https://repositorio.ufpb.br/jspui/handle/123456789/2349 2026-09-01T19:33:42Z https://repositorio.ufpb.br/jspui/handle/123456789/38482 Título: Preditores de paisagem da herbivoria em cultivos de subsistência da caatinga Autor(es): Alexandre, Alyce Paiva Orientador: Santos, Bráulio Almeida Abstract: Agriculture plays a fundamental role in food security, but its expansion into natural ecosystems entails biodiversity losses and changes in ecological processes, directly affecting productivity. In tropical and semiarid regions, such as the Caatinga, these transformations have relevant implications, since environmental fragility, marked by water scarcity and human pressure, imposes challenges to the maintenance of subsistence crops. In this context, understanding how landscape attributes, such as the proportion of conserved areas, the degree of fragmentation, and the diversity of land uses, influence interactions between plants and herbivores is essential to guide more sustainable agricultural practices. This study investigated herbivory in maize and bean crops in the Cariri region of Paraíba, relating the frequency and magnitude of foliar and reproductive damage with landscape predictors in order to relate these data with the predictors of the local landscape. Seventeen properties were evaluated, where damages were recorded on leaves and fruits of both crops. It was observed that the density of forest fragments was the most consistent predictor, being associated with the increase in herbivory frequency, while forest cover and human impact on the matrix showed variable effects between leaves and fruits, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. In maize, fragmentation was linked to a higher frequency of foliar damage, and the ears responded to multiple landscape factors, including forest cover and anthropization. In beans, more conserved areas favored damage on leaves but reduced the incidence of arthropods in pods, suggesting that native vegetation plays an ambivalent role by providing both refuge for herbivores and support for natural enemies. Despite these variations, the average magnitude of herbivory was low (around 2%), not compromising the productivity of family farms. Thus, herbivory can be understood as a natural component of agroecosystems, whose impact is limited in small-scale crops and can be managed through strategies that integrate conservation and traditional agricultural practices. The results show that landscape predictors, especially fragmentation, are determining factors in the modulation of ecological interactions in the Caatinga. Therefore, the maintenance and restoration of native areas around crops represent important strategies to reconcile agricultural production and environmental conservation in semiarid regions. Editor: Universidade Federal da Paraíba Tipo: TCC 2025-09-02T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufpb.br/jspui/handle/123456789/38481 Título: Biomassa e densidade de térmitas em uma área de cerrado brasileiro Autor(es): Silva, Amanda de Pádua Oliveira da Orientador: Vasconcellos, Alexandre Abstract: Termites are eusocial insects of immense importance in tropical ecosystems, where they play a critical role in the decomposition of organic matter and nutrient cycling. Knowledge of their biomass provides a relevant functional indicator to measure the intensity of their ecosystem services. Based on this, the present study aimed to quantify termite biomass and density and analyze their microhabitat distribution in a Cerrado sensu stricto area within the IBGE Ecological Reserve, Federal District, Brazil. Termite biomass and density were estimated through standardized sampling across four distinct microhabitats: soil, dead wood, leaf litter, and conspicuous nests. The quantified community encompassed 17 termite taxa. The total average density was 10299.82±4246.19 indiv./m2 and the total dry biomass was 3.86±1.61 g/m2 (14,9 g/m2 of fresh mass). The largest portion of this biomass was sustained by subterranean and soil-feeding (humivorous) species. The soil emerged as the main microhabitat, concentrating 97.8% of the total density and 97.3% of the total biomass. The biomass and density values found are among the highest ever documented in the world. These data qualify the study area as an activity hotspot for these insects and highlight their importance as ecosystem engineers, especially within the domain's nutrient-poor soils. Editor: Universidade Federal da Paraíba Tipo: TCC 2025-10-10T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufpb.br/jspui/handle/123456789/38479 Título: Estudo das causas da mortalidade de vieiras Nodipecten nodosus (MOLLUSCA:BIVALVIA) em Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro Autor(es): Silva, Felipe Soares da Orientador: Scardua, Patríca Mirella da Silva Abstract: The scallop Nodipecten nodosus is one of the most economically valuable bivalves cultivated in Brazil. Until 2017, the largest national production of scallops occurred in Ilha Grande Bay (RJ), when consecutive mortality episodes began, severely compromising production and leading to significant economic losses. Recurrent mortalities represent an obstacle to the continuity and sustainability of the sector. Mortality events in bivalves have already been recorded in bivalve populations on other continents, the causes of which have been associated with both specific infectious agents and a combination of factors. This study aimed to analyze the health of scallops and search for potential agents associated with successive mortality events. Between May and June 2024, scallops were collected from a farm in Angra dos Reis (N = 50) a few days after a mortality event and from Cabo Frio (N = 20, control area). The animals were opened, and tissues were removed and preserved for diagnostic procedures: PCR for detection of the protozoan Perkinsus spp. and oyster herpesvirus (OsHV-1); and histological sections for assessment of overall health status. The results showed sporadic, non-pathological presence of some microorganisms in scallops from Angra dos Reis: ciliates in the intestinal lumen, unidentified protozoa, possibly phagocytosed, in the intestinal epithelium, and copepods in the stomach lumen.Perkinsus spp. or herpesvirus were not detected. All animals from Angra dos Reis showed significant changes in the digestive gland, the organ responsible for nutrient assimilation, characterized by atrophy of the digestive tubules and accumulation of yellowbrown material in the lumen. In the epithelium of the stomach and intestine, there was disorganization of the architecture, with loss of cohesion between cells and hemocyte infiltration (47%). In the mantle epithelium, some regions showed exacerbated melanization (42%). The presence of infiltrated cells in the connective tissue of various organs was observed (26%), with anaplastic, hypertrophied characteristics and a high nucleus-cytoplasm ratio, associated with the presence of mitotic figures, characterizing cell proliferation. These characteristics are typical of disseminated neoplasia in bivalves, which may have a hemocyte origin. In Cabo Frio, there was only an accumulation of yellow-brown material (40%) without atrophy of the digestive tubules and intense melanization in the mantle (10%). It is not possible to conclude that the histopathological changes detected are the cause of scallop mortality, but they indicate a situation of physiological stress in the animals. If confirmed, disseminated neoplasia would be the first case in pectinids. Editor: Universidade Federal da Paraíba Tipo: TCC 2025-09-29T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufpb.br/jspui/handle/123456789/38469 Título: Nascimento anunciado: um esforço da conservação integrado à educação ambiental não-formal como paradigma para proteção às tartarugas-marinhas Autor(es): Lima, Rafael Gomes de Orientador: Matias, Aluska da Silva Abstract: Human activities, intensified since the Industrial Revolution, generate significant impacts on the environment, affecting both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The marine environment, in particular, suffers from the disposal of industrial and urban waste, which directly harms wildlife, such as sea turtles. Historically, these animals were predatorily exploited through the hunting of females and the collection of eggs, factors that led to the population decline of several species. In Brazil, there are five species of sea turtles (Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata, Lepidochelys olivacea, and Dermochelys coriacea), all of which are threatened with extinction, with C. mydas classified as vulnerable. The coast of Paraíba is a crucial nesting area for Eretmochelys imbricata. However, the city's artificial lighting disorients the newly-born hatchlings, which move towards the light instead of the sea. To mitigate this impact, the Guajiru Association manages the nests and promotes Environmental Education initiatives in non-formal settings. In this context, the study was developed to investigate the public's perception and the impact of the Guajiru Association's Environmental Education activities during the assisted sea turtle hatchings in João Pessoa (PB). The research sought to understand how the public is impacted by these events and whether this is an effective way of raising awareness for the conservation of turtles and the ocean. Using a qualitative approach that was exploratory, descriptive, and phenomenological, the research analyzed the participants' experiences and perceptions. The results showed a predominant participation of women; most participants resided in the municipality of João Pessoa and held a higher education degree. Furthermore, 66.1% of the respondents had participated in the studied activity. This made it possible to perceive the importance of the Association's work, revealing that participation in the assisted hatchings causes a significant transformation in the public's awareness and engagement in marine conservation. The activity not only increases knowledge about sea turtles but also provides emotional moments for the people who participated and reported a range of different feelings. Editor: Universidade Federal da Paraíba Tipo: TCC 2025-10-10T00:00:00Z