Nutritional content of bat-consumed fruits in a forest fragment in Southern Brazil / Conteúdo nutricional de frutos consumidos por morcegos em um fragmento florestal do sul do Brasil

Abstract The State Park Mata dos Godoy has 42 identified bat species, among which 21 are frugivorous and belong to the Phyllostomidae family. Current study investigated the concentrations of carbohydrate, lipid and protein in fruits consumed by Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata and Sturnira lilium to understand their potential differentiated food preferences. The Sampling effort it was from April/2013 to March/2014. Animals captured in mist nets were identified in the field and maintained in cotton bags for 30 minutes to defecate. The diet was inferred from fecal samples analyzed in the laboratory, the fruits whose seeds were found in the feces had the determinations of the nutrients accomplished by centesimal composition method. Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's multiple comparison method verified the most abundant nutrients for each species of bat. Whereas Carollia perspicillata and Sturnira lilium feeds mainly in food with carbohydrates that provide them with more energy, the diet of Artibeus lituratus is richer in carbohydrates and lipids. Only fruits considered scarcely represent a complete nutrition for the three bat species, however, the complementarity with other food items such as leaves, pollen, and insects, can provide a complete nutrient diet for these animals.

Resumo O Parque Estadual Mata dos Godoy possui 42 espécies descritas de morcegos, dentre as quais 21 são frugívoras e representadas pela família Phyllostomidae. O objetivo foi verificar qual a concentração de carboidratos, lipídeos e proteínas nos frutos consumidos por Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, e Sturnira lilium para entender suas preferências alimentares diferenciadas. A amostragem se deu de abril/2013 a março/2014. Os animais capturados em redes de neblina foram identificados em campo e alocados em sacos de algodão por 30 minutos para defecarem. A dieta foi inferida a partir de amostras fecais analisadas em laboratório, os frutos cujas sementes foram encontradas nas fezes tiveram as determinações dos nutrientes realizadas por composição centesimal. Para verificar qual nutriente mais abundante na dieta foi realizado, para cada espécie de morcego, o teste de Kruskal Wallis seguido do método de comparações múltiplas de Dunn. Enquanto que Carollia perspicillata e Sturnira lilium alimentam-se de frutos que provém energia a partir de mais carboidratos, a dieta de Artibeus lituratus é rica não apenas em carboidratos como também lipídeos. Apenas os frutos analisados não representam uma nutrição completa para as três espécies de morcegos, no entanto, a complementariedade com outros itens alimentares como folhas, pólen e insetos, pode fornecer uma dieta completa em nutrientes para estes animais.

Species richness and abundance of bats in fragments of the stational semidecidual forest, Upper Paraná River, southern Brazil / Riqueza e abundância de espécies de morcegos em fragmentos de floresta estacional semidecidual do Alto Rio Paraná, sul do Brasil

The Upper Paraná River floodplain is inserted in a region of the Mata Atlântica biome, which is a critical area to preserve. Due to the scarcity of researches about the chiropterofauna in this region, the present study investigated species richness and abundance of bats in remnants from the stational semidecidual forest of the Upper Paraná River, southern Brazil. Samplings were taken every month, from January to December 2006, using 32 mist nets with 8.0 x 2.5 m, resulting in 640 m²/h and totaling a capture effort of 87,040 m²/h. In order to estimate the species richness, the following estimators were employed Chao1 and Jack2. During the study, a total of 563 individuals belonging to 17 species (Artibeus planirostris, Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, Platyrrhinus lineatus, Sturnira lilium, Artibeus fimbriatus, Myotis nigricans, Desmodus rotundus, Artibeus obscurus, Noctilio albiventris, Phylostomus discolor, Phylostomus hastatus, Chrotopterus auritus, Lasiurus ega, Chiroderma villosum, Pygoderma bilabiatum and Lasiurus blossevillii) were captured. The estimated richness curves tended to stabilize, indicating that most of the species were sampled. Captured species represented 10 percent of the taxa recorded in Brazil and 28 percent in Paraná State, revealing the importance of this area for the diversity of bats. These findings indicate the need to determine actions aiming to restrict human activities in these forest fragments, in order to minimize anthropogenic impacts on the chiropterofauna.

A planície de inundação do Alto Rio Paraná está inserida em uma região de bioma Mata Atlântica, área crítica para preservação. Pela carência de pesquisas acerca da quiropterofauna da região, o presente estudo investigou a riqueza e abundância de morcegos em remanescentes de floresta estacional semidecidual do alto rio Paraná, sul do Brasil. As amostragens foram realizadas mensalmente, de janeiro e dezembro de 2006, com a utilização de 32 redes de neblina com 8,0 x 2,5 m, resultando em 640 m²/h e totalizando um esforço de captura de 87.040 m²/h. Para a estimativa da riqueza foram utilizados os estimadores Chao1 e Jack2. Durante o estudo um total de 563 indivíduos pertencentes a 17 espécies (Artibeus planirostris, Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, Platyrrhinus lineatus, Sturnira lilium, Artibeus fimbriatus, Myotis nigricans, Desmodus rotundus, Artibeus obscurus, Noctilio albiventris, Phylostomus discolor, Phylostomus hastatus, Chrotopterus auritus, Lasiurus ega, Chiroderma villosum, Pygoderma bilabiatum e Lasiurus blossevillii) foram capturados. As curvas de riqueza estimada tenderam à estabilidade, indicando que a maioria das espécies foi amostrada. As espécies capturadas representaram 10 por cento dos táxons registrados para o Brasil e 28 por cento para o estado do Paraná, revelando a importância dessa área para a diversidade de morcegos. Estes resultados indicam a necessidade de serem estabelecidas medidas para a restrição de atividades humanas nos fragmentos buscando-se minimizar os impactos antropogênicos sobre a quiropterofauna.

Genotyping hepatitis C virus from hemodialysis patients in Central Brazil by line probe assay and sequence analysis

The present study examined the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and subtypes in a hemodialysis population in Goiás State, Central Brazil, and evaluated the efficiency of two genotyping methods: line probe assay (LiPA) based on the 5' noncoding region and nucleotide sequencing of the nonstructural 5B (NS5B) region of the genome. A total of 1095 sera were tested for HCV RNA by RT-nested PCR of the 5' noncoding region. The LiPA assay was able to genotype all 131 HCV RNA-positive samples. Genotypes 1 (92.4 percent) and 3 (7.6 percent) were found. Subtype 1a (65.7 percent) was the most prevalent, followed by subtypes 1b (26.7 percent) and 3a (7.6 percent). Direct nucleotide sequencing of 340 bp from the NS5B region was performed in 106 samples. The phylogenetic tree showed that 98 sequences (92.4 percent) were classified as genotype 1, subtypes 1a (72.6 percent) and 1b (19.8 percent), and 8 sequences (7.6 percent) as subtype 3a. The two genotyping methods gave concordant results within HCV genotypes and subtypes in 100 and 96.2 percent of cases, respectively. Only four samples presented discrepant results, with LiPA not distinguishing subtypes 1a and 1b. Therefore, HCV genotype 1 (subtype 1a) is predominant in hemodialysis patients in Central Brazil. By using sequence analysis of the NS5B region as a reference standard method for HCV genotyping, we found that LiPA was efficient at the genotype level, although some discrepant results were observed at the subtype level (sensitivity of 96.1 percent for subtype 1a and 95.2 percent for subtype 1b). Thus, analysis of the NS5B region permitted better discrimination between HCV subtypes, as required in epidemiological investigations.