Background The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi circulates in semiarid areas of northeastern Brazil in distinct ecotopes (sylvatic, peridomestic and domestic) where Triatoma brasiliensis Neiva, 1911 is the most important Chagas disease vector. In this study, we analyzed microevolutionary and demographic aspects of T. brasiliensis populations at the ecotypic, micro and macro-geographic scales by combining morphometrics and molecular results. Additionally, we aimed to address the resolution of both markers for delimiting populations in distinct scales. Methods We sampled populations of T. brasiliensis from distinct ecotypic and geographic sites in the states Rio Grande do Norte (RN) and Paraíba (PB). The geometric morphometry was carried out with 13 landmarks on the right wings (n = 698) and the genetic structure was assessed by sequencing a region of cytochrome b mitochondrial gene (n = 221). Mahalanobis distance (MD) and coefficient of molecular differentiation (ΦST) were calculated among all pairs of populations. The results of comparisons generated MD and ΦST dendrograms, and graphics of canonical variate analysis (CVA). Results Little structure was observed for both markers for macro-geographic scales. Mantel tests comparing geographic, morphometric and genetic matrices showed low correlation (all R2 < 0.35). The factorial graphics built with the CVA evidenced population delimitation for the morphometric data at micro-geographic scales. Conclusions We believe that T. brasiliensis carries in its genotype a source of information to allow the phenotypical plasticity across its whole distribution for shaping populations, which may have caused a lack of population delimitation for CVAs in morphometric analysis for macro-geographic scale analysis. On the other hand, the pattern of morphometric results in micro-geographic scales showed well-defined groups, highlighting the potential of this tool to inferences on the source for infestation.

Background The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi circulates in semiarid areas of the northeastern of Brazil in distinct ecotopes (sylvatic, peridomestic and domestic) where Triatoma brasiliensis is the most important Chagas disease vector.Methods We sampled populations of T. brasiliensis from distinct ecotypic and geographic sites in the Rio Grande do Norte (RN) and Paraíba (PB) States to compare the results of morphometric and genetic variations. The geometric morphometry was carried out with 13 landmarks on the right wings ( N =698) and the genetic structure was assessed by sequencing a region of cytochrome B mitochondrial gene ( N =221). Mahalanobis distance (DM) and molecular differentiation coefficient (Φ ST ) were calculated among all pairs of populations.Results The results of comparisons generated MD and Φ ST dendrograms, and graphics of canonical variate analysis (CVA). Little structure was observed for both markers for macro-geographic scales. Mantel tests comparing geographic, morphometric and genetic matrices showed low correlation (all R 2 <0.35). The factorial graphics built with the CVA evidenced population delimitation for the morphometric data at micro-geographic-scales.Conclusions We believe that T. brasiliensis carries in its genotype a source of information to allow the phenotypical plasticity across its whole distribution for shaping populations, which may have caused a lack of population delimitation for CVAs in morphometric analysis for macro-geographic scale analysis when populations are grouped. On the other hand, the pattern of morphometric results in micro-geographic scales highlights the potential of this tool to infer the source for infestation.

The State of São Paulo presents a worrying situation in relation to the water support capacity, especially in the metropolitan regions that are around the capital. This situation got more evident in the years 2014 and 2015, when there was a climatic exceptionality in the Southeast Region of Brazil, which resulted in deficits of rain and consequent drought in the state. In the Paulista Macrometrópole, the effects of drought were accentuated by the existing conditions in water resources, resulting in an unprecedented water crisis. However, the water crisis also had an effect on agricultural production in the macro-metropolitan region, with consequences for the vegetable market, especially for leafy vegetables, which is regional, affecting, for example, the lettuce and cabbage crop. This was the case of the municipality of Piedade, located in the metropolitan region of Sorocaba, and which is an important supplier of vegetables to São Paulo, Campinas and Sorocaba. In this municipality, agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the economy, being mostly composed of family farmers. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the water crisis that occurred in 2014 and 2015 in Piedade / SP, its relationship with family farming and water management in the hydrographic basin. The hypothesis assumed in this paper is that water scarcity can weaken family farming in Piedade.Therefore, to carry out the research, the case study method was adopted with two lines of investigation, the documentary and bibliographic research and semi-structured interviews with farmers and local managers. Data analysis was performed through content analysis. The results showed that the water crisis that occurred in the municipality of Piedade, back in 2014 and 2015, was the result of the combination of climatic factors and the increase in water use, mainly due to the use of irrigation in agricultural production, which were accentuated by the degradation of water resources and the lack of infrastructure for the public water supply system. The conditions that led to the situation of water crisis in the period were little changed, indicating that the risk of water scarcity remains in the municipality, representing a threat to the municipality's economy and the maintenance of family farming.

ResumoO presente trabalho estabelece relação entre a terceira tese de Boaventura: "Todo conhecimento é autoconhecimento" com o projeto "Ciência, Pesquisa e Cidadania" realizado na Faculdade de Educação (FE) por meio do Programa de Bolsas de Iniciação Cientifica para o Ensino Médio (PIBIC-EM), que teve como objetivo evidenciar a distância e aproximação entre o sujeito e o objeto nas atividades desenvolvidas com as alunas bolsistas.

Médio (PIBIC-EM), teve como objetivo estabelecer um dialogo entre as diversas áreas do conhecimento com as principais correntes de pesquisa. Para o desenvolvimento das atividades fizemos leituras previamente selecionadas com a utilização de mapas mentais e árvores de problemas. Palavras-chave: