ABSTRACT. In the present study, we used morphological and behavioral analyses to assess the effects of seasonality and morphoclimatic patterns on the morphology, behavior, and distribution of 71 colonies of Africanized honey bees in 3 distinct ecoregions (Zona da Mata, Agreste, and Sertão) within the State of Sergipe, north-eastern Brazil. We found a high rate of gene flow among the studied colonies. However, there were pronounced morphological differences among localities and ecoregions, and body shape (r = 0.06239; P = 0.05) and size (P < 0.001) varied with altitude. Regional groups were separated by phenotypic plasticity, rather than genetic divergence. We also found a significant difference in the hygienic behavior of these populations between the dry and rainy seasons (P = 0.022; α = 0.05) and between ecoregions (P = 0.001; α = 0.05). The main modulator of hygienic behavior was the influence of temperature (ρ = 0.065; P = 0.471; α = 0.05) and altitude (ρ = -0.294; P = 0.001; α = 0.05) on rainfall (ρ = 0.274; P = 0.002; α = 0.05). This supports the hypothesis that environmental factors influence the expression of hygienic behavior trait. The influence of environmental factors on the morphology, behavior, and distribution of Africanized honey bees, together with the identified polyphenisms, indicate high genetic variability within these populations that can be exploited in future bee handling and breeding programs.

Agriculture is frequently held accountable for the depletion of biotic diversity, although a few agroforestry systems support the conservation of a number of organisms. Cocoa farming is noteworthy as an example of an agricultural activity that benefits or maintains species richness. However, the mechanism by which the biodiversity persists throughout the entire process of plant development remains obscure. In Southeastern Bahia, Brazil, cacao tree plantations support the conservation of a large amount of organisms native to the Atlantic Forest, between them the ants. This study aims at recording the relationship between cocoa tree development and ant community structure. The experiment was carried out in a series of six cocoa tree plantations aged one, three, four, eight, fifteen and 33 years, distributed across the experimental grounds of the Cocoa Research Center at Ilhéus. 1,500 ant samples were collected using the sampling techniques: hand collection, honey and sardine baits, entomological blanket and “pitfall”. Highest values for diversity and richness were reported in the 15-years-old cocoa plantation. No significant correlations between diversity, richness or plant age were reported. Considering the faunistic composition, a statistical similarity was observed between the plantations close in age to one another. Plant aging did not exert any influence on the diversity gradient and richness in the succession process of the ant community. In young plantations, there are low differences between the ants found on the ground and the ones found on the young cocoa trees. In older plantations, the ant community divides in two distinct assemblages on the ground and on the trees. The variations observed in the ant community along the plant development were likely caused by the structural organization of the dominant species mosaic.

Composed of two main forest formations, Ombrophilous Forest and Seasonal Forest, the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome is constituted currently by a mosaic of forest remnants and secondary vegetation. Representatives of the Ponerinae ant genus Neoponera are observed mainly in both wet and seasonally dry forests. The aim of this study was to approach the diversity of the genus Neoponera in the north of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil (from the extreme north of its distribution to the Doce River hydrographic basin in the south), associating the occurrence of ant species with the types of vegetation. We have compiled occurrence data from the collection of the Myrmecology Laboratory of the Cocoa Research Center, on internet, or available in literature. We found information on 23 species of Neoponera, including a new record for the Atlantic Forest, Neoponera globularia (Mackay & Mackay, 2010), and a new record for Brazil, Neoponera fiebrigi Forel, 1912. The relative composition of the Neoponera assemblages was evaluated according to the types of vegetation. We found that the occurrence of the genus Neoponera is mainly related to the types of vegetation of the focus region, principally dense forests where a higher diversity was observed.

Resumo: A peçonha de formigas tem sido investigada por ser uma potencial fonte de peptídeos com alta atividade antimicrobiana. O que a torna uma fonte atrativa para o isolamento de novos compostos químicos para o combate aos microrganismos resistentes ou como repelente contra outras formigas, principalmente as consideradas pragas. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar se a peçonha de Dinoponera quadriceps possui atividade repelente contra a formiga cortadeira Atta sexdens e se também possui ação antimicrobiana. Colônias de D. quadriceps foram coletadas por meio da escavação dos ninhos e captura manual dos indivíduos no município de Esplanada/BA. Os espécimes coletados foram mantidos em ninhos artificiais no Museu de Zoologia da UNEB, Campus II -Alagoinhas/BA. Foram utilizadas duas técnicas de extração da peçonha. Na primeira, extraiuse a peçonha de cinco formigas utilizando-se um microtubo graduado. Na segunda, a extração consistiu na imobilização de um indivíduo com pinça entomológica e o ferrão introduzido em um tubo capilar. Este tubo foi colocado em contato com água destilada e posteriormente a substância extraída foi impregnada em papel filtro. Os bioensaios foram realizados em béqueres de 500 mL. Ambas as técnicas de extração da peçonha foram repetidas 10 vezes, para cada bioensaio, e as 10 operárias de A. sexdens foram coletadas individualmente para a realização de cada experimento e descartadas em seguida. Posteriormente, foi avaliado o comportamento das operárias. Para avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana foi utilizado o método da difusão em discos, com base no halo de inibição contra as bactérias Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli e Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Os testes com a peçonha de D. quadríceps, não apresentaram ação repelente e nem atividade antibacteriana.