The loss of variability in farmed populations and the risks of interactions with wild populations support the need for the genetic monitoring of species farmed throughout the world. In Brazil, the tambaqui is the most widely farmed native fish species. Despite this, there are no data on the pedigree of the farmed stocks, and the potential for interactions with wild populations in the Amazon basin has raised concerns with regard to the genetic variability of these stocks. The present study analysed sequences of the mitochondrial Control Region and 12 microsatellites to characterize the genetic variability of seven historically important commercial tambaqui breeding centres located in four different regions of Brazil, and compared these sequences with those obtained from individuals collected from a wild population. High levels of genetic diversity were found in the wild population, whereas genetic diversity was reduced in both markers in most captive populations, except for the broodstock located near the Amazon River. High FST and DEST indices were recorded between the wild population and most of the captive stocks analysed. The drastic reduction in genetic diversity found in most captive stocks and the difference between these stocks and the wild population may have been the result of the small size of the founding populations and the absence of breeding management. The renewal of the broodstocks and the application of breeding management techniques are recommended. In the Amazon region, in addition, the use of broodstocks that are genetically very different from local wild populations should be avoided.

The tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum, is the most popular fish species used for aquaculture in Brazil but there is no study comparing genetic variation among native and farmed populations of this species. In the present study, we analyzed DNA sequences of the mitochondrial DNA to evaluate the genetic diversity among two wild populations, a fry-producing breeding stock, and a sample of fish farm stocks, all from the region of Santarém, in the west of the Brazilian state of Pará. Similar levels of genetic diversity were found in all the samples and surprisingly the breeding stock showed expressive representation of the genetic diversity registered on wild populations. These results contrast considerably with those of the previous study of farmed stocks in the states of Amapá, Pará, Piauí, and Rondônia, which recorded only two haplotypes, indicating a long history of endogamy in the breeding stocks used to produce fry. The results of the two studies show two distinct scenarios of tambaqui farming in the Amazon basin, which must be better evaluated in order to guarantee the successful expansion of this activity in the region, and the rest of Brazil, given that the tambaqui and its hybrids are now farmed throughout the country.

The present study analyzed the genetic variability and structure of farmed tambaqui in the Brazilian state of Pará, and provided basic information that can be used for the development of programs of monitoring and management of genetic resources in the aquaculture operations of northern Brazil. A total of 216 individuals were sampled from tambaqui farms in Pará. Genotyping was based on a multiplex set of 10 tri-and tetra-nucleotide microsatellite markers. The data were used to calculate genetic diversity indices, expected and observed heterozygosity, the number of alleles per locus, allelic richness, and inbreeding coefficient. Genetic structure was verified using D EST and R ST , the genetic signature, and Bayesian analysis. The results showed that the tambaqui farms surveyed have suffered a significant loss of genetic variability, and that they are genetically structured, forming two clusters, one encompassing the farms in western Pará, and the other including the farms from the northeast and southeast regions of the state. These finding provide fundamental insights for the development of effective strategies that will help guarantee productivity and the quality of the tambaqui farms of northern Brazil, and provide a database for the upgrading of the genetic variability of these populations. This study indicated the need for hatcheries in southeastern and northeastern Pará to amplify or renew their breeding stocks, in order to avoid the significant loss of genetic diversity in the tambaqui farms of these regions.

BACKGROUND In recent years, tracing of alimentary produce of animal origin has become increasingly important, for economic, food safety and ecological reasons. The tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum, is the native fish most farmed in Brazil. The reliable identification of the origin of tambaquis (wild or farmed) offered for sale to the general public has become necessary to satisfy regulatory norms and uphold consumer confidence. Molecular methods based on the analysis of DNA sequences have often been used to evaluate the potential for tracing farmed fish, given their reliability and precision. RESULTS Full likelihood and Bayesian approaches proved to be the most efficient for the identification, respectively, of individuals and populations for most of the fish sampled from seven hatcheries and one wild stock. The exclusion method and genetic distances were the least effective approaches for the identification of individuals and populations. The Bayesian method identified correctly more than 99% of the fry from most stocks, except those of the Santarém hatchery and River Amazon wild stock, which presented the best results for individual identification. CONCLUSIONS The identification of populations was effective for most hatcheries, although the identification of individuals from most stocks was hampered by the reduced genetic variability. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

A broad panel of potentially amplifiable microsatellite loci and a multiplex system were developed for the Amazonian symbol fish species Arapaima gigas, which is currently in high danger of extinction due to the disorderly fishing exploitation. Several factors have contributed to the increase of this threat, among which we highlight the lack of genetic information about the structure and taxonomic status of the species, as well as the lack of accurate tools for evaluation of the effectivity of current management programs. Based on Arapaima gigas’ whole genome, available at the NCBI database (ID: 12404), a total of 95,098 unique perfect microsatellites were identified, including their proposed primers. From this panel, a multiplex system containing 12 tetranucleotide microsatellite markers was validated. These tools are valuable for research in as many areas as bioinformatics, ecology, genetics, evolution and comparative studies, since they are able to provide more accurate information for fishing management, conservation of wild populations and genetic management of aquaculture.

The Amazonian symbol fish Arapaima gigas is the only living representative of the Arapamidae family. Environmental pressures and illegal fishing threaten the species’ survival. To protect wild populations, a national regulation must be developed for the management of A. gigas throughout the Amazon basin. Moreover, the reproductive genetic management and recruitment of additional founders by aquaculture farms are needed to mitigate the damage caused by domestication. To contribute to the sustainable development, we investigated the genetic diversity of wild and cultivated populations of A. gigas and developed a panel composed by 12 microsatellite markers for individual and population genetic tracing. We analyzed 368 samples from three wild and four farmed populations. The results revealed low rates of genetic diversity in all populations, loss of genetic diversity and high inbreeding rates in farmed populations, and genetic structuring among wild and farmed populations. Genetic tracing using the 12 microsatellite markers was effective, and presented a better performance in identifying samples at the population level. The 12-microsatellite panel is appliable to the legal aspects of the trade of the A. gigas, such as origin discrimination, reproductive genetic management by DNA profiling, and evaluation and monitoring of genetic diversity.

O presente trabalho apresenta uma experiência interdisciplinar relacionada à educação ambiental em uma escola pública, localizada no interior do município de Santarém – Pará. A experiência foi desenvolvida por meio de pesquisas de iniciação científica tendo como tema a conservação dos recursos hídricos nas comunidades rurais do entorno da escola. Os estudantes de duas turmas de ensino médio da referida escola, com a orientação de três professores, elaboraram e executaram oito projetos de pesquisa de iniciação científica sobre os recursos hídricos das comunidades em suas diferentes vertentes. A socialização dos resultados obtidos nas pesquisas foi realizada na Feira de Ciência da escola, com apresentação em banner, em que verificamos a compreensão dos estudantes a respeito da importância da água, dos problemas existentes relacionados ao uso da água nas comunidades e das alternativas para a conservação dos recursos hídricos.

A Educação Ambiental tem sido discutida como das principais estratégias diante dos impactos ambientais crescentes, provocados pelas atividades humanas. Apesar das importantes conquistas legais quanto à Educação Ambiental no Brasil, na prática, a sua implementação na Educação Básica tem enfrentado grandes dificuldades. Entre outros motivos está a ausência da utilização de mecanismos avaliativos que permitam avaliações diagnósticas e o planejamento estratégico para a Educação Ambiental mais prática e eficiente. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi aplicar um modelo amplo de diagnóstico quanto aos valores, atitudes e comportamentos ambientais de estudantes do Ensino Médio analisando as diferenças entre sexo, nível de escolaridade e idade e correlações entre as variáveis ambientais. Foi aplicado um questionário com escalas de valores, atitudes e comportamentos ambientais para uma amostra de 138 estudantes do primeiro, segundo e terceiro do Ensino Médio de ambos os sexos. Foi encontrado uma maior concordância das respostas dos estudantes com os valores ecocêntricos, seguido dos valores antropocêntricos. Estudantes do sexo feminino foram mais concordantes com os valores antropocêntricos e estudantes do primeiro ano foram mais apáticos às questões ambientais quando comparados com os alunos do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio. Também foram encontradas correlações entre as respostas aos valores ecocêntricos e atitudes ambientais, valores ecocêntricos e comportamentos ambientais, valores antropocêntricos e apáticos atitudes e comportamentos ambientais. A aplicação das escalas forneceu informações relevantes que podem ser consideradas no planejamento de práticas de Educação Ambiental, indicando pontos da relação ambiental que podem ser prioritários.