-Uberlândia, MG, Brazil, underwent an accelerated process of urbanization with a population growth of 3,54% each year, higher than the national average. One of the problems emergent from urbanization is the use of different habitats for a great variety of insects. The objective of this study was to identify species of house-invading ants that occur in the urban area of Uberlândia. The occurrence of the house-invading species in regard to the time of urbanization, neighborhood infrastructure, age and maintenance of private houses was also assessed. The ants were collected using bait-traps in 120 residences from 12 neighborhoods which were put in three groups. Fourteen species of ants were catalogued, with Camponotus (Mayr), Monomorium (Mayr) and Tapinoma (Foerster) being the most frequent genera. Only Camponotus vittatus (Forel), Monomorium pharaonis (L.), Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) and Brachymyrmex sp. (Mayr) were collected in all three groups. The relation between the ants collected and the age and maintenance of the private houses showed that Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) was most frequent (60%) in poorly preserved or precarious constructions. Whereas, C. vittatus and Camonotus melanoticus (Emery) occurred in all categories of maintenance. Overall, C. vittatus which had not been found in any previously published survey of urban ants, was the most frequent species in urban areas of the Cerrado.KEY WORDS: Cerrado, urban ant, Camponotus RESUMO -A cidade de Uberlândia, MG, vem apresentando um processo de urbanização acelerado, com crescimento populacional de 3,54% ao ano, acima da média nacional. Entre os problemas causados pela urbanização está o fornecimento de hábitats para uma grande variedade de insetos. Neste estudo objetivou-se identificar espécies de formigas que ocorrem nos domicílios de Uberlândia, relacionandoas ao tempo de urbanização e infra-estrutura dos bairros e ao estado de conservação das residências. As formigas foram coletadas utilizando isca-armadilha em 120 residências de 12 bairros reunidos em três grupos. Registraram-se 14 espécies de formigas, sendo Camponotus (Mayr), Monomorium (Mayr) e Tapinoma (Foerster), respectivamente, os gêneros mais freqüentes. Somente Camponotus vittatus (Forel), Monomorium pharaonis (L.), Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) e Brachymyrmex sp. (Mayr) foram coletadas nos três grupos. A relação entre as formigas mais freqüentes no interior dos domicílios e seu estado de conservação mostrou que Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) foi mais freqüente (60%) em construções mal conservadas ou precárias. C. vittatus e Camponotus melanoticus (Emery) ocorreram em locais que correspondem às três categorias de estado de conservação. C. vittatus foi a espécie de formiga mais freqüente nessa área urbana de Cerrado, o que não foi encontrado em nenhum outro levantamento publicado sobre formigas urbanas. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Cerrado, formiga urbana, CamponotusO Cerrado é o segundo maior bioma do país e seus recursos naturais vêm sendo utilizados indiscriminadam...

ABSTRACT:The fragmentation of tropical forests has been identified as the main reason for their biodiversity reduction. This process is extensively occurring in the Brazilian central area, where there still are insufficient information about the remaining flora and fauna of the Neotropical Savanna and Atlantic Forest ecotone. This study aimed to determine the floristic composition and the abundance of the arboreal and subarboreal components of four semideciduos forest fragments. The data indicates that the floristic richness is positively influenced by the fragment area. However, the proximity between fragments has no influence on their floristic composition. It was recorded 126 species belonging to 91 genera distributed in 43 families, with the dominance of Siparuna guianensis Aubl. in all fragments. More than half of the total number of species of the arboreal stratum was not recorded in the subarboreal stratum. In addition, the subarboreal stratum also presented exclusive species. A high number of unique species was also recorded in each fragment, which emphasizes the importance of these remnants conservation, regardless of their sizes and indicates the need to create a management plan to promote connectivity between these fragmented areas.

Sugarcane is one of the main alternative sources of biomass for the biofuel sector, and its large-scale production has considerable environmental impact. Organomineral fertilizers formulated with potential environmental contaminants, such as filter cake and sewage sludge, positively influence plant growth and development. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the chemical and physical characteristics of sugarcane fertilized with pelletized organomineral fertilizers based on filter cake or sewage sludge. Eight field treatments were applied, based on three organomineral fertilizer compositions (50%, 100%, and 150%) associated with two organic matter (OM) sources (filter cake or sewage sludge), in addition to a control with 100% mineral fertilizer application, and a no-fertilization control (0%). Sugarcane attributes were evaluated during two consecutive harvests. The weights of stalks per hectare (ton ha-1), sugarcane productivity (ton ha-1), quantity of sugar per hectare (TSH, ton ha-1), and physicochemical properties of sugarcane juice (pol [%], Brix [%], purity [%], and fiber [%]) were evaluated. There were no significant differences in the attributes between OM sources or organomineral fertilization treatments and the exclusive mineral fertilization. The organomineral fertilizer application rate recommended for maximum quantitative and qualitative sugarcane in the first sugarcane harvest was between 2 and 9% above the regular recommendation for mineral fertilizer, regardless of the OM source. In the second harvest, the sewage sludge source increased total sugar and sugarcane per hectare by 4.68 and 4.19%, respectively, compared to the sugarcane filter cake source. Sewage sludge and sugarcane filter cake are viable alternatives for organomineral composition and could improve economic returns and minimize negative environmental impacts in sugarcane cultivation systems.

The world is going through a period of calamity, a pandemic caused by the coronavirus. The situation began in China and has spread to its world surroundings. A means of combat attributed to society was isolation and social distancing, which could relate to the environment. The objective of this work is a systematic comparative review of the positive and negative impacts that the pandemic has caused on the environment. A systematic survey was conducted at PUBMED, Scielo and Google Academic, in the months of August to October 2020 using indexers. There are several positive points with pandemic related to the environment, however the indiscriminate use of materials has increased, being a negative point. It is perceived that the environment breathed with the measure of social isolation, but still needs various care.

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) comes from the Asian continent. Culture is of enormous importance to the Brazilian economy, being explored throughout the country, with the Southeast, Northeast and South as the largest production centers today. With the growing population, it has been increasingly sought to increase productivity and profitability with the cultivation of sugarcane with the help of agricultural and managerial techniques. Plant productivity is related to photosynthetic efficiency. One of the factors linked to this efficiency is the chlorophyll content, due to its direct connection with the absorption and transfer of light energy. However, the concentration of chlorophylls can be influenced by fertility and fertilization. The objective of this work was to compare the use of chlorophyll meter (Minolta SPAD® 502 and Falker ClorofiLOG® 17 1030) and spectrophotometer for chlorophyll determination in sugarcane fertilized with organominerals and industrial sewage sludge. The experiment was conducted in randomized blocks, with five replications per treatment. The characteristics evaluated were: Cla (chlorophyll a), Clb (chlorophyll b), Car (carotenoids), Clt (total chlorophylls), Cla/Clb (ratio between chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b). All equipment used showed similar responses in terms of chlorophyll concentration in response to fertilization. It was found that, regardless of the treatments, the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments did not vary.

Sugarcane is one of the major alternatives for the biofuel sector and its large production has considerable environmental impacts. Organomineral fertilizers formulated with environmental liabilities such as filter cake and sewage sludge positively affect parameters of plant growth and development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical and technological characteristics of sugarcane fertilized with pelletized organomineral fertilizers based on filter cake and sewage sludge. Eight field treatments were studied, being three levels of organomineral (50, 100, 150%) of two organic matter sources (filter cake, sewage sludge), plus a control with 100% of the recommended fertilization via mineral fertilizer and no fertilization control (0%). Sugarcane was evaluated during two consecutive harvest, and the amount of stalks per hectare (ton ha−1), the sugarcane productivity (ton ha−1), the quantity of sugar per hectare (TSH, ton ha−1), and the chemical and technological analysis of the sugarcane juice: pol (%), brix (%), purity (%) and fiber (%) were evaluated. None of the organomineral sources or doses differed from the exclusive mineral fertilization. The analysis of both harvests indicated that the first cut was the most productive since the responses of the first harvest were superior or similar to the second harvest. The recommended organomineral dose to obtaining maximum quantitative and qualitative sugarcane results was between 102 and 109% of the regular recommendation for mineral fertilization, regardless of the organic source in the first sugarcane harvest. In the second sugarcane harvest, sewage sludge source increase by 4.68 and 4.19% the total amount of sugar per hectare and the quantity of sugarcane compared to the sugarcane filter cake source. Sewage sludge and sugarcane filter cake as sources for organominerals are viable alternatives and advantageous in economic and environmental terms for the cultivation of sugarcane.