Showing papers by "Gustavo Ferreira Martins published in 2010"

Quantitative analysis of the digestive and regenerative cells of the midgut of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Abstract: The epithelium of the midgut of insects is mainly composed of digestive and regenerative cells. The digestive cells are responsible for the production of digestive enzymes and the absorption of the digested products, while the regenerative cells restore the epithelium. The distribution of tasks and longevity among the castes of stingless bees is uneven. It is believed that the longevity of individuals of the order Hymenoptera is directly related to the number of regenerative cells at the time of emergence to adulthood and that it would be defined during pupation. The observation of the midgut in total assembly used in this work allowed better visualization of the set of digestive and regenerative cells and potential mitoses. Digestive cells have larger and equidistant nucleoli, compared with regenerative cells. The variations in the distribution and morphology of digestive and regenerative cells among the castes may be related to feeding or reproduction. The observation of only one mitotic figure indicates that the proliferation of regenerative cells occurs at extremely low levels and there is not a direct relationship between the number of regenerative cells and longevity in M. quadrifasciata anthidioides. key words: Meliponini, epithelium, mitosis, ventriculus.