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Através de um sistema automatizado, a atividade do vôo de forrageiras de quatro colônias de Plebeia remota foi registrada ao mesmo tempo, de dezembro de 1998 a dezembro de 1999. Havia uma quantidade grande de dados que permitiram uma análise quantitativa e sazonal do impacto da pluviosidade sobre a atividade de vôo. As colônias vieram de duas localidades diferentes: Cunha, Mata Atlântica de São Paulo e Prudentópolis, Mata Araucária no Paraná. Números percentuais referentes à atividade de vôo para o momento que antecedia em uma hora a chuva, como também durante e após a precipitação, são apresentados. Em todas as colônias observaram-se, predominantemente, decréscimos na atividade externa de P. remota, tanto antes como durante a precipitação. Após cessar a chuva, houve um predomínio de acréscimos, o que indica uma compensação da atividade de vôo em relação ao período chuvoso. De modo geral, o maior decréscimo de atividade de vôo, antes da chuva, ocorreu no outono e o maior acréscimo de atividade de vôo, depois da chuva, ocorreu na primavera. Alterações nesta atividade foram observadas com a variação da intensidade, freqüência e duração das precipitações pluviométricas. A atividade externa foi pouco alterada quando a precipitação foi de até 1,0 mm, mas com o aumento de intensidade, os valores de decréscimo nesta atividade aumentaram. Quando a precipitação ocorreu apenas uma vez por dia, os decréscimos na atividade de vôo foram maiores, comparados às chuvas intermitentes. Chuvas com duração maior que 1 hora causaram decréscimos maiores na atividade de vôo, do que precipitações de curta duração. A atividade do vôo foi bem diferente quando comparados dias com chuva e dias sem chuva, assim como a atividade do vôo foi influenciada diferentemente em dias chuvosos no verão e no inverno. Entretanto, este comportamento não permitiu discriminar as populações. Through an automated system, foragers' flight activity of four colonies of Plebeia remota was registered simultaneously from December 1998 to December 1999. The large amount of data obtained has allowed a quantitative and seasonal analysis of the rain impact on the bees' flight activity. The colonies came from two different localities: Cunha, Atlantic Rainforest in São Paulo State and Prudentópolis, Araucaria Forest in Paraná State. Percent numbers related to the flight activity for the moment that preceded the rain in one hour, as well as during and after the precipitation are presented. In all colonies, it was observed that the flight activity of P. remota has predominantly decreased before and during the precipitation. After it stopped raining, there was a predominance of increases, what indicates a compensation of flight activity in relation to the rainy period. In general, the greatest decrease of flight activity before rain, occurred in the autumn and the greatest increase of flight activity after rain, occurred in the spring. Alterations in this activity were observed with the variation of intensity, frequency and duration of precipitation. The external activity was little modified when the precipitation was up to 1.0 mm. However, when the rain intensity increased, the bees reduced strongly their flight activity. When the rain occurred only once per day, the decreases in the flight activity were greater, when compared to intermittent rain. Rains that lasted more than one hour caused larger decreases in the flight activity than precipitations of short duration. Flight activity was quite different when we compared days with rain and days without rain, as well as, flight activity was differently influenced in rainy days in the summer and in the winter. However, this behavior (response of flight activity to rain) did not allow to discriminate both populations.

Flight activity of Plebeia pugnax Moure (in litt.) was studied in six colonies coming from Cunha, SP, from July to October 1994. Twice a week, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., for 5 minutes every half-hour, all the bees entering and leaving the hives were counted. Six hundred counts were made and the materials that foragers carried were recorded. Data were analysed in relation to temperature, relative humidity, light intensity and day time. Foragers' flight activity was relatively constant in a wide range of temperature, from 22 degrees C to 34 degrees C. The minimum temperature for the beginning of flight activity was 14 degrees C. Effective flight activity (when foragers of all colonies were leaving the hives) occurred at 15 degrees C. These bees also flew within a wide range of relative humidity, from 30% to 100%, decreasing slowly after 50%. Flight activity increased as light intensity rose and it has also increased as the hours passed by, reaching a peak around midday and decreasing gradually afterwards. Pollen was collected all day long, while resin collection was relatively constant and debris transportation was slightly higher after 10:00 h. From all known Plebeia species, this one flew on the lowest temperature ever registered for this genus.

Flight activity of Melipona bicolor bicolor, coming from Cunha (23º05'S, 44º55'W), Atlantic Forest, was studied in ten colonies, and in two periods: from July to September 1993 and from August to September 1995. The colonies were grouped in weak, medium and strong, according to the diameter of the combs, which can provide a good idea of the number of cells built. 855 observations were accomplished for 5 minutes, every half-hour, from 8 to 18 hours. The total number of bees that entered and left the hive and the number of bees that arrived with mud, pollen and resin, besides the number that went out with debris in that period were counted. It was also registered the temperature and the relative humidity of the air. The total external activity, as well as pollen collection, was maximum in the first hours of the morning, mainly in strong colonies. Weak colonies moved their maximum activity approximately to 12 hours. Pollen collection declined gradually, while mud and resin collection rose; removal of debris was greater in the beginning of the morning and in the end of the afternoon. Flight activity increased as relative humidity of the air rose, being optimum for strong colonies in the range between 80%-89%, and for the weakest colonies between 70%-79%. The minimum temperature observed for exit of the bees was 11ºC, with optimum temperatures ranging between 17ºC and 22ºC. The results showed that the general state of the colony influences the different strategies of food collection and that these bees should be adapted to environments of high relative humidity as the Atlantic forest.

The use of real-time video to provide a web laboratory (web lab) for research of bees is beingconducted as a part of the VINCES (Virtual Network Center of Ecosystem Services) consortium, whichfocuses ecosystems services research, such as polinization and photosynthesis. Currently, monitoring of amandassaia beehive (Melpona quadrifasciata anthidioides) is done through the analyses of the soundemitted by the bees and also by the video recorded and transmitted in real time on the Internet. This kind ofvideo application is very bandwidth consuming even considering high-speed networks. This work presents abrief quality comparison of the most used video compression formats in real-time video transmission at alow data-rate and the proposed structure for transmission of High Definition Videos on a High SpeedInternet2 Network. This work intends to show useful information related to the proposed weblab structureconcerning video applications in which the configuration of the video compression format and its qualitywill play an important role.

Flight activity of foragers of four colonies of Plebeia remota (Holmberg, 1903) was registered from December 1998 to December 1999, using an automated system (photocells and PLC system). The colonies originated from two different regions: Cunha, state of São Paulo, and Prudentópolis, state of Paraná, Brazil. Flight activity was influenced by different climatic factors in each season. In the summer, the intensity of the correlations between flight activity and climatic factors was smaller than in the other seasons. During the autumn and winter, solar radiation was the factor that most influenced flight activity, while in the spring, this activity was influenced mainly by temperature. Except in the summer, the various climatic factors similarly influenced flight activity of all of the colonies. Flight activity was not affected by geographic origin of the colonies. Information concerning seasonal differences in flight activity of P. remota will be useful for prediction of geographic distribution scenarios under climatic changes.

Colonies of the Brazilian stingless beePlebeia remotashow a reproductive diapause in autumn and winter. Therefore, they present two distinct reproductive states, during which colony needs are putatively different. Consequently, foraging should be adapted to the different needs. We recorded the foraging activity of two colonies for 30 days in both phases. Indeed, it presented different patterns during the two phases. In the reproductive diapause, the resource predominantly collected by the foragers was nectar. The majority of the bees were nectar foragers, and the peak of collecting activity occurred around noon. Instead, in the reproductive phase, the predominantly collected resource was pollen, and the peak of activity occurred around 10:00 am. Although the majority of the foragers were not specialized in this phase, there were a larger number of pollen foragers compared to the phase of reproductive diapause. The temperature and relative humidity also influenced the foraging activity.

Através de um sistema automatizado, a atividade do vôo de forrageiras de quatro colônias de Plebeia remota foi registrada, simultaneamente, de dezembro de 1998 a dezembro de 1999. A grande quantidade de dados obtidos permitiu uma análise quantitativa e sazonal do efeito da velocidade e direção do vento sobre a atividade de vôo. Nas quatro estações, a menor atividade de vôo de Plebeia remota ocorreu quando não houve vento ou quando a velocidade média do vento esteve abaixo de 0,5 m/s. Os picos de atividade de vôo ocorreram em velocidades de vento maiores e variaram segundo as estações e as colônias. No verão, os picos de atividade de vôo estiveram entre 3,5 e 5,5 m/s de velocidade, no outono, na classe 4,0-4,5 m/s, e na primavera entre 4,5 e 6,0 m/s. Entretanto, no inverno, houve clara restrição da atividade externa sob velocidades de vento superiores a 5,5 m/s. As forrageiras de P. remota orientaram preferencialmente seus vôos para certas direções de vento. Exceto no verão, as direções predominantes de vôo foram similares entre as quatro colônias. Estas direções também coincidiram com a posição dos recursos florais mais utilizados pelas colônias. Quando as forrageiras tinham que sair da colônia com vento contra, se registrou menor atividade de vôo. Through an automated system, foragers' flight activity of four colonies of Plebeia remota was registered at same time from December 1998 to December 1999. The large amount of data obtained allowed a quantitative and seasonal analysis of the effect of speed and direction of wind on their flight activity. In all four seasons, the smallest flight activity of Plebeia remota occurred when there was no wind or when the wind speed average was below 0.5 m/s. The flight activity peaks occurred in higher measured wind speeds and varied according to the seasons and the colonies. In the summer, the flight activity peaks occurred between 3.5 and 5.5 m/s of speed, in the autumn, in the series 4.0-4.5 m/s, and in the spring between 4.5 and 6.0 m/s. In the winter, clear restriction upon flight activity occurred in wind speeds above 5.5 m/s. Plebeia remota foragers guided preferentially their flights for certain wind directions. Except summer, the directions were similar to the four colonies. These directions matched with the locations where the most used floral resources are. On the other hand, lowest flights number coincided with conditions when the foragers would left their colonies upwind.

Melipona bicolor, an inhabitant of the Atlantic Rainforest, nidifies in hollows of live or dead trees. In order to study thermoregulation of a nest of this species, a temperature data logger was installed inside a hollow tree. After this, an intruder dug a hole, invaded the nest, and probably consumed its honey, pollen and bees, having remained there during three days. Thermal evidence and its behavior allowed the delimitation of a small number of suspects, wich we analized here. The intruder was a small mammal, predominantly nocturnal, that takes shelter in burrows, probably the yellow armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus). Other evidence, if collected immediately after invasion, could precisely indicate precisely the species. Melipona bicolor, uma habitante de nossa Mata Atlântica, nidifica em ocos de árvores vivas ou mortas. Com a finalidade de estudar a termorregulação de um ninho dessa espécie, um data logger de temperatura foi instalado no interior de um oco de árvore. Depois disso, um intruso cavou o solo, invadiu o ninho e provavelmente consumiu seu mel, pólen e abelhas, tendo ali permanecido durante três dias. Evidência térmica e comportamento permitiram delimitar um número pequeno de suspeitos, os quais analisamos aqui. O intruso foi um pequeno mamífero, predominantemente noturno, que se abriga em tocas, provavelmente o tatu-peludo. Outras evidências, se coletadas imediatamente após a invasão, indicariam exatamente a espécie do intruso.

O planeta está perdendo rapidamente sua biodiversidade, e isto se dá em boa medida pelo crescimento da população humana. Com ela cresceu a demanda por alimentos e matérias primas, e por conseqüência, aumentou a quantidade de terras usadas para sua produção. Esta demanda por terras aráveis e a busca por minérios fez com que a natureza entrasse em crise e a perda dos polinizadores, principalmente as abelhas, sem dúvida merece destaque. Isto por que estas espécies são responsáveis por um importante serviço de ecossistemas, a polinização, tanto para produção de alimentos quanto nas áreas naturais. Para encontrar soluções para o declínio dos polinizadores, os pesquisadores coletam dados sobre as ocorrências de espécies que auxiliem na conservação e no uso sustentado da biodiversidade. A manipulação da grande quantidade de dados coletados demanda o apoio da computação e ensejou a criação de uma nova área denominada informática para biodiversidade (biodiversity informatics), que se dedica à pesquisa e desenvolvimento de ferramentas que cobrem desde a digitalização até a análise dos dados. Uma categoria importante de dados de biodiversidade é a dos dados sobre as interações entre as espécies, pois permite entender as inter-relações e dependências. Nos últimos anos essa abordagem sobre interações vem se intensificando, principalmente sob a forma de redes de interações e desta forma a construção de novas ferramentas com esta abordagem se faz necessária para auxiliar as análises. Este trabalho apresenta uma ferramenta para análise de redes de interações desenvolvida para operar sobre a base de dados de interações do portal da Rede Temática de Polinizadores da Rede Interamericana de Informação sobre Biodiversidade IABIN-PTN. Ela se baseia em conceitos computacionais como teoria dos grafos e sistemas complexos para realizar cálculos e apresentar gráficos para análise de redes de interações biológicas, como os índices de tamanho da rede, quantidade de espécies, número total de ligações, conectância, grau médio de espécies, grau presença-ausência, grau quantitativo, coeficiente de agregação e força da espécie. Para visualização da topologia da rede são disponíveis com cinco tipos de gráficos: Balão, Circular, Orgânico, Cíclico Hierárquico e Radial, além dos gráficos da matriz adjacência, matriz presença, grafo bipartido, interações, coeficiente de agregação, distribuição e probabilidade. A ferramenta permite analisar os dados diretamente a partir do portal de dados, dispensando a exportação para outras ferramentas, aumentando o valor da Rede Temática de Polinizadores e contribuindo para o trabalho os pesquisadores. The planet is rapidly losing its biodiversity, and this is due to mankind demographic expansion. With an increased population, the demand for food has also increased and, consequently, an increase in land used for agriculture also occurred. This demand for tillable land and the search for minerals have disrupted nature and the loss of pollinators, particularly bees, is undoubtedly the most damaging of all. This is because these species generate high value in their ecological services, in the process of pollination for food production and the maintenance of natural areas. To find solutions, researchers are collecting information on the occurrences of species that can assist in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in their search for answers. But with all this information, its treatment has become very slow, expensive and difficult to manipulate. Hence, biodiversity informatics, a branch of computer science, came to solve these and other issues, storing this information in databases and creating computational tools to analyze all that information. In recent years, the approach to interactions has intensified, especially in interaction networks and thus the construction of new tools with this approach is required. This work proposes a tool for analyzing interaction networks to be connected to IABIN-PTN portal interaction database. This tool will perform calculations and graphics for analyzing the biological interactions network and calculations are presented as indices of network size, number of species, total number of links, connectance, average degree of species, presence-absence degree, quantitative degree, aggregation coefficient, and species strength. Visualization will show the topology network with five types: Ballon, Circular, Organic, Hierarchical Cyclic and Radial, and graphics for adjacency matrix, presence matrix, bipartite graph, interactions, aggregation coefficient, distribution and probability. The tool allows analyzing the data directly from the IABIN PTN portal without the need to export the data to other tools, increasing the value of IABIN-PTN and contributing to the work of the researchers.

O objetivo deste estudo foi fazer uma caracterização quantitativa do fluxo temporal de pólen em colônias de Melipona marginata, incluindo seu uso para nutrição da cria e estoque em 2 estações distintas (verão 2003/2004 e inverno 2004). Para isto, foram feitas estimativas da quantidade de pólen que entrou nas colônias por dia e estimativas da quantidade de pólen presente nas células de cria e da quantidade deste recurso estocado nos potes. A quantidade de pólen que entrou por dia em cada mês nas duas colônias não diferiu significativamente entre os meses e nem entre verão e inverno. A quantidade de pólen gasta nas células de cria variou entre os meses e foi maior no verão apenas para a colônia mais forte. A quantidade de pólen em estoque variou entre os meses para as duas colônias e foi maior no inverno apenas para a colônia mais fraca. O volume de pólen no alimento larval e a quantidade de pólen utilizada nas células de cria não apresentaram correlação com a quantidade de pólen que entrou por dia, em nenhuma das duas colônias, em nenhuma estação. Dessa forma, a entrada de pólen pareceu não se correlacionar com a nutrição da cria, em termos quantitativos, no que diz respeito ao pólen. O número de abelhas que entrou com pólen apresentou uma correlação negativa com a quantidade de pólen estocada nos potes somente para a colônia mais forte, no inverno. O número de células de cria construído por dia apresentou uma correlação positiva, no verão, e negativa, no inverno, com o número de potes de pólen, para a colônia mais forte, e uma correlação positiva, no verão, e negativa, no inverno, com a quantidade de pólen estocada, para as duas colônias. A quantidade de pólen gasta nas células de cria teve uma correlação negativa com a quantidade de pólen em estoque para a colônia mais fraca no inverno. Portanto, para esta colônia, parece que a quantidade de pólen em estoque teria mais influência na nutrição da cria do que o grau de sucesso da coleta de pólen. De maneira geral, com um estoque de pólen suficiente, a coleta de pólen tende a diminuir e as operárias continuam com o consumo de pólen estocado, para a construção de células de cria e alimentação, e, então, a coleta de pólen volta a aumentar, tendendo sempre a manter a reserva de pólen praticamente igual, uma estratégia de sobrevivência das colônias quando os recursos são escassos. This study was designed to quantify the temporal pollen flow in colonies of Melipona marginata, including its use in brood nutrition and storage in 2 seasons (summer 2003/2004 and winter 2004). We made estimates of pollen quantity entering each day in the colonies and estimates of pollen quantity inside brood cells and pollen pots. Pollen quantities brought to the colonies were not significantly different throughout the studied months and between seasons. Pollen quantity used in brood cells varied throughout the months and was greater in summer only for the stronger colony. Pollen quantity stored inside pots varied throughout the months for both colonies and was greater in winter only for the weaker colony. Pollen volume in larval food and pollen quantity used in brood cells showed no correlation with pollen quantity brought to both colonies in both seasons. Thus, pollen collection was apparently not correlated with brood nutrition. Pollen collection was negatively correlated with stored pollen quantity only for the stronger colony in winter. The number of brood cells was positively correlated with the number of pollen pots in summer and negatively correlated in winter for the stronger colony, and positively correlated with pollen quantity stored inside pots in summer and negatively correlated in winter for both colonies. Pollen quantity used in brood cells was negatively correlated with stored pollen quantity in winter for the weaker colony. Therefore, for this colony, it seems that stored pollen quantity would have more influence in brood nutrition than the degree of success of pollen collection. Generally speaking, with enough stored pollen, pollen foraging tend to decrease and workers use the stored pollen for brood cells construction and their own feeding until the number of brood cells increase and pollen storage decrease enough to pollen foraging to increase, thus maintaining pollen reserves practically the same, a survival strategy for colonies when resources are in short supply.