Reproductive biology and pollination of southeastern Brazilian Stanhopea Frost ex Hook. (Orchidaceae)

Reproductive biology and pollination of Stanhopea lietzei and Stanhopea insignis were studied in a semi-deciduous mesophytic forest in the Serra do Japi (SJ), and in the coastal plain of Picinguaba, both in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Floral morphology, pollination, breeding system and fruit set of both species were investigated. S. lietzei and S. insignis are pollinator-specific, being pollinated by male bees of Eufriesea (Apidae, Euglossini), which collect the fragrance produced by pluricellular osmophores at the base of the saccate hypochile. S. lietzei and S. insignis were pollinated by Eufriesea pulchra and Eufriesea purpurata, respectively. Observations using substances present in the floral fragrance of both studied species as chemical baits were also performed. E. purpurata was attracted by benzyl alcohol, the major compound of the perfume of S. insignis, while E. pulchra was attracted by none of the compounds used. Both studied Stanhopea are self-compatible but pollinator dependent. Self-pollination, however, tends to be avoided by floral mechanisms. In experimental self- and cross-pollinations the proportion of fruit abortion was high and related to resource limitation. The reproductive success of S. lietzei and S. insignis was low as a consequence of deficient pollen transference while pollinator scarcity was the main factor.     

Life at the Energetic Edge: Kinetics of Circumneutral Iron Oxidation by Lithotrophic Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria Isolated from the Wetland-Plant Rhizosphere

Batch cultures of a lithotrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacterium, strain BrT, isolated from the rhizosphere of a wetland plant, were grown in bioreactors and used to determine the significance of microbial Fe(II) oxidation at circumneutral pH and to identify abiotic variables that affect the partitioning between microbial oxidation and chemical oxidation. Strain BrT grew only in the presence of an Fe(II) source, with an average doubling time of 25 h. In one set of experiments, Fe(II) oxidation rates were measured before and after the cells were poisoned with sodium azide. These experiments indicated that strain BrT accounted for 18 to 53% of the total iron oxidation, and the average cellular growth yield was 0.70 g of CH₂O per mol of Fe(II) oxidized. In a second set of experiments, Fe(II) was constantly added to bioreactors inoculated with live cells, killed cells, or no cells. A statistical model fitted to the experimental data demonstrated that metabolic Fe(II) oxidation accounted for up to 62% of the total oxidation. The total Fe(II) oxidation rates in these experiments were strongly limited by the rate of Fe(II) delivery to the system and were also influenced by O₂ and total iron concentrations. Additionally, the model suggested that the microbes inhibited rates of abiotic Fe(II) oxidation, perhaps by binding Fe(II) to bacterial exopolymers. The net effect of strain BrT was to accelerate total oxidation rates by up to 18% compared to rates obtained with cell-free treatments. The results suggest that neutrophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria may compete for limited O₂ in the rhizosphere and therefore influence other wetland biogeochemical cycles.     

Immunoblotting of soluble antigens in Paracoccidioides brasiliensis culture

This study investigated the major soluble antigens produced by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (Pb339) cultured in solid Sabouraud (pH 5.6 and 8.5), Sabouraud plus brain heart infusion and liquid tomato juice‐enriched complex medium media at intervals of 3 days over 30 days by immunoblotting and concluded that, to optimize the source of each antigen, both time and growth conditions should be considered.     

Diet of the gracile mouse opossum Gracilinanus agilis (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) in a neotropical savanna: intraspecific variation and resource selection

Investigation of the effect of endogenous and exogenous factors on the diet of animals is necessary for a better understanding of their feeding habits. This approach can provide relevant information on the autoecology of a species and its ecological interactions. We investigated the composition and intraspecific variation in the diet of the marsupial Gracilinanus agilis in areas of dry woodland forests (i.e., cerradão) in the Cerrado of Central Brazil, taking into consideration the availability of prey (arthropods) in the environment. We found insects, spiders, birds, and fruits in the scats of G. agilis. Insects (orders Hymenoptera, Isoptera, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera) and fruits were the most frequently consumed resources. Males fed more heavily on insects than females did, whereas during the warm–wet season (October to April), the reproductive females fed on insects more than the nonreproductive females did. On the other hand, the consumption of fruits and vertebrates did not vary between seasons, sexes, or according to female reproductive condition. Moreover, reproductive females fed more frequently on ants and beetles than nonreproductive females did. We also detected both positive (for Isoptera and Hemiptera) and negative (for Hymenoptera) selection of insects during the cool–dry season, whereas in the warm–wet season, these resources were consumed according to their availability in the environment. Our study revealed that G. agilis is an insectivore–omnivore species, but fruits also are a relevant part of its diet. This marsupial seemed to select their prey qualitatively according to its energy demands and nutritional requirements.     

Interactions between a seed‐eating neotropical rodent,the Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae), and the Brazilian ‘pine’ Araucaria angustifolia

We studied the seed predation and scatter‐hoarding behaviour of Azara's agoutis Dasyprocta azarae (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae) in relation to the seeds of the Brazilian ‘pine’, Araucaria angustifolia (Araucariaceae), the rodent's main winter food source. We compared seed‐removal rates, seed‐caching rates, cache distances and recovery rates between a summer period of food abundance (with a low demand for A. angustifolia seeds and no such seeds naturally available) and a winter period of food scarcity (with a high demand for A. angustifolia seeds). We investigated whether the relative seed value affected the rodent's seed‐handling behaviour. We predicted that during the high seed‐demand period (winter): (1) cache distances would be greater; (2) fewer seeds would be stored; (3) more seeds would be recovered and the seed‐recovery time would be lower. In support of our first two predictions, the caching distances were greater in winter (mean ± SE = 15.67 ± 5.11 m) than in summer (9.40 ± 1.59 m), and agoutis hoarded >9 times more seeds in summer (55) than in winter (6). Our third prediction was not supported, and the proportion of unrecovered caches and buried seed recovery times did not differ between winter (mean ± SE = 3.00 ± 0.00 days, n = 5 seeds) and summer (11.05 ± 3.68 days, n = 20 seeds). The high resource density (during summer) rather than the density of A. angustifolia seeds likely influenced seed fate. Agoutis acted mainly as predators, leaving few intact seeds, caching a low proportion of handled seeds (? 8%) and rapidly consuming the caches. Agoutis may cache seeds to keep them safe from competitors on a short‐term basis rather than maintaining medium‐ or long‐term reserves for use during food‐scarcity periods.