ABSTRACT Fragments with vibrant colors and attractive textures in poultry house litter may be consumed considering that the confinement environment does not offer many opportunities for the development of the birds’s natural behavior. Control and quality programs aiming to reduce and to eliminate the consumption of materials from the construction of sheds have been implanted. However, it is necessary to develop studies for a better understanding of the bird’s ingestive behavior and the consequences for their health, welfare and productivity. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ingestive behavior of broilers exposed to metal, wood, glass and plastic fragments at different concentrations and sizes added to the poultry house litter and the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. A total of 360 birds were distributed in a completely randomized design over a 2x3 factorial scheme (2 fragment sizes: 2 to 7 mm and 5 to 8 mm and 3 concentrations: 0.1, 0.5 and 1%), totaling 6 treatments and 5 replicates. The fragments used were glass, wood, metal and plastic, in respective concentrations and sizes, distributed in the poultry house litter. The supply of fragments or the accidental occurrence of similar fragments to which were analyzed in this study concerning the poultry house litter, with different sizes, colors and textures does not compromise the integrity of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and the welfare of the birds.

Para o uso de Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare e LaSalle, 1993 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) no controle biológico de Thyrinteina arnobia (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) em eucalipto, é necessário estudar suas exigências térmicas, pois a temperatura pode afetar o metabolismo e aspectos bioecológicos dos insetos. Objetivou-se assim, determinar as exigências térmicas e o número de gerações de P. elaeisis em diferentes regiões com florestas de Eucalyptus. Permitiu-se o parasitismo por 24 horas e, após esse período, as pupas foram transferidas para câmaras climatizadas a 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 e 31 °C, 70 ± 10% de umidade relativa e fotofase de 14 horas. Verificou-se que o aumento da temperatura reduziu a duração média do ciclo de vida de P. elaeisis, sendo que a 31 °C o parasitoide não concluiu seu ciclo de vida em pupas de T. arnobia. A progênie do parasitoide por pupa variou de 6 a 1238 indivíduos e foi maior a 16 °C. A temperatura base (Tb) e constante térmica (K) desse parasitoide foram de 3,92 °C e 478,85 graus-dia, respectivamente. O número estimado de gerações anuais de P. elaeisis, em pupas de T. arnobia, para os municípios de Linhares, ES, Pompéu e Viçosa, MG e Dourados, MS foi de 14,98; 13,87; 11,75; e 14,10, respectivamente.

To use Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle, 1993 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in a biological control programme of Thyrinteina arnobia (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), it is necessary to study thermal requirements, because temperature can affect the metabolism and bioecological aspects. The objective was to determine the thermal requirements and estimate the number of generations of P. elaeisis in different Eucalyptus plantations regions. After 24 hours in contact with the parasitoid, the pupae was placed in 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 °C, 70 ± 10% of relative humidity and 14 hours of photophase. The duration of the life cycle of P. elaeisis was reduced with the increase in the temperature. At 31 °C the parasitoid could not finish the cycle in T. arnobia pupae. The emergence of P. elaeisis was not affected by the temperature, except at 31 °C. The number of individuals was between six and 1238 per pupae, being higher at 16 °C. The thermal threshold of development (Tb) and the thermal constant (K) of this parasitoid were 3.92 °C and 478.85 degree-days (GD), respectively, allowing for the completion of 14.98 generations per year in Linhares, Espírito Santo State, 13.87 in Pompéu and 11.75 in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State and 14.10 in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul State.

A espécie invasora mexilhão dourado, Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857), foi introduzida na bacia do Rio da Prata e rapidamente se expandiu em direção ao norte, nos rios Paraguai e Paraná. A modelagem de nicho ecológico com base em variáveis limnológicas foi utilizada para prever a expansão do mexilhão dourado na bacia do Alto Paraguai. Foram usados três métodos para prever a distribuição espacial do mexilhão dourado: 1) a distribuição espacial da concentração de cálcio e o índice de saturação do carbonato de cálcio (calcita); 2) a modelagem utilizando o algoritmo Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Production (GARP); e 3) a modelagem usando o Maximum Entropy Method (Maxent). Outras variáveis como temperatura da água, oxigênio dissolvido, pH e sólidos totais suspensos também foram utilizadas na modelagem. Importantes tributários do Rio Paraguai como Cuiabá e Miranda exibem alto risco de invasão, e menores riscos foram observados para águas mais diluídas na parte média da bacia, onde a calcificação das conchas pode ser limitada pela baixa concentração do cálcio e dos carbonatos minerais abaixo do nível de saturação.

The invasive golden mussel, Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857), was introduced into the La Plata River estuary and quickly expanded upstream to the North, into the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. An ecological niche modeling approach, based on limnological variables, was used to predict the expansion of the golden mussel in the Paraguay River and its tributaries. We used three approaches to predict the geographic distribution: 1) the spatial distribution of calcium concentration and the saturation index for calcium carbonate (calcite); 2) the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Production (GARP) model; and the 3) Maximum Entropy Method (Maxent) model. Other limnological variables such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) were used in the latter two cases. Important tributaries of the Paraguay River such as the Cuiabá and Miranda/Aquidauana rivers exhibit high risk of invasion, while lower risk was observed in the chemically dilute waters of the middle basin where shell calcification may be limited by low calcium concentrations and carbonate mineral undersaturation.