Cadidja Coutinho

Radio-telemetry techniques in the study of displacement of freshwater anomurans

In an ecological context, information on the movement and activity is important for understanding the requirements of habitat, resource usage patterns and the potential of interspecific interactions. The aim of this study was to examine the displacement pattern on daily activity and occupancy of substrates by Aegla manuinflata using radio-telemetry technique on field on Southern Brazil. Four adult males were monitored during nine days. The aeglids showed a significantly greater displacement toward upstream than downstream. Aegla manuinflata individuals showed higher displacement activity during the night period. Although activity was not constant: the animals spent one or more days without displacement. All aeglids showed locomotion activity concentrated between 11:43 p.m. and 02:25 a.m., although it was not restrict to sunset period and night. Individuals showed specific occupation of different types of substrate, but a pattern in the occupation of substrates as a function of the photoperiod was not observed. In this study, using a new technique for tracking aeglids, it was concluded that A. manuinflata is capable of actively dislocate throughout the stream, either toward upstream and downstream, passing through obstacles which may represent ability of re-colonization. The animals are more active during the night period, probably a strategy to avoid predators that are active during the day; the selection of substrate is not associated to sediment texture.

Assessing the importance of burrows through behavioral observations of Parastacus brasiliensis, a Neotropical burrowing crayfish (Crustacea), in laboratory conditions

BackgroundCrayfish from the Neotropical region comprise a unique group among crustaceans. Their burrowing habits have severe consequences for many ecological, morphological, and behavioral traits. Although they are all considered true burrowers, the degree of these adaptations and their relationships to the behavioral repertoires of these crustaceans have been discussed for a long time, although with no consensus.ResultsTo address this situation, we performed behavioral observations of Parastacus brasiliensis in a laboratory environment. Animals (n = 7) were isolated and acclimated in experimental aquaria according to their size (two large and five smaller aquaria) and observed for seven days at four different times of the day (twice during the day and twice at night). Their behaviors were qualified and quantified. The time spent inside and outside the burrow was also observed and analyzed with a t test for paired samples. Their circadian activity was analyzed using Rayleighs Z test. Animals spent 54.9% of the time hiding within the burrow and also remained longer in it during the day than at night. They spent more time active outside the burrow during the night.ConclusionsThese results suggest that these crayfish are nocturnal and are definitely not a part of the lotic species group. This species appears to be closely associated with its burrow but can exhibit considerable activity outside of it and can therefore be classified as a secondary burrower. Although this is a laboratory study, the results may stimulate further studies on the importance of burrows to these animals and provide basic background information for new studies on these cryptic crustaceans.

Thanatosis in freshwater anomurans (Decapoda: Aeglidae)

The present study evaluated the occurrence of thanatosis in freshwater crustaceans. The duration of the thanatosis events was compared with respect to photoperiod and size for Aegla longirostri (Brazil) and Aegla denticulata denticulata (Chile). Adults of A. longirostri did not show thanatosis; juveniles were responsive only when they were out of water. In the two species, thanatosis occurred in both light and dark photophases, and there was no significant difference in the duration of the events between the photophases. For A. d. denticulata, which lives in deep waters and in sympatry with larger decapods, this behaviour seems to represent an adaptation either to the environment or to the biotic community of the species. This behaviour is apparently not necessary for adults of A. longirostri, since this species is mainly nocturnal in its adult phase and its activity rhythms do not coincide with those of its potential predators.

A capacidade de resolver problemas: um estudo-piloto sobre a adequação de um teste de desempenho na resolução de problemas

Neste trabalho, realiza-se uma revisao sobre as habilidades necessarias para a resolucao de problemas, bem como de testes que permitem avaliar a capacidade de resolucao de situacoes-problema por estudantes. Para tal, aplicou-se um teste adaptado de Garcia Garcia & Renteria Rodriguez (2012) com estudantes do 8° e 9° ano do Ensino Fundamental, de uma escola publica de Ibiruba- RS. A partir desse teste-pilotoconstatou-se que a maioria dos estudantes apresenta baixa capacidade para resolver problemas, sendo que os mesmos apresentam dificuldades em fatores como Predicao e transferencia, Capacidade de sintese e de Analise, principalmente. Observou-se que o teste necessita o acrescimo de um glossario nas questoes que apresentam palavras mais complexas, a fim de que possa ser utilizado novamente.

PAPEL SEMENTE: UMA ALTERNATIVA PARA INSERÇÃO DA EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL NA ESCOLA

Environmental education is direct heir ecological debate and is among the alternatives that aim to build new ways of social groups relate to the environment. This study aimed to demonstrate the importance of recycling paper as an activity linked to the teaching and learning of Environmental Education, providing the transversal and seeking to develop citizens aware of their actions on the natural environment. The activity consisted of a paper recycling workshop held with students from eighth grade on, and seed production of paper through the reuse of discarded material in a public school in Santa Maria, RS. For data collection a questionnaire was used and the analysis was the application of the technique of the Collective Subject Discourse. The main ideas presented by the students revealed their views on environmental education and recycling, and the relevance of the project application as a mechanism to encourage environmental awareness. Thus, the construction of innovative practices is not given by reproduction but by creation, by upgrading and especially in the case of seed paper for new relationships in the organization of educational work.

Estimulando o “Pensamento em Árvore” em Alunos de Ensino Médio: Potencial de Contribuição dos Livros Didáticos de Biologia

This study evaluates whether biology textbooks contribute to the inclusion of an evolutionary approach to the teaching of biodiversity, with the potential to assist in the development of the “tree thinking” by the students, based on the phylogenetic systematics. All the six books available in the library of a public school in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, were analyzed. Data were collected by analyzing the content of books, through the method of Pigel. All the books brought up the phylogenetic systematics as a mechanism of biological classification in order to stimulate a nonlinear thinking on the emergence of species and contributing to the teaching of how to build phylogenetic trees according to recent research in the area, making the textbook a facilitator of the teaching/learning process in an evolutionary perspective.