo State. The microsatellite, ISSR and mitochondrial haplotype analyses showed that M. capixaba has low genetic variability compared to other insect species. The molecular analyses also indicated a high genetic similarity among the M. capixaba samples, with no clear pattern of structuring. The analyses of molecular variance results indicated that most of the total genetic variation in M. capixaba was explained by the genetic diversity within local populations. Results suggest that the analyzed samples could be treated as a single population for preservation purposes. Thus, given its endemism, local adaptation and low number of natural colonies, efforts for the conservation of M. capixaba should focus on preservation and increasing the number of colonies in the wild, so that M. capixaba can support constant captures and the effects of habitat deforestation in Espírito Santo State.

Melipona quadrifasciata is a stingless bee widely found throughout the Brazilian territory, with two recognized subspecies, M. quadrifasciata anthidioides, that exhibits interrupted metasomal stripes, and M. quadrifasciata quadrifasciata, with continuous metasomal stripes. This study aimed to estimate the genetic variability of these subspecies. For this purpose, 127 colonies from 15 Brazilian localities were analyzed, using nine species-specific microsatellite primers. At these loci, the number of alleles ranged from three to 15 (mean: 7.2), and the observed heterozygosity (Ho) ranged from 0.03-0.21, while the expected heterozygosity (He) ranged from 0.23-0.47. The genetic distances among populations ranged from 0.03-0.45. The F ST multilocus value (0.23) indicated that the populations sampled were structured, and the clustering analysis showed the formation of two subgroups and two more distant populations. The first group contained the subspecies M. quadrifasciata quadrifasciata, and the other, the subspecies M. quadrifasciata anthidioides and the two M. quadrifasciata populations with continuous metasomal stripes from northern Minas Gerais. These results confirmed that the yellow metasomal stripes alone are not a good means for correctly identifying the different subspecies of M. quadrifasciata.

Na preparação para a docência em cursos de Licenciatura, a Formação Pedagógica é um componente primordial. No entanto, historicamente, essa formação é quase silenciada em relação à formação para a Área Disciplinar. Entendendo a importância da formação para a docência esse estudo teve como objetivo compreender as formas de organização da Formação pedagógica no curso de Ciências Biológicas do campus Florestal da Universidade Federal de Viçosa. Além da análise do Projeto Pedagógico de curso e da matriz curricular, foi realizada uma investigação, por meio da aplicação de questionários aos egressos do curso. Os resultados mostraram que a formação docente não é a missão primeira do curso e que as disciplinas de formação pedagógica são insuficientes para garantir a formação sólida que o professor precisa para atuar em sala de aula. In preparation for the exercise of teaching, in an initial training course for teachers is an essential component. However, it is observed that historically, this training is almost left out in relation to training for the Disciplinary Area. Understanding the importance of training for tea- ching and knowing its limitations in the current settings for the degree courses, this study aimed to understand the ways of the pedagogical teacher training in the course of Biological Sciences of the Forestal campus of Federal University of Viçosa. In addition to the analysis of the Pedagogical Project course and the curriculum, an investigation was made through the use of questionnaires to the graduates of the course. The results showed that the preparation for teaching is not the only focus of the course, as appointed formally as a teaching degree, and is considered to have an insufficient pedagogical formation aspect to ensure solid formation.

Physicochemical analyses were carried out to evaluate 27 samples of honeys from three species of the Brazilian genus Melipona (M. capixaba, M. rufiventris and M. mondury) from Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais States. The parameters water activity (Aw), percentage of soluble solids (Brix %), pH, acidity (meq/Kg) and moisture (%) were evaluated. The honey characteristics obtained from these samples were very similar to the ones from other Melipona species. However, regarding the honey from Apis (honey bee), only the pH values were similar. The low pH value and the high acidity detected in Melipona honey are potential factors for increasing the honey shelf life because they do not provide favorable conditions for the microbial development. On the other hand, the high level of water activity favors the growth of microorganisms, especially yeast, which demands a more careful handled and storage. The observed differences between Melipona and Apis honey reinforce the need for specific quality settings for stingless bee honey.Análises fisico-quimicas foram realizadas para avaliar vinte e sete amostras de mel de três espécies do gênero Melipona (M. capixaba, M. rufiventris e M. mondury) coletadas nos Estados do Espírito Santo e de Minas Gerais. Os parâmetros atividade de água (aW), porcentagem de sólidos solúveis (Brix %), pH, acidez (meq.Kg-1) e umidade (%) foram avaliados. As características do mel dessas amostras foram muito similares às do mel de outras espécies de Melipona. Entretanto, para o mel de Apis apenas os valores de pH foram similares. O baixo valor de pH e a elevada acidez detectados no mel de Melipona são fatores potenciais para uma maior vida útil do mesmo por não oferecerem condições favoráveis ao desenvolvimento microbiano. Por outro lado, o alto teor de atividade de água favorece o crescimento de microrganismos, especialmente de leveduras o que requer maior cuidado no manuseio e armazenamento do mel. As diferenças observadas entre o mel de Melipona e o de Apis reforçam a necessidade de estabelecimento de padrões de qualidade específicos para o mel de abelhas sem ferrão.

Pollen samples were collected in three different periods from 11Melipona capixabaMoure & Camargo hives and analyzed with melissopalynological methodology. A total of 33 pollen types were identified, of which 23 genera and 15 families were identified. The following families showed the highest pollen richness: Fabaceae (7), Myrtaceae (3), Solanaceae (3), Arecaceae (2), Asteraceae (2), Euphorbiaceae (2), Melastomataceae/Combretaceae (2), Rubiaceae (2), and Sapindaceae (2). The most frequent pollen types (>45%) wereEucalyptus, which generated great similarities between the samples, except one in which theTibouchinawas predominant. Although the majority of the pollen types showed low percentage values, the results demonstrated thatM. capixabahas taken advantage of the polliniferous sources available in the Atlantic Rainforest as well as in the “Capoeira” (brushwood, secondary forest) and “ruderal” (field) plants, probably implying its importance as a pollinator of the native flora and of the exotic species.

Dinoponera lucida (Formicidae; Ponerinae) is an extinction-threatened species of ant which is endemic in the central corridor of the Atlantic Forest. We used mitochondrial sequences of the Cox1, Cox2 and Cytb genes in order to infer some aspects of the evolutionary history and phylogeography of this ant. High genetic divergence and population structure were observed for the whole species. The current pattern of D. lucida diversity seems to be shaped during different geological times: middle Pliocene, early Pleistocene and mainly late Pleistocene, when the reduction of populations generated a structure pattern of the genetic variation of this species. Our data show that this structure results from the maintenance of populations of D. lucida within very small putative refuges to the south of the central Bahia refugium. We thus argue that, for some Atlantic forest endemic species, especially those resistant to very small fragments of forest, such as D. lucida, the small putative refuges were as important as, or even more important than, larger and stable refuges for the creation and maintenance of diversity, adding another piece to the puzzle of the mechanisms underlying local endemism. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 101, 949–960.

The stingless bee Melipona capixaba Moure and Camargo, 1994 is endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Its occurrence is restricted to highlands in the Espirito Santo State, and it has possibly the smallest known geographic distribution among the cataloged stingless bees. It is therefore considered to be an endangered species. Perhaps because of its small area of occurrence, or because it was only identified two decades ago, little is known about the biology of this species, its current geographic distribution, or its actual preservation status. Here, we present the results from the largest sampling of M. capixaba conducted in its natural habitat. We developed a distribution map by using a geographic information system. Our data indicate that M. capixaba is found in the municipalities of Espirito Santo State at altitudes between 800 m and 1,200 m; with annual average temperatures around 18–23°C; precipitation more than 1,200 mm per year; and vegetation cover-type Mountain Dense Ombrophylous Forest, restricted to an area of approximately 3,450 km 2 . We observed colonies both in their natural habitat and under conditions of ex situ maintenance, and identified the key challenges and prospects for the conservation of this endangered bee.

International audience; Melipona scutellaris is an important pollinator in natural and cultured areas from northeastern Brazil. Therefore, the goal of this work was to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of M. scutellaris within its Bahia range, relating putative geographical influences on population dynamics. A total of 111 colonies from 13 municipalities in Bahia from sea level up to 1,011 m of altitude were sampled. Five species-specific codominant (microsatellites) and ten dominant (ISSR) primers were amplified, yielding from 2 to 13 alleles and 94 bands, respectively. The mean genetic diversity (He) was 0.50 for microsatellites and 0.33 for ISSR markers. AMOVA revealed that most of genetic variation is found within localities (82.6 % for microsatellites and 73.6 % for ISSR), and UPGMA and Bayesian analysis revealed the formation of two genetic groups related to altitude. Therefore, conservation strategies should take altitude variation into consideration to assure the genetic integrity of M. scutellaris.

A abelha sem ferrão Melipona capixaba Moure & Camargo é uma espécie restrita à Mata Atlântica nos municípios de Domingos Martins, Conceição do Castelo, Venda Nova do Imigrante e Afonso Cláudio, ES. Apesar de sua importância ecológica como polinizador, poucos estudos têm investigado a biologia e ecologia dessa abelha, popularmente conhecida como uruçu-negra, pé-de-pau, ou uruçu-capixaba. Esta nota relata uma observação de operárias de M. capixaba carregando polinário preso ao escutelo. Os polinários foram identificados como pertencentes a uma espécie da subtribo Maxillariinae e, possivelmente, a um dos gêneros Maxillaria sensu lato ou Xylobium. The stingless bee Melipona capixaba Moure & Camargo is a species restricted to the Atlantic forest in the Domingos Martins, Conceição do Castelo, Venda Nova do Imigrante and Afonso Cláudio County, in the Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Despite its cological importance as pollinator few studies have examined the ecology and biology of this bee. This note relates a case of the M. capixaba workers carrying pollinarium attached to the scuttellum. The pollinaria were identified as belonging to the orchid subtribe Maxillariinae species possibly of the genus Maxillaria sensu lato or Xylobium.