The establishment of an invasive species depends on reproductive success and dispersion capability in the new environment. One of the striking examples of invasion in urban environments is the mosquito Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762 (Culicidae). The success of this species is primarily attributed to its ability to colonize urban environments, and some of the important adaptive strategies associated with this ability is the preference for humans as a blood source and intense occupation of residential (indoor) environments. This study evaluated the effects of location (indoor vs. outdoor) and water nutrient level (% organic matter) on the oviposition preference of A. aegypti in an urban environment. We used oviposition choice experiments to evaluate mosquito oviposition in containers holding 1:1 vs 1:0 ratios of water: organic matter placed indoors and outdoors. Eggs were sampled once per week for nine weeks. Our results revealed a strong oviposition preference for outdoor containers, with a significant preference for containers with higher concentrations of organic matter during the fifth to ninth weeks. However, mosquitoes occupying indoor environments did not prefer to lay eggs in containers with lower levels of organic matter. A better understanding of the preferences of A. aegypti regarding the nutrient level and location of oviposition containers can increase our understanding of the behavioral factors allowing mosquitoes to utilize anthropogenic environments.

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A escola tem papel fundamental na divulgação científica do conhecimento sobre as espécies, principalmente nas disciplinas de Ciências e Biologia e através da inserção de ações de educação ambiental. Para que estas ações sejam efetivas é fundamental perceber como os indivíduos conhecem e percebem o mundo natural que os rodeia. Visando entender se o contato com a natureza interfere no conhecimento de estudantes, investigamos o conhecimento dos mesmos sobre a espécie Amazona vinacea (papagaio-de-peito-roxo). Aplicamos um questionário para 63 estudantes do 9° ano do ensino fundamental, avaliamos o ambiente escolar e questionamos as professoras de ciências sobre suas aulas na natureza. O contato mais frequente com a natureza influenciou o conhecimento sobre a espécie. Diante disso, ressaltamos a importância de identificar o conhecimento prévio dos estudantes antes de serem trabalhadas ações na educação ambiental.

Several reports carried out by public agencies are related to conducts that altogether may constitute animal trafficking, which, along with other anthropic practices, contribute to the process of decline in animal species. Our objective was to collect data on environmental crimes related to fauna in the area of jurisdiction of the Environmental Military Police of Chapecó (EMPC), in the state of Santa Catarina_Brazil. For that, a documentary survey was carried out in the archives of that organ from January/1999 to December/2017. Environmental crimes related to fauna comprised 196 complaints, with 56 of them resulting in assessments, and 1,016 animals were seized in 33 municipalities. Chapecó was the municipality with the largest number of cases (97 assessments/539 animals seized), but the per capita values are below of 56.2% of the surveyed municipalities. Out of the total number of animals seized, 980 were birds, 28 were mammals, six were lizards and two were turtles. Most of the animals seized were released into nature (752). It is likely that the data do not represent the actual amount of wild animals kept in captivity or hunted in the region because of the difficulty of the inspection and/or structure for proper allocation of the animals.