Few reports are available about the ichthyofauna of typical semi-arid rivers, although the regional diversity has been constantly threatened by human activities, mainly related to impoundment and construction of dams. The goal of the present work was to evaluate using different methods, the population genetic structure of a characin fish, Astyanax aff. bimaculatus, widespread throughout hydrographic basins of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil. Morphological (meristic and morphometric data), cytogenetic (karyotype and Ag-NOR), and molecular (RAPD and SPAR) analyses were carried out in specimens collected upstream and downstream of Pedra Dam, in the main channel of Contas River (Contas River Basin), and in the Mineiro stream, which belongs to the adjacent Recôncavo Sul basin. Few external differences were detected among populations, where the individuals collected upstream of Pedra Dam were slightly larger than the others. Cytogenetic data also showed a similar karyotypic pattern (2n=50; 6m+28sm+12st+4a; FN= 96) and NORs located on the short arms of up to two chromosome pairs, with numerical inter- and intra-populational variation. Nonetheless, RAPD and SPAR analyses differentiated reliably the three populations, revealing striking differences in the allele frequencies among the localities studied and a significant difference in population structure index (Fst=0.1868, P<0.0001). The differences between populations within a same river were as significant as those between distinct hydrographic basins, indicating that the dam/reservoir represents an effective barrier to gene flow. Additionally, environmental peculiarities from each locality are also believed to influence the genetic patterns detected herein. On the other hand, the similarity between samples from Contas River and Recôncavo Sul basins could be related to a common evolutionary history, since both basins are geographically close to each other. Finally, the present study shows that a multi-approach analysis is particularly useful in identifying the population structure of widely distributed species and to evaluate the impacts of human activities on natural fish populations.
Poucos estudos ictiofaunísticos estão disponíveis em rios típicos do semi-árido, apesar da constante ameaça à diversidade local devido a influências antrópicas, com destaque para o represamento e construção de barragens. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar, por meio de diferentes metodologias, a estrutura genética de populações de uma espécie de caracídeo, Astyanax aff. bimaculatus, amplamente distribuída em bacias hidrográficas da Bahia, Nordeste do Brasil. Análises morfológicas (dados merísticos e morfométricos), citogenéticas (cariótipo e Ag-RONs) e moleculares (RAPD e SPAR) foram realizadas em espécimes coletados à montante e à jusante da Barragem da Pedra, na calha principal do médio rio de Contas (bacia do Rio de Contas) e no ribeirão Mineiro, pertencente à bacia adjacente do Recôncavo Sul. Poucas diferenças externas foram detectadas entre as populações, sendo os indivíduos...

ABSTRACT. The bristle-spined porcupine, Chaetomys subspinosus, an endemic rodent from Atlantic Forest, was considered to be abundant in the recent past, but population reductions due to habitat loss and expansion of human activities caused this species to be included in the "vulnerable" category of the World Conservation Union Red List. We performed the first genetic assessment in natural populations of this focal species along its geographical distribution. Thirty-five noninvasive samples (hair) were collected from three natural populations in the Brazilian States of Sergipe, Bahia and Espírito Santo. Genetic similarity obtained by Jaccard's index, based on dominant RAPD and ISSR markers, varied between 25 and 100%. Four clusters, mainly coincident with the geographical distribution of the populations, were observed. Analysis of molecular variance based on 47 polymorphic loci showed that there was 15.99% genetic variability among populations and 84.01% within populations. The estimated genetic structure among populations (f ST ) was 0.16. The populations may have formed a continuum along the past distribution of the Atlantic rainforest but historical events of human occupation resulted in recent divergence among sampled populations.

ABSTRACT. The yellow-breasted capuchin monkey, Cebus xanthosternos, is one of the most endangered species of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. In situ conservation for this species is problematic due to habitat destruction; therefore, captive conservation has been considered as an alternative strategy. A Studbook for C. xanthosternos has been kept for more than 20 years; however, no genetic data has been collected. Our aim was to provide a preliminary assessment of the genetic variability of C. xanthosternos in captivity in Brazil and compare it with data from the wild. Microsatellite and mtDNA sequencing were carried out in 40 samples from five Brazilian institutions registered in the international Studbook and compared with 8 samples collected in a wild population from REBIO-Una/BA. DNA for analysis was extracted from hair, feces and blood. Our results showed that two of the five captive groups assessed had a genetic variability comparable to wild animals. However, the other three groups apparently require urgent management to improve its genetic variability. Considering that inbreeding effects are more pronounced in captivity due to lack of gene flow, our data indicate a need to increase population size by introducing newly rescued individuals into these captive groups. Our results are the first attempt to provide genetic information for captive C. xanthosternos in Brazil.

Resumo -Populações de frangos de corte foram simuladas utilizando-se o programa GENESYS, com o objetivo de avaliar a seleção com base no método da melhor predição linear não-viesada (BLUP -best linear unbiased prediction), a seleção individual para três tamanhos efetivos de população e três sistemas de acasalamento dos reprodutores selecionados. Simulou-se um genoma constituído de uma característica quantitativa, com valor de herdabilidade igual a 0,30, em seleção praticada durante 15 gerações consecutivas, com 30 repetições por geração. Para um mesmo tamanho efetivo e sistema de acasalamento, o BLUP foi sempre superior à seleção individual nas 15 gerações de seleção avaliadas.Termos para indexação: BLUP, seleção individual, sistemas de acasalamento, tamanho efetivo de população. Comparison of selection methods in simulated populations of broilersAbstract -Populations of broilers were simulated by using the program Genesys, in order to evaluate the selection based on BLUP (best linear unbiased prediction), and the individual selection for three effective population sizes, and three mating systems of the selected reproducers. The simulated genome was constituted by a quantitative trait, which had heritability of 0.30, in a selection made during 15 consecutive generations, and 30 cycles for generation. BLUP was always superior to the individual selection during all generations evaluated with the same effective size and mating system. Index terms: BLUP, individual selection, mating systems, effective population size. IntroduçãoA avicultura é a atividade agropecuária que apresenta os maiores índices de evolução no desempenho produtivo nas últimas décadas. Nesse contexto, não resta dúvida de que o melhoramento genético das aves contribui, de forma expressiva, para o progresso alcançado.No melhoramento animal, deve-se sempre obter material genético produtivo a custo mais baixo, o que pode proporcionar lucro e sobrevivência num mercado competitivo. Para isso, nos programas de melhoramento, é preciso conhecer a eficiência de cada método de seleção e empregar o que resulte em maiores ganhos com menores custos. Nesse sentido, a simulação de populações tem sido muito usada pelos melhoristas, principalmente na comparação de métodos de seleção, pois seus custos são bastante reduzidos e sua utilização justificável, nas situações em que a obtenção de dados reais seria impossível (Torres Júnior, 1996).A resposta à seleção para uma única característica depende da variabilidade genética, intervalo de geração, acurácia e intensidade de seleção e tamanho efetivo da população. Segundo Caballero (1994), o tamanho efetivo da população é a chave no processo evolutivo e na genética quantitativa, pois fornece a medida da taxa de oscilação genética e endogamia numa população. Quinton et al. (1992) avaliaram métodos de seleção, sob mesma taxa de endogamia, e concluíram que a seleção com base no fenótipo apresentou melhores respostas do que os outros métodos de seleção estudados, quando o objetivo foi manter baixa a taxa de endogamia (1% po...

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