Seasonal variation in precipitation regimes influences species composition and plantanimal interactions. Such temporal variation is especially relevant in the Brazilian Caatinga, the largest Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest in South America, where bat pollination is unusually frequent in comparison with other tropical plant communities.Here, we describe seasonal and annual variations of the interaction networks between nectarivorous bats and flower species in the Caatinga. Five species of nectar-feeding bats interacted with 30 plant species. Nectarivorous bats showed high levels of interaction overlap, which contributed to ecological generalization (low specialization and modularity) and lack of nestedness in the interaction networks. This pattern was consistent across seasons and years. Chiropterophilous and non-chiropterophilous plants were equally important components of the interaction network. The generalized interaction patterns found may be a necessary condition for the persistence of nectarivorous bats and their specialized plants in the environmentally harsh and variable Caatinga. The underappreciated generalized interactions of bats with plants calls for studies testing the effectiveness of bats in pollinating the plants they visit, including those not typically categorized as "bat-flowers".

No abstract

No abstract

RESUMO -O bicudo-do-algodoeiro (Anthonomus grandis Boheman) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) é um dos principais fatores limitantes para a expansão da cultura do algodão. Ele apresenta diferentes aspectos biológicos e comportamentais que garantem seu sucesso na exploração do agroecossistema algodoeiro. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar os recursos alimentares utilizados pelo bicudo na safra e entressafra de cultivos de algodão localizados nos municípios de Iuiu e Correntina (BA) e em ambientes de Caatinga e Cerrado, contíguos aos algodoais, respectivamente. As coletas dos adultos foram realizadas no período de fevereiro a setembro/2013 por meio de armadilhas com feromônio. As amostras foram processadas para identificação dos tipos polínicos encontrados no aparelho digestivo dos insetos. Os resultados indicaram que a praga explora 22 famílias botâni-cas como fonte de alimento, das quais 16 na Caatinga e 5 no Cerrado. Nos bicudos coletados em algodão foram encontrados 8 gêneros botânicos em Iuiu e 10 em Correntina, sendo apenas três coincidentes aos dois cultivos (Angelonia, Mimosa e Myrcia sp.1). Grãos de Pólen de 26 gêneros de plantas foram identificados para Caatinga e 6 para o Cerrado, ocorrendo três gêneros comuns às duas áreas (Myrcia sp.2, Eucalyptus e Mimosa). O bicudo explora fontes alternativas de alimento nas principais regiões produtoras de algodão da Bahia, com destaque para a Caatinga, que apresenta maior quantidade de famílias e gêneros botânicos utilizados pela praga.Palavras chaves: Anthonomus grandis. Caatinga. Cerrado. Palinologia. Sobrevivência. ALTERNATIVE POLLEN SOURCES FOR BOLL WEEVIL IN TWO COTTON GROWING AREAS OF BAHIA STATEABSTRACT -Cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most limiting factors for cotton crop expansion. It presents different biological and behavioral aspects that ensure its success on this agroecosystem. This research aimed to identify pollen sources used by this insect during harvest and intercrop periods of cotton cultivations in Iuiu and Correntina -BA, Brazil; moreover, evaluating Caatinga and Cerrado neighboring areas. Adult insect samplings were made from February to September of 2013, through pheromone traps. Samples were analyzed to identify the pollen types inside the digestive system of insects. The results indicated that the pest explores 22 botanical families as nourishment source, from which 16 in Caatinga and five in Cerrado. Regarding crop samples, eight genera were found in Iuiu and Correntina, being three found in both areas (Angelonia, Mimosa and Myrcia sp.1). Pollen from 26 genera were identified for Caatinga and six for Cerrado, with three genera in common for both (Myrcia sp.2, Eucalyptus, and Mimosa). The boll weevil uses alternative sources of food within the main cotton growing regions in Bahia State, highlighting the Caatinga with most of the botanical families and genera explored by the pest.

This was a pollen survey, in which we analyzed the sediments and moss polsters of murundus (termite mounds) in the Chapada Diamantina region of the state of Bahia, Brazil. Palynological treatment revealed the presence of 53 pollen types in murundus sediments, of which 23 were related to plants in the semi-arid zone and 30 remained unidentified. In moss polster samples, the pollen assemblage comprised 42 pollen types for which taxonomic affinities were identified and 54 for which they were not. In our comparison of the two pollen assemblages, we found that moss polsters and murundu sediments shared 15 pollen types. For some of the pollen grains in the murundus sediments, it was not possible to make reliable interpretations because of small number of grains and the poor state of conservation. In contrast, the pollen analyses of the moss polster samples showed that they could represent a useful tool for studies of pollen rain. To our knowledge, this is the first study of murundus as natural pollen collectors. Our findings suggest new possibilities for the use of the pollen records preserved in termite mounds.

No abstract

No abstract

The proposal of this study is a protocol for the preparation of permanent sheets of protists and rotifers by adapting a Kisser glyceryn-jelly technique in three stages. A total of 450 sheets of protists and rotifers were made. After a period of 2 years, the slides remained stable, with no signs of fungal contamination and the organisms maintained their integral morphological conformation. The proposed technique is promising for the conservation of the morphological characteristics of the specimens, presenting low risk of manipulation, low cost, few reagents and easy handling, allowing the creation of a didactic collection for practical classes.