Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants (Atta) in Laboratory Conditions.

Ants are one of the most biodiverse groups of animals on the planet and inhabit different environments. The maintenance of ant colonies in controlled environments enables an enriched comprehension of their biology that can contribute to applied research. This practice is usually employed in population control studies of species that cause economic loss, such as Atta ants. To cultivate their mutualistic fungus, these leaf-cutting ants collect leaves and for this are considered agricultural pests widely distributed throughout the American continent. They are highly socially organized and inhabit elaborated underground nests composed of a variety of chambers. Their maintenance in a controlled environment depends on a daily routine of several procedures and frequent care that are described here. It starts with the collection of queens during the reproductive season (i.e., nuptial flight), which are then individually transferred to plastic containers. Due to the high mortality rate of queens, a second collection can be carried out about 6 months after the nuptial flight, when incipient nests with developed fungus wad are excavated, hand-picked, and placed in plastic containers. In the laboratory, leaves are daily provided to established colonies, and ant-produced waste is weekly removed along with remaining dry plant material. As the fungus garden keeps growing, colonies are transferred to different types of containers according to the experimental purpose. Leaf-cutting ant colonies are placed in interconnected containers, representing the organizational system with functional chambers built by those insects in nature. This setup is ideal to monitor factors such as waste amount, fungus garden health, and the behavior of workers and queen. Facilitated data collection and more detailed observations are considered the greatest advantage of keeping ant colonies in controlled conditions.

Exploring the diversity and potential interactions of bacterial and fungal endophytes associated with different cultivars of olive (Olea europaea) in Brazil.

The olive crop has expanded in the southeastern region of South America, particularly in Brazil. Thus, the objectives of this study were to identify the diversity of endophytic microorganisms associated with olive leaves with culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, to explore which factors influence the composition and abundance of this microbial community, to identify the trophic mode of these fungi by FunGuild and, to verify type associations between bacterial and fungal communities. Leaf samples were collected from 93 plants in nine locations in the Brazilian states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Leaves were first superficially disinfected before fungal isolation and next-generation metabarcoding sequencing was completed targeting the 16S rRNA regions for bacteria and ITS1 for fungi. In total, 800 isolates were obtained, which were grouped into 191 morphotypes and molecularly identified, resulting in 38 genera, 32 of which were recorded for the first time in cultivated olive trees in Brazil. For the isolated fungi, the most abundant trophic level was pathotrophic and for the culture-independent method was unidentified followed by symbiotrophic. The metabarcoding results revealed that factors such as plant age, altitudinal gradient, and geographic location can influence the microbial community of commercial olive plants, while the specific cultivar did not.

ATLANTIC ANTS: a data set of ants in Atlantic Forests of South America.

Ants, an ecologically successful and numerically dominant group of animals, play key ecological roles as soil engineers, predators, nutrient recyclers, and regulators of plant growth and reproduction in most terrestrial ecosystems. Further, ants are widely used as bioindicators of the ecological impact of land use. We gathered information of ant species in the Atlantic Forest of South America. The ATLANTIC ANTS data set, which is part of the ATLANTIC SERIES data papers, is a compilation of ant records from collections (18,713 records), unpublished data (29,651 records), and published sources (106,910 records; 1,059 references), including papers, theses, dissertations, and book chapters published from 1886 to 2020. In total, the data set contains 153,818 ant records from 7,636 study locations in the Atlantic Forest, representing 10 subfamilies, 99 genera, 1,114 ant species identified with updated taxonomic certainty, and 2,235 morphospecies codes. Our data set reflects the heterogeneity in ant records, which include ants sampled at the beginning of the taxonomic history of myrmecology (the 19th and 20th centuries) and more recent ant surveys designed to address specific questions in ecology and biology. The data set can be used by researchers to develop strategies to deal with different macroecological and region-wide questions, focusing on assemblages, species occurrences, and distribution patterns. Furthermore, the data can be used to assess the consequences of changes in land use in the Atlantic Forest on different ecological processes. No copyright restrictions apply to the use of this data set, but we request that authors cite this data paper when using these data in publications or teaching events.

Machaerium opacum Vogel (Fabaceae): phytochemical study and toxicity to Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

In this work was described the phytochemical investigation of Machaerium opacum Vogel (Fabaceae) leaves as well as the insecticidal activity of its crude extract and fractions against Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The phytochemical study led to the identification of α-amyrin, ß-amyrin, lupeol, phytol, isomucronulatol and rutin, described for the first time in M. opacum and mucronulatol. Insecticidal activity was assessed by the ingestion of the crude extract and fractions incorporated into an artificial diet at three different concentrations (0.2, 1.0 and 2.0 mg mL-1). Statistical analysis revealed that all the samples of M. opacum at all concentrations tested showed significant results when compared to the pure diet control.

Memory complaints at primary care in a middle-income country: clinical and neuropsychological characterization.

There are different causes of memory complaints in the elderly, such as subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. OBJECTIVE: 1) To characterize individuals with memory complaints in a mid-sized city in Brazil, through clinical, cognitive and functional assessment; 2) to compare SCD individuals with MCI and dementia patients in terms of clinical and cognitive variables. METHODS: We consecutively included individuals aged ≥50 years, with memory complaints (spontaneous or inquired). Subjects who scored ≥25 on the Memory Complaint Questionnaire or who had spontaneous memory complaints were selected. Participants underwent a semi-structured interview, the Mini-Mental State Examination, Figure Memory Test for visual episodic memory, Clock Drawing Test, Category Fluency (Animals), Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and functional assessment. Individuals were classified as SCD, MCI or dementia. We did not include individuals with previous diagnosis of dementia. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 91 subjects (73.6% women; mean age 67.6±9.8 years): 14.3% had spontaneous complaints and 85.7% had inquired complaints. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (69.2%), diabetes (36.3%), and dyslipidemia (24.2%). Low levels of vitamin B12 and hypothyroidism were found in 26.4 and 16.5%, respectively. Regarding cognitive diagnosis, 16.5% of the sample were classified as SCD, 49.4% as MCI and 34.1% as dementia. MCI and dementia were identified in five (38.5%) and seven (53.4%) patients with spontaneous complaint, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: MCI and dementia are frequently underdiagnosed. Potential reversible causes of cognitive decline are common. The diagnosis of dementia is highly frequent among individuals with spontaneous memory complaints.

Há diferentes causas de queixas de memória nos idosos, como declínio cognitivo subjetivo (DCS), comprometimento cognitivo leve (CCL) ou demências. OBJETIVO: 1) Caracterizar indivíduos com queixa de memória em uma cidade de médio porte do Brasil, por meio de avaliação clínica, cognitiva e funcional; 2) comparar indivíduos com DCS, com CCL e pacientes com demência em termos de variáveis clínicas e cognitivas. MÉTODOS: Incluiu-se, de modo consecutivo, indivíduos com idade ≥50 anos, com queixas de memória (espontânea ou inquirida). Foram selecionados participantes que pontuaram ≥25 no Questionário de Queixa de Memória ou que apresentaram queixa de memória espontânea. Todos foram submetidos à entrevista semiestruturada, Miniexame do Estado Mental, Teste de Figuras (teste de memória episódica visual), Teste do Desenho do Relógio, Fluência Semântica (Animais), Inventário Neuropsiquiátrico e avaliação funcional. Os indivíduos foram classificados em declínio cognitivo subjetivo (DCS), CCL e demência. RESULTADOS: A amostra final foi composta por 91 indivíduos (73,6% mulheres; média de idade 67,6±9,8 anos); 14,3% apresentaram queixa espontânea e 85,7%, queixa inquirida. As comorbidades mais comuns foram hipertensão (69,2%), diabetes (36,3%) e dislipidemia (24,2%). Baixos níveis de vitamina B12 e hipotireoidismo foram encontrados em 26,4 e 16,5%, respectivamente. Quanto ao diagnóstico cognitivo, 16,5% foram classificados como DCS, 49,4% como CCL e 34,1% como demência. CCL e demência foram respectivamente identificados em cinco (38,5%) e sete (53,4%) pacientes com queixa espontânea de memória. CONCLUSÕES: CCL e demência são frequentemente subdiagnosticados. Causas potencialmente reversíveis de declínio cognitivo foram frequentes na amostra. O diagnóstico de demência foi muito frequente entre indivíduos com queixas espontâneas de memória.