Morphology of the fetal membranes of the estuarine dolphin (Sotalia guianensis Van Beneden 1864)

• Grant number: 12/24384-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Maria Angelica Miglino
• Grantee: Janaina Pontes Andrade
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Based on the scarcity of information about Sotalia guianensis, a cetacean species abundant on the Brazilian coast, from the microscopic point of view, studies of reproductive morphology and ultrastructure are of extreme importance for the conservation of the species. Given this fact, this work will be of relevance in the description of the microscopic anatomy and physiology of fetal membranes of cetaceans stranded in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin. This project aims to describe the histological features of the fetal membranes from the cetacean species Sotalia guianensis through light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The specimens to be studied were derived from stranding events on beaches in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin area. The fragments of the placenta, fetal membranes, and umbilical cord collected will be processed according to light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques.(AU)