http://hdl.handle.net/11422/13 Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:32:08 GMT 2026-07-22T16:32:08Z http://hdl.handle.net/11422/29755 Title: Comportamento reprodutivo de centris analis, centris tarsata emegachile microsoma (hymenoptera: apidae, megachilidae) na Amazônia Oriental, Brasil Author(s)/Inventor(s): Pereira, Diego Marinho Advisor: Vivallo, Felipe Abstract: Solitary bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) make up the majority of existing bee species. Despite their vast diversity in life histories, little is known about their reproductive biology compared to other aspects of their bionomy. Among solitary bees, those that nest in the soil have had their reproductive behavior studied more thoroughly than those that nest in other substrates, such as in pre-existing cavities. This study aimed to provide unprecedented data on the reproductive behavior of three species of solitary bees: Centris (Hemisiella) tarsata Smith, 1874, C. (Heterocentris) analis (Fabricius, 1804), and Megachile (Ptilosarus) microsoma Cockerell, 1912. The first two species are well known regarding their nesting biology, but no data exists on their reproductive behavior. M. microsoma, on the other hand, has very little information available about its bionomy and nothing in known about its reproductive behavior. The bees were collected in the Amazon biome on Ilha do Maranhão, Maranhão, Brazil, between 2021 and 2023 using trap nests. All species studied were protandrous and females mated only once. Centris analis had the longest copulation, while M. microsoma had the shortest. There are indications of diferente reproductive strategies among Centris species, which may be related to the theories of “Sexual Conflict” and the “Cryptic Female Choice”. In M. microsoma, certainmorphological peculiarities may be linked to the way the bee mates. Publisher: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Type: Tese Sun, 25 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/11422/29755 2025-05-25T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11422/29732 Title: Efeito do brodifacoum na colonização da dipterofauna sarcossaprófaga durante processo de decomposição de carcaças de porco doméstico Author(s)/Inventor(s): Oliveira, Rodrigo Gonçalves de Advisor: Couri, Márcia Souto Abstract: Entomotoxicology consists of the toxicological analysis of necrophagous insects with the aim of detecting toxic compounds in decomposing tissues, especially when human samples are unavailable. Sarcosaprophagous insects are widely employed in criminal investigations both to identify toxic substances and to assess their effects on larval development, contributing to the estimation of the minimum Postmortem Interval (PMI)—an essential tool in cases where bodies are found in an advanced state of decomposition, as frequently observed in suicides. According to high global incidence, suicide is considered a major public health issue, with poisoning accounting for approximately one-third of cases, often associated with the use of pesticides. In this context, this thesis aimed to investigate the sarcosaprophagous dipteran fauna associated with the decomposition of pig carcasses poisoned with brodifacoum, a rodenticide widely used in pest control. To this end, the dipteran fauna was identified and compared across all decomposition stages and experimental models. The results indicated that the lethal dose of brodifacoum did not prevent the attraction and oviposition of necrophagous dipterans, with the same species observed in both control and treated models. However, differences in relative abundance were found in groups treated with twice the lethal dose, which exhibited a lower number of individuals. Furthermore, the estimation of the minimum PMI based on accumulated degree days (ADD) demonstrated that the presence of supra-lethal doses of brodifacoum delayed colonization, resulting in an underestimation of the minimum PMI. Despite these delays, the estimated values remained within the expected range for the main species, supporting the use of entomofauna for forensic purposes even in cases involving anticoagulant poisoning. Publisher: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Type: Tese Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/11422/29732 2025-07-30T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11422/29693 Title: Aspectos do metabolismo de manose em Saccharomyces cerevisiae e produção de etanol a partir da semente de açaí Author(s)/Inventor(s): Brand, Mayla Ramos Duarte Advisor: Silva, Ayla Sant’Ana da Abstract: The açaí seed represents about 85% of the fruit’s total mass, generating approximately 1.6 million tons of waste annually, most of which is improperly discarded, causing environmental and sanitary problems. Since around 50% of the seed is composed of mannan, an alternative use is its conversion into mannose followed by fermentation to ethanol. This study aimed to understand the metabolic aspects involved in mannose fermentation and to evaluate ethanol production parameters using hydrolysate from açaí seeds. Metabolic aspects were analyzed in four Saccharomyces cerevisiae laboratory strains with deletions in the genes encoding the enzymes Hxk1, Hxk2, and Glk1, responsible for converting mannose into mannose-6-phosphate, allowing only one enzyme to be expressed per strain. One strain, lacking all three enzymes, was referred to as the triple-deletion strain. All strains grew on mannose in solid medium except for the triple-deletion strain. In liquid medium with 2% sugars, the presence of at least one enzyme was sufficient for mannose consumption and ethanol production, whereas the triple-deletion strain showed no mannose metabolism or ethanol formation. Hxk1 and Hxk2 were more relevant for catabolite repression, showing ethanol production efficiencies of 96.81% and 99.07% (after 6 h), while Glk1 reached 26.54%. Additionally, 13 brewing strains and two industrial fuel-ethanol-producing strains (CAT-1 and Ethanol Red) were evaluated to identify those with higher fermentative potential. Qualitative assays in solid medium showed similar growth in mannose and glucose, and a liquid medium assay with 5% sugars and 1 g/L inoculum led to the selection of CAT-1, ART06, and ART48. Considering the importance of catabolite repression, the repressive effect of mannose was assessed, showing that after 4 h, mannose had a similar effect to glucose in all strains. To study ethanol production, sugar and inoculum concentrations were evaluated. Fermentations with 50 g/L sugars (91% mannose, 9% glucose) and 10 g/L inoculum resulted in sugar consumption of 91.06% (CAT-1), 93.87% (ART06), and 87.49% (ART48), with ethanol production efficiencies of 84.01%, 92.68%, and 96.10%, respectively. Fermentations with 100 g/L sugars reduced efficiencies to 72.11% (CAT-1), 76.75% (ART06), and 72.98% (ART48). Finally, the enzymatic hydrolysate of açaí seed supplemented with nutrients (100 g/L sugars and 10 g/L inoculum) resulted in efficiencies of 84.89% (CAT-1), 81.32% (ART06), and 90.83% (ART48). The study demonstrated that CAT-1, ART06, and ART48 have strong potential for mannose fermentation from açaí seeds, with efficiencies above 85%. The presence of at least one of the enzymes Hxk1, Hxk2, or Glk1 is sufficient for mannose metabolism, with Hxk1 and Hxk2 being crucial for catabolite repression, confirming the technical feasibility of using this agro-industrial residue for second-generation ethanol production. Publisher: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Type: Dissertação Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/11422/29693 2025-10-24T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11422/29618 Title: Taxonomic review and phylogenetic analysis of the genus Aulacizes Amyot & Serville, 1843 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae: Proconiini) Author(s)/Inventor(s): Pecly, Nathalia Hiluy Advisor: Mejdalani, Gabriel Abstract: This thesis is divided into two scientific papers: the first addresses species delimitation within the Aulacizes conspersa Walker, 1851 complex; the second consists of a taxonomic revision and a morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Neotropical genus Aulacizes Amyot & Serville, 1843. The first article (and chapter) aims to understand and define the boundaries among distinct evolutionary lineages of A. conspersa through singlelocus molecular species delimitation methods, in conjunction with a detailed morphological analysis. Mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (ITS2) DNA sequences were used and analyzed using various delimitation approaches, including ABGD, ASAP, GMYC, bPTP, mPTP, and PTP. The second article (and chapter) presents a taxonomic revision of Aulacizes, along with phylogenetic analyses based on morphological data (92 characters) and molecular data (four genes: 16S, H3, COI, and COII). According to the results, Aulacizes still includes nine valid species, albeit with a new taxonomic arrangement: A. conspersa Walker, 1851, A. erythrocephala (Germar, 1821), A. insistans (Walker, 1858), A. nigriceps Schmidt, 1928 stat. nov., sp. rev., A. obsoleta Melichar, 1926, A. persistans (Walker, 1858) sp. reval., A. quadripunctata (Germar, 1821) (type species), A. repanda (Signoret, 1855) sp. reval., and A. similata (Signoret, 1855). The phylogenetic analyses recovered Aulacizes as a monophyletic group, with Proconosama + (Paraulacizes + Pseudometopia) as its sister group, partially corroborating previous studies. Publisher: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Type: Tese Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/11422/29618 2025-06-10T00:00:00Z